County council backs Carers Week

Denbighshire County Council is backing a national event supporting carers.

Carers Week will take place across the UK between June 10 and 16 and raises awareness of carers, recognising the contribution they make to families and communities.

As part of its Corporate Plan, the council has committed to supporting carers by improving the services that exist and ensuring young, parent and adult carers are aware of the support available to them.

Cllr Bobby Feeley, lead member for Well-being and Independence, said: “Carers play a pivotal role in our society and I would like to thank all Denbighshire carers for the support they provide.

“Carers Week brings individuals and organisations together to show the importance of caring, celebrate carers and their contribution and help carers find out what support is available to them.

“Here in Denbighshire we are working hard to support carers by improving the provision of information, advice and assistance, helping carers access leisure services, providing financial support to allow carers to take short breaks, by offering training for carers to support and maintain their caring role as well as promoting life-long learning for people who have a caring role and supporting carers to continue working or re-enter the workforce.”

Across Wales 370,000 people are carers, supporting a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill with 11,600 of those in Denbighshire.

Denbighshire County Council will also be launching a new information leaflet during Carers Week.

* For more information about carers contact Denbighshire’s Single Point of Access on 0300 456 1000 or North East Wales Carers Information Service (NEWCIS) on 01745 331181 or via http://newcis.org.uk

Rain fails to dampen successful summer fete

* Historical re-enactors battle it out.

Rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm for this afternoon's annual summer fete at Plas Newydd organised once again by the Rotary Club of Llangollen and the Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen.

To music provided by Llangollen Silver Band, people who went along enjoyed a host of attractions including historical re-enactments, Punch & Judy and magician plus a range of stalls and sideshows.

llanblogger was on hand to record the afternoon's events.

* The flower and plant stall was a blooming success.

* Llangollen Silver Band set the tone for the afternoon.

 * Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy checks out a craft stall.

* A re-enactment warrior shows no mercy to his vanquished opponent. 

* The field is mine!

* The Scout stall is fully prepared for fun.

* Youngsters try their hand at hook-a-duck.

* A little close-up magic under cover.

Police appeal following A483 incident

Police are appealing for witnesses following a hit and run road traffic collision on the A483 Southbound in Wrexham which resulted in a police officer being injured.

The collision involving a police vehicle and a silver /grey Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 which was towing an Ivor Williams agricultural trailer at the time, happened at 4.09pm yesterday, Thursday 6th June.

The driver of the vehicle reversed into the police vehicle before driving off in the direction of Oswestry. The trailer was later found abandoned a short distance along the road.

PC Richard Priamo of the Roads Policing Unit said: “The collision resulted in the officer being taken to hospital, but thankfully his injuries were not deemed serious.”

“We are appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have been travelling along the route and who saw the incident, to come forward.”

“We would also like to speak to anybody who may have dash cam footage from their vehicles prior to the collision.”

Please contact the Roads Policing Unit in St Asaph on 101 quoting reference 19100293260.  Alternatively use the live webchat https://www.north-wales.police.uk/contact/live-chat-support

Inner Wheel holds international gathering at Pavilion

District 18 of the Inner Wheel held their International Rally and AGM at the Pavilion in Llangollen yesterday (Thursday) and have sent these pictures to llanblogger ...

'Delighted' MP becomes Eisteddfod Friends president

* Susan Elan Jones MP with Friends officers at the Pavilion. 

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones has expressed her delight at becoming the new president of the Friends of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The organisation has supported the world-renowned Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod for over 40 years and raised close to £½ million.

Ms Jones said: “I felt very honoured when the Friends of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod asked me to become their president. I was delighted to accept and have already met with committee members to discuss how I can best support the excellent work they do.

“I volunteered as an Eisteddfod steward when I was a sixth former and since then, the Eisteddfod has always been very special to me. I think we are so lucky to have the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in our area. 

"It's a festival that was dreamt up by visionaries who came together after the Second World War and committed themselves to a world of peace and cultural exchange. 

"I am very pleased to be able to promote the festival, not just in my capacity as the local MP but now also as president of the Friends of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.”

Llangollen marks D-Day 75th anniversary

* The poignant ceremony begins.

* Town councillors and other officials line up on Centenary Square. 

* Father Lee Taylor, vicar of St Collen's, leads the worship.

* James Reardon from Ysgol Dinas Bran sounds Last Post.

* Standard bearers lower their colours in salute.

* Ben Thomas, right, prepares to sound Reveille.

* Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy, lays a poppy wreath at the Second World War memorial.

* A wreath is laid by Royal British Legion Llangollen branch chairman Phil Stroud.

* A representative of North Wales Police lays a wreath.

* The wreaths after the ceremony.

* People watch the ceremony from the edge of the square.

Llangollen branch of the Royal British Legion held a Remembrance ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the the D-Day landings in Centenary Square this morning (Thursday).

The standards of the branch and the RAFA Club were on parade and the ceremony included the sounding of Last Post and Reveille, the traditional two minutes' silence and the laying of wreaths on the 1939-45 memorial.

A short service was conducted by Father Lee Taylor of St Collen's Church.

Last Post was sounded by 14-year-old James Reardon, a Year 10 student at Ysgol Dinas Bran, while Reveille was sounded by Ben Thomas, 18, a member of Ifton Colliery Band who also plays occasionally with Llangollen Silver Band.

D-Day, on June 6 1944, was when the Allies launched an invasion across the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe from the occupation of Nazi Germany.

Former child soldier to appear at the Fringe

* Emmanuel Jal and Nyaruach will appear at the Fringe on July 26.

Llangollen Fringe is to welcome the duo of Emmanuel Jal and Nyaruach and full band for a special concert performance at this year's festival.

From his start in life as a child soldier in the war-torn region of Southern Sudan in the early 1980s, Emmanuel Jal has come through huge personal struggles to become a successful and acclaimed recording artist and peace ambassador.

Emmanuel's sister Nyaruach was also born in South Sudan at a similar time and was separated from the rest of her immediate family, including Jal, at the age of four.

As years went on, and the war intensified, she witnessed her family members killed and was raped. It wasnn't until 2004 that she was finally reunited with Jal in Nairobi.

Emmanuel Jal has collaborated and performed alongside artists such as Lauryn Hill, Peter Gabriel, Nelly Furtado, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Nile Rodgers and Alicia Keys.

Emmanuel has also co-starred with Reese Witherspoon in the Warner Brothers motion picture The Good Lie which tells the story about the journey of four young Sudanese refugees.

NAATH, Emmanuel’s sixth studio album, is a vivacious Afrobeat alongside infectious dance tunes. Jal and Nyaruach's music is often at odds with the image of war and poverty that has blighted South Sudan.

Instead, both artists choose to reflect upon the resilience and rich culture of their identity through their vibrant tones and messaging.

Support on the evening comes from the midlands based reggae band ‘KIOKO’, who have recently been on a UK wide tour with UB40.

Emmanuel and Nyaruach’s performance at Llangollen Fringe Festival will take place on Friday July 26 July. Tickets are on sale now, at £15.

* Festival tickets and dates and times for all concerts and events are available from www.llangollenfringe.co.uk, or by calling the Fringe box office: 0800 1455 779

New art exhibition opens at museum

Llangollen Museum is hosting a new art exhibition which features the work of local artist and woodcarver Dave Abell. 

There is an open launch event tonight (Wednesday) at 7pm.

* Dave Abell sets up his exhibition at Llangollen Museum. 

Examples of the work on show are below.

Corwen platform completion underway

As of last Saturday volunteers from Llangollen Railway were preparing to extend the upside platform wall at the new Corwen station to complete the east end after a further section of track had been laid on the loop line.

The remaining length of platform wall is to be built up using the easi-blocks as the base, with the overhang blocks to follow.

Work is alongside the end of the track - for the moment pending installation of the points.

Railway spokesman George Jones said: "We're getting there but there's still lots to do and continued support is needed to see the project complete as a facility ready to accept trains this summer.

"Donations to the project CCRD remain welcome by Paul Bailey, at 'Dolwen', Bryn Eglwys, Corwen LL21 9LY."

Firefighters tackling fire in Trevor

NORTH WALES Fire and Rescue Service are tackling a fire near Trevor Hall in Llangollen, the Leader online is reporting.

Three appliances, from Wrexham and Llangollen, are currently battling the blaze that is raging just off Trevor Hall Road towards the entrance of the luxurious Trevor Hall country house.

The incident was first reported to the emergency services shortly after 8.30am on Monday, June 3, and is still ongoing.

* See the story at: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/

It's 'Llan or bust' for canal man Phil

* Phil's canal boat Seren.

* Phil Thane at the helm of Seren.

* Phil Thane has plotted the course of his canal journey from Bedfordshire to Llangollen.

A former local town councillor will cast off tomorrow (Tuesday) on a three-week canal boat trip to reach Llangollen in time for next month’s International Eisteddfod.

Phil Thane moved down to Potton in Bedfordshire just over two years ago and has since rebuilt an elderly boat named Seren.

Phil, who is a technical author by trade, is writing a blog on the voyage through the canal system for the Waterways World magazine - and he’s also going to keep llanblogger readers up to date on his progress, which involves 316 miles and 232 locks - each way.

Eisteddfod team learns how to use lifesaving machine

* Jo Davies of Welsh Hearts demonstrates the use of a defibrillator.

* Eisteddfod Friends group chairman Barrie Potter

 tries his hand at CPR on Donald the dummy.

A person suffering a cardiac arrest has a 70% chance of survival if a defibrillator is used on them in the first few minutes after being struck down.

That was the message to a group of volunteers and staff at Llangollen International Eisteddfod as they received their training in the use of this vital piece of lifesaving equipment, an example of which is now available for the use at their Pavilion headquarters.

The defibrillator, housed in bright yellow casing and fixed to the front wall of the building, was recently donated to the eisteddfod by the charity Welsh Hearts.

And on Friday morning around 20 members of the eisteddfod team received expert instruction in its effective use from Welsh Hearts representative Jo Davies, a retired cardiac nurse.

She told them that someone hit by cardiac arrest - where the heart stops pumping blood around the body - has a 70% chance to staying alive if a defibrillator is used on them within four or five minutes.

Ms Davies also explained she had two other messages for someone using one of the electrically-powered and computerised machines for the first time - the huge shock they emit to re-start the heart cannot possibly make a patient any worse off than they are already and a it will not allow somone to be shocked unless they are desperately in need of it.

She went on to demonstrate on a dummy known as Donald the exact process of putting a defibrillator swiftly into action and also the correct way to perform CPR -  cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) the manual application of chest compressions and ventilations - which should also be used alongside it.

Eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies, who was at the training session, said: “We are extremely grateful that Welsh Hearts donated the defibrillator to the festival which welcomes thousands of visitors and competitors each year from across the world.

“I would also like to thank the charity for staging this very instructive training session because as a doctor I realise how important it is for as many people as possible to be aware of how to use this fantastically useful piece of equipment.”

SML's public consultation campaign rounds off in style

*Chris Burton plays on the SML stand in Centenary Square. 

The last in the current series of public consultation exercises by the team of volunteers putting together Llangollen’s contribution to the county council’s next Local Development Plan was held in Centenary Square yesterday (Saturday) and was a big success.

Shape My Llangollen (SML) was formed last year at the behest of the Town Council to produce a 'place plan' for Llangollen.

The idea is that this plan, when approved and endorsed by the Town Council, will feed into the new emerging Local Development Plan being produced by Denbighshire County Council.

The plan will cover topics such as the natural environment, built environment, economy, and community and is a genuine opportunity for some grassroots democracy.

SML is therefore engaged upon a far-ranging consultation exercise contacting groups and individuals to seek their views on any issues which affect or concern them so that they can have an input into the plan.

Over the past month or so the team has been hosting a series of consultation events to introduce themselves to the public and to get their views.

The first of these was held on May 7 at Llangollen Health Centre when throughout the day team members spoke to scores of people to gain their feedback.

The second successful session was held outside the Co-op store in Regent Street on May 13 when, again, SML gained lots of useful responses from shoppers.

The third question-and-answer session was held outside the Home Bargains store, next to Aldi, on May 23 and it was once again a huge hit with those who took part.

To round off the process in style, the final session was held in Centenary Square yesterday.

And scores of people called in at our stand to answer a set of simple questions related to the town’s future.

Just to give the event a party atmosphere there was some great live music from guitar man Chris Burton throughout the day. 

SML chair Phil Robinson said: "We'd were delighted by the response we had from residents and also visitors to the town.

"The four consultation sessions have produced some fantastic answers from the people who were kind enough to spare us a few minutes of their time.

"This feedback will be invaluable in preparing our final report by the autumn and we’ll be back on the road later in the summer to give people the chance to have a look and comment on our findings.

"As far as we know this is the largest and most exhaustive consultation process which has ever taken place in Llangollen.

“The whole consultation process has been a fantastic example of the people of this town having their say on some vital issues and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so far.

"Hot hot topics hve been parking and traffic problems but people have also oned a host of other things to us."

The questions SML is asking are:

1. What makes you happy about Llangollen?

2. What makes you sad about Llangollen?

3. What makes you mad about Llangollen?

4. How would you make Llangollen better?

5. How would you spend £10,000 for Llangollen’s future?

People who were unable to make it to the meet-the-public sessions can fill in one of the question sheets which are available in the Town Hall office.

D-Day 75th anniversary ceremony this morning

* British troops storming ashore in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Llangollen branch of the Royal British Legion is to hold a Remembrance ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the the D-Day landings in Centenary Square this morning (Thursday).

The standards of the branch and the RAFA Club will be on parade from 10.45am and the ceremony will include the sounding of Last Post and Reveille, the traditional two minutes' silence and the laying of wreaths on the 1939-45 memorial.

A short service will be conducted by Father Lee Taylor of St Collen's.

D-Day, on June 6 1944, was when the Allies launched an invasion across the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe from the occupation of Nazi Germany.

New Welsh medium support for Ti a Fi playgroup

* Llinos Davies with the toddlers at Llangollen Ti a Fi.

* The new toys (above and below).

The babies and toddlers at Llangollen Ti a Fi playgroup have welcomed their new support officer, Llinos Davies, from Welsh language organisation Mudiad Meithrin.

Ms Davies has recently joined Mudiad Meithrin, previously enjoying a career as a manager within the library service covering Ruthin and Denbigh.

Playgroup volunteer Jen Sandford said: "Llinos has only just joined us but she's already a big hit with the children and parents who come here. 

"She brings her own craft activities and leads us in traditional Welsh nursery songs and storytime at the end. People are mainly English first language here, but we really want to try and pick up bits of Cymraeg that we can use at home with our little ones."

Llangollen Ti a Fi has also recently benefited from grants towards new toys funded by Cittaslow Llangollen and Mudiad Meithrin. 

New additions include a new play kitchen, a wooden indoor climbing triangle (by Gwynedd-based Triclimb) and ride-on, bouncy animals. The volunteers who run the group made a concerted effort to source toys made from wood and other natural materials where possible, ideally sourced locally.

This long-standing baby and toddler group meets once a week, during term-time, at Glanrafon Chapel's school room on Princess Street, Llangollen LL20 8RD. 

Children are welcome with their parents or carers, from ages 0 - 4 years. Each session runs from 9am - 11am and costs £1.50 per child for those over 6 months (additional children 50p). The first visit is free and includes a healthy snack and tea / coffee for the adults.

* More information can be found on Facebook, @TiAFiLlangollen or get in touch via Messenger: m.me/TiAFiLlangollen , Mudiad Meithrin's website is www.meithrin.cymru

Have your say on the town at Centenary Square tomorrow

* The Shape My Llangollen team outside Home Bargains last week. 

The last in a series of public consultation exercises by the team of volunteers putting together Llangollen’s contribution to the county council’s next Local Development Plan will be held tomorrow (Saturday).

Shape My Llangollen (SML) was formed last year at the behest of the Town Council to produce a 'place plan' for Llangollen.

The idea is that this plan, when approved and endorsed by the Town Council, will feed into the new emerging Local Development Plan being produced by Denbighshire County Council.

The plan will cover topics such as the natural environment, built environment, economy, and community and is a genuine opportunity for some grassroots democracy.

SML is therefore engaged upon a far-ranging consultation exercise contacting groups and individuals to seek their views on any issues which affect or concern them so that they can have an input into the plan.

During May the team has been hosting a series of consultation events to introduce themselves to the public and to get their views.

The first of these was held on May 7 at Llangollen Health Centre when throughout the day team members spoke to scores of people to gain their feedback.

The second successful session was held outside the Co-op store in Regent Street on May 13 when, again, SML gained lots of useful responses from shoppers.

The third question-and-answer session was held outside the Home Bargains store, next to Aldi, on May 23 and it was once again a huge hit with those who took part.

To round off the process in style, the final session will be held in Centenary Square tomorrow from 10am-5pm.

Just to give the event a party atmosphere, there will be live music from local performers Chris Burton and SML member Charlie Jones throughout the day. 

SML chair Phil Robinson said: "We'd be delighted if as many people as possible could come and see us on the square.

"The three consultation sessions we've held so far have produced some fantastic answers from the people who were kind enough to spare us a few minutes of their time.

"This feedback will be invaluable in preparing our final report by the autumn. 

"The whole consultation process is a fantastic example of the people of this town having their say on some vital issues and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so far.

"I can give a hint that the top three hot topics to date have been parking and traffic problems but people might have other things they'd like to mention to us."

The questions SML is asking are:

1. What makes you happy about Llangollen?

2. What makes you sad about Llangollen?

3. What makes you mad about Llangollen?

4. How would you make Llangollen better?

5. How would you spend £10,000 for Llangollen’s future?

People unable to make it to the meet-the-public sessions can fill in one of the question sheets which are available in the Town Hall office.

They can also jot down the answers in a reply to the posting about the health centre session on the Shape My Llangollen Facebook page.

Lean and mean Mazda3 hits the road

* The new Mazda3, front and profile.

Mazda3 launch report by Steve Rogers

It has baffled car makers for decades but Mazda reckons it cracked the age old problem of building a petrol engine with the power and economy of a diesel.

The 2-litre SkyActive-X is being hailed as ground breaking and has the backing of Bath University Professor Jamie Turner, one of the foremost authorities on the combustion engine, who believes Mazda has achieved something he thought impossible.

The key is the use of a highly lean mixture of fuel and air fired by compression rather than a spark plug which is the norm in modern diesel engines. That should improve economy by 20 per cent and give up to 30 per cent more torque which significantly closes the gap on a diesel.

This was the headline news at the launch of the new Mazda3 hatchback, but turned into a bit of a damp squid because the new engine won't arrive until October when the saloon is launched.

That's a blow because the new model's engine range is limited to a revamped 2-litre petrol and 1.8 litre diesel neither of which is good enough to worry the top contenders in the C-sector which is still ruled by Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

That aside this fourth generation Mazda3 can ruffle the feathers of the big two if this new engine lives up to its promise. Jeremy Thomson, the company's UK boss described the new hatchback as a substantial step up so it is clear he also has an eye on the premium sector where Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Audi A3 have a strong following.

The 3 is heading in the right direction with its eye catching styling and up market interior where soft leathers and tactile switches give it that quality feel.

A closer look at the cabin shows it is well laid out with the majority of functions like navigation, phone and radio are housed in an 8.8 inch central display controlled from a decent sized rotary switch behind the gear stick. 

I've always found the Mazda system easy to follow and the same applies here, but it is also good that the heating functions are separate with their own switches. One minor flaw is the lack of lighting for the switches which are set flat in the centre console and difficult to pick out in daylight.

The three dial binnacle could not be more clearly laid out with the larger central speedo computer generated. A head up display for speed, traffic sign recognition, navigation instructions and cruise control completes the picture.

In the back rear legroom is just on par and I can see some passengers finding it a bit dark given the shallow rear windows but that is a penalty of sharp styling. Drivers will find rear vision poor for the same reason but all bar the entry model has a camera so there will be no concerns when reversing.

As with all Mazdas the suspension favours enthusiastic driving; if you want super soft look elsewhere, but for me this is a good compromise.

To the engines. Mazda predicts 85 per cent of sales going to petrol, a monumental turnaround compared to five years ago, but it is a similar story whichever company you look at.

For now the starting point is the familiar 120bhp 2-litre but it has been modified with cylinder deactivation and a mild hybrid electric motor to improve economy. 

Even driven hard on some deserted Scottish roads we still topped 40mpg which proves there is more to come, but it lacks power, mainly in the mid range, so the new engine with 177bhp is needed to satisfy drivers craving performance.

Normally I would be directing readers to the diesel but not this time. I still don't understand why diesel is getting such a bad press but there are a couple of reasons why the current petrol is the better option. 

The difference in economy is only 11mpg in favour of the diesel and given the price at the pumps and a whopping £1,800 premium over the 2-litre petrol it has become a no brainer.

That said there will be a pirce premium for the SkyActiv-X engine so hard decisions will have to be made.

Launching with the new engine would have given extra impetus but this is still a very good car with great looks, quality materials and a full suite of safety features. Prices: Petrol £20,595-£26,795. Diesel £22,395-£27,795.

Key facts

Mazda3 Sport Lux

£22,795

2-litre; 120bhp

0-62mph 10.4secs; 122mph

44.8mpg combined

119g/km. First year road tax £170

World renowned tenor heads for Eisteddfod

* Rolando Villazón will appear in the festival's classical gala. 

One of the world’s greatest tenors is looking forward to his debut at an international festival in North Wales after being told by his friend Sir Bryn Terfel what a great event it is.

The acclaimed Rolando Villazón will be one of the star attractions at this year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod when he will also be following in the footsteps of one of his heroes, the legendary Luciano Pavarotti.

The Classical Gala evening on Tuesday, July 2, is being made possible thanks to sponsorship by the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT).

PACT was set up by Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, the proprietors of the Pendine Park Care Organisation and it supports dozens of arts and community-based activities across Wales.

The following evening PACT will be sponsoring the competition for the world’s finest young singers when they will be vying for the title of Pendine International Voice of the Future during a concert also featuring popular soprano Shan Cothi and Welsh National Opera tenor Rhodri Prys Jones.

Meanwhile, last year’s winner, soprano Charlotte Hoather, will be taking to the stage with Rolando Villazón as part of her prize. Welsh lyric soprano Rhian Lois will also be performing.

Mexican-born Villazón, who lives in France and holds dual Mexican-French citizenship, can’t wait to return to “the beautiful land that is Wales” for what will be his first UK appearance of 2019.

He said: “I did not know a great deal about Llangollen and the festival but my great friend Bryn Terfel has told me what to expect and that makes me very excited.

“I have performed in Wales before, twice at the Bryn Terfel festival. I remember how the Welsh audience completely connects to what we, as performers, sing on the stage and that is so important.”

According to Villazón, he was honoured to have the chance to perform on the stage where Pavarotti first sang with his father’s choir from Modena in Italy in 1955 before returning in triumph 40 years later as an international superstar.

He said: “Pavarotti was unique and his voice was magical. And his appeal went beyond the classical world. But I can’t say he was the best, that’s not for me to say. I can’t say Plácido Domingo, for example, is not as good nor the great Caruso.

“Luckily, there is no need to decide for any single performer, we can celebrate all the great artists and what they bring to the art form. 

“ I see my role as a performer to give my audience the best interpretation I can of the music and words that I sing, and to establish a unique bond with the audience every single time. I treasure this very much.”

Pendine Park’s Mario Kreft said: “It promises to be a wonderful evening of music and Gill and I are so looking forward to hearing Rolando Villazón perform. He is unquestionably a major talent and one of the very best tenors in the world right now.

“Gill and I want to support the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod as its ethos of peace and harmony through music and the arts is very important to all we do within the Pendine Park.

“The arts in general and music in particular provide the golden thread running through everything we do to enrich the lives of our clients and our staff.

“We are also very much looking forward to hearing Rhian Lois and Charlotte Hoather perform. Rhian has performed on stage at some of the world’s top opera houses, including Covent Garden. She is a real star in her own right and will undoubtedly perfectly complement Rolando Villazón.

“And as a previous winner of the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition, it will be wonderful to see and hear how Charlotte Hoather is progressing. Having an opportunity to perform on stage alongside a star such as Rolando Villazón is huge and can only be a boost to Charlotte’s burgeoning career.”

The festival’s musical director, Edward-Rhys Harry, added: “It promises to be a classical spectacular. We are so grateful to Mario and Gill Kreft and their Pendine Arts and Community Trust sponsorship. Without the support of sponsors such as Mario and Gill Kreft we simply could not dream of spectacular concerts of the highest standard such as we are going to enjoy.

“Rolando Villazón is a wonderful vocal talent who is undoubtedly one of the world’s best tenor voices and, with sopranos Rhian Lois and Charlotte Hoather and the wonderful musicians from the British Sinfonietta performing emotionally charged music, we are in for an evening and a concert to remember.”  

     

* To find out more about the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and for tickets please visit www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

County to vote on new leisure service delivery model

* Llangollen International Pavilion could form part of the new delivery model.

Various leisure facilities and functions provided by Denbighshire County Council could soon be delivered via an alternative delivery model.

The proposals for a council-owned not-for-profit trading company are to be discussed by the full council today (Thursday) after they were previously approved by the authority's cabinet.

The council-owned trading company would enable the service to trade more commercially, to help sustain the facilities, as well as making savings for the council of £800,000 in the first year.

The facilities proposed to be included are the county’s seven leisure centres as well as the Prestatyn Nova, SC2, Rhyl Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl Events Arena and events function, North Wales Bowls Centre, Rhyl Town Hall, Ruthin Craft Centre, Llangollen Pavilion, 1891, Café R (Ruthin) and Strategic Leisure.

The Pavilion is not owned by the council but is leased to it by the International Eisteddfod.

Whilst the consideration of an alternative delivery model (ADM) is new to the council, many other councils across the UK are already using similar ADMs to deliver a range of functions and the council has engaged extensively with these as the Denbighshire model has been drawn up.

Graham Boase, Denbighshire’s Corporate Director for the Economy and Public Realm, said:  “We are very proud of our leisure services in Denbighshire. Investment by the council over the past 10 years has seen visitor numbers increase and our facilities are now first class and up-to-date, comparing favourably with the best leisure facilities in the industry.

“We have recognised the need for on-going investment at times of significant financial challenge, as we can clearly see the benefits to people’s health and well-being. We have also listened to the public as the demand for leisure sessions grew and continues to grow across the council.

“This model will allow a more flexible, innovative and entrepreneurial approach to commercial leisure, whilst allowing the Council to retain complete control through the creation of a brand new board that will be responsible for running the company.

“This will ensure the company continues to deliver a high quality leisure provision long into the future, but as the company would be solely owned by the council it will be the council that sets the priorities for the company and the level of service expected to be delivered.

“As such the public should see very little difference in terms of the quality of the services provided or the ‘look and feel’ of the facilities themselves.”

No decision has yet been made and if the business case for the plan is supported by full council a number of further decisions will be required over the summer and autumn to ensure the company is set up in a way that provides the council with the necessary controls.

Chairman of the Eisteddfod Dr Rhys Davies said: "The Eisteddfod owns the freehold of the Pavilion and there is a long lease in favour of the county council. Any change to arrangements at the Pavilion would need the Eisteddfod’s permission."

This position was confirmed by the council whose spokesperson said: “If the proposal is agreed we will enter in negotiations with the owners to negotiate new arrangements that will involve the new company.”