Llan school triumphs in arts competitions

Llangollen schools have done well in county-wide creative arts competitions.

For the first time ever, Denbighshire schools entered competitions covering art, creative writing, film-making and music composition as part of the festival, Denbighshire Enrichfest 2015 - Get Inspired! 

Staged in collaboration with the Arts Council of Wales, the festival aims to showcase the talents of children and young people across Denbighshire who have been challenged and inspired to produce a wide range of work, adding value to their work in the classroom across the curriculum. 

This unique Denbighshire initiative reflects current thinking that the creative arts can have a beneficial knock-on effect on children's well-being and self-esteem and can engage them in a new and innovative way and get them inspired as never before. 

Having been inspired via enrichfest.2015, many of these children and young people, it is anticipated, will go on explore careers opportunities in the increasingly important creative arts industries sector in Wales and further afield.         

No sooner has the competitions phase of Denbighshire Enrichfest.2015 reached its climax in May and a glittering Awards ceremony staged, the exciting performance elements get underway, involving 200 Primary, Secondary and Special school pupils in performing arts workshops and masterclasses, tutored by leading practitioners from the world of musical theatre, led by Mark Puddle, a native of North Wales and a leading West End London performing arts entrepreneur.

The climax to these week-long workshops, which are being held in the north and south of the county, will be Showcase Performances at Llangollen Pavilion on Friday June, 19 from 5-6:15 pm and Rhyl Pavilion Theatre on Friday June 26, from 5-6:15 pm, when the public, including parents, teachers, governors, councillors and other organisations can see for themselves the fruits of all the hard work undertaken by the children and young people.

Overall Schools Competition winners are:

Young Artist: Daniel Bailes, Year 7, Blessed Edward Jones High School, Rhyl
Young Writer: Alexander Whetstone, Year 6, Ysgol Bryn Collen, Llangollen
Short Film Competition:  Ysgol Bryn Collen (KS1), Llangollen
Young Musicians: Ysgol Dewi Sant (Year 6), Rhyl 

Councillor Eryl Williams, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, said: "We have been thoroughly delighted with the response to the Enrichfest initiative.  It has captured the imagination of our children and young people and shows that there is a real interest in Denbighshire in the creative industries sector in Wales." 

Full competition results: 

Young Artist Competition 

Reception/ Year 1 and 2:
1st  Alice Jackson, Year 1, Ysgol Bodfari.
2nd Sasha Davies-Jones, Year 1, Ysgol Bryn Collen, Llangollen
3rd  Ryan Jones, Year 1, Ysgol y Parc, Denbigh 

Years 3 and 4
1st Courtney Cox, Year 3, Ysgol Clawdd Offa, Prestatyn
2nd Alex Davies, Year 3, Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh
3rd Tom Priestley, Year 3, Ysgol Bodfari. 

Years 5 and 6
1st Ioan Beating, Year 5, Ysgol Mair, Rhyl
2nd Lori Roberts, Year 6, Ysgol Emmanuel, Rhyl
3rd  Jan Ranci, Year 6, Ysgol Mair, Rhyl 

Secondary
1st  Bayley Wilkinson, Year 9, Rhyl High School
2nd Daniel Bailes, Year 7, Blessed Edward Jones High School, Rhyl
3rd  Kieron Nolan, Year 7, Blessed Edward Jones High School, Rhyl 

Young Writer competition 

Reception, Years 1 and 2
Winner: Danielle Jones, Year 2, St Asaph Infants 

Years 3 and 4
Winner: Matilda Cook, Year 4, Ysgol Bryn Collen, Llangollen 

Years 5 and 6:
Winners: Libby Morrissey, Year 5, Ysgol Clawdd Offa, Prestatyn & Alexander Whetstone, Ysgol Bryn Collen, Llangollen 

Short Film Competition;
1st Ysgol Bryn Collen (KS1), Llangollen
2nd Ysgol Caer Drewyn, Corwen
3rd  Ysgol Bryn Collen (KS2), Llangollen 

Young Musicians: Music Composition On-line Contest:
1st  Ysgol Dewi Sant, Year 6, Rhyl
2nd Roan Pritchard, Year 6, Ysgol Emmanuel, Rhyl & Christopher Jones, Year 10, Rhyl High School. 

Major music event coming to Pavilion

Details of the programme are:

Both evening concerts begin at 7.30pm and will finish about 11.30.

Tickets are limited and you can buy from the website. (£15)

Friday eve.  7.30 pm
Whitefern Mountain String Band
Blossom Hill Bluegrass band
Baker's Fabulous boys
Ruben and Matt & The Truffle Valley Boys

Saturday eve. 7.30pm
Mind The Step (Appalachian Dance)
Kentucky Cowtippers
Grass Snakes
Ruben and Matt & The Truffle Valley Boys

WORKSHOPS
Sat (10 am - 12 noon)
Workshops - Banjo/Guitar/Mandolin/Fiddle/Dobro/D.Bass

1-30pm  - Vocal Harmony
2pm  - Appalachian Dance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.30 pm    OPEN MIC

PICKIN' AROUND THE SITE

Cream of young talent in Mayor's Charity Concert

* Members of the Young 'Uns reprise their recent show, Half a Sixpence.

 

Pictures courtesy of Malcolm Potter.

 

THE cream of Llangollen’s young talent took to the stage at the Town Hall last Friday for the annual Mayor’s Charity Concert.

The show, proceeds from which are to be split between the town’s Christmas festival and the Wales Air Ambulance, opened with members of Llangollen Operatic Society’s junior section, the Young ‘Uns, performing scenes from its recent successful production of the musical Half a Sixpence.

They were followed by the recorder group and a specially formed rock outfit from St Collen’s School who played a song they had personally penned for the occasion.

Next on the bill came pupils from Ysgol y Gwernant with songs and recitations in the Welsh language.

During the interval the retiring Mayor, Cllr Bob Lube, presented cheques of £300 each from his charity fund to six local youth organisations.

The second half of the show began with a rousing set from Llangollen Silver Band and continued with solo musical pieces from harpist Lucy Mwale and acoustic guitarist Jamie Thomas who performed a number of his own compositions.

Finale came from the Silver Band who were called back for an encore at the end of their set.

The show was neatly compered by Llangollen’s town crier Austin Cheminais.   

 

 

* St Collen's recorder group during their performance.

* An up-tempo number from Collen Rockers.

* The girls from Ysgol y Gwernant take the stage.

Castle Street meeting planned for May 26

Town councillor Phil Thane has sent the following message about the Castle Street traffic initiative he is promoting:

Earlier this year Cittaslow Llangollen ran a Crowd Funding scheme to collect enough money to get renowned traffic engineer Ben Hamilton-Baillie to take a look at Castle Street and suggest some
possible solutions.

They got the money, booked Ben, and it's happening on May 26th at 7pm in the Town Hall.

Cittaslow Llangollen are hopeful this one day visit and presentation will kickstart some new thinking about an old problem. Everyone has an opinion about Castle Street, but Ben is an expert who has tackled many similar problems.

The presentation will last about an hour, and there will be time for questions. There will be free refreshments too, provided by the Spar.

* For more information about Cittaslow Llangollen, please visit
www.cittaslow.llangollentowncouncil.co.uk or
www.facebook.com/CittaslowLlangollen.

To download a flyer about the event on May 26th, click here:
http://bit.ly/1zVvP2s

Youngsters will raise curtain on Llangollen 2015

 

* Young people from the Eisteddford parade through Llangollen town centre.

 

AROUND 4,000 schoolchildren will join in a day of music and fun to raise the curtain on this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

 

They will be heading for the International Pavilion to take part in a concert entitled Bongos, Brass and Plenty of Dance which is the centrepiece of Children’s Day, the traditional prelude to the annual cultural festival being staged from July 6-12.

 

The 40-minute musical extravaganza will be staged twice, at 10.30am and again at 12 noon, on the opening day, Tuesday July 7.

 

The crowds of young visitors will later head out on to the Eisteddfod field to enjoy a packed programme of street theatre complete with clown, stilt walkers and Bollywood dancing.

 

There will also be music and dance performances on the outside stages and a series of workshops.

 

The junior choirs competition will be at 1.30pm and the centrepiece of the day will be the colourful parade of competitors which will start winding its way through the town at 4.30pm.

 

The concert will feature a rousing performance by The Alto Brass Ensemble, which includes a quintet of some of Wales’s finest brass players plus two percussionists, one of whom, Owen Gunnell, was voted a BBC Musician of the Year in 2000 and has gone on to become a star of the international performance circuit.

 

Children's Day is being sponsored by the Pendine Park care organisation who are also supporting the Alfie Boe concert on the Thursday night, July 9.

 

Other big draws include Oscar-winning music legend Burt Bacharach, the immensely popular Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and TV choirmaster Gareth Malone.

 

There will also be the world premiere of a new work to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh colony in Patagonia in a concert that will also star former royal harpist Catrin Finch.

 

For the final concert, Ali Campbell, the voice of UB40 who sold 70 million records, who'll be reunited on the eisteddfod stage with two other founding members of the group, percussionist, trumpet player and vocalist Astro and keyboard player Mickey in a concert sponsored by the Village Bakery.

 

The Children’s Day concert programme has been tailored to appeal to a young audience and includes such popular numbers as the rousing themes from the blockbuster movies Pirates of the Caribbean and Monsters Inc.

 

Owen Gunnell is famed for his expertise in introducing children to the excitement of music.     

 

In 2003, he graduated from the Royal College of Music and has appeared as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, BBC Philharmonic, Britten Sinfonia, Macedonia Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Viva.

 

He is one half of the percussion duo, O Duo, who have won many prizes and performed and been broadcast on television and radio all over the world.

 

O Duo are also well known as artistic directors for Children's Classic Concerts in Scotland, curating and performing in a variety of concerts ranging from chamber size to symphony orchestra size.

 

Owen, who is based in East Anglia but has family ties in South Wales through his parents, promised that the event would be “fun, slick and interactive”.

 

He said: “I’ve worked quite a lot with children over the years, so I know that you’ve got to give them something that’s entertaining. I think we’re definitely going to do that with the programme we’ve chosen.  

 

“We also plan to get some of the children in the audience up onto the stage so they can try for themselves some of the percussion instruments we’ll have like xylophones and vibraphones.

 

“I’m looking forward very much to being at Llangollen for such a fantastic occasion.”

 

Apart the ensemble, there will also be some dazzling performances by a number of the dance groups who are performing at the Eisteddfod later in the week and musical workshops which the children will be invited to join in.

 

Another highlight of the concert will be the delivery of the traditional Peace Message.  

Since 1952, young people have sent out a poignant Message of Peace and Goodwill from the stage of the Eisteddfod during the Children’s Day concert.

 

This year the message will be delivered by pupils from Mountain Lane Primary School in Buckley.

 

Later on Children’s Day there’s a further musical feast planned to thrill the young audience in the Pavilion in the shape of a junior children’s choir competition featuring singers from 10 schools.

 

Contestants come from across Wales, England and as far afield as St Paul’s Co-ed Primary School in Hong Kong.

 

Throughout the day from 8.30am young Eisteddfod visitors can enjoy a colourful selection of children’s activities on the field including Bollywood dance workshops and street theatre featuring clowns, musicians and stilt walkers.

 

Rounding off a busy day will the iconic International Parade in which competitors from across the globe will process in their national costumes, flags fluttering, through cheering crowds from the Eisteddfod field to Llangollen town centre led by bands and Eisteddfod president Terry Waite in an open-top vehicle.

 

Eisteddfod Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “The whole Children’s Day programme will have the accent firmly on entertainment.

 

“It promises to be an excellent day out which matches many requirements of the National Curriculum, linking awareness of global citizenship and culture with a pleasurable experience.

 

“The concert by The Alto Brass Ensemble has been designed to introduce children to the brass family of musical instruments and should be the Eisteddfod’s most interactive concert experience ever.

 

“The concert programme includes two pieces – the themes from Pirates of the Caribbean and Monsters Inc – which children can very much relate to and enjoy.

 

“We are delighted to have Owen Gunnell as one of the ensemble who is a percussionist of international repute and famed for the way he works with children in an enjoyable and interesting way.

 

“This year’s Peace Message, to be delivered by the children from Mountain Lane Primary School in Buckley, is on the theme ‘one voice’ which signifies the way countries from many countries come together to sing together with one voice at the Eisteddfod.” 

 

* To book tickets and for more details on the 2015 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

 

Operatic reprises Sister Act at Dolywern

* Leonard Cheshire's Syliva Jones, left, explains to society

members how the money they raised from Sister Act will be used.

Thirty members of Llangollen Operatic Society visited Leonard Cheshire Disability in Dolywern to entertain the residents and staff with songs from heir recent smash-hit production of Sister Act.

Society spokeswoman Louisa Jones said: "We sang a selection of songs from the show, lasting around 45 minutes.

"All those who had played nuns wore their habits to add to the effect and our audience all seemed to enjoy the performance.

 

"At the end, we presented Sylvia Jones, the volunteer coordinator and activities organiser, with a cheque for £882.

 

"This, together with a donation from HSBC, who very kindly matched the sponsorship raised by Elaine Ansloos, its manager in Chirk, came to £1,000.

 

"Sylvia thanked us for the donation and said the money would be used for residents' activities such as arts and crafts, IT, in-house entertainment and outings.

 

"It would also help to support two Japanese volunteers who stay with them for a year a time and do activities with the residents."

 

Louisa added: "It is a pleasure for our members to go and perform at the home following our production each year and we are always given such a warm reception.

 

"It really is a fantastic organisation and we are proud to have been able to raise funds on their behalf.

 

"The remainder of the money raised by the Nun Run, the charity event we did just before the show, will be used to cover Sister Act production costs and specifically, the costume spend, which was significant as all of the fantastic habits were made from scratch, by hand, by our very own costume team." 

Silver Band plays at VE Day event

* Llangollen Silver Band members with veterans at the

VE Day anniversary celebration in Bellevue Park, Wrexham.

Llangollen Silver Band were delighted to be invited to play at Bellevue Park, Wrexham last Monday  as part of the VE Day 70th anniversary celebrations.

On a beautiful Bank Holiday afternoon the band began by accompanying hymns in a service led by the Rev Gerald Griffiths.

Tributes were also paid by Councillor David Griffiths and the chairperson of the Friends of Bellevue Park, Barbara Jones.

Attending the service were a number of World War Two veterans and all in attendance observed a two-minute silence to remember the fallen.

The band's principal cornet player, Mia Thomas, ended the silence with the haunting call of The Last Post.

Following the service the band performed a varied musical programme whilst the veterans and audience enjoyed a tea party in the sunshine.

County gets new chairman



Councillor Gwyneth Kensler of Denbigh has been elected chairman of Denbighshire County Council for 2015/16.

Councillor Kensler's chosen charities for the year will be the Samaritans, Mudiad Meithrin and autism initiatives.


At the full council meeting in County Hall, Ruthin,  Councillor Ann Davies of Rhuddlan was also elected vice chairman for the year ahead.


Out-going chairman, Councillor Brian Blakeley of Rhyl, presented cheques of £1,250 each to representatives of his two chosen charities for the year -  Ty Gobaith and the Rhyl RNLI.

Davies hits out again over A5 roadworks

* The controversial A5 roadworks.

WITH revelations of an “unprecedented” number of calls about drivers rat-running through a residential area to avoid it, a councillor claims Llangollen people are being treated as “mushrooms” over controversial roadworks on the A5. 

A lengthy section of the road was closed just before Christmas to allow investigations to go ahead into problems with the retaining wall opposite the Tyn y Wern hotel.

This has led to complaints about congestion caused by the long-phase lights controlling traffic flow through the works and a lack of information from the Welsh Government about how long they will last.

Now, Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has had information from a Denbighshire County Council official that shows a high volume of complaints about drivers going out of their way to avoid the blockage.

He said: “I have been told by an officer in our transport department that they are receiving an unprecedented number of complaints about the number of vehicles using Maesmawr Road as a way of avoiding the temporary traffic lights.

“The high number of vehicles using that road is creating a safety issue as it is predominantly residential in nature and is not designed to carry the level or class of vehicles now using it.

“I also understand that the traffic management arrangements are likely to be in situ for a sustained period of time

“Our transport team recently asked the Welsh Government if they have any time scale on the works and about any proposed remedial works.

“They also asked if a temporary prohibition of through traffic accept for access would be an option in the short term pending North Wales Police's approval.

“However, a reply from the Trunk Road Agency simply notes these comments and confirms they are dealing with the A5 retaining wall.”

He added: “I am disgusted with the reply, which is basically a cop out by the people in charge of this project. They are treating us like mushrooms.

“I have been fighting this battle now since last year.

“I have involved the Minister, Edwina Hart, through our local AM, Ken Skates.

“Residents are fed up, local members are fed up, there is the potential for children to be harmed and we are still being treated like mushrooms.

“There has been no news of what has been found, no news of resolutions, no news of time scales. What exactly is going on?

“MPs had a rude awakening last week. The Welsh Government needs to wake up and smell the coffee.”

Town Council meeting re-arranged

We have been asked by the Town Clerk to inform readers that the next meeting of the Town Council will been re-arranged for THURSDAY 28 MAY 2015, at 7pm.

Twenty Club revisits Fawlty Towers

* (Above and left) scenes from the Twenty Club's last production of Fawlty Towers. Pictures by Chris Noble.  

FOLLOWING their sell-out production of Fawlty Towers in 2012, the Twenty Club in Llangollen will be performing three more episodes of the iconic sit-com this November and are holding open auditions this summer.

The auditions will be held in Llangollen Town Hall on Tuesday July 28 at 7pm.

All main roles and supporting parts will be up for grabs.

Fawlty Towers, by John Cleese and Connie Booth, was one of the major TV comedy hits of the Seventies and the three episodes being performed this time round will be Communication Problems, Waldorf Salad and Basil the Rat.

They will be staged at Llangollen Town Hall during the week commencing November 2.

* For further information, email: contact@twentyclub.co.uk or visit facebook.com/twentyclub.

County wins funds to replace street lights

Denbighshire County Council has been successful in receiving government funding to replace the county’s street lights with a more modern and energy efficient technology.

The Council has successful applied for funding through Salix, a government funded initiative to fund a six year energy reduction programme, worth £280,760k a year.

To help reduce energy consumption, the council will:

• introduce a system for dimming and managing lights
• use white lights to replace existing equipment
• introduce more efficient electronic equipment
• introduce LED lighting schemes.

Steve Parker, Denbighshire's Head of Highways and Environmental Services, said: “The council’s street lighting electricity costs increased by over 10% during the 2014/15 financial year, which led to an increase of £35k on the current street lighting energy bill.

“The cost to run the lighting was £345,340 and with the certainty of increases in electricity tariffs this additional increase would have placed an additional burden on the street lighting budget.

“Any further increases in energy costs would have an adverse effect on the council’s ability to maintain existing lighting to its current standards. That is why we had to consider applying for a large investment, to ensure the sustainability of the service."

As well as financial savings, there are environmental benefits through reductions in carbon emissions.

Councillor Smith added: “There are currently 11,790 lighting units in Denbighshire, much of which is outdated and inefficient in comparison to modern technology currently available.

“Street lighting has a major impact on the environment, allowing use of areas after dark and reducing crime and fear of crime. The use of modern and recyclable street lighting equipment can provide options for reductions in energy use, thus reducing the authorities’ carbon footprint leading to a more sustainable future for the street lighting service."

To date the council has replaced the majority of its lanterns on principal roads with new efficient LED light sources. This has resulted in significant energy savings of over £100K per year.

Major bike event planned for Pavilion

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has welcomed news that a major motorbike event is powering its way into the town this summer.

Hundreds of bikers will be heading to the International Pavilion for Bikefest 2015 on Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2.

It will feature competitions, classics, clubs, customs, demonstrations, displays, mega-prize raffle, trade stands on and off-road bikes, sporting VIPs and stunts.

Cllr Davies said: “As a lifelong biker myself I’m aware of the spending power of the biking fraternity.

“I remember the popularity of the previous bike shows held in Llangollen and hope Bikefest will be as successful as they were.

“Local businesses, both traders and accommodation providers, will do well from this event and it ties in with Denbighshire County Council’s tourism strategy. I wish it well.”

Cllr Davies says he has also met with the Chester Harley Owners Group who are returning again this year for their rally at the Pavilion.

“They made their first visit last year and enjoyed it so much that they have booked the Pavilion for the next few years,” he said.

“That’s good news for the local restaurants and accommodation providers. It’s also good news for the Pavilion which is providing a world class venue for events such as this.

“The Harley Owners’ Group are extending a welcome to the townspeople to visit their rally on site during the day to inspect their magnificent chromed machines.

“They would welcome the chance to meet with town residents and traders. There will be motorcycle merchandisers there and no charge to get on the field.

“I’d like to thank the team at the Pavilion who have worked so hard to attract such prestigious shows.”

* For more details of Bikefest go to: http://www.llanbikefest.co.uk and for the Harley event, see
http://www.devalegionhog.co.uk/www.devalegionhog.co.uk/Home.html

Llan Male Voice Choir on lookout for singers

* Llangollen Male Voice Choir's 2015 line-up. 

A CHOIR which has performed in the Royal Albert Hall and around the world is on the lookout for new members.

Llangollen Male Voice Choir -  Côr Meibion Llangollen – was formed 33 years ago and has since gone from strength to strength.

And it has just put out the call for new singers, especially tenors.

With just six men, the choir first tuned up back in 1982 in the home of one of its founder members, Leslie Wilson, who became long-term chairman. Current president is Ian Bluck.

First conductor was Peter Dennis Jones, whose dedication and inspiration made the choir what it is today and whose death in 2006 came as a great loss.

The choir has had several conductors over the years, with David Bird now in his second year at the helm.

There have also been a string of accompanists and currently in the role is Christopher Enston who took over from his mother, the late Alwen Enston, who had occupied it for 11 years.

Deputy conductors and accompanists are Owen Roberts and Ken Grain. 

Over the years the choir has travelled both in the UK, and also to Canada, France, Germany, Malta and especially to Holland, where they have exchanged several visits with their Dutch friends in Deventer and Friesland.

The choir enjoys taking part in joint concerts, and have been several times to the Royal Albert Hall in London with the massed Welsh choirs, and to the MEN Arena in Manchester three years ago.

They have also taken part in the TV programme Dechrae Canu, Dechrae Canmol at the Marble Church at Bodelwyydan , and have appeared on Songs of Praise.

The choir takes seriously its charity role, with the ladies raising money with raffles, CDs and stalls.

As well as appearing in various local venues to sing, the choir performs in churches and chapels, at weddings and birthdays, to raise money for their funds.

As the choir grew, it moved to The Hand Hotel, Llangollen.

Its secretary Lesley Willis said: “Over the years we have lost many members and it is difficult to replace them. But we have some very loyal members who travel long distances to be with the choir from places such as Formby, Tarporley, Congleton and a wide radius of Llangollen.

“In the early days practices were twice a week, but sadly, as numbers decreased, we have just one practice a week on a Friday evening, followed by a sing song in the bar afterwards - thus entertaining many visitors from far and wide who come to this busy little tourist town in the beautiful Vale of Llangollen, the home of The International Eisteddfod, held annually in July.”

Lesley added: “Our repertoire includes not only a wide variety of Welsh and English music, but other languages too.

“Our motto is Cyfeillgarwch drwy Gan - Friendship through Song - which is very apt because we have made friends throughout the world, some returning from afar to hear us, showing music has no barriers.

“We are always looking for new members, especially tenors at the moment, and anyone wishing to join us can come along The Hand Hotel on Fridays at 7.30pm.”

llanblogger takes a break

llanblogger is taking a short break and will be back in just over a week's time.

So see you then ...

Town councillor's General Election tip

Town councillor Phil Thane has asked llanblogger to publish the following piece related to the General Election:

Amid all the media frenzy and political point scoring it's often hard to find out who your election candidates really are. You may have a handful of glossy leaflets pushed through your letter box, but they are designed to push the party line not tell you anything about the person.

You may have watched the TV debates and come away wondering what it was all about when only the people in their constituencies can vote for them and no matter how much you like Nicola Sturgeon she isn't standing in Clwyd South. So where do you get a simple guide to who you can vote for?

The answer could be the Democracy Club website. The Democracy Club describes itself as,

'...a group of volunteers that aims to increase the quantity, quality and accessibility of information on election candidates, politicians and democratic processes...'

One of their ideas for improving the quality of information is to ask each candidate to post a simple CV. After all they are applying for a job and we are the interview panel. A CV is the minimum requirement for most job applications and follows a well know format. No spin, no party line, just the facts about who this person is and what they've done with their lives until now.

Clwyd South Candidates

You can see all the CVs submitted by our candidates here: http://bit.ly/1EsNU7y

Unless there's been a sudden rush, there's just one. When we first checked there were none at all so we clicked the button that sends a polite request to all the candidates in the constituency. Only one replied and only one uploaded his CV. You'll have to check to find out who it was, and maybe while you're there you could try reminding the others.

National Statistics

I spoke to Francis Irving one of the Democracy Club organiswers to see how Clwyd South compares with the national (UK) figures. So far only about 12% of candidates have uploaded a CV, so Clwyd South with one out of six is ahead of the curve. The breakdown by party is:

Liberal Democrats 115
Green Party 109
Labour Party 61
UK Independence Party (UKIP) 52
Conservative Party 38
Plaid Cymru 1

For more about Democracy Club go to www.democracyclub.org.uk

Nominations sought for county sports awards

NOMINATIONS are open for Denbighshire County Council's 2015 community sport awards.

Over the last three years since the awards were established the council has recognised over 30 individuals, teams, schools and clubs for their dedication to local community grass root sport in the county.    

There are also elite level athletes representing Wales and Team GB in their chosen sport from Denbighshire, which we have and will continue to recognise their achievements and success.

All of Denbighshire’s community sport award finalists will be forwarded to the newly formed Sport Wales and BBC Wales sport personality awards held nationally in Cardiff, where Denbighshire will be looking to add to the success of six finalists and five national winners over the past three years.
   
Nominees must live in the county or be affiliated to a Denbighshire club relevant to their nomination and achieved their success in the last 12 months up to the application closing date which is Friday July 24 2015.
   
This year's categories include Sports Performer, Junior Sports Performer, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Disability Sport Award, Young Inspiration Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and the ‘Sport in School award’.

An individual or team will also be chosen from all the previous category winners for their outstanding achievements/contributions to sport and will represent Denbighshire for the next year as Community Sport Ambassador 2015.
   
Jamie Groves, Head of Communications, Marketing and Leisure said: ”The Denbighshire Community Sport Awards have helped recognise and share some amazing stories of achievements by individuals and teams from Denbighshire over the last couple of years.
   
"Each year there are new nominations from various sport clubs and schools throughout the county, and last year the panel had a hard job picking just three finalists for each category from over 220 separate nominations.

"This proves to us that the quality of sport is very high, there are plenty of opportunities for people to return to playing sport or to try a new sport as a beginner too. This is all down to the unselfish army of volunteers within our community clubs, so lets recognise this and celebrate community sport in Denbighshire again this year.”
   
Denbighshire Leisure Services are also looking for suitable organisations that would like to link to their brand to the community sport awards as a category sponsor and a ‘sponsorship package’ can be sent for more information.

* For more information on the awards and details on how to nominate or sponsor this year's event please contact Matt Hilliker on 07798742290 or matthew.hilliker@denbighshire.gov.uk

Successful theatre tour returns To Llangollen

* Winona - the cast.

Earlier  this year, the Llangollen Twenty Club pledged to support the first ever tour of a new work by young Welsh playwright, Christoper T. Harris called Winona, presented by Abandoned Theatre Co.

The play was directed by long-time club member Natalie Evans and featured fellow members Ally Goodman and Andy Evans in the cast, along with Jack Shimmin as technical officer and Barry Evans on set design and props.

The tour was a success with acclaimed performances taking place in Liverpool, Aberystwyth and Cardiff, and the debut show drawing high praise from several critics in attendance.

One example was: "...a claustrophobic tale of almost Pinteresque proportions ... Sir Harold would surely have approved ... it's compelling stuff" – British Theatre Guide.

And another was: "... one twist followed by another ... enthralling to watch" - Merseysider Magazine

As a thank you to the Twenty Club for pledging its support, Winona will now be performed in Llangollen tomorrow, Tuesday April 28, at a special event at the Town Hall.

There will be no charge for tickets at this performance. Instead, Abandoned Theatre Co will accept
any donations from audience members on the night, with proceeds going towards covering the cost of the venue hire and future tours featuring members of the club.

Abandoned Theatre Co presents...

Winona

Llangollen Town Hall
Tuesday April 28
Doors 7pm/curtain pp 7:30pm
FREE ENTRY - Donations welcome

* The production is not suitable for children under 15 and contains strong language and adult themes.

Eisteddfod visitor Bill will return as volunteer

* Bill Kong with his family.

A wine expert from Hong Kong who fell in love with the Llangollen International Eisteddfod is flying 6,000 miles to work as a volunteer at the festival.

 

Bill Kong, 54, was mesmerised by the intoxicating magic of the Eisteddfod on his first visit as an audience member two years ago when he fulfilled a long-standing ambition to experience it for himself.

 

He was so taken with the festival's captivating atmosphere both then and in 2014 that he’s aiming to travel back to Llangollen this July to join the small army of dedicated volunteers who make the iconic cultural event such a big hit each year.

 

Bill’s links with Britain go back over 40 years to when he attended a prep school near Bewdley in Worcestershire then a public school near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire.     

 

Later he went on to Manchester College, Oxford to study for a degree in social administration before returning to Hong Kong in 1984.

 

Bill joined the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir for there a couple of years later after being introduced to it by a friend.

 

He recalled: “My fellow choir members used to ask what my Welsh link was and I’d tell them that it was my old prep school in Worcestershire which was quite near the Welsh border.

 

“I performed with the choir in the London Welsh Festival of Male Voice Choirs at the Royal Albert Hall in 2004 at the invitation of the London Welsh and sang with in the chorus of the Hong Kong Art Festival’s production of Tosca in in 1999, which is where I met my wife Selena.”   

 

When he’s not drinking in the joys of music Bill works, amongst other things, as a consultant in the wine business in Hong Kong and during the past 10 years has been a wine importer, educator, consultant to importers and wine judge.

 

He is also a senior training consultant for a large Hong Kong-based company specialising in risk and crisis management.

 

Bill’s 39-year-old wife, Selena Hoi Yi Fung Kong, is also passionate about music and has worked as a music educator at a school in Hong Kong for the past 17 years.

 

They have a nine-year-old son, Daniel, who is due to attend prep school in England from April.

 

Bill said: “I first came with my wife and son to Llangollen Eisteddfod back in 2013.

 

“We were very much looking forward to the visit because of my own 20 years plus with the Welsh choir and my wife’s work in music.

 

“We share our love of Welsh music and culture and have long been fascinated with such a mystical name as the International Eisteddfod. So we just had to come and discover for it for ourselves.

 

“We did not realise then how well we would be welcomed and that we would make so many friends that we would want to return year after year.

 

"Everything has been a real blessing, especially the community of new-found friends that we’ve met at Llangollen every year since.

 

“Although we have now been at the Eisteddfod for the past two years I haven’t so far done any work as a volunteer but when we come over again this summer I’m hoping to be able to contribute.

 

“Perhaps that might be by serving in hospitality, meeting performers from Hong Kong or China. I have some experience in that area after developing tailor-made workplace English courses for corporate companies in the hospitality industry back home.

 

“I could also maybe help out with the staging of the Eisteddfod as I worked as a stage hand when the Phantom of the Opera came to perform in Hong Kong in 1995.

 

“For the 160 shows I worked at `stage left prop’ and the amazing thing was that Peter Carey was Phantom on that occasion, interestingly a Welshman amongst a North American cast.”

 

Bill added: “I’d just love to be amongst the public and performers at the 2015 Eisteddfod in any capacity.

 

“One day I would also like to see my beloved Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir compete at Llangollen. Last year we made great friends with the Hong Kong Police Choir and became their supporter at the Eisteddfod.  

 

“I have been mesmerised by the magic of Llangollen and what I love about coming is the total experience of the whole week.

 

“That means the music, the performers as well as the visitors and above all the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers throughout the year who make the Eisteddfod the incredible event that it has become.

 

“The young and the more seasoned have all played their part in the history of something so unique and special by participating in the legacy of the festival for over half a century. 

 

“This is what Llangollen Eisteddfod means to me and why I'm looking forward to coming for this my third year and participating even more than in previous years.”

 

Sandra Roberts, who chairs the Hospitality Committee for the Eisteddfod, said: “Bill sounds like a very interesting man who has the perfect skills for our hospitality team whose job it is to welcome competitors and visitors to the festival from across the world.

 

“His linguistic skills would obviously make him particularly useful when it comes to meeting and greeting people from China and Hong Kong and I think he would be a very valuable addition to our team of volunteers.” 

Bethan's project brings older people's memories to life

* Bethan Mascarenhas is leading a memories project in Llangollen next month.

A YOUNG storyteller from Llangollen is masterminding a special project to bring alive the memories of older people.

Bethan Mascarenhas has received funding from Age Cymru to run an inter-generational arts project at the Abbey Dingle care home in the town during May as part of a wider older people’s arts project called the Gwanwyn Festival. 

And she is looking for children aged seven to 17 to take part.

The project, based on the theme ‘I wish I knew then …’ aims to connect children and the older generation through storytelling and performance within the community.

It will be based on a series of workshops the first of which takes place on Saturday May 9, from 2-4pm, when young people will have the chance to learn journalistic skills which will enable them to gather stories from people living at the home.

At the second workshop, the following Saturday May 16 again from 2-4pm, the children will be shown how to develop their stories into a performance, which will take place a week later on Saturday May 23, from 2-4pm.

Bethan said: “The older generation with their long life experiences have tons of stories and knowledge to share with the younger generation.

“At Abbey Dingle children from the local community will be collecting and gathering stories from people living there to make an exciting performance called ‘I wish I knew then …’ and use it as a way to celebrate life and the stories that come along with it.

“The performance is open to the local community and we will be serving food and drink.

“We’d like to invite everyone to come along and share a unique experience as old and young come together to create something wonderful.”

She added: “Having children visiting the home is always an uplifting experience for the people who live here, they bring so much fun and energy which creates a wonderful atmosphere for everyone.

“I’m excited to see what work we can create and for the community.”

* Young people interested in taking part are asked to contact Bethan by emailing her at bethan_maud@hotmail.co.uk