Denbighshire young people urged to claim their savings

Many young adults in Denbighshire could have an average of £2,200 waiting for them in their unclaimed Child Trust Fund account.

Child Trust Funds were introduced by the UK Government in 2005. Accounts were opened for almost six million children born in the UK between 1st September 2002 and 2nd January 2011.

Nearly half of Child Trust Funds in Wales remain unclaimed. According to the Share Foundation, around 1,240 accounts are still unclaimed in Denbighshire.

Young people aged 16 or over can take control of their own Child Trust Fund, although the funds can only be withdrawn once they turn 18. Families can continue to pay up to £9,000 a year tax-free into a Child Trust Fund until the account matures. The money stays in the account until the child withdraws or reinvests it into another account. If a parent or guardian could not set up an account for their child, the government opened a savings account on the child’s behalf.

Every 16-year-old is sent information about finding their Child Trust Fund from HMRC with their National Insurance letter. Anyone unsure about their situation should check with their bank or building society. Alternatively, young adults and parents can also search on www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds to find out where their Child Trust Fund account is held.

Councillor Delyth Jones, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets said: “I strongly encourage all eligible young people to check their accounts and claim what is rightfully theirs. The investment could be placed into an adult ISA or put towards their education, housing or driving lessons.

"I would urge young people to use the online tool to track it down or, for parents of teenagers, to speak to them to ensure they’re aware of their Child Trust Fund. It could make a real difference to their future particularly at a time when finances are tight.”

The Child Trust Fund scheme closed in January 2011 and was replaced with Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISA).

* For more information on Child Trust Funds, visit www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds. Alternatively, visit https://www.meiccymru.org/do-you-have-money-hiding-in-a-child-trust-fund/, text 07943 114449 or call 080880 23456.

Llangollen pub appears in The Guardian's '30 of the best' list

A Llangollen venue has been listed among The Guardian's '30 of the best' UK pubs for 'an autumn escape with great food'.

* For the full story on Leaderlive, go to: Four North Wales pubs ranked on The Guardian's top 30 list | The Leader

Now it's the Pavilion in the frame for national TV stardom

* Eisteddfod volunteer Issy Richards (centre) meets the Escape to the Country couple Christina and Glyn (on the left) at the Pavilion. With them are presenter Alistair Appleton and (far right) Eisteddfod board director David Hennigan.  

Another of Llangollen's landmark attractions was filmed for a future edition of the BBC daytime TV property programme, Escape to the Country, this morning (Thursday).

Yesterday a film crew were at Llangollen Station shooting sequences for the same show, which features potential buyers searching for their dream homes in rural areas of the UK who are taken to look around three or four properties for sale, including a "mystery house," in their chosen region. 

In this case the home-seekers were Glyn and Christina who were looking to move from their home in the Wiltshire town of Chippenham to somewhere in this area, where they have friends and often visit.

* Camera, action - filming outside the Pavilion.

Today, the couple - plus presenter Alistair Appleton - were at Llangollen Pavilion where they were given the low-down on living in this area by Eisteddfod volunteer and former Llangollen deputy mayor, Issy Richards.

Over the few days the couple have been taken to see a variety of homes with a 30-mile radius of Llangollen.

The programme is likely to be shown in about 10 or 12 months' time, according to the production company, Naked.

Date for illuminated tractor run confirmed

* llanblogger's picture of last year's illuminated tractor run.

A story in the Leader says the date and the route for this year's Llangollen Illuminated Tractor Run have been confirmed.

* For the full story, go to: Date for Llangollen Illuminated Tractor Run confirmed | The Leader

Something for Sarah show raises £2,515 for Nightingale House Hospice

* The closing dance sequence from Something for Sarah at the Town Hall.

A spectacular stage show to celebrate the life and talent of choreographer Sarah Marshall at the Town Hall last Saturday night raised over £2,500 for Nightingale House Hospice.

Performers from Llangollen Operatic Society, their junior section the Young 'Uns and Llangollen Pantomime Group, assisted by the Julie Thomas dancers, presented a lavish programme of entertainment marking Sarah's skill in choreographing a cavalcade of their productions in the years before her untimely death 12 months ago.

And the resulting concert, "Something for Sarah", was rewarded with a full-house audience who lapped up every minute of the the programme of song and dance, which included brief tastes of previous musicals and pantos plus a fun quiz and a prize raffle which brought the house down.

* The amount raised by the show for Nightingale House.

The show's producer Tracey Kempster-Jones, has now revealed on Facebook that the smash-hit production also resulted in a boost of £2,515.42 for the hospice where Sarah was cared for in her final days.

In her post, Tracey says: "You ALL made this happen. Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart and to all those who gave their time freely and free of charge.

"You are most generous - feeling overwhelmed."

Llangollen set to sparkle at the 2025 Christmas Festival

Llangollen will come alive with festive cheer on Saturday November 29 as the town hosts its much-loved Christmas Festival.

And organisers say it will be a magical day filled with stalls, music, a parade, children’s activities, and the spectacular Christmas light switch-on and fireworks finale. 

The festivities begin at 10am on Centenary Square, where visitors can browse Christmas stalls, enjoy live entertainment, and soak up the seasonal atmosphere. 

Families can look forward to a range of fun activities throughout the day, including Siôn Corn’s (Santa’s) Grotto, children’s play and circus skills, and plenty of festive treats.

 

One of the highlights of the day will be the Christmas parade at 1pm, bringing colour, costume, and community spirit to the streets of Llangollen. 

The celebrations will continue into the evening with the Christmas light switch-on at 5pm, followed by a fireworks display to round off the day in spectacular style.

 

Adding extra excitement is the grand raffle, offering a chance to win a selection of fabulous prizes generously donated by local businesses and supporters. 

The top prizes include £200 in shopping vouchers and a child’s mountain bike, alongside luxury hampers, dining experiences, unique local crafts, and festive treats. Raffle tickets will be available throughout the day, with proceeds helping to support the Air Ambulance, community projects and future festival events.

 

A spokesperson for the Christmas Festival team said: “The Christmas Festival is one of the highlights of the year for the town. It’s a chance for everyone to come together, celebrate community spirit, and welcome the festive season in true Llangollen style. There’ll be something for everyone – from little ones meeting Santa to families enjoying the lights and fireworks.

 

"With local traders, crafts, performances, and festive food on offer, the day promises to be a joyful celebration for residents and visitors alike."

 

* For the latest updates and announcements, follow the Llangollen Christmas Festival on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1BLbdUXfYP/ and check out the fabulous raffle prizes here https://wrexhameventsguide.co.uk/llangollen-christmas-festival/

Audi Q7 hybrid is quiet as a mouse - but no pussycat

Audi Q7 e quattro drive by Steve Rogers

Once it breathed fire, now the mighty Q7 is as quiet as a mouse. So has Audi turned the beast into a pussycat? As if!

But the motoring world is going through its biggest upheaval since Carl Benz built his first car 139 years ago.

No reason for alarm. All that has happened is Audi is moving with the times and throwing just about everything into electric and plug-in petrol hybrids. The diesel hasn’t been retired, just pushed to the side a bit. Audi is one of an increasingly small number of companies still producing diesel engines but the take up is dwindling as e day 2030 gets ever closer.

Apart from the new hybrid engine, the Q7 has been given a major update this year and there is no mistaking the chunky black grille. Talk about in your face, Audi is making a bold statement here no doubt taking note of the flurry of new SUVs that have monstrous grilles.

So what’s been happening on the hybrid front? Quite a lot. The electric motor has been upgraded to 130kW with a more powerful lithium battery. The upshot is an electric only range of 52 miles which is pretty reasonable given the size of Q7.

Of course there is no range anxiety to worry about because there is still a three litre petrol under the bonnet, and that is a bit of a peach. It is remarkably refined, well would we expect anything else from Audi, with an armful of overtaking pick up. The 600Nm of torque is a smidge down on the diesel but is still monstrously strong when overtaking yet remarkably refined with barely a hint of noise when cruising either from the engine or the chunky tyres.

With a full charge the official economy figure is a heady 216mpg so if your journeys are short it is worth keeping the battery topped up from a home source which will take under four hours. Once the electric power is spent on a longer trip you can expect high twenties although the battery is recharged to a small extent every time you lift off the accelerator.

I regularly managed 29-30mpg which is good considering the Q7 weighs in at just under two and a half tonnes.

If the new hybrid is the main event then next in line is the ride. Q7 comes with air suspension and it really does give you a magic carpet ride. It has to be the most comfortable SUV I have driven and would take a crater in the road to throw it off course.

My S-Line test car comes with active sport suspension and while an SUV this size can hardly be described as agile there was no rolly-polly nonsense as it swept through tight bends.

So we have given high marks to performance and ride, but what do we make of the Q7s cabin? A bit of a mixed bag, but this is very personal. There is no denying the Q7, or any Audi for that matter, is beautifully trimmed with top class materials everywhere. My beef is with the infotainment set up.

I fell out of love with the interface when Audi dropped the excellent rotary controller. You could make selections on the move with just a glance at the display which to my mind is safer when driving.

Yes, everything is typically orderly but there is a lot more going on and you have to touch the screen so eyes are leaving the road. I will give credit for a definite soft click when making the selection so you know it has happened. At least the heating controls are permanently displayed in the lower screen and voice control will respond to certain commands like changing a radio station.

Audi has a bit of an obsession with black and there are lots of piano black facings across the dashboard and centre console. It looks impessive when it is not plastered in fingerprints, which is most of the time, so if fussy, like me, carry a duster!

It goes without saying the Q7 has masses of cabin space, this is a big car, but one of the penalties of storing a battery pack is the loss of the third row of seats. Hardly a deal breaker.

Fast facts

Q7 55 TFSI e quattro Black edition

£86,605 (starts £66,605)

3-petrol hybrid; 386bhp

Eight speed tiptronic

0-62mph 5.7secs; 149mph

29g/km. 1st VED £110

28.8mpg (petrol only)

Insurance group 44-50

Boot: 563-1863 litres