Betty Lowe's funeral date is given

* Betty Lowe pictured on her 90th birthday.

The funeral of well-known Llangollen resident Betty Lowe, who died recently just days short of her 97th birthday, will take place at Llantisilio Church at 12.30pm on Friday, December 3.

Betty Veronica Lowe was born in Acrefair on November 17, 1924, daughter of William and Gwendolen Lowe.

Her Llangollen roots go back a long way. Her great grandfather, Edward Roberts, landlord of the Grapes, was one of the early mill owners of Llangollen who established Upper Dee Mill.

One grandfather, Evan Evans, designed the King’s bridge at Berwyn. 

On leaving school she attended a Housekeepers Course at the FL Calder College of Domestic Science, Myrtle Street, Liverpool. But she was also a gold medallist of the London Academy of Music and Drama During the war, she was heavily involved with caring for her mother at their home, Holmwood, at Berwyn.

As well as looking after her mother, she taught drama at Llantysilio for Miss Grace Lloyd Williams and also taught drama and elocution at several schools, including Howells, Denbigh, during the 1970s.

As well as being a founder member of the Llangollen Twenty Club, she was involved with Llantysilio WI, a member of the Eisteddfod floral committee for many years, Hanes, and was made Life President of Llangollen Civic Society, having been chair some time.

Betty passed away just as the dramatic society she helped to pioneer celebrated its 75th anniversary with a smash-hit production of French-themed TV comedy 'Allo 'Allo.

Her funeral comes a day after that of another well-known Llangollen resident, Wyn "Paraffin" Hughes, which is at St Collen's at 12 noon on Thursday, December 2.

November's Citizens Advice column

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice is:

Q: It feels like everything is getting more and more expensive and with Christmas coming up, I'm really worried about how I'll manage. My partner and I would love to treat our kids but we’re keen to avoid huge debts. Do you have any advice? 

Christmas can be costly for many of us and we know lots of people are struggling already this year. There can be a lot of pressure to spend more than you can afford, so here are a few key things to remember as we head into 2022. 

A: Be realistic and budget accordinglyWork out how much you can afford to spend – and stick to it. There’s nothing wrong with managing expectations, and suggesting things such as spending limits, secret Santas or maybe even that you don’t need to swap gifts. 

Don’t forget the everyday bills

Remember that the rent or mortgage, utility bills, food bills and other existing debts still have to be paid – the consequences can be severe if they’re not. Even though it’s Christmas, it’s not worth starting the New Year being behind on your bills. 

Tempted by Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)? While it can be tempting to split payments, make sure you have a plan for how to pay the money back - particularly if your circumstances or income were to change. If you're using BNPL repeatedly or using multiple BNPL options, make sure you know how much you owe in total. Make sure you understand what you’re signing up for, how you’ll make the repayments and what will happen if you can’t pay on time. 

Buy safe to be safe

Whatever the deal, whatever the temptation, don’t buy from unauthorised traders and don’t borrow from unauthorised lenders. These could put you at risk of unscrupulous collection methods  – including threats and harm, unsafe products and unexpectedly high interest rates. You may also not be protected by Financial Conduct Authority rules. 

Shop around

Try as many different places as possible to find the best price. Buy what you want and not what other people say you need. Be wary of extended warranties; the cost of a repair could be less than the cost of the warranty. 

Get help if you’re struggling

If you’re worried about paying the bills, get free, independent advice as soon as possible. There’s lots of information on the Citizens Advice website and you can call Citizens Advice Denbighshire on 0808 278 7933  where an adviser will be able to help you understand your options and come up with a plan.

Town's Christmas Festival is today

* The festival programme.

A scaled-down version of the town’s annual Christmas festival taking account of ongoing pandemic safety measures will be staged this afternoon (Saturday).

Organisers say their aim is to help get people into the festive spirit while avoiding large crowds gathering.

Instead of the usual parade to kick off the event, this year’s more modest Celebration of Christmas will centre on a programme of top-class entertainment in Centenary Square.

The highlight of the afternoon’s activities, which start at 2pm, will come at 5pm with the ceremonial switching on of the Christmas lights along Castle Street by Sion Corn - the Welsh Father Christmas - and end with a bang as proceedings are rounded off in traditional style with a spectacular firework display launched from the hillside overlooking the town.

Taking the stage in a Christmas gazebo on the square during the afternoon will be talented performers from the Young ‘Uns, the junior section of Llangollen Operatic Society, who will give a taste of their smash-hit musical Little Shop of Horrors which is due to open at the Town Hall next February.

Also helping to provide a true seasonal feel with a rousing selection of Christmas music will be Llangollen Silver Band.

Llangollen’s own Wandering Minstrel, Chris Burton, will belt out a string of popular sing-along hits throughout the afternoon and there will be solo spots from Leonie Kirby and the Melodics Choral Group plus Karl Joseph.

At 3pm Sion Corn, in his traditional green and white robes, will make an appearance in Centenary Square.  

Town Mayor, Cllr Austin Cheminais, who chairs the Christmas Festival Committee, explained that despite its less ambitious scale, the event was still intended to help get people in festive mood.

He said: “Last year, given the pandemic, we had no alternative but to cancel the festival entirely and with Covid-19 still very much in the background, we reluctantly decided to limit the size of this year’s event.

“But we’re still absolutely determined to have a great time and give a hearty Llangollen welcome to Christmas by celebrating the season in style.

“We have some fantastic performers lined up for our concert on the square. I’ll be switching on the amazing Christmas lights and, as usual, the team which puts on the firework display will be pulling out all the stops to end the day with a colourful flourish.”

Once again this year the festival committee is hosting its popular Christmas Scarecrow Trail.

Throughout December they are encouraging people to come up with some creative and colourful entries.  

It was held last year and even during the pandemic it managed to attract over 50 inventive entries from all parts of the town.

Cllr Cheminais said: "I knew of 40 locations on the list and there were a lot more out there that I didn't know about.

"I’m hoping to get even more this year as I know how incredibly creative Llangollen people are.

"Santa and his elves will judge the competition in the week leading up to Christmas, and there are two main prizes of £25 plus five runners-up prizes of £10.

"People can help choose the winner by sending a picture of their favourite to: santa@btinternet.com."

Julie goes on breakfast TV to defend repeats of Benny Hill Show

* Julie Kirk Thomas on Good Morning Britain.

An actress and dancer from Llangollen has appeared on national TV to describe how she feels about repeats of the famous Benny Hill Show in which she starred being scheduled for a return to the small screen after an absence of over 30 years.

Despite being one of Britain’s most popular programmes the show was pulled by TV bosses in 1989 when they became worried about Hill’s slapstick character chasing scantily-clad young women from the group named Hill’s Angels through various risque routines.

But now a series of re-runs forms part of the festive schedule on Freeview channel That's TV Gold, renamed That's TV Christmas for the season.

* Julie (above) debates the return of the show with Debbie Arnold interposed with a scene from the show.

* Benny Hill's show was pulled by TV bosses in 1989 after years of success.

Julie Kirk Thomas, who runs a series of popular dance classes in Llangollen, appeared as one of the Angels in a number of the original episodes and went on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning to give her reaction to the show’s comeback.

The interview, conducted by presenters Adil Ray and Suzanne Reid, became a good-natured debate about the relevance of the show to today’s audiences between Julie and Debbie Arnold, a contemporary performer who refused an offer to appear in the Benny Hill Show back in the day.

She said: “I turned it down because I thought it was terrible. The show was just awful and so sexist.

“I know that the girls loved doing it but it was so, so dated. It was written by men for men and not for women.”

But Julie put up a stout defence of the programme, saying: “The targets of Benny’s humour were often the men in the show.

“It should be seen again because it was known all over the world. He didn’t swear and never used bad language.

“Charlie Chaplin had a shelf full of Benny Hill films in his office. Benny was one of the greats and should be shown again.   

“People  in care homes and with dementia love to see old things because it brings back memories for them.

“I agree that we’ve moved on – but what have we moved on to?”

After her TV days Julie went on to appear in a number of hit films.

Apart from running her dance classes at Llangollen Town Hall, in recent years she has performed with Llangollen Operatic Society and other stage groups such as the Collen Players.

Bulb energy firm going into administration

The BBC is reporting this afternoon that the energy firm Bulb is to go into administration.

* For the full story, see:

Energy firm Bulb set to go into administration - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59373198

Burnt out car left at Llangollen Golf Club

The Shropshire Star has reported that the charred wreck of a car was left next to the first tee at the Vale of Llangollen Golf Club last Friday.

The story says that one fire engine from the Llangollen station was scrambled to the blaze at 3.04am.

A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said that the fire is thought to have been started deliberately.

The car was said to have suffered 100 percent fire damage and remained overturned and next to the first tee with police tape around it several hours later.

“One crew from Llangollen attended and used one hose-reel jet to extinguish the fire,” the fire service spokesman said.

Police warning over free lottery frauds

North Wales police has issued a warning about free lottery frauds.

A message on the force's Neighbourhood Alerts system says: "Action Fraud have reported a dramatic increase in Advance Fee Lottery Frauds over recent months. 

"Over £925,000 has been lost by victims over the last six months. 

"Victims have reported losing an average of just over £1,500 with 70% of victims aged 50 or over."

Lottery fraud occurs when criminals use fake messages and calls to convince a person that they have won a lottery or a prize draw. 

The victim is then informed that they will need to pay an advance “fee” in order to receive the winnings.

Police advice is:

STOP: Unsolicited offers of large sums of money in return for a small upfront payment should always raise a red flag. Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

CHALLENGE: Could it be fake? After all, you can’t win a prize in a competition you didn’t enter. Remember, it’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. 

PROTECT: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.