Details of latest bus service changes

People travelling by bus in and around the Wrexham area may be interested in the latest service changes announced by Wrexham Council, which come into effect from Sunday, May 18.

 

Details of a service through Llangollen can be found part way down the list. There are also details of services affecting neighbouring Chirk.

 

Wrexham Council says in a preamble to the list: "Many bus services in and around Wrexham are changing as a result of Wrexham CBC budget reductions. However, we have been able to introduce some new links as well, in cooperation with local bus operators. A summary of the changes, by service, is shown below."

 

Unless otherwise noted the changes are from 18th May.

 

Service 1 Wrexham- Chester (Arriva)

 

The Monday to Saturday timetable is unchanged, but the Sunday service frequency is reduced from every 20 minutes to every 30 minutes during the day, with changes to departure times.

 

Services 2 & 2A Wrexham- Oswestry (Arriva Midlands)

 

An evening and Sunday service is introduced between Wrexham and Oswestry. This replaces the evening 2E service, provides a partial replacement for Sunday service 5A to Chirk and provides new links to Oswestry during these times.

 

From 22 April services 2 & 2A were rerouted to serve TESCO in Cefn Mawr and some 2C journeys were extended from Cefn Mawr to Chirk and Oswestry.

 

Service 2E Wrexham- Chirk (GHA)

 

This service will be withdrawn and replaced by evening service on service 2 (See above)

 

Services 3 & 4 Wrexham- Rhos- Penycae (Arriva/GHA)

 

The timetables for these services are unchanged, but the Sunday service will now be operated by GHA Coaches. The evening service will, in part, be operated commercially and as a result GHA will no longer be accepting other operator’s tickets on their evening journeys.

 

* Services 5, 5A and 5C Wrexham – Llangollen (GHA) (25th May)

 

The Sunday service 5A will be withdrawn between Llangollen and Chirk (Service 2 provides a replacement Chirk to Wrexham link) but service 5C journeys will be extended to Llangollen to provide two buses per hour between Wrexham and Llangollen most of the day on Sundays. Some Sunday evening journeys will be withdrawn. There are also timing changes on some morning journeys Mondays to Saturdays.

 

Service 5M (early morning, Acrefair- Wrexham via Rhos) (GHA) (6 May)

 

This journey will operated commercially and consequently other operator’s tickets will no longer be accepted.

 

Service 7 Wrexham - Caia Park (Arriva)

 

Saturday morning journeys leaving Wrexham bus station at 0625 and 0710 will be withdrawn.

 

Service 11 Wrexham- Minera (GHA)

 

Two new early evening journeys will be introduced to replace this part of former services 141/142. These will be operated by GHA Coaches, leaving Wrexham Bus Station at 1930 and 2030, returning from Minera at 2005 and 2105. The 2030 departure from Wrexham Bus Station will extend to Bwlchgwyn and Gwynfryn. Combined with service X50 this will result in an almost hourly service from Wrexham Bus Station to Coedpoeth.

 

Service 13 Brymbo – Wrexham- Wrexham Industrial Estate (Arriva)

 

The section of route between Wrexham bus station and Wrexham Industrial Estate will be withdrawn. Service between these locations remains available via D Jones & Son service 13B, as well as GHA services 41, 42 and 43.

Service between Brymbo and Wrexham bus station is unchanged.

 

Service 17 Wrexham - Moss (GHA)

 

The timetable will be revised and the route will be changed to cover the Colliery Houses area Stansty Road), replacing the Town Link service to this area.

 

Service 23A Wrexham- Coed y Glyn (GHA)

 

This service will be withdrawn.

 

Service 32 Wrexham- Llay (Arriva)

 

The early Saturday morning journey at 0715 from Wrexham Bus Station to Llay and return will no longer operate.

 

Service 34 Wrexham- Trevalyn (GHA)

 

The timetable will be revised with some journeys (including those serving Darland School) being withdrawn.

 

Service 35A Wrexham- Borras Park (GHA)

 

This new service will be introduced, replacing the existing 44A service on Sundays and providing new Sunday service to Mile Barn Road, Birkdale Road, Holt Road and Dean Road. In Acton the service will operate via Oak Drive and Cilcen Grove between Chestnut Avenue and Chester Road, no longer using Central Avenue and Rhosnesni Lane. The changes are to make the service closer to the route of the daytime 35 service and to provide service to more areas.

 

Service 37 Wrexham – Caia Park (Arriva/GHA)

 

This Sunday only service will be operated by GHA Coaches instead of Arriva.

 

Services 41/41A Wrexham – Queensway – Wrexham Industrial Estate – Holt/Bangor on Dee

 

These evening services will replace the Wrexham Industrial Estate section of the 141/142 service on a slightly revised route and timetable. Service 41 will use the same route as service 141 in the Caia

Park area, while service 41A will use the same route as service 142 in this area. Both services will serve Pentre Maelor, and there will be two journeys extended to Holt (via Wrexham Industrial estate) while two journeys will operate to Bangor on Dee. The last outbound journey will extend to Overton, this partly replaces a service 146 journey.

Towards Wrexham all journeys will start at or serve Wrexham Industrial Estate, with some journeys originating from Holt or Bangor on Dee.

The daytime 41 service is unchanged, with the exception of an additional journey operating from Wrexham Industrial Estate at 1742 replacing a current service 141 journey.

 

Service 44A Wrexham - Borras Park (GHA/Arriva)

 

The Sunday service will be replaced by service 35A (see above), while the evening service will be withdrawn due to low use.

 

Service 60 Llanarmon DC – Oswestry (GHA)

 

This service will be withdrawn, but connections to and from Oswestry and through fares will be available by connecting with Arriva Midlands services in Chirk.

 

Service 64 Llanarmon DC- Chirk- Llangollen (GHA/Bryn Melyn)

 

This service will be revised to operate approximately every two hours.

 

Service 65 Llanarmon DC – Wrexham (GHA/Bryn Melyn)

 

This service will be revised to operate school days only, with one journey in each direction. Connections to and from Wrexham at other times will be available through interchange in Chirk. Service will no longer be provided to Garth.

 

Services 141 and 142 Minera – Wrexham- Wrexham Industrial Estate-(Holt) (GHA)

 

These services will be withdrawn but will be largely replaced by services 11 and 41/41A (see above)

 

Service 146 Wrexham- Whitchurch (17 May)

 

The evening and Sunday journeys on this service will be withdrawn. However, partial replacement evening journeys for Marchwiel, Bangor on Dee and Overton will be available on service 41/41A (see above)

 

Town Link (Pat’s Coaches/GHA)

 

This service will be withdrawn. Partial replacement for the Colliery Houses (Stansty Road) area will be available on service 17 (see above)

Try an after-hours visit to Ruthin Gaol

Denbighshire Archives and Ruthin Gaol Museum are giving children a rare opportunity to visit at dusk to celebrate the Museums at Night out of hours festival.

Museums at Night is the annual after-hours festival of arts, culture and heritage when hundreds of museums, galleries, libraries, archives and heritage sites open their doors for special evening events.  There will be a story evening at the Gaol on Friday 16^th May which will see children joining in

There with local singer and story teller, Ruth Moore Williams and staff to make story time fun.

Children are encouraged to wear winter pyjamas, slippers and their dressing gown because the gaol can be quite cold in the evening.

Cost: £2 per child including milk and biscuit. Please call 01824 708281 to book your place. Recommended for 5 years and over and children must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

Sickness virus affects Wrexham Maelor wards

The BBC is reporting that a sickness virus has affected four wards at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

For the full story see:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-27313901

KLS has latest Buy Local Day on Friday

Keep Llangollen Special has organised in latest Buy Local Day for this Friday, May 9.

The aim is to support Llangollen’s local traders and celebrate quality, personal service and value for money.

 

AM calls for action to protect community pubs

 

 

* North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood and Welsh

Conservative Leader Andrew RT Davies at the recent North Wales  launch of the ‘Save your Local Pub’ campaign.

 

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has sent a letter to the Minister for Housing and Regeneration Carl Sargeant AM calling for the Welsh Government to take action to protect valued community pubs from closure.

 

Mr Isherwood, contacted the Minister after receiving a letter from constituents who are members of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, who would like  the Welsh Government to uses its power under the UK Localism Act 2011 to enact the Community Right to Bid for Assets of Community Value in Wales, which would help prevent further pub closures in Wales. Mr Isherwood has also previously spoken in favour of this in the Assembly.

 

New powers introduced under the Localism Act have given communities in England the opportunity to help protect valued community facilities such as pubs by listing them as Assets of Community Value (ACVs).

 

Listing pubs as ACVs prevents their sale behind the back of local people and allows communities to delay any sale by up to six months while they investigate options for saving the pub. Many of the 350 pubs listed as ACVs in England have brought together people from a variety of backgrounds to campaign on behalf of saving their local pub. ACV status can also be used as a material consideration in planning decisions.

 

Mr Isherwood said: “As the CAMRA members state ‘pubs play a critical role in the Welsh community; supporting over 34,000 full and part-time jobs, supporting local food and drink production, and providing a regulated environment to enjoy alcohol responsibly.

 

"However community pubs in Wales are in crisis with three closing every week, often without the local community having a say. Without added protection for pubs in Wales, they will continue to close at an alarming rate.’

 

Mr Isherwood added: “The Welsh Assembly Government has the power to enact the Community Right to Bid for Assets of Community Value in Wales, which would help protect our valued community pubs from closure.

 

“I strongly support the introduction of the Community Right to Bid in Wales and I am therefore calling on the Minister to give this matter his urgent attention and confirm the Welsh Government's intended course of action.”

Tourism businesses invited to forum event

Tourism-related businesses in Denbighshire are being invited to attend a forum which looks at developing the visitor offer across the county.

The Denbighshire Tourism Forum has been arranged on Thursday 12 June 2014 at Ruthin Castle where delegates can discuss Denbighshire's Destination Management Plan, growing tourism in Denbighshire, learn a few customer service techniques and discover Denbighshire's newest digital tourism product.  

Councillor Huw Jones, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for tourism, said:"This is an ideal opportunity for businesses and individuals to get together and share ideas as to how we can get more people to discover what Denbighshire has to offer."

If you would like to attend the Denbighshire Tourism Forum, please  e-mail: dcc_tourism@denbighshire.gov.uk or ring 01824 706223.  Registration is from 10am, the Forum starts at 10.30am with lunch and networking at 1pm.

This project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

County council wants your views on priorities

Denbighshire County Council is focussing on delivering its priorities and would like to hear your views about some of its proposed activities for the year ahead.

Each council in Wales is expected to produce an improvement plan and Denbighshire’s five year Corporate Plan was agreed in 2012.

Every year, the council announces its planned projects for the year ahead, to support the delivery of its priorities.

The priorities are:
·        Developing the local economy
·        Improving performance in education and in the quality of school buildings
·        Improving roads
·        Vulnerable people are protected and are able to live as independently as possible.
Ensuring access to good quality housing
·        Modernising the Council to deliver efficiencies and improve services for customers.

The full document with the Council’s planned activities can be viewed on Denbighshire’s website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/consultations

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding these projects, you can contact the Council by e - mailing corporate.improvement@denbighshire.gov.uk or by phone:  01824 706161.

The closing date is 12pm on May 12.

What the forthcoming Euro election is all about

Check out the BBC's guide to this month's Euro elections.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-27068444?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Llangollen Railway fronts tourism brochure

* The new brochure featuring Carrog Station.

The front cover of the 2014 tourism brochure for North East Wales features a dramatic view of the Dee Valley as seen from Carrog station with a steam train departing.

The view encompasses the splendid scenery of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the valley of the River Dee with the availability of the heritage railway to provide easy enjoyment of it from the comfort of a traditional train journey.

In addition to this prime illustration, there is a whole page promotion given to the Llangollen Railway acknowledging its position as a major tourist attraction in the region which includes Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

As the only operating standard gauge heritage railway in the whole of North Wales, the Llangollen Railway provides a range of travel opportunities and activities for visitors to the region to explore the delights of the Dee Valley.

These will soon be enhanced when the railway's extension to Corwen opens later in the summer of 2014.

George Jones, for Llangollen Railway, said: "We are delighted that the front cover of the new brochure features the railway at Carrog within its setting of the dramatic Welsh scenery. The scenic view from the train as it runs between Llangollen and Carrog continually attracts praise from visitors who experience the journey and acknowledge the claim that the Llangollen Railway is among the best in Britain for its setting."

With a print run of 60,000 it will be distributed widely to key markets in the Midlands and North West – underlying the accessibility of the area to visitors. The brochure will also be distributed via advertising campaigns, promotion at exhibitions and by direct mail as well as via media and public relations visits.

Councillor Huw Jones, Lead Member for promoting Denbighshire, said: "This is a fantastic marketing tool, to encourage more visitors to the area; with so much to see and do is such a small area, it shows that Denbighshire is an ideal location for the family market as well as for the more specialist walkers and heritage enthusiasts.”

This brochure is available from all UK Tourist Information Centres and also the Exhibition Coach at Llangollen Station.

It can also be downloaded from www.northeastwales.co.uk or contact Denbighshire’s Tourism, Marketing and Communications Department on 01824 706072 for a copy.

Llan women involved in Dylan performance project

Two Llangollen women are taking part in an event which is part of the Dylan Thomas 100^th birthday celebrations and will be streamed live on the internet next week.

Lleisiau is a Wales-wide sonic/performance arts project, which celebrates the way the population of Wales uses its voice in a variety of unsung ways.

 

Performances will happen in Cardiff from May 8-10 and start at 7.30pm.

 

From the newspaper seller, to the town crier, a shepherd, a rag and bone man, a singer of alawon gwerin, a rapper, an auctioneer, performers have been recruited from across Wales by open audition, chosen for their distinctive use of voice in their daily lives, in Welsh, English or other languages spoken in Wales.

 

The result is an informal and experimental evening of live and pre-recorded entertainment.

 

Among those taking part are Rachel Morris and Francesca Simmons, a creative violinist, from Llangollen.

 

Rachel said: “It’s being live-streamed on the internet. I'll be reading a piece I wrote about the role of voice in personal identity and 'fitting in', and Francesca will be playing a saw, I believe!”

 

* See more at: http://www.chapter.org/lleisiau#sthash.WYwFLRKp.dpuf

Shȃn takes scary role in Sweeney Todd

Popular Welsh singer Shȃn Cothi is about to step in the shoes of Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson.

 

The former West End star (pictured below) will transform herself into the rough Cockney schemer, Mrs Nellie Lovett,  in Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street which will be the curtain-raiser for the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Monday, July 7.

She be performing alongside old friends, opera superstar Bryn Terfel and the top tenor Wynne Evans aka Gio Compario in the Go Compare TV ads, in what promises to be a sensational opening night.

 

It will be a homecoming for one of Britain's top singing actors, Eric Roberts, who hails originally from Llangollen and will be playing the part of Judge Turpin.

 

Meanwhile, Alun Rhys Jenkins, one of the Three Welsh Tenors, will be taking the role of Beadle Banford while, mezzo soprano Leah Marian Jones, the former company principal at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, will be performing as the Beggar Woman.

 

They will be joined on stage by schoolboy Dewi Wykes, 14, from Ruthin, who was hand-picked by Bryn to play Tobias Ragg.

 

Dewi was alerted to the auditions for the role by his grandparents, Llinos and Tyrone Powell-Jones, who live in Wrexham, who had read about them in the Leader.

 

Earlier this year Bryn earned rave reviews when he played the Demon Barber in Broadway production co-starring Emma Thompson.

 

Shan is delighted to be part of the iconic international festival, forged in the aftermath of the Second World War with the aim of promoting world peace and harmony.

During the first full week in July every year since, Llangollen is becomes a cultural melting pot where Wales meets the world.

Singers and dancers, often resplendent in colourful national costumes, travel from the four corners of the earth to be part of the unique event.

For the time being though, Shȃn is concentrating on learning the role of the formidable Nellie Lovett.

 

“It’s scary to be honest”, she said, having just finished her morning Bore Cothi - Morning Cothi - show on BBC Radio Cymru, “It really is a huge role and I’m fully aware the audience will be full of real fans of the genre, people who know Stephen Sondheim’s work inside out.

 

“And while I have watched every production I can to get a feel for the role, I want to put my own stamp on the part.

 

“I do have a lot to live up to however, as there have been some amazing performers who have played the role. People like Angela Landsbury, who was the original Mrs Lovett, and Emma Thompson who won critical acclaim in the role opposite Bryn in New York just last month.

 

“Performers of that quality are the benchmark really and I’m going to have to work hard to get this important role just right.”

 

“I’ve taken on something really big and a bit out of my comfort zone.

 

“I’m spending three hours a day learning the part and thinking about how I want to present this mature, scheming, rough old Cockney bird to the audience. It’s going to be some transformation to be honest.”

 

But Shân says she accepted the role the second she was asked knowing she’d be appearing alongside old mates Bryn Terfel and Wynne Evans.

 

She said: “I competed at Llangollen many times but this will be my first appearance in an evening concert. I really am looking to get my teeth into the Mrs Lovett role.

 

“She a cheery sort whose business is on a bit of downward spiral due to a lack of fresh meat and she really wants to be a bit more than a landlady to the mean and moody Sweeney Todd.”

 

Shân Cothi was born, the daughter of a blacksmith in a little village, Ffarmers, in Carmarthenshire and graduated from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth having studied music and drama.

 

After leaving university she was initially a music teacher at a South Wales high school but decided to turn professional, as a singer, after winning the prestigious Blue Riband prize at the 1995 Abergele National Eisteddfod. 

 

Since then her career has spanned a wide range of music styles from opera to oratorio and musical theatre, she played Carlotta in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in the West End for 15 months, to traditional Welsh songs.

 

And she’s performed in some of the UK’s iconic venues from the Wales Millennium Centre to the Royal Albert Hall as well as abroad.

 

Bryn Terfel, Wynne Evans and Shân Cothi will appear in Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, sponsored by Pendine Park Care Organisation, at the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod on the evening of Monday, July 7.

 

This year’s Eisteddfod will also feature concerts by Dutch jazz sensation Caro Emerald and veteran British rockers Status Quo as well as a world premiere of a new work, Adiemus Colores, by top composer Karl Jenkins.

 

He will conduct his Latin American themed work with American tenor Noah Stewart, Venezuelan trumpeter Pacho Flores and Latvian accordion player Ksenija Sidorova to the accompaniment of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Orchestra.

 

The Friday night concert, Spirit of Unity, will feature the Cape Town Opera, Africa’s premiere opera company, famed for their "vibrant vocalism and high-octane stage performances".

 

Appearing with them will be Wales’ representative in Cardiff Singer of the World, Gary Griffiths, the Wales Millennium Centre Only Kidz Aloud Chorus under the baton of celebrity conductor Tim Rhys Evans and British Sinfonietta, one of the UK's leading independent professional orchestras.

 

The Choir of the World competition for the Pavarotti Trophy on the Saturday night is the blue riband event of the week-long festival which will close with a Sunday night concert by Status Quo.

 

For tickets and more information visit http://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/ or call the Box Office on 01978 862 000.     

Fiona's e-book novel has its paperback launch

A NOVEL which prominently features Llangollen has had its official paperback launch in the town.

The fantasy thriller The Last Changeling, which sees a breed of malevolent fairies battle for world domination, came out first as an e-book last year.

But after having sold around 1,000 Kindle copies, it has now been produced as a paperback version and its Llangollen-based author Fiona Maher hosted a special launch event at the Vintage Rose tearoom in the town on Thursday evening.

* Author Fiona Maher reads from The
Last Changeling at its paperback
launch in the Vintage Rose tearoom.

Fiona, who writes under the name of F R Maher, explained how the idea for the book came to her in a dream. 

She said: “We’ve had wizards and vampires, and I wondered what other supernatural beings would appeal to readers. 

“After a dream, I came up with the idea that it would be fairies - not the cutesy pink confections of modern cartoons, but the ancient malign creatures that haunted the forests, and stole children. 

“I called them metahominids - literally 'other men' - and I ask what if population pressure meant they started moving out of the country, and began invading our city spaces, like urban foxes? 

“What if we've been at war with them for centuries and the evidence was all around us? 

“If myxamatosis hadn't been developed for rabbits, but to spray on the barrows, the metahominid strongholds?”

Hero of the book is a young policeman named Watkin who gets caught up in a battle between a secret government department and metahominids in Kew Gardens.

In the melee, he is injured, and believes he has been involved in a UFO incident. 

However much he tries to find out what really happened, the government organisation, D9, evades all of his investigations. 

Dispirited, he gives up that line of research, and returns to his interest in UFOs. 

Watkin travels up from London to investigate the Beings of Bodfari, a legend that has been linked to UFO activity. 

En route, he stops off in Llangollen of which the author gives a vivid description taking in a number of well-known local sights and businesses such as Dinas Bran Castle, the Corn Mill, the railway station, the florists in Oak Street and the Watkin & Williams store in Regent Street. 

Coincidentally in Llangollen at the same time as Watkin is a D9 operative, travelling under the name of Sarah Deakin.

Her weapon of choice is a meaty survival knife, which she has brought to Llangollen to have its edges laced with silver - a lethal metal to all metahominids – at a local jewellers shop.

Fiona added: “The e-book has been fanastically well received, so I thought it was time I also produced it as a paperback.

“The e-book has sold very well all over the world, including Germany, Russia, America and China.

“I now plan to write a number of short stories and combine them into one book.”

The paperback version of The Last Changeling is available, priced £11.99, from Amazon.

 

The e-book version can be seen at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Changeling-Enigma-Wars-ebook/dp/B00B90EIRQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365110490&sr=8-1&keywords=the+last+changeling

Latest roadworks bulletin

Latest roadworks notified by Denbighshire County Council are:

Birch Hill, Lllangollen, opposite Pren Ceirios, temporary traffic lights, to allow water works by Morrison Utility Services, May 6.

Abbey Road, Llangollen, outside Gelli, temporary traffic lights to allow water works by Dee Valley Water, May 9-14.

Regent Street, Llangollen, outside Prince of Wales, temporary traffic lights to allow water works by Dee Valley Water, May 15-19.

Fron Bache, Llangollen, road closure to allow BT works, May 6-8.

Berwyn Road, Llangollen, temporary traffic lights to allow retaining wall works by Conwy Structures, June 2-6.

 

Ensure you're registered to vote

Householders are being urged to ensure they are registered to vote ahead of the forthcoming European elections.

In order to vote in the elections on Thursday, 22^nd May, an individual’s name needs to be on the electoral register.

Citizens have until Tuesday, 6^th May to register.

There are a number of reasons why it is important to be included on the electoral register.

Elections can be called at short notice and if you are not registered you will not be able to vote.

Voting also ensures you have a say on the issues of the day while being on the electoral register can maintain your credit rating.

Registering is quick and simple. Just visit: www.aboutmyvote.co.uk and print off a registration form.

Alternatively, apply for the appropriate forms or check your name is on the register by contacting register@denbighshire.gov.uk

And you can still vote even if you are away on holiday by applying for a postal vote by 5 pm on Wednesday, 7th May, or by a proxy application form (not postal or emergency proxies) by 5 pm on Wednesday, 14^th May.

Jekyll & Hyde heading for Llangollen

Award-winning theatre company Limelight Productions aim to thrill audiences with their forthcoming  production of Jekyll & Hyde The Musical at Llangollen Town Hall from  Thursday 5^th to 7^th June. 

Glamorous, sexy and deliciously wicked in equal measures, Jekyll and Hyde is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic gothic novella.  

The Llangollen production features a talented cast performing some much-loved musical theatre songs such as This is The Moment, In his Eyes, the dramatic Façade.

Performances start at 7.30pm and there's a bar available. 

Tickets prices are £8 and £6.50 concessions. They are available from the box office on 01978 351315/07504031029 or Llangollen Tourist Information Centre in Castle Street.

Authors present cheques to three local groups

 

* Simon Collinge, left, and Andrew Gale on the back row with cheque

recipients from the various organisations. 

 

Cheques for £100 each were recently presented to representatives from Llangollen Welfare House, the Methodist Hall and St Collen’s Community Centre to celebrate 12 months since the Llangollen Community Book was published.

 

The book's authors, Andrew Gale and Simon Collinge, pledged that £1 from each copy sold would be donated to local community venues where most of the photographs it features were taken.

 

Simon Collinge said: “We were really grateful for the use of their venues to take group photographs and we were pleased to be able to give a £100 donation, as promised, to each of the three groups. 

 

"We are now endeavouring to further increase sales and hoping that more people featured in the book will purchase a copy, again putting more money back into the community.

 

"Over 300 copies have been sold but we still need to sell at least another 300 to break even on our original investment.”

The Llangollen Community Book features over 100 clubs, groups and societies and can be viewed at www.llangollencommunity.co.uk or purchased in Llangollen at Courtyard Books, Gales, Llangollen Museum and the Tourist Information Centre.

Historic railcar Daisy heads for Llangollen

* A Class 101 railcar known as Daisy.

A railcar which was once a famous celebrity in North Wales is to return for a gala at Llangollen Railway over the weekend of June 21/22.

The two-car set, known in its later days as “Daisy”, gained celebrity status in 1994 when it was repainted in historic British Railways green for services on the Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog line.

It remained in service until the last day of heritage railcar operation in December 2003, following which it was bought for preservation.

It later spent brief periods at both the Elsecar and the Chasewater Railways before moving to the Midland Railway in 2009 for contract restoration.

Since then both vehicles have been extensively rebuilt but Daisy has not yet seen public service.

She will arrive in Llangollen in late May where she will be used for driver experience and a photographic charter in the week before the gala, but she will see passenger service at Llangollen for the one weekend only. 

The annual Llangollen Gala has established a reputation as being one of the foremost events of its type and features up to 16 departures each way per day with the units working in two, four and six car formations.

This year trains will also travel as far as Bonwm on the new Corwen extension. 

As well as Daisy, four of the home fleet of diesel railcars will be in service each day and the line’s DMU Group will be exhibiting their partly-restored Class 105 trailer (made in Sheffield) and its Class 104 power car (made in Birmingham) at Llangollen station where visitors will see the extent of work required in the restoration of trains of this type.

There will be sales stalls as well as the customary Saturday evening social function, which will this year take place at Glyndyfrdwy Station, with a special train operating to the site.

In response to requests, Llangollen station’s buffet is to open specially early at 8.30am for breakfast on each day of the event and all the line’s intermediate stations will also be offering refreshments.

The Class 101 units were built by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham with production starting in 1955.

They were at one time one of the most numerous of the first-generation railcars and six of the type survived to the last day of operation in December 2003.

The oldest of Daisy’s coaches dates from 1956.

Chairman of Llangollen Railcars Evan Green-Hughes said: "We are delighted that Daisy’s owner has chosen to bring her back into service at our event and we are sure that there will be many people who will welcome her back to Wales where she is remembered with so much affection.

“Daisy was brought to Wales because railcars of this era had a unique design which allows passengers to see right through into the driver’s cabs, thus giving them an unparalleled view of the line and scenery ahead – just as the driver sees it.

"I am sure that many people will want to enjoy the view of the Dee Valley in just the same way when she visits us in June.”

Road closed after man seen on roof

A stretch of the A5 through Llangollen was cordoned off by police this afternoon (Wednesday) after a man was spotted on to the roof of a property in Regent Street.

A number of police cars along with two ambulances were at the scene for over two hours.

The incident seemed to have drawn to a close by around 6.45pm when the man could no longer be seen. He is believed to have been unhurt.
 

The ambulances left soon afterwards but the road remained closed for some time.   

Traffic travelling along the A5 in both directions suffered considerable disruption.

* Police cars cordon off a section of the A5 in Regent Street.

Journalists take a steam train ride

* The group of visiting journalists at Llangollen Station. Picture: George Jones.

A group of eight journalists took a steam train trip aboard the Llangollen Railway yesterday(Tuesday).

The writers, from publications including the Daily Mail, Lancaster Guardian, Dorset Echo, Outdoor Adventure Magazine and Great Outdoors Magazine, had been invited to the area as part of an activity press visit organised by North Wales Tourism and commissioned by Denbighshire County Council.

After arriving in Corwen they were taken on to Pen Y Pigyn and then a tour of the 17th century Rug Chapel.

The visit concluded with a trip on a steam train on Llangollen Railway through the stunning Dee Valley.

Golden occasion for flower arrangement society

* Don Billington talks to members of Llangollen Flower Arrangement Society.

It was a big day for Llangollen Flower Arrangement Society yesterday (Tuesday) when members celebrated its 50th anniversary with a demonstration by Don Billington in the Denbigh Room at the Hand Hotel.

He took as his theme "One L of a Do".

Anniversary cake was served along with tea and there was also a raffle.

Llan Operatic casts professional singer as Nanki-Poo

 

* Professional opera singer Christopher Diffey.

* The full cast of the Mikado in rehearsals. Picture: Barrie Potter.

 

* From left, Helen Belton (Yum Yum), Jim Allen (Pooh Bah)

and Jo Potts and Karen Davies (Yum Yum’s friends). Picture: Barrie Potter.

LLANGOLLEN Operatic Society has chosen a rising young professional singing star for one of the leading roles in its forthcoming production of The Mikado.

Australian-born Christopher Diffey, who is widely acknowledged to be one of this generation’s up and coming tenors and has performed throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, will play Nanki-Poo in an updated interpretation of the classic Gilbert & Sullivan operetta which runs at Llangollen Town Hall from May 14-17.

And, according to the society’s artistic director Chrissie Ashworth, the role will hold no surprises for 33-year-old Christopher who has played Nanki-Poo twice recently for renowned touring company Opera Della Luna.

She said: “I’m sure our audiences will be delighted that we have been fortunate enough to secure the services of Christopher who is undoubtedly one of the best young professional opera stars in the country at the moment.

“It’s also a huge asset that he comes to us fresh from having played Nanki-Poo to great acclaim for Opera Della Luna, in Aberystwyth and Oxford, only in March.    

“I know that everyone who sees it is going to just love the show, which is an updated version of The Mikado set in the 1970s, complete with mini-skirts, flared trousers and dodgy hairstyles.

“Christopher is guaranteed to bring his own touch of class to the role of Nanki-Poo and I’m positive he will fit in perfectly with the rest of our cast – many of whom are also seasoned veterans of playing in The Mikado – and can look forward to receiving a warm welcome from our audiences old and new.”

After relocating from Melbourne in Australia, Christopher Diffey graduated from the Royal Academy of Music Opera Course before making his London debut at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields with the London Pro Arte Orchestra and the East London Chorus.

He performed Triplet 1 in James MacMillan’s Clemency for Scottish Opera at the Edinburgh International Festival, before returning to London to create the role of Karl in the new crime thriller opera The Face at London’s Gray’s Inn.

In 2011 he played Fenton in Verdi’s masterpiece Falstaff at the Longborough Festival and performed in two world premier pieces at the Tête à Tête Opera Festival.

 

Christopher’s stage work includes playing Rodolfo in OperaUpClose’s Olivier Award winning production of La Bohème, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville with Opera Brava and Colonel Fairfax in Yeoman of the Guard at the Buxton International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival where he received rave reviews.

 

Appearing opposite Christopher in Llangollen’s The Mikado will be Helen Belton as his beloved Yum Yum, whose two friends are played by Jo Potts and Karen Davies.

The demanding role of Katisha will be taken by Justine Bradey, while society stalwarts Dave Short and Jim Allen are The Mikado and Pooh Bah respectively and Richard Mascarenhas is Koko, the Lord High Executioner. Kieran Davie takes the role of Pish Tush.

Musical director is Owen Roberts and some of the memorable songs featured in the show include A Wandering Minstrel and Three Little Maids. Co-director/choreographer is Pamela Williams.

·        Tickets, priced at £9 and £7.50 concessions, are available from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre in Castle Street (01978 860828), Jades Hair & Beauty in Oak Street and Stella Bond (01978 860441).