Choc and fudge sausages to premiere at food festival

 

* Arran, his dad John and his older brother Jonathan with the sausages.

 

A new range of sausages made with chocolate and fudge will be launched a top food festival.

 

The special bangers are being developed by young farmer and trainee butcher Arran Davies and his butchery mentor Brin Kelly at Abbey Farm, just outside Llangollen.

 

Their meat counter at Abbey Farm Shop, which also supplies local hotels and restaurants, is just up the road from where the Hamper Llangollen food festival will be staged on Saturday and Sunday October 18-19.

 

Now recognised as one of the UK's top 10 food festivals, Hamper Llangollen is supported by rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution comes via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

 

The event at the Royal Pavilion sees a wide range of food and drink exhibitors along with demonstrations by top chefs, plus a Rail and Ale evening excursion on board a steam train with Llangollen Railway.

 

Arran, 27, is the third generation to work on Abbey Farm, next to the historic Valle Crucis Abbey, which has been in the family since the 1930s.

 

The secret recipe for the sausages, which also use pork from pigs raised on the family farm, is still being tweaked, admitted Arran.

 

“It’s a recipe that Brin has previously made, though he used cocoa powder then. This time we are using chocolate chunks – there will be dark chocolate and milk chocolate versions, plus a fudge one, which we think caramelises the sausage as it cooks, so it’s a sweeter taste.

                                     

“Our customers at the farm shop are going to be asked to sample it over the coming weeks until we get the recipe just right,” said Arran.

 

“I am learning the ropes from Brin – he is a traditional butcher and I am like an old-style apprentice, learning at first hand-hand. I split my time between working in the Farm Shop with Brin and working on the farm with my older brother Jonathan, 30, and my dad John. My younger brother Billy, who is 23, also works on the farm, though he also does contract work elsewhere.

 

“I’ve been worked on the farm since I left school, like my dad, who worked with his dad,” added Arran, who admits that he prefers the more traditional style sausages he also makes for the farm shop.

 

Brin, from Penycae, used to run his own shop in Coedpoeth until he moved to take over at the Abbey Farm Shop butchery three years ago.

 

“I have previously made chocolate sausages and thought they would be ideal for our stand at Hamper Llangollen - in past years we discovered that visitors like to try something a bit exotic, something they can’t buy every day. These sausages will be savoury but with a sweet edge, especially the fudge ones.

 

“We will also be doing a pig roast at Hamper Llangollen, as pulled pork is so popular these days,” said Brin.

 

Arran’s dad John Davies is the one who helps select the porkers to be raised at the 500-acre Abbey Farm. He also rears beef cattle plus runs two caravan parks.

 

“I buy the pigs in as weaners to fatten up, I like a mix of traditional breeds such as Gloucester Old Spot, and the modern varieties, which are much leaner, and crossed with the Welsh White.

 

"One of my earliest memories of my dad is him cutting a slice of bacon from a flitch hanging down in the kitchen, to cook for his breakfast.

 

“He was a big Shire horse man, always preferred horses to tractors, and he won a lot of prizes with them. The stables, where he kept the horses, are where the Farm Shop, Tea Rooms and Bistro are now. I like to think he would have pleased to see what we have done with the farm, which he took on as a young man just after the depression.”

 

A quartet of Wales’s best chefs will have a starring role at the festival. Graham Tinsley, executive chef at Carden Park in Cheshire and Conwy’s Castle Hotel, will be cooking up a Welsh feast with Mike Evans, hospitality lecturer at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos on Sea, and Dion Jones, one of Europe’s finest young chefs.

 

The ever popular Dai Chef, now the resident chef at Bodnant Welsh Food, the centre of excellence for Welsh food in the Conwy Valley will be there too.

Robert Didier, a baker who trained with culinary legend Raymond Blanc will also unveil the UK’s most expensive loaf – made with champagne and 24 carat gold, at the event.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd agri-food project officer Rob Price said: “Hamper Llangollen is a prime example of how Cadwyn Clwyd is helping to stimulate the local economy. The event will bring a large amount of people – and extra money - into the area, whether they are visiting for the day or staying the weekend

 

"There’s been a lot of interest in stands at the festival, both from established companies who have been many times before, and from new food and drink producers.

 

“There will be many new products on offer  -such as Arran and Brin’s chocolate and fudge sausages – as well as more traditional foods, so there will be something for everybody.”

 

More on Hamper Llangollen at www.llangollenfoodfestival.com.

County's leisure strategy goes under microscope

Denbighshire County Council's efforts to successfully transform its leisure provision was under the spotlight at a prestigious conference  staged by the Welsh Government at Llangollen Pavilion this week.

The Council's leisure services has been transformed over recent years from a failing service into a sector leading  service.

The Council was asked to host the Welsh Government Conference on Leisure Services for Physical Activity. Leader of Denbighshire , Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, addressed the conference. The Welsh Government also commissioned an independent view of Denbighshire Leisure by a specialist in the leisure sector.

Councillor Evans, said: "We were  delighted that the Welsh Government approached us to host this prestigious conference in our county, with a focus on our journey of improvement. We have a story to tell and we want to share our experiences.

"It is safe to say that leisure was seen as a struggling service in the past.  We have come a long way from those dark days when our leisure centres were not operated efficiently. Indeed, they lacked a clear vision and commitment to improving the offer.

"Over recent years, we have become a lot more business focused, listening to the needs of our customers and bringing them back to the fold through offering a far more attractive programme of activities.  

"We have recognised the need to be far more competitive,  understanding the market a lot better and generally being a lot more customer-focussed.   The culture and ethos of the service have also changed. Effective communication has been key, and we have now implemented a management structure that is fit for purpose and makes the best use of expertise and resources we have in the service.

"Our leisure centres have become virtually self-sufficient and we are now in a position where people are turning to us to hear about our experiences, to learn from what we have been through, how we have transformed leisure and to hear our future plans.

Jamie Groves, Denbighshire's Head of Communication, Marketing and Leisure, said: "Leisure is now very much a corporate service with strong working relationships with colleagues in education, health and social care.  Leisure is also increasingly becoming an important element of the Council's economic and regeneration ambitions.

"We are bucking the trend nationally when it comes to investment. You only need to pick up a newspaper or listen to the television news bulletins and often the headlines involve the threat of closing  leisure centres somewhere in the UK.  In Denbighshire, we are actually investing in our leisure facilities and a number of our key leisure centres has been significant investment over recent years. At Denbigh Leisure Centre, where we have carried out a major refurbishment  -  the demand for activities has grown so much that we are having to carry out further work to meet that increasing demand.

"Our ambition for developing the leisure offer along the coast has been well -publicised. We have a clear vision - to develop first class leisure facilities  that will have long term benefits to the health and well-being of residents, but will also be a major contributory factor in enhancing the local economy. We want our future leisure developments along the coast to be a catalyst for further inward investment and we are currently assessing proposals that have been submitted to re-vamp our leisure offer, so watch this space.

"Of course there is more that we can do to develop leisure in the future and we will not become complacent.  We think we are in the right place to further develop our leisure vision, for the benefit of our residents."

Ambulance death sparks call to re-open Cottage Hospital

* A call has been made to re-open the Cottage Hospital

following an ambulance death in Swansea.

NEWS of claims that a woman in her 70s died while waiting in a queue of ambulances outside Morriston Hospital, Swansea, have sparked a plea by a health campaigner to re-open cottage hospitals including the one in Llangollen.

Martin Crumpton launched a campaign to save the town’s Victorian community hospital from closure last year.

But his demands were ignored by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which ran it, as they pressed ahead with a £5 million scheme to build a new health centre further along the A539 on the site of the demolished River Lodge in Mill Street.  

In the wake of the death of Sonia Powell from a suspected heart attack in an ambulance outside the Swansea hospital, Mr Crumpton has written to a list of senior health board figures calling for cottage hospitals, including the Llangollen building, to be brought back into use.

He says: “It’s finally happened, as you’ve all heard on the news – a needless, avoidable death caused directly by bed shortage.

“Each and every one of you knows it will happen in your area, on your watch, and there’s no defence that you’ve weren’t warned.

“Starting with Llangollen, please reopen the cottage hospitals. It is the only decent thing left to do so I urge you to convene an emergency, extraordinary board meeting and make the appropriate announcement.

 

“I’m sure the public will give you a grace period if they can see their message has got through.”

 

Mr Crumpton adds: “I’ve seen the queues. I’ve spoken to the crews. It’s only a matter of time now, and it’s regrettable in the extreme that you’ll carry the blame for your predecessors’ disastrous decisions.

 

“If nothing else, the poor, grieving family may draw some degree of comfort that their loss wasn’t entirely pointless.”

Flu jabs on offer at Llan Health Centre

Flu vaccination clinics will be held at Llangollen Health Centre on Saturday 4 October from 9.00am, Wednesday 15 October from 5.15pm and Thursday 13 November from 5.15pm.

 

You qualify for a flu vaccination on the NHS if you:

* Are 65 years of age or over

 

* Have a chronic disease such as heart, renal, liver, neurological or respiratory disease

 

* Have diabetes

 

* Have had a stroke or TIA

 

* Are in receipt of a carer’s allowance  or  are the carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill

 

* Are pregnant

 

* Are a community first responder

 

* Are a member of a recognised voluntary organisation  which provides planned emergency first aid at organised public events.

 

To book your appointment please ring the Health Centre on 01978 860625.

Tapas and Prosecco evening raises £1,200 for church

* Guests enjoy the fundraising evening.

The Tapas and Prosecco night at St Collen's Community Hall last Saturday was a great success, raising around £1,200 towards the cost of facilities at Llangollen's Welsh language church, St John's in Abbey Road.

The Rev Andrew Sully, Vicar of St Collen's who organised the evening, has expressed his thanks to all who supported the event and in particular to Crawford Davies who did the cooking and his mum, Sue Cheshire, who was his very able sous chef.

* A Peace One Day Service will be held at 3pm on Sunday, September 21, in St John’s Church, followed by tea in the Peace Garden.

Chain Bridge talk planned for Monday

Chain Bridge @chainbridge2014 has just tweeted that Dr David Gwyn will be giving a talk on the subject of Llangollen's Chain Bridge within a wider World Heritage Site setting at Llangollen Town Hall next Monday, starting at 7pm.

Stand-up comedy returns to Pavilion

Llangollen Pavilion plays host to a night of stand-up comedy this Friday, September 19.

Following sell-out shows earlier in the year, Llangollen Comedy Club returns to the venue after its summer break with a line-up of acts fresh from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Opening the show will be Irish comedian Andrew Ryan (below left). Having made his comedy debut in 2008, he has since performed two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and boasts TV appearances on BBC Three's Russell Howard's Good News and Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live 2014.

North West favourite Mick Ferry (right) will be headlining the show.

One of the most sought after comics on the circuit, Mick was voted Best Live UK Stand Up 2013 at the UK Comedy Awards.

Alongside appearances on BBC One's Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, he has written for John Bishop's Britain and supported the likes of Sean Lock, Peter Kay and Al Murray on tour. 

As well as performing his solo show in Edinburgh this August, Mick starred alongside Phil Ellis in the critically acclaimed 'Funz and Gamez', which won the coveted Panel Prize in the 2014 Fosters Comedy Awards.

Introducing the acts will be regular host, Silky, who will also present some up-and-coming talent from the comedy circuit in the middle section of the show.

Event organiser Paul Brown says: "We've been overwhelmed by the response to Llangollen Comedy Club since we launched back in January, with several sell-out shows. All of the acts have commented on how fantastic the Llangollen audience are.

 

"This month's show is another cracking line up. I'd encourage anyone who has never been to a gig like this to come along and experience live comedy for themselves - it really is a brilliant night out."

Doors open at 7.30pm and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets, priced £9, are available from Llangollen Pavilion and Gales of Llangollen or online at www.llancomedy.co.uk.

Independent councillors' successful conference

The first conference for independent councillors in Wales was held recently at Llandrindod Wells where over 60 delegates attended.

In a statement, Cllr Hugh H Evans, leader of the WLGA Independent Group, said: "Whilst there was a broad discussion, there was a consensus of opinion and concern on the impact of the present cuts faced by local government on residents and our communities, the impact of the Williams Report and the changing nature of politics in Wales together with the impending threat to local democracy. 

"As independent councillors represent over half of the population of Wales, agreement was reached that we invite the new Minister for Local Government for urgent talks on the future of service provision in Wales. 

"It was agreed Independents could substantially improve the political landscape in Wales by working closely on the national agenda, in encouraging new members, and give serious consideration to standing at the next Assembly elections." 

Fundraisers go extra mile for Plas Madoc campaign

* Cyclists (l-r) Anthony Roberts, Darrell Wright, Cliff Bennion,

Colin Hayward and Greg Ogden. Colin was the team’s designated driver and

back-up, transporting equipment and preparing food etc.

A team of fit fundraisers have raised around £2,000 for the reopening of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre by cycling more than 300 miles.

Splash Community Trust chairman Darrell Wright and director Greg Ogden joined Anthony Roberts and Cliff Bennion for the gruelling team trip from North East Wales to Birmingham

The challenge began in the early hours of September 4, with Darrell and Greg setting off from the Trevor basin and Anthony and Cliff leaving from Llangollen.

Greg said: “At first there were good tracks, a light mist steeling over the canal and wildlife stirring – it began beautifully. However, things got tougher after we passed the Lion Quays.

“The terrain was uneven and there were several miles of boggy ground, it got very precarious in places and we had to do everything we could to avoid falling in the canal!

“However, after some minor scrapes, a puncture and a few wrong turns, we completed a combined 322 miles and we are estimating that between us we’ve raised around £2,000.”

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates (left), a founder member of the Splash Community Trust, also ran the Erddig 10k on Sunday to raise money for the campaign to reopen Plas Madoc.

The Trust is holding a public meeting at Air Products Social Club in Acrefair at 7pm on Thursday (September 18) after Wrexham Council recently said it was minded to support the volunteer-run group with a £50,000 cash injection.

Darrell said: “There is a lot to discuss and a lot of planning and hard work still to come, but we are now finally in a position to look to the future with optimism.

“I would call on anyone who wants to play a part in Plas Madoc’s future to come and show their support. Despite the fantastic progress we’ve made, we cannot succeed without the help of the public – and we’ll need it now more than ever.”

Council tax arrears appeal

Denbighshire County Council is urging any county resident experiencing difficulties in paying council tax to get in touch, so that special arrangements for payments can be made.

The appeal comes after the Council  recovered debts of £23,000 through the issuing of Charging Orders.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance, said: "These Orders are very much a last resort for the Council, as they mean that residents cannot re-mortgage or sell their properties without paying their council tax arrears first.

"The majority of residents do pay their council tax on time.  Some people do experience difficulties in paying, whilst others wilfully do not pay their council tax without a valid reason.

"We have a duty to recover the council tax owed to us and our appeal is  for people experiencing real difficulties to get in touch at the earliest opportunity. This will mean there are options available and there may be a special arrangement that can be put in place, taking into consideration people's personal circumstances."

To discuss, please call the Recovery Team on 01824 706321 or 706436.

Event showcases Llan's rich history

* A realistic-looking model of a Victorian prisoner in the reconstructed

lock-up cell at the Old Armoury. 

VISITORS with an eye for history made their way to Llangollen at the weekend to take advantage of Denbighshire’s latest Open Doors event.

The annual celebration of history and architecture in the county saw a number of the town’s tourist attractions offer free entry to the public and there were also a number of special exhibitions.

Among the most popular locations was the Old Armoury which was bought and extensively refurnished by Sue Hargreaves before being opened to the public in 2012.

Sue and her team of helpers were on hand throughout the weekend to give guided tours of the historic building which in its time has been used as a magistrates court, a police station and a lock-up gaol.    

Over at the Memorial Hall in Market Street there was an exhibition detailing the history of a number of important houses in the Llangollen area, including Pengwern Hall and Trevor Hall.

Plas Newydd, home of the famous Ladies of Llangollen, turned over the exhibition area in its grounds to a timeline of the house’s development from a humble cottage into a mini stately home.

Tours of the house were offered on Saturday and Sunday.   

On both days there were tours of the engineering sheds at Llangollen Railway and Ysgol Dinas Bran opened its doors to the public on Saturday.

 

* A recreation of the 1830s police station at the Old Armoury.

* A visitor browses a display on important local houses at the Memorial Hall.  

 

* Plans for a remodelling of Plas Newydd in the 1960s on display at the
exhibition in the grounds of the famous house.

Safer roads campaign launched

A new "20mph Rule Outside Schools" campaign has been launched focussing on making roads safer in communities.

 

GoSafe - The Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership - will be enforcing in 20mph areas and educating drivers about the importance of adhering to the relevant limit. 

 

The campaign is principally aimed at reducing risk

to young persons and supporting local communities with September being a key time for children at the start of the academic year.

20mph areas, both zones and limits, have been around for a considerable time, it is important that drivers understand that those 20mph areas are there to improve safety, and that failure to keep within the limit puts children at risk, and leaves drivers liable to prosecution.

GoSafe will be focusing enforcement around 20mph areas outside schools in September.  Better enforcement within these areas will increase compliance to the speed limit and contribute to the safety of the roads in Wales.

Slower speeds in communities have also been shown to support people to become more active, through increased cycling and walking.  According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) while there is a 20% chance of fatal injury when someone is hit by a car travelling at 30mph, this reduces to just 2.5% if the car is travelling at 20mph.

Chris Hume, Partnership Manager, GoSafe, said: "The launch of 20mph Rule Outside Schools will help road users to stop, think and kill their speed, encouraging all local people who use the roads to have greater respect not only for one another but also their surrounding community. 

"We will continue to work together with our partners on community engagement activities to make the streets outside schools safer.  Our aim is for everyone in Wales to understand the effects that those exceeding the 20mph limit can have on families and friends.

"The motoring public should be aware that we will also continue to enforce both the limit and other traffic offences such as mobile phone and seatbelt use which will link in with the TISPOL and Think campaigns scheduled for September."

Chief Inspector Darren Wareing, North Wales Police said: "North Wales and GoSafe will be conducting enforcement outside North Wales schools focusing upon mobile phone usage, non-wearing of seat belt and excessive speed.  This enforcement will also be conducted outside schools located within 20mph limits.  This forms part of a supports a national campaign across Wales to heighten awareness of working within our communities to reduce the risks of collisions outside of our schools."

Susan Storch, Chair of Road Safety Wales said; "Children are potentially amongst the most vulnerable road users because of their age and lack of experience in certain situations.  Reducing speeds outside schools will encourage children to walk and cycle to school, reduce congestion and improve the residential environment.  Working with our partners in GoSafe we want to remind drivers and riders that lower speeds provide a safer road environment.”

GoSafe adheres to Welsh Government and ACPO guidelines, but would ask all drivers to be aware - there are no enforcement free times and no enforcement free locations.  All enforcement sites are dealth with on a case by case basis.

.

New art course begins in Llangollen

Coleg Cambria has teamed up with learning organisation Agored Cymru to run an 11-week introduction to art course at St Collen’s Community Hall in Llangollen, starting from Friday, September 26.

Francine Isaacs, from Coleg Cambria in Wrexham, said: “The course is a well established beginners course, but can also be taken by practicing artists who might want some formal tuition.

“I delivered it in Llangollen back in 2009 and it was very successful. Many of the students progressed on to another course afterwards.”

 

 

Harley Davidson spectacle in town

Deva Legion Circus Maximus Harley Davidson motor bikes are at the Llangollen Pavilion this weekend.

Tomorrow  (Saturday) they will return from their ride out “around 3pm” with a ride through the centre of the town involving over 100 bikes.

 

Residents and visitors are then invited up to the Pavilion to view the bikes and vote for “the best bike”.

Euro cash sought for river footbridge to new health centre

Health chiefs are seeking European cash to fund the building of a footbridge over the River Dee to serve Llangollen’s new £5 million health centre, says an Assembly Member.

Campaigners have been complaining since plans for the centre were first drawn up as a replacement for the town’s closed-down Cottage Hospital that pedestrians would find it difficult to reach the building because of its location on a busy road with restricted pavement access.

But now Clwyd South Labour AM Ken Skates says the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is applying for money to pay for the footbridge to connect the main part of the town with the former River Lodge site where the centre is now in the early stages of construction.   

Mr Skates says he has also asked the Welsh Government to examine the feasibility of a road bridge over the Dee to further enhance access to the site.

In  a statement today Mr Skates and Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies have both welcomed the ‘rapid’ progress being made in the new centre.

Mr Skates, who is based in Llangollen, said: “It is fantastic news for Llangollen that the health board, local practice and Welsh Labour Government are working together to create a modern, state-of-the-art healthcare facility fit for the 21st century. The people who live here need and deserve this major investment.

“Rapid progress is being made on the building of the brand new multi-million pound centre, and I’m delighted that the health board is now investigating the possibility of a footbridge over the Dee to improve access from Llangollen following my meeting with chief executive Trevor Purt and chairman Peter Higson for talks last month.

“I am hopeful the health board will be able to utilise European money to make this happen. It is some way off, but it’s important that we keep an eye on what Llangollen needs not just now but in the medium and long-term future.”

Cllr Davies said: “I am pleased to see the progress on the new health centre and I’m particularly pleased to hear that some of the issues I have championed, such as pedestrian and road crossings across the Dee, are now being pursued by Betsi Cadwaladr and the Welsh Government.”

 

Llan to stage charity paddle event

LEGENDARY kayaker Dave Manby has organised a charity paddle in aid of muscular dystrophy in Llangollen next month.

Dave, who has been a national champion in slalom canoeing C-1 and is considered a pioneer in the sport, is probably best known for being involved on the British expedition which made the first descent of the Dudh Kosi river, which runs off Mount Everest.

On Saturday, October 18 he aims to raise over £10,000 for muscular dystrophy by staging a paddle down the River Dee from Glyndyfrdwy to the Horseshoe Falls and then by canal to Llangollen.

Those taking part will be transported to the put-in by steam train along the Llangollen heritage railway and Dave has booked the engine to do two runs of 200 paddlers up the valley.

A number of other attractions are also being arranged for the day.

A band called Spikedrivers will be playing train-inspired blues on the station platform and also doing a gig in the Sun Inn that evening.

There will be an exhibition of vintage canoes and kayaks on the platform, provided by Graham Mackereth of Pyranha Mouldings, and a lecture by Phil Harwood about his full descent of the Congo River by canoe.

Dave said: “The event is planned for open boats but there is no reason why you can’t paddle your kayak, sit-on-top, duckie, or stand-up-paddleboard down the river.

“This is a great weekend for a reunion of people you did a trip with, went to university with, or worked with in the summer.

“I’m not organising anything for the Sunday but why not stay the night and either paddle on down the canal over the two aqueducts through the two tunnels to England and the Poacher’s Pocket pub for lunch, spend the day mountain biking at Llandegla Centre, take a leisurely hike up to Dinas Bran Castle, or visit the Hamper Llangollen food festival which is on the same weekend.”

Tickets for the event are £60 and more details are available on Dave’s website at www.davemanby.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Plas Madoc public meeting planned

Volunteers behind plans to reopen Plas Madoc Leisure Centre will hold a public meeting after taking a major step towards achieving their dream.

The Splash Community Trust is calling on ‘anyone who wants to play a part in Plas Madoc’s future’ to turn out and show their support at Air Products Social Club in Acrefair at 7pm on Thursday, (September 18).

Wrexham Council has now agreed in principle to leasing the popular facility to Splash and to injecting £50,000 to reopen the doors before the end of the year.

Chairman Darrell Wright, who lives in Trevor, said: “There is a lot to discuss and a lot of planning and hard work still to come, but we are now finally in a position to look to the future with optimism.

“I would call on anyone who wants to play a part in Plas Madoc’s future to come and show their support. Despite the fantastic progress we’ve made, we cannot succeed without the help of the public – and we’ll need it now more than ever.”

Ken Skates, Labour AM for Clywd South and a Trust member, added: “We need your support to continue raising money, we need your help in spreading the word that Plas Madoc is back in business and, most importantly, we need you to use it when you have it back. “This is an exciting time and I am delighted to have been able to play a part. It’s now time for the public to help make sure it is still around for the next generation to enjoy.”

Plas Madoc campaign thrown £50k lifeline

The Daily Post is reporting that the campaign to re-open Plas Madoc leisure centre has been thrown a £50,000 lifeline by Wrexham Council.

For the full story, see: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/plas-madoc-leisure-centre-thrown-7751462

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates, who has played a leading role in the campaign, said in a statement:

“I’m delighted that significant progress is being made and that the council has now decided that it should support our plans to reopen Plas Madoc.

 

"I would like to pay tribute to the remaining group of Labour councillors for their unwavering and unequivocal support for Plas Madoc and for the community, and for their determination over this major issue.

 

“Although the one-off £50,000 grant mentioned is only half of what the Trust and Labour councillors had appealed for, we have pulled off what appears to be a miraculous victory. I look forward to hearing more about how the council will support us.”

Prestige cycling event heads for Horseshoe Pass

The countdown has begun to welcome one of the UK's most prestigious cycling sportives to North East Wales.

And residents in Denbighshire and Wrexham are being encouraged to lend their support by giving a warm welcome on the day.

The Wiggle Etape Cymru 2014 race, taking place on Sunday, September 14,  starts and finishes at Bangor on Dee Racecourse and passes through communities in Wrexham County Borough before it enters into Denbighshire through the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Beauty.  

The route takes in several well-known climbs including the legendary Horseshoe Pass which incorporates a timed King of the Mountains challenge. 

This event was voted Sportive of the Year 2012 by readers of Road Cycling UK and has been widely acclaimed for its success by all of the top cycling media outlets. 

The event is being staged by Human Race, who are the UK's largest mass participation events company and fully is supported by Wrexham and Denbighshire Councils. 

Councillor Huw Jones, Denbighshire's Cabinet Lead Member for Leisure, said: "Cycling is becoming an ever more popular sport, especially in the wake of the tremendous cycling success at London 2012 and we are extremely keen to capitalise on this renewed interest in the sport.

"Here in Denbighshire we are working hard to establish the county as a centre for cycling excellence. We have the infrastructure to deliver this, with resources such as the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Cycling Centre at Llandegla right on our very own doorstep. 

"This year will be the fourth year in a row that Denbighshire County Council has been actively involved in assisting event organisers to ensure the safe running of this event and we are confident that it will continue to be a great success.' 

* For further information, please visit the website: www.humanrace.co.uk

Councillors approve £4.6 million cuts package

Councillors in Denbighshire have approved a package of cuts which could save the authority £4.6 million over the next two financial years.

At a meeting held in County Hall, Ruthin today (Tuesday), councillors discussed a raft of proposals identified by individual services to save the authority money, in light of the Welsh Government's annoucement that the authority would need to find an additional £3 million on top of the £6 million it was predicting.  

The implication of  Welsh Government's announcement is that Denbighshire County Council will need to find £18m cuts over the next two years.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: "Over recent years, the Council has found its savings with little or no impact on frontline services.  We made a commitment to protect these services and jobs wherever possible and we believe we have been successful in doing this to date. However, with the significant financial savings we need to make over the coming years, inevitably there will be an impact on services, as we look to reduce or stop services altogether.   

"We have been working very pro actively as a Council on developing our budget strategy for 2015/6 and beyond,  to ensure that we are not having to take knee jerk reactions late in the year. We have developed a new system for providing our councillors with choices over where we make our reductions in budget and we have worked our way through detailed discussions on each and every one of our service areas. 

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "We have done as much as we can through careful financial planning. The time has now come for very difficult decisions. 

"The financial settlement we are expecting from the Welsh Government later this year is expected to be worse than predicted, with the Minister announcing in June that we would need to find an additional £3 million on top of the £6 million cuts we were already planning to find. 

"That does mean that there are tough decisions ahead and a lot of our proposals will need to be worked up in terms of the finer detail.  Communication with our communities and residents is key and we are making a firm commitment to sharing the finer details when we are in a position to do so."

County agrees to support Conwy merger

At a meeting of Denbighshire's full council today (Tuesday), members agreed to support the idea of starting discussions with Conwy County Borough Council about exploring the possibility of a voluntary merger. 
Like all local councils in Wales, Denbighshire is currently planning for unprecedented cuts to jobs and services over the next three years, with the prospect of austerity until 2022.

At the same time, the Welsh Government's White Paper for Local Government Reform forces the council to choose between voluntary merger with another council by April 2018 - or the prospect of compulsory merger by April 2020. 

During the meeting, Denbighshire's Chief Executive, Mohammed Mehmet, told members the strategic decision facing the Council is whether, given the very challenging financial context, it is in its interest to pursue the option of voluntary merger, especially if that option could help to reduce the level of cuts the council is currently facing. 

He added: "Alternatively, the council could reject the voluntary merger option and concentrate its resources on managing the cuts and maintaining services without being distracted by a merger, at least for the next three years. The choice is a difficult one and should not be made without serious consideration." 

The White Paper consultation period closes on 1 October 2014 and members agreed that, subject to reaching agreement with Conwy County Council, both councils proceed to develop a joint expression of interest to voluntarily merge by April 2018 and to submit this expression of interest to Welsh Government by November 2014, provided the two councils can: 

 * Secure a substantial financial and support package from Welsh Government that is binding; and 

* That once the two authorities and Welsh Government agree the statement of intent in November 2015 that the agreement is binding on all three partners.

The ‘substantial financial and support package’ referred to will be negotiated with Welsh Government and put before both Denbighshire and Conwy members to consider before agreeing to proceed. 

If these conditions can be secured then that would allow both councils to reduce the level of cuts to services and avoid the possible failure of the project either because of local disagreements or change of position by Welsh Government. If they cannot be secured then the risks of voluntary merger are too high.

Sponsored walk in memory of Tesni Edwards

 

* Tesni's parents, Jason and Dwysan Evans, with Nadine Pilkington from Ifor Williams Trailers.

A trailer firm is organising a sponsored walk in memory of  Ysgol Dinas Bran pupil Tesni Edwards who died of an undetected enlarged heart.

 

The walkers, including Tesni's dad Jason, who works for Ifor Williams Trailers, will be raising money for the Wales Air Ambulance which was scrambled in a desperate bid to save the 14 year old after she collapsed.

 

Also taking part in the walk on Sunday, September 14, will be her mum, Dwysan, who is the Practice Manager, at the Pen-y-Bont doctors' surgery in St Asaph.

 

Tesni (pictured below) was taken ill a couple of weeks before her 15th birthday in April last year, despite never having shown any health problems before.

 

The Taith Tesni walk will follow the general direction taken every morning by Tesni to Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen where she was a popular pupil.

 

Hundreds of people, including Tesni's classmates and many of her Dad's colleagues from the trailer company's factories in Cynwyd and Corwen, have already signed up to participate.

 

Ifor Williams Trailers has pledged to match the amount raised by the walk with a donation.

The people doing the walk will be congregating at the Llangollen Tower sports field  where there is plenty of space for people to park their cars.

 

There will in fact be five options, varying in distance between 14 miles and 1.5 miles to ensure that as many as possible can be involved. The length of the longest walk represents a mile for every year of Tesni's life.

 

Buses are being laid on to ferry everybody who has registered to their departure points, with the first set of walkers leaving Llangollen at 10am so they can start the longest of the walks 45 minutes later from the front of the factory in Cynwyd.

 

According to the company, anybody who wants to take part needs to register so they can make sure they can lay on enough transport.

 

Mum Dwysan said: "We’re really pleased that Ifor Williams Trailers are organising the walk in memory of Tes.

 

"Until what happened with Tes, we hadn’t realised that the Wales Air Ambulance rely enormously on donations and for that reason we’ve tried to support them since then.

 

"Nobody knows when they might need the Air Ambulance as we found ourselves and that quick response obviously saves lives and that’s why we feel passionate about supporting them.

 

"I’m sure that Tesni would be proud of what we're doing  because anything positive that we can make out of this situation is a good thing.

 

"The pain we still feel is indescribable, it’s an ongoing battle every day.  It was horrendous and it’s been very, very sad for us all. 

 

"But we keep going and between us we’ve got two sons, Morgan and Findlay, so we’re here for them and we just try every day but it’s been heart-breaking."

 

Dad Jason, who's works in the stores department at Ifor Williams Trailers, revealed that many of the carriers and lorry drivers he deals with had already donated because they had been touched by what happened.

 

He said: "We’re hoping to raise a lot of money because this is such a fantastic cause.

 

"I always wanted to do something in memory of Tes and I think this is a great thing and I’d like to thank Ifor Williams Trailers.

 

"We’ve had a really good response and a lot of people including colleagues are going to do the walk."

 

According to Carole Williams, from Ifor Williams Trailers, everybody at the company had been deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Tesni.

 

She said: "The feeling of uselessness, in being unable to help alleviate the pain for Tesni’s family was overwhelming for us all.

 

"Tesni was a beautiful person, in the midst of embracing the adventures of life and on the cusp of making decisions that would have defined her future path. A huge hole has been left in the lives of all those who knew and loved her.

 

"Despite the best efforts of the Wales Air Ambulance crew to reach Tesni and take her to hospital, sadly Tesni’s condition meant those involved medically, could not help her.

 

"We liaised with Jason and Dwysan to discuss a fitting way of honouring Tesni’s memory.  We have also worked closely with Ysgol Dinas Bran, particularly the Deputy headteacher, Mr Dafydd Morris, and the Headteacher, Mr Martyn Froggett.

 

"We jointly decided that when the time was right, we would organise a sponsored walk with Tesni’s family and friends, work colleagues of Jason and Dwysan and all those wishing to walk in remembrance of Tesni’s life and show their support to her family."

 

For more information on how to register to take part in Taith Tesni or to make a donation email taithtesni@iwt.co.uk or go to the Twitter account @TaithTesni, the Facebook page, Taith Tesni or the Just Giving page, www.justgiving.com/Taith-Tesni

Open Doors event at Ysgol Dinas Bran

Ysgol Dinas Bran is holding an Open Doors event this Saturday, September 13.

People can go along and take a tour of the school and witness how it's changed since their school days.

Bookings are essential and to make the arrangements contact Jamie Roberts at the school on 01978 860669.Road, Llangollen

Church's wheely special night to mark Etape Challenge

A tapas and prosecco fundraising evening will be held in St Collen's Church Hall in Regent Street, Llangollen on Saturday, September 13, which is the eve of the Etapes Cymru Cycling Challenge.

The event, which starts at 7pm, is in aid of the provision of modern facilities in St John's Church in Abbey Road with the aim of making it a more adaptable venue.

Suggested donation is £10, and tickets are available from the Rev Andrew Sully on 01978 860231.





* Andrew Sully (pictured right) is himself a keen cyclist.

Billy Liar heads for Llan - honestly!

ICONIC comedy play Billy Liar comes to Llangollen Town Hall this month produced by award winning Limelight Productions. 

Directed by professional local poet, author and actor Peter Read, the theatre company are building up a good following and a strong reputation for their high quality productions in the Llangollen area. 

So far they have wowed local audiences with their staging of Godspell,  Musicals In The LimeLight, Festive Follies, Dixie or Me (written and directed by Peter Read), and Dylan’s Final Journey (also written and performed by Peter).

They have staged a powerful version of Victorian melodrama Jekyll & Hyde.

The company has two musicals planned for 2015.


One of them is the ever-popular Fiddler on the Roof, which will be shown at The Town Hall and also The Stiwt Theatre in Rhos. 

LimeLight will also be holding an open evening  at their headquarters in the new Acton Community Resource Centre, Wrexham on September 23 for anyone  interested in being part of these, plus Limelight's other plays and concerts planned for 2015 which will be announced on the evening. 

All newcomers will have a warm welcome and an enjoyable evening, says a company spokesman.

The part of Billy is to be played by professional actor Joseph John Scatley, who has appeared on TV as Will Cardle in Doctors, CBBC show Living It,  Midsomer Murders and a few Shakespeare productions at The Globe Theatre London.

Billy Liar was written originally by Keith as a novel.  A year later he collaborated with Willis Hall to adapt it for the stage. After its premiere in 1960 it has become one of those plays everyone has heard of, but not everyone has seen. 

Waterhouse’s play is both gritty and humorous.

It tells the story of Billy, who tries to escape from the predictability of his own life by living in a make believe world.

Part of his fantasy involves stating that his best friend’s mother is expecting a child, his father has lost a leg, and that a shopkeeper, who is very much alive and is seen by Billy’s mother every Tuesday, is dead.

The mayhem spreads to his personal life and at one stage he has two girl friends on the go at the same time, both of whom think they are engaged to Billy. Only possessing one ring, the deception is a great challenge to him and timing becomes all important.

Billy Liar can be seen at Llangollen Town Hall from Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th September,  at 7.30pm.

Tickets £8 & £6.50 concessions and are available at Llangollen Tourist Information Centre Tel: 01978 860828 or tel: 01978 351315/07504031029,
email: limelightwrexham@googlemail.com.

New free bus service connects Llan and Garth

Assembly Member Ken Skates has welcomed a new free bus service connecting a rural community to Wrexham and Llangollen.

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, wrote to Wrexham County Borough Council earlier this year to ask the authority to consider opening up the school bus in Garth to members of the public.

 

Mr Skates and local councillor Pat Jeffares had been investigating possible solutions to the withdrawal of the community bus service as part of enforced savings being made by the council in light of UK Government cuts to Wales.

The new twice-daily Garth Shuttle service started on Wednesday, September 3.

Mr Skates said: “The withdrawal of the bus service was another extremely tough decision forced upon the council by huge cuts from Westminster after public spending in Wales being slashed by 10% by the UK Government.

“I know the move caused a lot of concern for local residents, but Pat and I were hopeful of a positive outcome after holding constructive talks with council officers who visited the village with us to experience first-hand the difficulty many residents face.

“I wrote to the council in May to put forward the proposal that the school bus service could be used free of charge by members of the public, which is now in operation and provides a service for residents to access buses to Wrexham, Llangollen and other destinations.”

The service runs Monday-Friday during term-time and pick-up points are Garth School (9am), opposite the old Post Office in Trevor (9.03am) and opposite Eagles in Acrefair (9.05am). On the way back it is Acrefair at 2.55pm, Trevor at 2.57pm and Garth School at 3pm.

Mr Skates added: “I am pleased our efforts have yielded a positive result for the community and would like to thank Pat for his help. I will continue to work hard for residents in Garth and my constituents throughout Clwyd South.”

County set to consider £4.6 budget cuts

Councillors in Denbighshire are set to discuss budget cuts that could save the authority £4.6 million over the next two financial years - in response to the Welsh Government announcement that  the financial settlement for the county was going to be worse than expected.
Over recent months, the council has scrutinised all aspects of its work, with all services putting forward proposals for cuts.  

Discussions have been taking place over recent weeks and the first set of proposals will be discussed by councillors at a full cuncil meeting in County Hall, Ruthin on Tuesday, September 9, at 10am.

The implication of  Welsh Government's announcement is that Denbighshire County Council will need to find £18m over the next two years.

All proposals are subject to debate by council and  further proposals will need to be worked-up over the coming months in order to achieve the savings target.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: "Over recent years, the Council has found its savings with little or no impact on frontline services.  

"We made a commitment to protect these services and jobs wherever possible and we believe we have been successful in doing this to date. However, with the significant financial savings we need to make over the coming years, inevitably there will be an impact on services, as we look to reduce or stop services altogether.  

"We have been working very pro actively as a council on developing our budget strategy for 2015/6 and beyond,  to ensure that we are not having to take knee jerk reactions late in the year. We have developed a new system for providing our councillors with choices over where we make our reductions in budget and we have worked our way through detailed discussions on each and every one of our service areas."

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "We have done as much as we can through careful financial planning. The time has now come for very difficult decisions. 

"The financial settlement we are expecting from the Welsh Government later this year is expected to be worse than predicted, with the Minister announcing in June that we would need to find an additional £3 million on top of the £6 million cuts we were already planning to find.  

"That does mean that there are tough decisions ahead and a lot of our proposals will need to be worked up in terms of the finer detail.  Communication with our communities and residents is key and we are making a firm commitment to sharing the finer details when we are in a position to do so."