Tapas and Prosecco evening raises £1,200 for church

* Guests enjoy the fundraising evening.

The Tapas and Prosecco night at St Collen's Community Hall last Saturday was a great success, raising around £1,200 towards the cost of facilities at Llangollen's Welsh language church, St John's in Abbey Road.

The Rev Andrew Sully, Vicar of St Collen's who organised the evening, has expressed his thanks to all who supported the event and in particular to Crawford Davies who did the cooking and his mum, Sue Cheshire, who was his very able sous chef.

* A Peace One Day Service will be held at 3pm on Sunday, September 21, in St John’s Church, followed by tea in the Peace Garden.

Chain Bridge talk planned for Monday

Chain Bridge @chainbridge2014 has just tweeted that Dr David Gwyn will be giving a talk on the subject of Llangollen's Chain Bridge within a wider World Heritage Site setting at Llangollen Town Hall next Monday, starting at 7pm.

Stand-up comedy returns to Pavilion

Llangollen Pavilion plays host to a night of stand-up comedy this Friday, September 19.

Following sell-out shows earlier in the year, Llangollen Comedy Club returns to the venue after its summer break with a line-up of acts fresh from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Opening the show will be Irish comedian Andrew Ryan (below left). Having made his comedy debut in 2008, he has since performed two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and boasts TV appearances on BBC Three's Russell Howard's Good News and Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live 2014.

North West favourite Mick Ferry (right) will be headlining the show.

One of the most sought after comics on the circuit, Mick was voted Best Live UK Stand Up 2013 at the UK Comedy Awards.

Alongside appearances on BBC One's Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, he has written for John Bishop's Britain and supported the likes of Sean Lock, Peter Kay and Al Murray on tour. 

As well as performing his solo show in Edinburgh this August, Mick starred alongside Phil Ellis in the critically acclaimed 'Funz and Gamez', which won the coveted Panel Prize in the 2014 Fosters Comedy Awards.

Introducing the acts will be regular host, Silky, who will also present some up-and-coming talent from the comedy circuit in the middle section of the show.

Event organiser Paul Brown says: "We've been overwhelmed by the response to Llangollen Comedy Club since we launched back in January, with several sell-out shows. All of the acts have commented on how fantastic the Llangollen audience are.

 

"This month's show is another cracking line up. I'd encourage anyone who has never been to a gig like this to come along and experience live comedy for themselves - it really is a brilliant night out."

Doors open at 7.30pm and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets, priced £9, are available from Llangollen Pavilion and Gales of Llangollen or online at www.llancomedy.co.uk.

Independent councillors' successful conference

The first conference for independent councillors in Wales was held recently at Llandrindod Wells where over 60 delegates attended.

In a statement, Cllr Hugh H Evans, leader of the WLGA Independent Group, said: "Whilst there was a broad discussion, there was a consensus of opinion and concern on the impact of the present cuts faced by local government on residents and our communities, the impact of the Williams Report and the changing nature of politics in Wales together with the impending threat to local democracy. 

"As independent councillors represent over half of the population of Wales, agreement was reached that we invite the new Minister for Local Government for urgent talks on the future of service provision in Wales. 

"It was agreed Independents could substantially improve the political landscape in Wales by working closely on the national agenda, in encouraging new members, and give serious consideration to standing at the next Assembly elections." 

Fundraisers go extra mile for Plas Madoc campaign

* Cyclists (l-r) Anthony Roberts, Darrell Wright, Cliff Bennion,

Colin Hayward and Greg Ogden. Colin was the team’s designated driver and

back-up, transporting equipment and preparing food etc.

A team of fit fundraisers have raised around £2,000 for the reopening of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre by cycling more than 300 miles.

Splash Community Trust chairman Darrell Wright and director Greg Ogden joined Anthony Roberts and Cliff Bennion for the gruelling team trip from North East Wales to Birmingham

The challenge began in the early hours of September 4, with Darrell and Greg setting off from the Trevor basin and Anthony and Cliff leaving from Llangollen.

Greg said: “At first there were good tracks, a light mist steeling over the canal and wildlife stirring – it began beautifully. However, things got tougher after we passed the Lion Quays.

“The terrain was uneven and there were several miles of boggy ground, it got very precarious in places and we had to do everything we could to avoid falling in the canal!

“However, after some minor scrapes, a puncture and a few wrong turns, we completed a combined 322 miles and we are estimating that between us we’ve raised around £2,000.”

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates (left), a founder member of the Splash Community Trust, also ran the Erddig 10k on Sunday to raise money for the campaign to reopen Plas Madoc.

The Trust is holding a public meeting at Air Products Social Club in Acrefair at 7pm on Thursday (September 18) after Wrexham Council recently said it was minded to support the volunteer-run group with a £50,000 cash injection.

Darrell said: “There is a lot to discuss and a lot of planning and hard work still to come, but we are now finally in a position to look to the future with optimism.

“I would call on anyone who wants to play a part in Plas Madoc’s future to come and show their support. Despite the fantastic progress we’ve made, we cannot succeed without the help of the public – and we’ll need it now more than ever.”

Council tax arrears appeal

Denbighshire County Council is urging any county resident experiencing difficulties in paying council tax to get in touch, so that special arrangements for payments can be made.

The appeal comes after the Council  recovered debts of £23,000 through the issuing of Charging Orders.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance, said: "These Orders are very much a last resort for the Council, as they mean that residents cannot re-mortgage or sell their properties without paying their council tax arrears first.

"The majority of residents do pay their council tax on time.  Some people do experience difficulties in paying, whilst others wilfully do not pay their council tax without a valid reason.

"We have a duty to recover the council tax owed to us and our appeal is  for people experiencing real difficulties to get in touch at the earliest opportunity. This will mean there are options available and there may be a special arrangement that can be put in place, taking into consideration people's personal circumstances."

To discuss, please call the Recovery Team on 01824 706321 or 706436.

Event showcases Llan's rich history

* A realistic-looking model of a Victorian prisoner in the reconstructed

lock-up cell at the Old Armoury. 

VISITORS with an eye for history made their way to Llangollen at the weekend to take advantage of Denbighshire’s latest Open Doors event.

The annual celebration of history and architecture in the county saw a number of the town’s tourist attractions offer free entry to the public and there were also a number of special exhibitions.

Among the most popular locations was the Old Armoury which was bought and extensively refurnished by Sue Hargreaves before being opened to the public in 2012.

Sue and her team of helpers were on hand throughout the weekend to give guided tours of the historic building which in its time has been used as a magistrates court, a police station and a lock-up gaol.    

Over at the Memorial Hall in Market Street there was an exhibition detailing the history of a number of important houses in the Llangollen area, including Pengwern Hall and Trevor Hall.

Plas Newydd, home of the famous Ladies of Llangollen, turned over the exhibition area in its grounds to a timeline of the house’s development from a humble cottage into a mini stately home.

Tours of the house were offered on Saturday and Sunday.   

On both days there were tours of the engineering sheds at Llangollen Railway and Ysgol Dinas Bran opened its doors to the public on Saturday.

 

* A recreation of the 1830s police station at the Old Armoury.

* A visitor browses a display on important local houses at the Memorial Hall.  

 

* Plans for a remodelling of Plas Newydd in the 1960s on display at the
exhibition in the grounds of the famous house.