Llangollen actor helps make broadcasting history

* Dyfed Thomas as Eurwyn.

* The full cast of Rybish, from left, Mair Tomos Ifans (Val), 

Betsan Ceiriog (Bobbi), Dyfed Thomas (Eurwyn), 

Rhodri Trefor (Nigel), and Sion Pritchard (Clive).

An actor from the Llangollen area has made broadcasting history by becoming the first in the UK to complete a comedy drama series during the Covid-19 lockdown – by creating a bubble for the cast and crew in a closed down pub.

Production of the new sitcom Rybish (Rubbish), set in a recycling centre, was brought to a halt in March by the coronavirus crisis but undeterred Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da came up with a plan to carrying on filming.

Members of the crew self-isolated for a fortnight before resuming and they were tested regularly throughout the shoot.

They included Dyfed Thomas, a native of Rhos, who now lives just outside Llangollen.

When they were not working, the team were holed up in an empty pub, The Beuno, in Clynnog Fawr on the north coast of the Llŷn Peninsula.

The company built their own recycling centre on an old landfill site at Carmel, near Caernarfon.

They used fixed cameras which were remotely controlled to film the remaining episodes in the six-part series which will be screened on S4C in the coming months.

Director Sion Aaron said: “We’d filmed three episodes of Rybish before the health crisis.

“As we were filming the very first take of the fourth episode, we had a call from the office to tell us to drop tools due to the increasing risk of the spread of the coronavirus.

“When lockdown started to ease we were able to form a bubble, the cast of six, the writer and producer and myself, so we could live together after taking over the Beuno which closed years ago, and work together to film the remaining three episodes.

“Before the health crisis we had already decided to film the series in a unique way which meant the camera operators and sound recordists could work remotely anyway.

“We created a new role as we had, what we Christened our Covid Cop, on set at all times to ensure compliance with Covid-19 regulations.”

According to Sion, the sitcom revolved around daily life at a remote recycling centre in Gwynedd and follows the six members of staff as they go about the daily grind of their working lives and what they get up to.

He added: “ It’s brilliantly written and although the comedy is subtle it’s very funny.

“We built our own recycling centre after hiring skips from Gwynedd County Council who gave us fantastic support.

“Most of the action takes place in the workers’ cabin, the type of hut you see at every recycling centre.

“We wanted to film it in a similar style to Big Brother or 24 Hours in A&E, that type of fly-on-the-wall approach that would enhance the character-driven script. “We did that before lockdown so the final three episodes look exactly the same in style as the first three.

“It meant we could resume filming after lockdown, as maintaining a cast bubble to work separately to the crew wasn’t too difficult.

“The Beuno has been closed for years and last orders was called a long time ago but the fact that we stayed there meant we could work together and we really did get to know each other too which was a big bonus.

“I know some soap operas are also back filming but they are using camera techniques that make it look like the actors are far closer than they are. We didn’t want that.

“As most of the action in Rybish takes place in a workers’ cabin that just wouldn’t have worked. There wouldn’t be enough space, and it would've been harder for the cast to relax into their characters.

“We believe ours is the first scripted comedy series in the UK to be completed in this way, during the Coronavirus pandemic.”

Producer and BAFTA Cymru award winning writer Barry Jones, who penned Rybish, was delighted to get the filming wrapped.

He said: “The fact we built our own set in such a remote setting meant were isolated and didn’t have members of the public stopping by.

“It also helped that we did the filming in a unique way. We had the cameras in a fixed rig mostly above the actors. I wanted it in that style as if the viewer is getting a sneaky look at what is going on.

“We wanted Rybish to be character-based with the comedy coming because we get under the skin of the characters, so finding the right actors was very important, and a process that took a long time, but we're a hundred percent certain that we got the best cast possible in the end.

“It was a joy to see characters, that had been words on paper for so long, come alive in such a rounded way. We want the audience to associate with the characters so they can hopefully see elements of people the recognise in them, and we believe the cast took that to another level with their performances throughout the series.

“With regards to storylines, we wanted to keep them as realistic as possible. It would have been easy to write an over-the-top sitcom with crazy plots like workers at a recycling site finding a suitcase stuffed full of cash in a skip, but that isn’t what we wanted. 

“I’m not sure a comedy drama has been filmed in quite this way before. It’s very Welsh and I don’t just mean in linguistic terms. The comedy and situations have very Welsh connotations ."

He added: “It took me a long time to write and I spent days sat in huts at council recycling centres just listening to staff and observing what goes on and what they talk about. It gave me a real insight and lots of ideas."

It was an exciting time for Caernarfon actress Betsan Ceiriog, 22, who plays a character called Bobbi in Rybish, as it’s her debut TV role.

Betsan, who graduated from St David’s University Cardiff with a performing arts degree in July 2018, said: “I was thrilled to land the role. I had an audition and sent in a recording of myself. I already knew a couple of the Cwmni Da team so that helped.

“My character Bobbi is a university student who has graduated and is working at the recycling centre for the summer to get some money so she can travel.

“It was a fantastic learning experience especially as we were allowed to put in a bit of ad-libbing some and the plan now is to land more acting and TV parts and or musical theatre roles.”

Cwmni Da general manager David Parry Evans was christened the Covid Cop on set after taking on the role of ensuring coronavirus regulations were strictly complied with.

He said: “It was my job to ensure we had sufficient supplies of hand sanitizer and that everything was wiped kept clean and sanitised. If a camera operator needed to go into the cabin on set then I’d ensure it was deep cleaned afterwards.

“I had my two metre rod to ensure everyone moving around the set was two metres apart and wearing a face mask. I was obviously quite good at the job hence the Covid Cop nickname I was given."

llanblogger warns against bogus emails

Llanblogger is warning against “phishing” emails which used our name as an introduction to a local person whom they wished to scam.

Late last week the recipient of the emails, who doesn’t wish to be identified, received two of them from someone who claimed to be originally from France but was now living in the United States.

This person said they were struggling with cancer, had only a few months to live and had been unable to access a large cash sum left to them by a relative.

The sender told the recipient they would be glad to receive their response and informed them they had got their contact details from llanblogger’s web address.  

Attached to one of the emails was a picture of a clearly sick woman lying in a hospital bed.

The recipient said: “No doubt if I had responded to the emails they would have gone on to ask me for money ans possibly also steal my personal data.

“This is clearly a scam which was using the name of llanblogger to gain my confidence.”

Llanblogger editor Phil Robinson said: “I thank the local recipient for alerting me to this and would warn anyone else who receives email like this never to respond and to simply delete them.”

Legion leads VJ Day commemoration in town square

* British Legion standard bearers play a key role in the ceremony.

Llangollen Royal British Legion led this morning's commemoration of the 75th anniversary of VJ - Victory over Japan - Day in Centenary Square.

The special ceremony to commemorate the end of the Second World War in the Far East had to be curtailed due to the coronavirus situation and there was not be the usual march through town led by the Silver Band. 

The group from the branch including its standard bearers formed up at the war memorial to be joined by 15 of the Legion's riders.

The Service of Remembrance, led by the Vicar of Llangollen Father Lee Taylor, began shortly before 11am. 

Everyone taking part in the parade wore face coverings and were spaced out to meet social distancing requirements.

Although there was no march or band the traditional two minutes' silence was observed and pre-recorded versions of Last Post and Reveille were played before the laying of a poppy wreath took place along with the recitation of the moving Kohima Epitaph which includes the famous line "for your tomorrow we gave our today".

The ceremony ended with prayers and a blessing from Father Lee.

To coincide with the ceremony in the square the tenor bell - the heaviest of the eight bells at over 16cwt- in the tower at St Collen's Church was tolled 75 times at 11am.

* Father Lee Taylor leads the service.  

* British Legion branch chairman Phil Stroud

recites the Kohima Epitaph.

* Onlookers watch the ceremony in the square.

Inner Wheel donates £100 to Beirut emergency appeal

Last Wednesday afternoon Llangollen Inner Wheel held a picnic in the garden of their secretary, Angela Jeffries. 

Due to the generosity of members they were able to donate £100 to charities working in Beirut to help with the recent disaster.

Headteachers voice disappointment at AS and A Level results

The Federation of North Wales Secondary School Head Teachers has put out a statement about Thursday's AS and A Level results.

It says: "We cannot over-state how disappointed, confused and concerned we are about the A-level and AS results our young adults received today.  

"Although the headline data for Wales shows slight improvement, this is not a full reflection of the reality in schools. There are huge disparities in the outcomes of individuals which we cannot track, justify or explain. Pupils’ grades have moved up and down in ways we do not understand.  

"As schools, we were asked to consider all our internal and external testing data to create rank orders of learners’ centre assessed grades. We did this with professionalism and fairness to the students we have supported for the last 7 years. This data in many areas has been dismissed, devalued and discounted. Our rank orders have been overlooked and students moved within them making the allocation of grade impossible to fathom and unfair.

"Many universities have downgraded their offers with the absence of international students, resulting in more available places, so many of the young adults involved will thankfully be able to attend the university of their choice.  However this is not enough. 

"Our pupils’ grades will be with them for the rest of their lives, they will be on their CV for ever. COVID-19 has already disadvantaged them, but life after COVID, within a recession-hit country, means their outcomes will be even more important than ever as they enter a challenging job market. Our students have worked for these grades and deserve them; an algorithm that dismisses this is immoral. If there was ever a time for trust it was now. 

"As professionals, we were promised that any anomalies in school data would be discussed, to allow schools to provide the evidence to justify the centre assessed grades. This had not happened - we have been given no opportunity to provide evidence and no conversations have taken place. This has been a statistical model, over reliant on AS outcomes and historical data, and dismissive of the opinion of a profession who supported their students over many years. 

"We were grateful for the WJEC announcement about the review of the appeals system as currently it is unworkable and inhibits our ability to challenge the unfairness of these outcomes. The A-level results day is usually one of the happiest of the year. This year our children were hurt, confused and left wondering what had gone wrong, just as we are. 

"This week’s results have challenged our confidence in the system and call into question the structure we have previously trusted; however, our fears for next week’s GCSE results are beyond words. We would request that changes be made now to protect the life chances and wellbeing of our children and avoid the confusion and heartache our A-level students have had to face."

Senedd Member says VJ Day should be properly remembered

North Wales Senedd Member Mark Isherwood is calling on people to reproduce the "memorable" celebrations held for the 75^th anniversary of VE Day when the country marks the VJ Day 75^th tomorrow (Saturday).

VJ Day, which marks both the surrender of Japan and the end of the Second World War, is not as widely remembered as VE Day, he says.

And he is keen to remind people of the sacrifices made by those who fought in the Far East during the Second World War and to encourage people across North Wales to commemorate the special anniversary of Victory over Japan Day.

Llangollen will be commemorating VJ Day 

with a service by the local branch of 

the Royal British Legion which begins 

around 10.45am on Saturday 

in Centenary Square.

He said: “It was fantastic to see so many people across the country commemorating the 75^th anniversary of VE Day on May 8^th and it would be great if people carried out similar celebrations to mark VJ Day, the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, which in effect, brought the war to an end.

“Like VE Day, it is a significant moment in our nation’s history, and it would be terribly sad if it does not receive the respect it deserves.

“Also like VE Day 2020, many of the national events to mark this momentous occasion have had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, although some events will still take place.

  

“The official commemorations will begin at 11am when a national moment of remembrance will be marked with a two minute silence. During the afternoon, the Red Arrows will conduct a UK-wide flypast tribute over Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London, and in the evening a special programme, ‘VJ Day 75: The Nation’s Tribute’, will be broadcast on BBC One.”

He added: “Whilst VE Day marked the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, many thousands of Armed Forces personnel were still involved in bitter fighting in the Far East.

“The war in the Far East, also commonly known as ‘the Burma Campaign’, was the longest campaign fought by the British and Commonwealth armies in the Second World War.

“In 1945 the South East Asia Command (SEAC) provided the largest army group – nearly 1.3 million men and women – ever assembled by the British Commonwealth and its Allies.

“It is so upsetting that the bravery and suffering  of these service men and women is so often overlooked and that they consider themselves ‘forgotten’.

“This Saturday,  I’ll be taking time to remember them, and the atrocious and harrowing conditions in which they served and were held prisoner, and I urge you all to do the same.

“Obviously we are still the midst of a pandemic, so I would  encourage people to mark the occasion, as they did for VE Day, in line with current social distancing and public gathering guidelines.”

* For further information on VJ Day and personal stories visit the Royal British Legion website at https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/remembrance/remembrance-events/vj-day/remembering-the-forgotten

Report says man's body found in canal

* A section of the Llangollen Canal. 

Leaderlive is reporting this afternoon that a man's body was found in the Llangollen Canal yesterday morning.

The story says: "The Canal and River Trust advised the public that the canal and towpath were closed between Bryn-Ceirch Bridge and Bryn-Howell Bridge on Thursday morning.

"North Wales Police confirmed on Friday afternoon that officers were called to the scene just after 7.25am on Thursday.

"A spokesman for the force said: 'Sadly a man’s body was found in the Llangollen Canal.'"

See the story at: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18652758.mans-body-found-llangollen-canal/?fbclid=IwAR2CaYt0S5UbDGC-_zDdg20oXGHrYmAK1bGBpoJWUxQRHDiM9i2erl-75VI

Pop up waste service to restart

Denbighshire County Council is informing residents in the Dee Valley of the re-introduction of the Saturday waste and recycling pop-up service in Llangollen and Corwen.

The service, which enables local residents to dispose of excess waste, garden waste, additional residual household waste and some oversized items, is resuming later this month.

It was stopped due to coronavirus restrictions, as the Council could not safely continue the service due to the on-going need for social distancing measures.

The Council has been reviewing the position constantly, and with more staff returning to work due to the lifting of the shielding restrictions, the service will resume.

There are a number of temporary changes to the service and local householders will be required to pre-book a slot and must attend at their chosen time. 

Slots can be booked online at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/recycling from August 18.

Customers are required to bring their booking reference number with them, along with proof of address, as the service is only available to Denbighshire residents.  Anyone attending without a booking will not be allowed to use the service.

On August 18, slots will be released for the first two events and only one slot per household can be booked for each event:

Saturday, August 22 – Llangollen Pavilion

Saturday, September 5 - Corwen, Green Lane Car Park

There will be 24 x 20 minute slots available between 9am and 11am.

On Tuesday, September 8, slots will be released for the next four events:

Saturday, September 12– Llangollen Pavilion

Saturday, September 19 – Corwen, Green Lane Car Park

Saturday, September 26– Llangollen Pavilion

Saturday, October 3– Corwen, Green Lane Car Park

Time slots will be reviewed after reviewing waste volumes and throughput to maximise the number of slots we can offer and the Council will continue to release slots on a four weekly basis, after reviewing the service. 

The service will operate on its historical alternating cycle as long as it is safe to do so, at Cowen on the first and third Saturday morning of every month, and at Llangollen on the second and fourth Saturday morning of every month.

Cllr Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “We would like to thank residents in the Dee Valley for their patience and understanding and to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“The coronavirus restrictions were put in place to protect people’s health and safety and now with more staff returning to work, we can reintroduce the services in Llangollen and Corwen safely.

“We will review the service on a weekly basis to ensure we optimise the service through this phased re-opening.”

There are a number of temporary changes to the service:

There will be no additional green waste service on the first and third Saturdays in Llangollen, but this will be kept under review.

Additional signage and traffic management will be in place to help direct customers, and enable social distancing rules to be followed.

Initially, the pop-up waste service in Llangollen will be situated on the actual Pavilion site, not the car par below.  This enables us to manage social distancing, prevents congestion, and frees up car park spaces at a busy time of year for the town.  Signage will be in place from the car park entrance to direct residents, and this information will be provision to anyone who requests at slot at the time of booking.

In order to allow as many residents as possible to use the service, we will not accept twin axle trailers at this time.  Households with such large quantities of waste should book a visit to one of the 3 HWRC permanent sites. We are now accepting all trailers at our permanent sites (a permit is still required). We are advising customers to bring no more that around 1100 litre of waste in any one visit (the equivalent volume of a Ford Focus with the seats down.) so that we have enough capacity on our vehicles to accept the waste.

Initially we will be unable to accept soft furnishings such as textile covered sofas and mattresses, but we do hope to expand the service soon.

Residents are also asked not to attend the site if they are self-isolating and/or showing Covid19 Symptoms.

Residents are not required to wear a face covering as the service is outdoors and the two meter rule will be strictly enforced. 

Library set for appointment only re-opening from today

From today Llangollen Library is offering limited access by appointment only to its public computers and One Stop Shop.

An order and collect service for library books has been in operation for eight weeks and has already proved popular with customers.

At libraries across the county so far 54 families have collected a free Bookstart pack for their babies, and almost 300 children have collected a Silly Squad Summer Reading Challenge pack.

Cllr Tony Thomas, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Housing and Communities, said: "Our libraries and One Stop Shops provide a wealth of services to our residents and this latest phase now gives residents the chance to access more services in a safe way.

“The order and collect service has already proved popular with our customers and the libraries already offering computer access and One Stop Shop services have received very positive feedback from customers. The online digital library for downloadable books and magazines is also very popular and over 400 people have joined the library online in the last four months.

“As lockdown continues to ease we will be planning opening our libraries for browsing and wifi use while ensuring the safety of customers and our staff.”

Customers should phone their local library to book an appointment to use public-access computers, or to visit the One Stop Shop to make a payment or for help with council services. Further information at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/libraries

VW tees off with a new Golf model

* The all-new VW Golf.

* The futuristic-looking dashboard.

Volkswagen Golf road test by Steve Rogers

This is a Golf the like of which you have never seen before.

There is no doubting its design pedigree, the Golf DNA is as clear as day even after 45 years. The roof line is lower and it's a little less boxy than the seventies original but once a Golf always a Golf.

No, the big difference with Volkswagen's eighth iteration of its iconic hatchback is inside where the designers have torn up the rule book and embraced 21st century technology which is moving at a frantic pace.

So the driver is faced with what is best described as a miniature version of a wide screen TV. There are no switches, everything is controlled by sliders and touch panel or voice control although VW has work to do there. More on that later.

Not that Volkswagen is the first to take high tech to the next level, in fact they have been lagging behind mainstream rivals Peugeot and Volvo, while cousins Audi first dabbled with the virtual cockpit concept six or seven years ago.

The advantage of coming up on the rails is that you can learn from the mistakes of others and VW seems to have nailed its high tech cockpit with the Golf. 

Using technology similar to the best smart phones the car offers a myriad of functions and a mass of information all of which can be accessed either from the steering wheel or a comprehensive menu in the 10 inch touchscreen.

It is as well to spend time learning how to use everything on offer, and trust me, there is a lot to learn. Although it looks like one wide unit it is split in two with an interchangeable driver's binnacle controlled from touch pads on the steering wheel and the central touchscreen. 

That's the business end, the infotainment centre where you will find all manner of functions relating to the car's safety features, checking mechanisms, navigation, radio and simple things like changing the colour of the ambient lighting.

An interesting feature is a text style message telling you to lift off the accelerator when approaching a junction to help with economy so here is a car where you can't put a foot wrong.

I mastered the systems after about three days but the likelihood is you will only need to select radio or navigation from the menu on a regular basis. Changing the instrument binnacle becomes second nature and is picked up in no time.

Then there is voice control although this did not work so well. Choosing a destination is pretty straight forward but I had no success in changing or selecting a radio station and adjusting the heating was not available. The Volvo system is far superior so improvements need to be made.

Wisely VW provide a couple of options for the heating controls. There is nothing worse than having to go through the rigmarole of the touchscreen menu just to adjust the temperature or fan speed so the basic controls are separate touch pads in the centre console with a quick key giving access to the full works on screen.

For now Volkswagen is offering three trim levels, Life, Style and R-Line with three petrol and two diesel options. A few years ago I would have pointed people in the direction of diesel but not anymore. Petrol is now the favourite, and rightly so. There is a three-cylinder one litre which is stunningly good, and a 1.5 litre with 128 or 147bhp.

My test car came with the 147 version and that too is brilliant. You would not expect to get such strong performance from a relatively small engine but this is a gem with sharp pick up and long power delivery. Yet my lasting memory is the Golf's economy.

It is rare to beat the official fuel consumption figures but I just didn't beat them, I trashed them. A cross country 110 mile trip to the Cotswolds returned 56.6mpg and my return, mainly on motorway, yielded 57mpg cruising for long periods at 70mph. My week's motoring averaged 54mpg.

Golf has been battling for years with Ford Focus for the best hatchback crown. I think it is a bit of nonsense as there are any number of first class models out there and in the majority of cases it is personal choice.

I thought the Golf excellent and was mightily impressed with the new cockpit but still prefer the Mazda3, not because it is any better but is my choice.

Fast facts

Golf Life 6sp manual

£23,635 (£31,295 tested)

1.5 litre TSI; 147bhp

0-62mph 8.5secs; 139mph

51.4mpg combined

125g/km. 1st year tax £170

Insurance group 19

Boot 381 litres

Ysgol Dinas Bran students celebrate their A Level success

* Wynne Jones from Glyn Ceidiog raises a glass to his success.

Students at Ysgol Dinas Bran have been celebrating their A Level results today.

This year the school has not supplied the usual statement listing its overall performance and outstanding successes. 

In its statement it says: "It was lovely to see students from the school celebrating their A Level results earlier. We wish them every success in the future."

Denbighshire County Council has paid tribute to the "hard work and commitment" of A Level students as they pick up their results today (Thursday).

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “This has been an unprecedented year for our A Level students and staff and they have dealt with a lot of uncertainty over recent months.  

"The students have shown great resilience, maturity and courage in the way they have handled this very unique set of circumstances.

“I would like to commend each and every student for their efforts, commitment and dedication throughout their A Level courses.  I must also pay tribute to the support shown by both teachers and parents/ guardians. They have been a real backbone to students over recent months, keeping a clear focus and positivity.

“Whatever the outcome and whichever paths they will be taking in the next step of their lives, I would like to wish them the very best of luck and every success on their future journey.

“Our focus from September will be on ensuring that the new generation of A Level students get the best possible start to their studies and to overcome any further hurdles and challenges the new term may bring.”

Education Minister Kirsty Williams said: "I want to send my very best wishes to everyone who received their A-level, AS, Welsh Bacc and vocational qualification grades today.

“Due to the many changes we’ve had to make this year in exceptional circumstances, you’ve had to make many sacrifices. “But you have every reason to be proud of all the work you’ve done, which will serve you well, and proud of the determination you have shown to overcome this challenging time.   “As announced yesterday, we have guaranteed that a learner’s final A Level grade cannot be lower than their AS grade. Students in Wales, and prospective employers and universities across the UK, can be assured that their A Level grades reflect their work and externally assessed exams. “I hope you got the grades you’d hoped for, and you can continue with your educational journey in the autumn. Although many of you will be pleased with your results and excited for your next step, if you didn’t get what you’d hoped, there’s plenty of options & advice on Working Wales. “Best of luck, and best wishes for the future.”

Flooding delays re-opening of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre

* The mopping-up operation at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

Flooding caused by last night's heavy rain has delayed the re-opening of the Plas Madoc Leisure Centre following lockdown.
On its Facebook page earlier today it posted: "This morning we opened up to some devastating news that our Gym and a number of other areas in the building had flooded during last nights storm. "The area had been cleaned and made ready for reopening on Monday which is now no longer possible.
"We are now considering options for how we handle the clean up and reopening of this area and will update our users as we know more.
"The Pool will reopen as normal Monday (please book in advance)."

Section of canal closed by police incident

Due to a police incident the canal and towpath are currently closed between Bridges 36W and 38W.

The closure starts at Bridge 36W, Bryn-Ceirch Bridge and ends at Bridge 38W, Bryn-Howell Bridge.

In a statement on its website the Canal & River Trust says: "We will post an update as soon as we have any further information.

"For the latest information regarding Covid-19 and any restrictions or impact it may be having on our waterways please visit
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus"

Musician Leonie solves radio mystery voice teaser

* Leonie Kirby on the guitar.

A Llangollen musician was bang in tune with the mystery voice which listeners were asked to name in a national radio competition.

After correctly identifying the dulcet tones of Oscar-nominated British actress Helena Bonham Carter, Leonie Kirby ended up solving the riddle which has been baffling listeners to the Wynne Evans morning show on BBC Radio Wales for months.

Leonie was born and raised in Liverpool, where she studied singing at college and played percussion in the Merseyside Youth Orchestra in the 1970s, including playing The Rite of Spring under Sir Simon Rattle.

She taught as a primary school music specialist, and moved to Llangollen 30 years ago, where she stayed at home with her children, Dafydd, Bethan and Ifan.

Over the years Leonie has sung in many genres, as well as writing musicals and conducting choirs, including setting up the ladies’ singing group The Melodics in Llangollen.

Of her mystery voice triumph earlier this week she said: “I started listening to Radio Wales at the beginning of lockdown, when I was staying in Cardiff with my youngest and his wife, and I’ve been listening ever since.

“It was the same mystery voice from before lockdown, a long time!

“I thought it sounded like Helena Bonham Carter, but I’d got so used to hearing ‘wrong’ that I was fully expecting to be wrong too. So it was fab to guess right.

“Wynne was very mysterious after I gave my answer, and then played a snippet of music, but I couldn’t make it out over the phone, so I was none the wiser.

“It was only after that I heard it, it was the 1812 overture. Back to my cymbal clashing days!

“But Wynne was so lovely to chat with, so guessing correctly was just the icing on the cake.

“Hopefully, he’ll be back in Llangollen at the eisteddfod, when everything is up and running again.”

Leonie only came to writing and performing her own material, with the guitar, in 2013.

She plays at the folk club in The Ponsonby Arms and the open mic nights in The Sun, as well as being a regular on the eisteddfod outside stages.

She said: “This year has been so hard for anyone wanting to make and listen to live music. We’re lucky to have performance spaces online, but it’s not the same.

“I set up a group on Facebook at the beginning of lockdown, The Ponsonby Players, and we ‘meet’ twice a week and take turns to play songs. Anyone can request to join, to play and/or listen, we’re a lovely, friendly mob.”

School meals service to resume on September 3

Denbighshire County Council is re-launching its school meal catering service next month.

With pupils starting to return to school full-time from September 3, the catering service will resume.

During school closures the School Meals Service provided freshly prepared food for children of key workers and children deemed to be vulnerable while the Council also provided direct payments to those eligible for free school meals with money provided to parents or guardians instead of a school meal.

More than 3,500 children (1,900 families) were eligible for this scheme and these pupils will now return to being provided with free school meals and the last direct payment will be made on September 1.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead Member for Education and Public Engagement, said: “We are pleased to be welcoming children back to our schools full time after what has been a difficult period during lockdown.

“With pupils back in school, we have re-started our school meals service which provides a healthy and nutritious meal to students every day.

“All meals are cooked fresh every day and are nutritionally balanced to improve learning and development and all schools cater for special or restricted dietary requirements. I would also like to reassure parents that the highest hygiene standards are being employed by staff in the catering service.”

The menu varies every day and more than 7,600 school meals are served to pupils in Denbighshire each day.

Cllr Hilditch-Roberts added: “We would like to remind parents who have been in receipt of a direct payment instead of a free school meal that the final payment will be made on September 1 and will cover the previous week. Children will then return to receiving their free school meals in the same way as before lockdown.

“I would like to pay tribute to the education, catering, benefit and finance teams for setting up and managing the direct payment system during this period, ensuring children in Denbighshire continued to have access a school meal equivalent during lockdown.”

Childcare providers grant launched by government

The Welsh Government has announced the launch of a Childcare Providers Grant. 

Part of a package of support for businesses across Wales affected by coronavirus, the new grant aims to provide dedicated support for the childcare sector in Wales.

In a written statement issued this morning the government says: "Since March many of our childcare providers have faced significant challenges as a consequence of the coronavirus.  

"To control the spread of the virus it was necessary to keep the numbers of children in attendance low. We recognise that this came at a cost.

"While the numbers of people using their services fell, providers still had bills to pay including staff salaries.  

"While many providers stayed open to care for the children of our critical workers and our more vulnerable children, and we are very grateful to them for doing so, others had to close.

"The Childcare Provider Grant will provide a much-needed financial lifeline to childcare providers who have not been able to access other government support packages, and help ensure that formal childcare places are available to parents as schools re-open in September.  This is an important part of ensuring there is sufficient capacity in the sector which is key to supporting working families. 

"The scheme is available to those settings which have been unable to access the other business support schemes offered by the UK and Welsh Governments and most providers will be eligible for a grant of £2,500. 

"Ensuring the availability of formal childcare places is instrumental to our recovery and we are pleased we are able to offer this vital lifeline to those in the sector who have fallen through the other support measures. 

"More than 95% of the early years workforce are women and any closures, with resulting job losses, would disproportionately affect women who provide a vital service to parents across Wales. 

"The loss of formal childcare places also disproportionately affected women, as mothers will be most likely to reduce their hours or leave employment.

"We are acutely aware of the challenges the childcare sector has faced and want to thank all childcare providers for their perseverance and professionalism during these difficult times. 

"Welsh Government recognises the important role childcare plays as part of the foundational economy and we are determined to support the sector as the economy reopens.

"Since 22 June, childcare providers have been able to care for more children and increase their operations or re-open fully. This scheme will help ensure more providers re-open as the schools re-open in September.

"The scheme will be a one-off grant to help providers meet the additional financial burdens they have faced since March, with many settings experiencing a reduction in income whilst continuing to meet costs such as rent, utilities and unmet wage costs.

"The scheme also aims to help make the childcare sector more resilient for the future by requiring unincorporated settings to register as a company limited by guarantee, a private limited company, a Community Interest Company or a Charitable Incorporated Organisation."

Applications for the scheme will open on 24 August and the scheme will close on 31 October 2020. The first payments will be made to providers in September via their local authority.