* The City of Chester Bluecoat band will be launching the Santa Specials in Llangollen.
* Les Platt has played with City of Chester Band for 45 years.
The City of Chester Bluecoat Band will bring the sound of Christmas to Llangollen Railway Station when it helps launch its 2026 Santa Specials on Saturday November 28.
The band will perform from 11.30am, with the occasion having a particularly special connection through long-standing Llangollen and Corwen Railway volunteer and guard Les Platt.
Les has been a member of the City of Chester Bluecoat Band since 1981, giving them 45 years of service. This Christmas, two important parts of his life will come together when his fellow bandsmen and women perform at the railway.
Les said: “I joined the City of Chester Bluecoat Band in 1981 and it has been a huge part of my life ever since. After 45 years, it becomes about much more than simply playing music. You build lifelong friendships, share some wonderful experiences and become part of a family.
“There are actually a lot of similarities with volunteering on the railway. People come from completely different backgrounds, and everyone has their own role to play, but ultimately you are all working together. I have made some great friends through both organisations.
“To have the band coming to Llangollen for the opening of the Santa Specials is going to be very special for me. Christmas already creates a wonderful atmosphere on the Railway and there is nothing quite like the sound of a brass band playing Christmas music.
“It will be slightly strange seeing these two parts of my life come together, but I am incredibly proud of my association with both the band and the Railway. I think 28 November is going to be a really memorable day and I am very much looking forward to it.”
* The ever-popular Santa Specials come to Llangollen station again this year.
The performance will mark the opening day of one of the railway’s biggest annual events, with months of preparation already taking place behind the scenes for the return of the Santa Specials.
The Bluecoat Band’s appearance continues a year in which Llangollen and Corwen Railway has embraced music and the arts, building on Llangollen and the Dee Valley’s strong cultural heritage.
The award-winning railway has welcomed some distinguished visitors from the world of the arts during 2026, including internationally acclaimed Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins and Lady Carol Jenkins, as well as former Royal Ballet Principal Dame Darcey Bussell.
Alongside these individual visits, the railway has been developing the role music and performance can play in the passenger experience.
A major part of that has been its growing partnership with Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
This year saw performers from around the world taking their music beyond the Eisteddfod field and onto special trains through the Dee Valley, bringing together two organisations which are synonymous with Llangollen.
The partnership demonstrated the potential of combining the town’s railway and musical heritage, while introducing passengers and visitors to something very different from a traditional journey on a heritage railway.
The programme of live music continues in September when the James Lambert Singers from Wrexham perform special concerts at Llangollen and Corwen.
David Hennigan, Trust Manager at Llangollen and Corwen Railway, said: “We have really embraced the arts this year and it has brought another dimension to what we offer.
“Our partnership with the International Eisteddfod was a particular highlight. Seeing performers from around the world bringing their music onto our trains was incredibly special. Llangollen is known internationally for music and it makes complete sense for the Railway to be part of that story.
“We have also been fortunate to welcome some remarkable visitors this year, including Sir Karl and Lady Carol Jenkins and Dame Darcey Bussell. These were separate visits, but it is wonderful to see people from the arts enjoying our Railway and the Dee Valley.
“We have the James Lambert Singers joining us in September and now the City of Chester Bluecoat Band helping us launch Christmas.
“There is something wonderfully traditional about arriving at a heritage railway at Christmas and hearing a brass band playing on the platform. Add a steam train, Christmas decorations and excited families and it should create a fantastic atmosphere at Llangollen Station.
“What makes this one particularly special, though, is Les. He has given 45 years to the Bluecoat Band and is also a valued member of our Railway family. Bringing those two worlds together on the opening day of our Santa Specials feels absolutely right.”
The 2026 Santa Specials begin on Saturday November 28 with the City of Chester Bluecoat Band performing at Llangollen Railway Station from 11.30am.
The Railway’s Christmas programme will also see an expansion of its Siôn Corn services, alongside the return of its popular Mince Pie Specials.
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