New Dot Cinema to re-open this Friday

                          * The first screening is the classic Stand By Me.

There are just five days to go until New Dot Cinema returns to Llangollen Town Hall for its first screening since 2023. Doors open this Friday, July 25, at 6.45pm.

To launch a new season of films, the popular community cinema will screen one of the definitive coming-of-age movies, Stand By Me. Setover a summer weekend in 1959, four inseparable friends set off on a two-day trek to look for a missing teenager’s body—a mission they hope will make them heroes in their small town. 

However, what starts out as a macabre adventure turns into so much more. It’s a funny, emotional, dramatic film about friendship, self-discovery and that fleeting moment between the innocence of childhood and the complicated world of adulthood.

Heulwen Wright, who is part of the team leading New Dot’s relaunch, is a firm fan of the film. She said: “We knew from the start that this would be the film we wanted to show first. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it many times, it’s such a classic that you can always find something new in it. We’re delighted that it’s our first film.” 

As part of the relaunch, New Dot also has new social media pages and a new website, all of which will showcase future films.

Tickets are £6 and are still available online via TicketSource (with a 50p booking fee) or from Laura’s Tea Room in Oak Street, Llangollen (cash only) and on the door on the night.

Residents left fuming over Horseshoe Fall illegal parking, says story

According to a story in Wales Online, residents were left fuming when scores of visitors parked illegally near a Denbighshire beauty spot. A long line of cars disrupted local traffic when parked on a narrow country lane near Horseshoe Falls, Llangollen.

Double yellow lines on the B5103 were ignored with some cars parking on blind bends. As the road is a main access route to Llantysilio and Rhewl, it was feared emergency vehicles would struggle to reach the rural communities.

* For the full story, go to: Beautiful World Heritage site in North Wales becomes 'dangerous nightmare' for drivers - Wales Online

Llangollen businesses are finalists in hospitality awards

* The Eisteddfod is a finalist in the Best Welsh Festival category.

A number of Llangollen businesses, including the Eisteddfod, a hotel and spa and an outdoor education centre, have been announced as finalists for Oceanic Awards' 7th Welsh Hospitality Awards 2025.

The awards aim to highlight excellence in Wales' vibrant hospitality industry. With a focus on recognising outstanding businesses and individuals, these awards highlight the very best in hotels, restaurants, bars, spas, and other sectors within the industry. 

The winners will be announced at a ceremony set to take place on September 10.

The local finalists are:

Outdoor Venue of the Year

·        Plas y Brenin (Betws-y-Coed)

·        Plas Menai National Outdoor Centre (Caernarfon)

·        Bryntysilio Outdoor Education Centre (Llangollen)

Best Welsh Festival

·        Llangollen International Musical (Eisteddfod)

·        FOCUS Wales (Wrexham)

Spa Retreat of the Year

·        The Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa (Llangollen)

·        IXORA Hotel and Spa (Conwy)

Best Hotel Experience

·        Ruthin Castle Hotel and Spa (Ruthin)

·        Bodelwyddan Castle (Denbighshire)

·        Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa (Llangollen)

*  Bryntysilio Outdoor Education Centre is a finalist for Outdoor Venue of the Year.

* The Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa is a finalist in both the Spa Retreat of the Year and the Best Hotel Experience categories.

Eisteddfod volunteers meet for a catch-up at the Pavilion

Some of the many volunteers who made the recent 2025 Llangollen International Eisteddfod such as success met up for a chat and a social drink at the Pavilion last night (Saturday) hosted by the man now in charge there, Keith Potts. All pictures by Kurly Mawaha.

Former pupil Shea guests at Ysgol Dinas Bran awards evening

* Shea Ferron was guest at the school's annual awards evening.

A former student making it big in the entertainment world was guest speaker at Ysgol Dinas Bran's awards annual evening.

A school Facebook post says: "We were very pleased to welcome back ex-student Shea Ferron to present the awards.

"Shea told us of his ventures since leaving us, including his performance with Johns' Boys on Britain's Got Talent and the Royal Variety Show, and the role Ysgol Dinas Brân had played in his life.

"Shea also treated the attendees to a beautiful rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow."

* The 2025 award winners line up.

The post adds: "A wonderful evening was had by all ... over 100 awards were presented as families watched on proudly.

"All of the award winners embodied the school’s motto ‘Success through effort’ and are a credit to their families and the school.

"We are already looking forward to next year and who the next recipients will be."

Latest summer activities arranged in Llangollen

Latest summer activities arranged in Llangollen by the South Denbighshire Community Partnership are listed here.

Tourists asked to play their part in preventing wildfires

* Wildfire sweeping through a Denbighshire landscape.

Visitors to the Denbighshire countryside are being asked to play their part in reducing the risk of wildfires in the county, including Llangollen's Horseshoe Falls.

With the recent dry weather, Denbighshire County Council and Clwydian Range and Dee Valley are issuing advice on how to prevent wildfires from spreading when out in the Countryside.

To ensure everyone's safety and preserve the beautiful landscape, the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape are urging all visitors and campers at popular sites like Horseshoe Falls, Moel Famau and Loggerheads to swap their barbecues for picnics.

The use of barbecues, camping stoves, or campfires on these moorland areas carries an extreme fire risk and is strictly forbidden.

The council’s countryside rangers alongside North Wales Fire and Rescue service will be visiting key sites over the summer to directly inform visitors about the potential dangers of barbeques and countryside fires.

Councillor Alan James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: "We want every visitor to fully experience the beauty of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, however, our moorlands are incredibly vulnerable right now due to the warm weather recently.

"By making the simple choice to enjoy a picnic and leaving open flames at home, visitors are playing an essential role in keeping our sites safe and enjoyable for all.

“The impact of moorland wildfires goes far beyond the immediate flames. It can leave our landscape scarred for years, release harmful carbon and in the most extreme cases endanger human life.

“I’d like to acknowledge the hard work of our dedicated Clwydian Range and Dee Valley rangers, who are actively deploying fire risk signs and engaging with visitors to highlight these dangers”.

* To watch a short video to find out what to avoid go to: County Voice - Countryside visitors asked to play their part in reducing wildfire risk

Traffic light failure at Druid near Corwen, warns Traffic Wales

Traffic Wales is warning about a traffic light failure at Druid near Corwen, which is causing moderate traffic disruption 

Police appeal follows theft of motorbike from Llangollen

North Wales Police are appealing for information following the theft of a blue and white Suzuki GSXR motorbike from the Llangollen area on Monday July 14, at approximately 3am.

A spokesperson for NWP Conwy and Denbigh Rural said: "We believe the motorbike has been seen on CCTV turning right at the bridge, heading towards the general direction of Wrexham at approximately 03:24 hours.

"We are appealing for any witnesses and are keen on speaking with anyone that may have any information or dash camera footage. If you can help, please contact us via the live web chat on our website or by calling 101, quoting reference number 25000579151."

Supercar road trip due to pass near Llangollen

* The homepage of the Cannonball Ireland website.

A host of gleaming supercars are due to pass near Llangollen later today.

Vehicles taking part in the 2025 Cannonball Ireland City Luxe 2025 road trip will call at the Abbey Grange Hotel on their way over the Horseshoe Pass sometime in mid-afternoon.

No precise time for their arrival is available at the moment but a post on Facebook suggests it might be 3.45pm.

The event, based around Liverpool, lasts from today (Friday) until Sunday and runs through north Wales and Cheshire into the Peak District of Derbyshire.

According to its own website, it costs 2,000 euros for two people sharing a car. For that, entrants get, “magnificent drives by day on the UK’s most iconic roads Pen-y-Pass, Snake Pass, Horseshoe Pass, Holme Moss and the Peak District. By night, trade wild horizons for urban opulence!

“We stay at the luxurious Titanic Hotel, dine at Stanley’s Bar and Grill and also Zenn Roof Top and then explore vibrant city gems like The Cavern Club; the legendary venue where The Beatles played nearly 292 times!”

Railway volunteer set for national radio stardom

* Joanne firing engine 7754 earlier this year by Point & Shoot Photos.

Llangollen Railway says it is "super proud" of its volunteer Joanne Ormesher, who is one of five people to have a folk song composed about how railways have influenced their lives for BBC Radio 2's upcoming 21st Century Folk 2025. 

The stories are being told to coincide with Railway 200, celebrating 200 years of train travel in the UK.

Joanne is a fireman the the line's steam trains, a cancer survivor and advocate for diversity and inclusion in heritage railways. 

Her inspirational story has been turned into a folk song by the amazing Scottish singer-songwriter Findlay Napier. 

There will also be a chance to hear the songs, contributors and songwriters in 21st Century Folk 2025 on BBC Sounds and watch them by going to bbc.co.uk/folk from Monday 28th July to Sunday 3rd August - a week of folk music across Radio 2’s Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe (Weds, 9-10pm), and The Jeremy Vine Show (weekdays, noon-2pm).

Jeremy Vine will also broadcast live from "The Greatest Gathering", a festival to celebrate the past, present and future of rail travel taking place at Alstom Derby Locomotive Works between 1st and 3rd of August.

Fundraisers collect over £4,000 for family of father who died aged 41

Fundraisers have collected over £4,000 for the family of a Llangollen father-of-eight who has died aged just 41.

* For the full story in the Leader, go to: More than £4k raised for family of Llangollen dad who died | The Leader

Tasty treats transport Pavarotti’s widow back in time

* Moli Jones, from the Wild Pheasant Hotel, serves up white chocolate and strawberry tarts to Luciano Pavarotti's widow Nicoletta Mantovani, joined by concert sponsors Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill Kreft, who arranged the tasty treats. This was a favourite of Pavarotti on his visit in 1995. Pictures by Rick Matthews

The widow of opera maestro Luciano Pavarotti was taken back time by a tasty treat which brought back memories of her first visit to Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

Nicoletta Mantovani was served with a delicious white chocolate and strawberry dessert at a reception ahead of the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition on the final night of the festival where she was celebrating an emotional double anniversary.

It is 70 years since a young Luciano first performed at Llangollen eisteddfod with his dad’s choir, Chorus Rossini, in 1955, and 30 years since he returned as a global superstar in 1995 when he sang in a sell-out concert.

Nicoletta recalled how her late husband enjoyed the delicious menu famously served to him by ‘Dai Chef’ when he stayed at the Bryn Howell hotel, Llangollen, in 1995.

According to Dai his specially created white chocolate and strawberry tarts were one of the opera great’s favourite treats while he was there.

Nicoletta, who is now re-married to financier Alberto Tinarelli, had the opportunity to sample a modern day recreation of those tarts when she made a special journey to North Wales to celebrate the anniversary of Pavarotti’s appearances at the Llangollen festival.

* The tarts served up at the reception.

The thoughtful gesture was organised by Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, the arts loving owners of the Pendine Park care organisation who sponsored the competition via the Pendine Arts and Communities Trust (PACT).

The tasty treats were served during a reception before the competition and the concert that followed, starring Sir Bryn Terfel and Cornish “buoy band” Fishermen’s Friends, which was also supported by PACT.

The Krefts also accompanied Nicoletta and Alberto on a train journey from Corwen to Llangollen when they arrived in the town where “Wales welcomes the world”.

The canapé style tarts were made by Keith Tapping the acclaimed executive chef of Llangollen’s Wild Pheasant Hotel which provided the catering for the reception held to welcome Nicoletta and other guests.

As part of the spread they served the canape-style white chocolate and strawberry tarts as a nod to Luciano’s 1995 visit and, on tasting them, Nicoletta said it was like travelling back in time.

She said: “They are beautiful, such sweet, delicious flavour. But it is not just the tarts that are beautiful, it is the memories they bring with them.

“So many memories can be triggered by our senses of taste and smell that when I tasted these it was like being back in 1995.

“It was such a generous thought to recreate this dish which Luciano loved. Llangollen and the International Eisteddfod always held a special place in his heart and I am so delighted to be back here experiencing the festival again 30 years later.”

Serving the tarts to Nicoletta and other guests was Wild Pheasant general assistant Moli Jones who said she was thrilled to be working on such a prestigious occasion.

Moli, 17, originally from Bala, but who now lives in Llangollen, said: “This is a great occasion, with so many well-known guests.

“It’s been a pleasure serving our menu to them. I have always been proud of the community ethos generated by the Llangollen eisteddfod. I have been here so many times and I have friends and neighbours who have volunteered here in the past. It is such a fantastic event to be a part of and always creates magical memories for anyone who comes here.”

Becky Shields, general manager of the Wild Pheasant Hotel, which is part of the Everbright group, said: “It has been our privilege to cater for such a special occasion as this and at what is the biggest cultural festival in Europe.”

The occasion also brought back memories for Mario and Gill Kreft who  witnessed Pavarotti’s visit to the eisteddfod in 1995.

The couple were among those watching his sell-out concert on a giant screen outside on the Eisteddfod field.

After the competition, Nicoletta presented the winning trophy of a silver salver and a £3,000 prize to tenor Andrew Henley who triumphed in the competition.

Among other guests at the pre-concert reception was the long-serving former president of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Sir Terry Waite.

Ken Skates MS pays tribute to Llangollen Eisteddfod

* From left, Eisteddfod Board Member David Hennigan, Ken Skates MS and Chairman of the Board John Gambles all regularly meet to plan the Eisteddfod.  

Ken Skates MS, Senedd Member for Clwyd South which includes Llangollen, has paid tribute to the organisers of the Llangollen Eisteddfod after another successful festival came to an end.

The Eisteddfod, run mainly by over 500 volunteers, has just completed its 78th year and is now busy preparing for Llangollen 2026 – which will take place on July 7–12 next year. 

This year, the festival brought tens of thousands of visitors to North Wales and saw over 4,000 competitors take part in competitions from across the world.

It also welcomed artists such as Sir Bryn Terfel, KT Tunstall, Lucie Jones, and Il Divo to North-East Wales.

The festival also co-promoted seven concerts featuring the likes of Texas, Rag’n’Bone Man, James and UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, in partnership with Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

It also welcomed Luciano Pavarotti’s widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, who presented the Choir of the World award and unveiled a 120-foot chalk tribute to mark the 70th anniversary of the Maestro’s career-defining international debut in Llangollen. 

Mr Skates, a Vice-President of the Llangollen Eisteddfod and long-term supporter of the festival, said: “It was great to visit the Eisteddfod yet again and meet their wonderful volunteers.

"Our festival is a shining light across the world, and the fact that over 500 volunteers – mainly from Llangollen and Wrexham – make this happen is incredible.

"This year, Eisteddfod organisers pulled off another major success. Llangollen, where my office is based, is bursting with colour, song and vibrancy, and Llangollen’s slogan – ‘Where Wales Welcomes the World’ – is as relevant now as it was in 1947.

"The Pavarotti mural is the talk of the Senedd and illustrates the iconic status of the Llangollen Eisteddfod through its connection with the Maestro.” 

Last week, Jo Stevens MP – the Secretary of State for Wales – visited the festival, as well as Llangollen MP Becky Gittins.

Mr Skates has been a huge supporter of the festival, which he first attended as a child. He regularly meets with organisers throughout the year to help plan for the festival. He is also planning to visit Wrexham, which will host the National Eisteddfod from August 2–7. 

He added: "This year, we have two Eisteddfodau for the price of one – and the end of one Eisteddfod marks the build-up to another. I am looking forward to visiting the National Eisteddfod in August.

"I know volunteers in Wrexham have been working just as hard as those in Llangollen. In fact, many volunteers from Llangollen are planning to travel just up the road to celebrate Welsh language, arts and heritage. What a summer it is in North Wales. The positive impact on our economy is huge. The Welsh Government is proud to support both festivals.” 

Council aims to boost its Care and Support Team

* A Care and Support Team member on the road.

Denbighshire County Council is expanding its Care and Support Team in Adult Social Care by recruiting nine new staff who will work across the county.

This forms part of Denbighshire’s aim to ensure a sustainable Social Care Service for the future and aims to help offset some of the financial pressures the council faces.

Following a successful first recruitment campaign earlier this year where seven Reablement Support Workers were recruited, the council is now looking for further staff to join them.

The new team members will support people who need a hand to regain the skills to do everyday activities like washing, cooking meals, dressing and moving about the home and going out.

There are a number of reasons why people may need this support, such as following a period of illness or a hospital stay. This support can last for as little as one or two weeks but can be offered for up to six weeks if it is needed. In addition to this the team can also offer longer term domiciliary support when this is needed.

Darylanne, an existing Senior Care and Support Worker, said: “Our teams support those who need a helping hand after a period away from the home in the hospital, or maybe after an illness.

"Members of the team have access to a work vehicle as standard while working and therefore do not have to use their personal vehicle as they travel from location to location. Comprehensive training is provided and there is a lot of support for staff to support them in their role.”

Ann Lloyd, Head of Service for Adult Social Care & Homelessness Service, said: “After the success of the expansion earlier in the year, we are now looking to add 9 more workers to our team.

"Our teams care for people up and down the County every day in their own homes, meaning residents can live comfortably in their own homes for longer.

"This expansion helps us achieve our wider social care aims and will bring more care to residents in their own homes.”

Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care, said: “Our teams are there for our residents who have just arrived home from hospital or treatment and need a support package whilst they adjust back into day-to-day life.

"This support helps make that transition a little easier, with our team on hand to help residents relearn the skills needed, right in the comfort of their own home.

"Our team do an amazing job throughout the whole County, and I am looking forward to welcoming more Care and Support Workers into our team.”

* To find out more about these job opportunities and working in Social Care, visit the council's website here.