Second steam star signed up for railway gala

* Pannier Tank engine No. 7714 will be a star of the railway's Autumn Steam Gala.

Llangollen Railway has signed up a second venerable guest engine for its popular Autumn Steam Gala.

Already booked to appear at the three-day event, which runs over the weekend of October 12, 13 and 14, was the former Royal Train engine BR Ivatt 2MT No. 46521, courtesy of the Great Central Railway.

But organisers have now also managed to secure an appearance by the pannier tank engine No. 7714 away from its usual home at the Severn Valley heritage railway. 

Built for the Great Western Railway, these pannier tanks were regularly used on local freight and passenger workings.

No.7714 is an old friend of Llangollen Railway, having been based at Birkenhead from 1937 until 1958 before moving briefly to Wrexham's Rhosddu shed prior to withdrawal.

This interesting old engine will be starring alongside another visiting 'local loco', Ivatt No. 46521.

A one-time hauler of the Royal Train, this locomotive spent almost its entire working life in Wales and was allocated to Oswestry, Brecon and Machynlleth steam sheds during its career.

No. 46521 was also regular sight around Barmouth during the 1950s and 1960s, working trains along the Cambrian Coast route and the regular shuttle service up the Mawddach estuary to Dolgellau.

Llangollen Railway’s ‘Along Cambrian Lines 2‘ gala will be a celebration of the much-loved trains heading for the seaside during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The visiting locomotives will be supported by members of the Llangollen’s home fleet, recreating many of the authentic sights and sounds of the era.

Attractions for the weekend include:

* Interactive activities for all the family, including ‘Make your own Luggage Labels‘.

*  A display of entries for the railway’s 2018 ‘Steam Trains to the Seaside‘ children’s poster competition.

·         Intensive timetable over all three days.

·         Full line and local services to-ing and fro-ing.

*         Demonstration goods and parcel loading at Berwyn station

A special exhibition telling the story of some of the viaducts, road bridges and station buildings along the line will be running in the Henry Robertson suite at Llangollen Station throughout the gala weekend.

The full working timetable will be available free of charge to holders of travel tickets for the event from all the booking offices at the railway while stocks last.

* For more details and to book tickets, go to: llangollen-railway.co.uk/event/autumn-steam-gala-12th-14th-october/ 

Outdoor event planned for this Saturday

Shuttle times:

Collection Market Street Car Park	Drop off Corner Tan y Coed and Brooke Street	Collection Corner Tan y Coed and Brooke Street	Drop off Market Street Car Park
10.45am	11 am	11.15am	11.30am
11.45am	12 pm	12.15pm	12.30pm
12.45 pm	1pm	1.15pm	1.30pm
1.45pm	2pm	2.15pm	2.30pm
2.45pm	3pm	3.15pm	3.30pm

Information for Gas Safety Week

During the current Gas Safety Week, Wales & West Utilities has given some timely safety information to users ...

After the long hot summer this year we’re now focusing on preparing for winter – and we’re urging everyone in the communities we serve to take just five simple steps to make sure winter doesn’t catch them out:

1.       Get gas appliances safety checked by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer – this should be done every year.

2.       Keep your eye on your appliances: Flames on your cooker and boiler should be crisp and blue, and no sooty black marks on or around any gas appliances.

3.       Make sure you have an audible carbon monoxide (CO) alarm: it might save your life and save you from the debilitating side effects of CO poisoning.

4.       Know the signs of CO poisoning: a headache is the most common but also dizziness, feeling sick, tiredness & confusion, stomach pain and shortness of breath.  The symptoms are flu-like without the high temperature – but very high levels can kill almost instantly.

5.       Save the National Gas Emergency Number 0800 111 999 in your phone so you can call it immediately if you smell gas or suspect the presence of CO.

To keep people informed we’ve launched a social media campaign raising awareness of gas safety and letting people know how they can prepare for winter. We’d really appreciate if you would consider sharing this information on your social media channels, so your followers have even more opportunity to see these vital safety messages.

Some tweets that you may want to use are below:

1.       Its @GasSafetyWeek 2018 #GSW18 and @wwutilities are reminding you to get your gas appliances checked by a @GasSafeRegister engineer before winter.

2.       To mark Gas Safety Week #GSW18 @wwutilities are reminding you to save the National Gas Emergency number in your phone: 0800 111 999. It could save your life!

3.       Do you know the symptoms of CO poisoning? @GasSafetyWeek is a great chance to remind yourself how to stay safe from the ‘silent killer’ http://wwutilities.co.uk/services/safe-warm/carbon-monoxide/ @wwutilities #GSW18

Museum talk on the coming of the railway to Llan

Project engineer Peter Dickinson from Llangollen Railway will be giving a talk in the town's museum on Wednesday September 26.

Entitled Thunder & Smoke and starting at 7.30pm, it will be looking at the coming of the railway to Llangollen during the Victorian era and will include many unpublished/unseen images from his own collection.

Concert for pancreatic cancer at Town Hall

A concert in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK  will be held in Llangollen Town Hall on Saturday  October 6, at 7 pm.

The 30-strong James Lambert Singers from Wrexham, conducted by Mair Evans, are 

giving an evening of their well-loved and entertaining light music.

This charity supports research into pancreatic cancer, which kills most of 10,000 patients a year within six months.

Until now no treatment has been effective but the current research, funded by PCUK, has produced results which has at last given hope for effective treatment in the near future.

* Tickets for the concert are available, from £7, from Philip Hughes on 07774 850677.

Fire chief answers questions about mountain blaze

* The fire rages on Llantysilio Mountain. 

The army makes a charge if it is called in to help fight mountain fires like the one which raged for weeks above Llangollen recently.

This was revealed by the fire chief when questioned on the issue by Denbighshire county councillor Mabon ap Gwynfor (pictured right) at the recent full council meeting in Ruthin.

A film released by Cllr ap Gwynfor’s Plaid Cymru party shows the member for Llandrillo quizzing Chief Fire Officer Simon Smith about the Llantysilio Mountain blaze.

He asks: “In Saddleworth the army was called in after three days. In this instance the army weren’t called in for assistance. Why was this the case? Who would make the call? And do you think that in future the army might be called in circumstances like this?”

Mr Smith replies: “A decision to bring in the army would be made if we felt that we did not have the resources or the manpower to adequately deal with the incident ourselves.

“Going back to the previous question, the army charge – they don’t do it for nothing, and I would need to be convinced that there was a sound economic set against the operational argument before we would do that.

“Clearly, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, in terms of Saddleworth Moor, took a different decision and that decision would be, first of all, the decision to ask would be one that would be taken jointly with the key stakeholders including the police, NRW (Natural Resources Wales) etc and then it would be very much a decision by the senior people in the army whether or not they could provide that resource.”  

Cllr ap Gwynfor said later: “At the full council meeting the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority were in front of us asking for money.

“I therefore had an opportunity to ask them about the Llantysilio Mountain incident.

“The question that many were asking was why weren't the army called in, like they were on Saddleworth Moor.

“I asked the Chief Fire Officer why weren't the army called in, and my understanding of the response was that it was because the army would have charged them!

“I thought they were there to provide a service during civil emergencies.

“I've sent the Ministry of Defence some Freedom of Information requests.”

* To see the film, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/PlaidCymruDeClwydSouth/videos/2271053899785324/

Bosses: Meet potential employees at Glyndŵr

Businesses from across the region are being offered the chance to meet potential employees at Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s annual Careers Fair.

The fair, on October 18, has already more than 50 exhibitors, but a few last-minute places are still available. The popular yearly event, organised by the University’s award-winning Careers service attracts both students and graduates from the University, as well as members of the public and other visitors.

Running from 10am to 2pm at the university’s Sports Centre, employers have used the day to meet future employees, promote causal vacancies or graduate jobs, or find interns or volunteers.

Exhibitors attending this year include attending this year include Art and Business Cymru, Chetwood Financial Limited, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association, the Co Op, NHS Wales, Flintshire and Denbighshire County Councils, HMP Berwyn, Nidec, North Wales Police, Wockhardt, Kronospan and Theatr Clwyd. Any company or organisation who wants to join them on the day will get tea or coffee, snacks and a light lunch for up to two people as well as floor space, Trestle Table and chairs. A CV review service is also available at the event.

Student Employability Advisor Angela Corbett (pictured) said: “At Wrexham Glyndŵr University, our award-winning Careers service strives to ensure all our students leave ready for their chosen career – and that they can get relevant experience during their studies, whether that is paid work or finding a suitable internship or volunteering opportunity.

“Events such as the Careers Fair help them – and they also help leading players in our local industries find skilled workers and boost our region’s economy.

“Employers large and small have found the right person for their business after taking part – and there’s still time to apply for a place.”

Anyone interested in attending can email Angela Corbett on ang.corbett@glyndwr.ac.uk or phone 01978 293240.

Find out more about Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s Careers team and their work here: https://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/Studentsupport/Careers/

Welsh Development Bank opens

* Development Bank chief executive Giles Thorley, left, with Ken Skates AM.

The Development Bank of Wales opened its new headquarters in Wrexham yesterday (Friday) at Yale Business Village on the Technology Park.

With regional offices in Cardiff and Llanelli the new HQ supports the Bank’s pan-Wales location strategy to serve businesses across the whole of the country.

23 of the Bank’s 172 staff will initially be based at the Wrexham HQ, though it is expected this will double to more than 50 by 2021. Employees will benefit from fully refurbished offices designed to promote agile working in a flexible and productive environment.

Risk, Compliance and Legal Director Neil Maguinness will be based in the new HQ, which will also provide a regular base for Chief Executive Giles Thorley as well as other senior staff including the newly appointed Finance Director, David Staziker and Investment Executives. Half of all board meetings will be held in Wrexham.

Giles Thorley, Chief Executive of the Development Bank, said: “I’m delighted that the Wrexham headquarters is now open for business.

“The Welsh Government’s Economic Action Plan includes a focus on strengthening Wales’ regional economies. Although we have improved our online accessibility, businesses still tell us that they value the face to face contact that comes from having teams on the ground.

“That’s why we’ve been scaling up our operations in north Wales over the year and continue to see ambition and appetite for investment from businesses in the region, supported by a vibrant business community.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: "It was nearly two years ago that I set out my ambition for the headquarters of the Development Bank of Wales to be located in North Wales so I am absolutely delighted to now be formally opening the new offices at the Technology Park in Wrexham.

“The new headquarters demonstrates my determination that the development bank truly will serve the whole of Wales. It will be an important partner, working closely with Business Wales,  in our work to strengthen Wales’ regional economies while delivering 50 additional high quality jobs in North Wales. It will also help ensure that  the bank  delivers best in class operational efficiency, while providing businesses in the region with the face to face human contact we know they value.”

North Wales' new chief constable checks in

* New chief constable Carl Foulkes with Police and Crime

Commissioner Arfon Jones.

The new chief constable of North Wales has revealed how investigating the horrific triple murder of a young mother and her two children gave him a passion for protecting the victims of domestic violence.

Gulf war veteran Carl Foulkes, who hails originally from Caergwrle, near Wrexham, was speaking after his appointment was confirmed by the North Wales Police and Crime Panel.

They backed the choice of the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, of Mr Foulkes, 47, as his preferred candidate following a rigorous two-day interview process in early August.

As well as moving to North Wales to live, Mr Foulkes has also promised to make it a priority to learn Welsh.

In fact, he has already signed up for an intensive course at the National Welsh Language Centre at the former quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn in Gwynedd during his annual leave in October from his current job as Deputy Chief Constable in Merseyside.

He will take up his new role heading up North Wales Police on Monday, November 5.

Born at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Mr Foulkes spent the first few years of his life in Caergwrle before the family moved to Scotland and later to the East Midlands because of his father’s work as an aircraft engineer.

After serving in the Royal Navy and seeing active service in the first Gulf War, he spent 10 years working for British Transport Police before joining West Midlands Police prior to becoming the deputy chief constable of Merseyside Police.

He has national portfolio responsibility for Assisting Offender Debriefing under SOCPA, Open Source Investigations and UK Protected Persons Service (UKPPS).

Mr Foulkes is married with a teenage son and enjoys outdoor pursuits including running, walking and cycling. 

He described being appointed as the chief constable of North Wales as the pinnacle of his career and immediately pledged to crack down on serious and organised crime and protect vulnerable people like the victims of domestic violence.

Mr Foulkes said: "I am proud and privileged to be the chief constable of North Wales - I'm not sure many chief officers get the opportunity to be the chief constable in the place that they were born, where their family live, where they genuinely love the area. I'm delighted to be coming back here.

“I am also really excited about the opportunities to make a real difference to the communities of North Wales.

“I want to work with the Police and Crime Commissioner around diverting addicts away from drugs and being more preventative and problem-solving in our approach- and working with partners to be more preventative.

“I want to ensure that our officers have state of the art equipment and technology so we can do things like fingerprinting out on the street and accept dash cam footage and other information via social media.

“I want our officers to operate as effectively on the street and in people's homes as they do on the internet when they are in a police station.

“I can't do any of that without the right people so I want to be very clear about how I support them, their wellbeing, their mental health and their physical health.

“We need to make sure we have an organisation that's fit for the next five years, not just fit for here and now.”

The awful case that led Mr Foulkes to dedicating himself to combating domestic abuse happened in Walsall on Christmas Eve in 2003 when a builder, Spencer Smith, 30, killed his 25-year-old girlfriend, Lisa Higgins, and their two little daughters, Keighley, six, and Demmy, three.

Smith was charged with murder but was found hanged in prison before he could stand trial for stabbing them to death.

Mr Foulkes said: "I was still relatively inexperienced as an investigator and it was very difficult.

“Luckily I had a fantastic team that worked around me and supported me. It's probably where I got my passion for vulnerability and domestic abuse.

“When you see something like that in such a young family that had everything going for them, you realise that we need to do something different for the future. We shouldn't be having those incidents.

"What I learned from that homicide with regards to vulnerability and domestic abuse very much chimes with the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s priorities.

“I think when you read the PCCs priorities he's very clear that the one thing that runs through his Police and Crime Plan is vulnerability and reducing harm.

“My two main priorities will be around protecting vulnerable people, including victims of domestic violence, and also tackling serious and organised crime, particularly the emerging and growing threat of County Lines where criminal gangs from places like Liverpool and Manchester seek new territories for their drug dealing networks.

“We need to drive out serious organised crime that so that people are happy to live here and feel confident in their communities.

"But the first three months for me will be very much around internal and external engagement, getting out and about to meet our staff and our partners.

“Being the chief constable of North Wales is something I am passionate about and I am deeply committed to doing the very best job I can.”

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said: “I am delighted that the Police and Crime Panel have endorsed the appointment of Carl Foulkes as our new chief constable.

“As well as being a first-class chief officer, he is a man of great vision and integrity and will build on the excellent work of his predecessor Mark Polin in shaping a force that is effective and efficient whilst being responsive to new and emerging crimes.

“With ever diminishing budgets, we should not underestimate the scale of the challenges that lie ahead, but I feel sure we have the right person to do the job.”

Author will sign new castles book in town tomorrow

* Author Mike Stevens will sign copies of his new

book at Courtyard Books on

Saturday morning.

The author of a new book on the region's castles will be signing copies at Courtyard Bookshop in Llangollen tomorrow (Saturday) from 11am-noon.

Following his successful walkers’ guide to The Pilgrims' Way Mike Stevens has just completed a 235-mile round trip of all the castles in North Wales, from Chirk to Caernarfon, once again on foot.

For the resulting book, The North Wales Castles Trail,  has has pioneered footpaths and rights of way to all the major castles that lie in ruins and some sites where castles used to stand.

In Denbighshire Mike has tramped from Chirk to Llangollen and on to Caergwrle, before taking in Bailey Hill in Mold on the way to Ruthin, Denbigh and Rhuddlan.

Next he went via Conwy and Beaumaris to the high mountain castles of Dolbadarn at the foot of Snowdon and Dolwyddelan in the valley beyond.

The veteran walker pushed on to the remote Roman castle ruins above Trawsfynydd before ending his trek via Harlech and Criccieth.

* His book is published by Kittiwake, 2018.

People have their say about the town and its future

* Mike Edwards from Shape My Llangollen notes down the views of a visitor to Love Llangollen.

A constant stream of local people packed into a town centre shop today to give their views on Llangollen past, present and future.

There’s an open invitation for everyone to take part in a special two-day Story Studio event entitled Love Llangollen and based at the former CiCi shop in Castle Street being staged today and tomorrow by the Rural Futures programme funded by the Big Lottery.  

* People were asked to place stickers on a large map of the town expressing their views on how it could be improved. 

The idea is for members of the public to tell, listen to and exchange stories on their local community and generate ideas about its future.

Today’s session was hosted by the new Shape My Llangollen group which is gathering information about various aspects of the area to help in the preparation of the new Local Development Plan which is now under consideration.

This prompted people to express their views on issues ranging from housing, jobs and amenities to traffic and parking.  

The walls of the hop were adorned with pictures of old Llangollen loaned by the town’s museum.

The programme is:

10am-4pm both days

Story Studio open for drop in activities including a range of maps and activities for you to add your ideas, thoughts and memories. Photo space – bring your photos of Llangollen along. Postcards from Llangollen - “If Llangollen could speak what would it say? ”

Saturday September 15

Walk-shops. A series of guided walks exploring Llangollen in the past, present and future. Approximately one hour maximum. Ten people. Meet at the story studio.

10am: History & Heritage. Explore the fascinating heritage of the town and how it can be seen in the town today.

12pm: Working walk. How people work in the town in the past, present and future and its impact on the town.

2pm: From town to around. Explore the connections between town and landscape.

4pm: Ideas walk-shop. Discussing ideas from the story studio sessions.

Views sought on town's future at special event

People are being invited to a special two-day event today and tomorrow at which they can share their views on Llangollen's future.

The Story Studio is a welcoming creative space where the community can tell, listen to and exchange stories – a place to have conversations and generate ideas about the future of the community and the town.

Being staged on Friday and Saturday, Love Llangollen is based in the former CiCi clothing shop in Castle Street and is part of the Rural Futures programme funded by the Big Lottery.

The programme is:

10am-4pm both days

Story Studio open for drop in activities including a range of maps and activities for you to add your ideas, thoughts and memories. Photo space – bring your photos of Llangollen along. Postcards from Llangollen - “If Llangollen could speak what would it say? ”

Friday September 14

10am: Shape My Town Workshop. Bringing together the community, local groups and businesses to discuss the challenges facing the town and ideas and initiatives to create a positive future for the town and its surroundings. Hosted by the newly-formed Shape My Llangollen.

2pm: Traffic & travel. Drop-in session hosted by Arcadis. You can contribute to future thinking about traffic and travel in and around the town.

Saturday September 15

Walk-shops. A series of guided walks exploring Llangollen in the past, present and future. Approximately one hour maximum. Ten people. Meet at the story studio.

10am: History & Heritage. Explore the fascinating heritage of the town and how it can be seen in the town today.

12pm: Working walk. How people work in the town in the past, present and future and its impact on the town.

2pm: From town to around. Explore the connections between town and landscape.

4pm: Ideas walk-shop. Discussing ideas from the story studio sessions.

Major cycling event on the Horseshoe this weekend

The last event in the season-long Lapierre Road Series, which this year is combined with the TLI Cycling 2018 National Time Trial Championships, takes place this Sunday on a sporting course based on the Horseshoe Pass.

A full field of 120 riders has entered the event which has faced a last-minute course change due to road works, which has reduced the distance to be raced by five miles to 30 miles.

The finish is at the Ponderosa Café at the top of the pass.

The event is open to TLI Cycling members only and as it is part of the Lapierre Series of road races, riders will have to ride normal road bikes.

The first rider off is at 9am, with the start at the base of the Horseshoe Pass.

New Dot to screen towering adventure film tomorrow

* A scene from the film Mountain to be shown by New Dot tomorrow evening.

This Friday's screening at New Dot Cinema features a breath-taking documentary called Mountain which so far has only had a limited release across the UK.

The evening is sponsored by Llangollen-based outdoor equipment specialists, ProAdventure and also features some  atmospheric short films to whet the appetite.

New Dot volunteer Jen Sandiford says: 'We're hoping this film will really resonate with people around the Llangollen area. There's a lot of  interest in outdoor adventure locally and of course some superb hills  and mountains to explore.

"We're really excited that ProAdventure is sponsoring us this month. They're a great independent store that are really involved in the community.

'Mountain was initially suggested by a member of the public and we love being able to include community requests in our monthly programme.'

The film takes its audience to some of the world's most spectacular scenery from Tibet to Australia and Alaska to Norway.

Using drones, Go-Pros and helicopters, director Jennifer Peedom follows mountaineers, ice
climbers, free soloists, heliskiers, snowboarders, wingsuiters and parachuting mountain bikers.

The narration, by Willem Dafoe, is based on the mountaineer Robert Macfarlane's lyrical memoir 'Mountains of the Mind'.

This, combined with a sweeping score from the Australia Chamber Orchestra makes for one majestic movie experience.

If you're interested in climbing and outdoor exploration, don't miss the chance to see this stunning film on the big screen.

The event takes place tomorrow (Friday) at Llangollen Town Hall on Castle Street LL20 8NU.

Mountain is rated PG. More information can be found on Facebook, Twitter and at www.newdotcinema.org

* Tickets are available online, in advance at a discounted rate of £5/£6 plus 75p booking fee. They can also be bought at The Llangollen Oggie Shop (formerly Baileys Deli) and on the door, priced £6/£8. Doors open at 7:30pm with the show starting at 8pm.

More information on ProAdventure's extensive range of quality outdoor equipment can be found at www.proadventure.co.uk and in person at 41 Castle St, Llangollen LL20 8RU 01978 860605.

Two new food schemes to be served up in county

* Fern Evans and her mum Gaynor who are looking for premises in

Llangollen for their two businesses.

Two major schemes aimed at getting local food and drink businesses to step up to the plate have been launched across three counties of North Wales.

Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham have teamed up with the organisations Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club, Clwydian Range Food & Drink, Cadwyn Clwyd and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to launch the initiatives Light Up Local Food and Open Kitchen.

Light Up Local Food is a series of pop-up markets promoting local food and drink which will appear at Christmas-themed markets across the region this November and December.

Open Kitchens is a month-long programme of events promoting local food and drink across North East Wales set to be kick off in October next year.

Both schemes were outlined to a large audience of food and drink producers from the target area held at Loggerheads Country Park on Monday evening.

* Marina Midolo of Marina's Italian Cookery.

Robyn Lovelock, secretary of Llangollen & Dee Valley Good Grub Club, told them that Open Kitchens was aimed at exciting interest in food businesses in their own towns and as a celebration of good food.
She said it was being launched in October 2019 to tie in with food festivals staged around the region at that time of the year.

“The aim is for the events to be fun, engaging and interactive,” she explained, adding that organisers were looking for “fun and engaging” ideas.

The other initiative, Light Up Local Food, will see pop-up markets across North East Wales prior to Christmas, each featuring local food and drink producers and stalls run by businesses from the local areas. There would also be support from organisers with marketing and public relations.

The first Light Up events were held last year and some lessons had been learnt from these, said Ms Lovelock.

These included the need for more hot food options to be available at the markets, more engagement with local food businesses and more creativity from food businesses.

An example of this, she said, was a wood fired pizza kitchen being made available for hire.

Next steps would be confirm the five towns in the region which would be hosting the events and the confirmation of which producers would be involved in each event.

* Janet Monshin Dallolio of Afonwen Craft & Antique Centre.

Support for both schemes came from Fern Evans who runs Up on the Roof, a business based on freshly prepared vegan street food.

Operating from Set the Bar in Lord Street, Wrexham, she is currently on the look-out for a new café base in Llangollen.

She said: “I started the business about four years ago and while I’ve been doing well in Wrexham I’d like to move to Llangollen where I think there would be good demand for what I do, which is eat in or takeaway vegan food.

“I haven’t yet managed to locate the right premises but I’m still hopeful of finding it.

“Just as I do in Wrexham at the moment, I aim to share the premises with my mum, Gaynor Evans, who has a craft emporium in the same building.”

She added: “I certainly support the two food and drink initiatives launched today.”


Backing for the schemes also came from Marina Midolo, originally from Sicily, who specialises in traditional Italian food and has recently pop-up dining evenings at the Pontcysyllte Chapel Tearoom.

Another supporter was Janet Monshin Dallolio who runs the Craft & Antique Centre at Afonwen near Caerwys.

Gas pipe work starts on bridge next month

* Gas pipe upgrade work starts on the bridge next month.

Wales & West Utilities is to carry out gas pipe upgrade work on the bridge in Castle Street, Llangollen next month.

According to the company, this will start on Monday October 8 and take three weeks to complete with three-way traffic lights in operation for the duration of the work.   

In a letter to local county councillors and the area’s Assembly Member, the company’s operations controller Paul Astley says the work is essential to “keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area and to make sure people in the area are safe and warm for generations to come”.

The letter adds: “We’ll start on 8 October and our work will take three weeks to complete.

“To keep the local community, road users and our colleagues safe while we work we will have three way traffic lights in place while we are working. The existing pedestrian lights on Abbey Road will be turned off during this period and temporary pedestrian crossings will be in place.

“This essential gas pipe investment work is part of our multi-million-pound 30 year gas pipe investment programme across Wales and the south west of England.

“Old metal gas pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being upgraded to new, long lasting plastic ones. We are spending £1.4 million on this programme every week to keep the gas flowing and make sure your gas network is fit for the future.”

Top chefs heading for Llangollen Food Festival

* Chefs Harri Williams, left, and Graham Tinsley are heading for Llangollen Food Festival next month. 

A former royal chef and another who worked at the iconic Sydney Opera House are joining forces to champion local produce at a food festival.

Graham Tinsley MBE, who has tickled the taste buds of world leaders, the Queen and Prince Charles on numerous occasions, will be showcasing local talent as well as the best of Welsh foodstuffs when he returns to Llangollen Food Festival with his young protégé Harri Williams.

Graham, currently executive head chef at the prestigious Carden Park in Cheshire, has recently appointed 26-year-old Harri as his new head chef, cementing a 13-year long mentorship which began when Harri took on an apprenticeship with the culinary maestro at the age of 15.

History has now gone full circle and Harri has returned to the hotel in which he learnt his craft with a wealth of exciting ideas inspired from his travels across Australia.

The former Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy School pupil who lives in Pandy Tudur, Conwy and formerly worked as a sous chef in the Sydney Opera House, can’t wait to show off his skills alongside Graham at this year’s food festival that’s being held on Saturday and Sunday, October 13 and 14.

The event is now recognised as one of the top 10 food festivals in the UK.

Harry, who has earned gold medals in world food competitions as part of the Welsh Culinary Team, said: “I absolutely love these kinds of events. When you’re in the kitchen of a restaurant you don’t get to see the customer’s reaction to your food, may be just a little feedback if you’re lucky.”

Graham, 58, from Abergele, will be leading a trio of culinary geniuses at a series of crowd-pulling cookery demonstrations at this year’s festival, which will be staged at Llangollen Pavilion.

Alongside Harri, Graham is hoping to bring another member of the North Wales Culinary Guild, which he heads up.

Graham has been involved in the festival for the past 10 years and is looking forward to stir up the excitement once again with a host of local food treasures.

“This year I’ll be bringing two young chefs along with me this year who between them have many, many years of international competitions behind them,” he said.

“It’s all about supporting the local producers too so If I come across a new oil, cider or gin I’ll make sure I communicate that back to the audience.”

In his roles as vice-captain, captain and manager of the Welsh Culinary Team over the years, Graham was invited to 10 Downing Street on many occasions to prepare memorable St David’s Day meals.

Nurturing the talents of young chefs and encouraging them to excel is very important to him but he says the learning takes place on both sides.

“We launched the guild about four or five years ago and it was just about local chefs meeting up and getting together in a kitchen,” said Graham, who was awarded the MBE by the Queen for his services to the food industry in 2006 and was once asked to bake popstar Celion Dion’s birthday cake.

Harri, who grew up on the family cattle farm in Pandy Tudur which overlooks Snowdonia, was previously head chef at the Lion & Pheasant Hotel in Shrewsbury where he earned two AA rosettes before landing his dream job at Carden Park.

“My ambition was to become a head chef by the time I was 28 and I did it at 24 so I get there faster than I expected,” he said.

“I’ve travelled a bit and I don’t really feel like my style can be condensed into one area. I like to cook modern British, French, Asian, you name it. I’m versatile and a menu needs to be too.

“My mum owns a baking company and so we’ve always gone to the Llangollen Food Festival. I come along every year but now I’ll be coming along in a professional capacity and showcasing the best of Wales produce which is exciting.

“I don’t usually get nervous about these things any more, I’m just looking forward to being back.”

Llangollen Food Festival committee member Phil Davies said: "We are so lucky that North Wales is a hotbed of culinary talent and I am sure that Graham and Harri will put on a great show at this year's festival.

"In addition to many favourites, we have lots of new food producers wanting to come this year.

"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely  spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting.

"It's also brilliant news for the local economy. If you buy from a local producer, all that money is recycled through the local economy and that sustains employment in our rural areas."

For more information about Llangollen Food Festival go to www.llangollenfoodfestival.com