New North Wales tourism campaign unveiled

* North Wales Tourism Managing Director  Jim Jones and Gareth Daniels.

A tourism campaign has been launched to help boost the North Wales economy by £200 million a year.

The Go North Wales brand is being showcased on a new website that also includes an online booking, attraction bookings and an E shop.

The drive is being masterminded by North Wales Tourism, the biggest destination management company in Wales which has a growing membership of more than 1,000 on its books.

According to managing director Jim Jones, tourism already generates over £2 billion a year and employs 40,000 people in the region.

They are now working to the target set by Visit Wales to grow tourism earnings by 10 per cent or more by the year 2020.

Mr Jones said: “The new www.gonorthwales.co.uk website for us is the digital gateway to tourism in North Wales, so it’s incredibly important that we get it right.

"We’ve invested a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of money in making sure we’ve got a state of the art website with fresh branding and fresh imagery.

"We particularly want to go out to try and assist as much as we possibly can to make life easier for our members so we've included an online booking service for accommodation providers and attractions as part of the new website.

"We've deliberately pitched our commission rate at a very low level service that undercuts big name rivals.

"It is significantly lower than most of the big name operators who often charge double that percentage or more."

The development of the website has been overseen by Gareth Daniels, the head of digital experience at North Wales Tourism.

He said: “The website is a way for visitors to find information more easily and in more depth than you would find on Trip Advisor or other bigger websites.

"There's a comprehensive listing of all activities and attractions, from white water rafting to zoos and aquariums. It’s all listed on the website with incredible content and imagery.

"We’ve worked with some award winning photographers as well as the Visit Wales image libraries so we have had access to some incredible pictures."

Mr Jones added: “This is a huge opportunity for North Wales Tourism, our membership is growing, and the key to our future success will be bringing everybody to work in partnership - the private and public sectors - to work for the greater good.

“In marketing North Wales, we need to speak with one voice and work collaboratively so that we can upgrade the tourism infrastructure. Together we'll be a power to be reckoned with.

"The North West, the Midlands, Yorkshire, and Cheshire are all our key target markets and we also want to raise our profile in London.

“North Wales has got everything going for it. We have spectacular scenery and brilliant attractions in abundance, all in close proximity to each other.

"We have some really world class assets in the form of Snowdonia National Park and our three Areas Outstanding Natural Beauty.

"Equally, we’ve got world class heritage sites with the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the castles at Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy. 

"Whether the customer comes here to enjoy an outdoor experience or a heritage experience, we must fulfil and exceed their expectations.

"We are supportive of Visit Wales’s ambitions, and we rely on their support.

 "North Wales is definitely going places. We want to take tourism to the next level and the new branding and the new website are key staging posts on our path to prosperity."

Picture shows Hill Street traffic blues

* Vehicles inch past one another in Hill Street.

Campaigner Mike Edwards has sent in this picture he took on Saturday showing how difficult it is for vehicles to pass on the “pinchpoint” in Hill Street.   

This, he says, is even before extra traffic is generated by a development of 99 homes in Vicarage Road for which planning permission is currently being sought by developers Castlemead and a group of residents, including Mr Edwards, are opposing.

He said: “I took this photograph this morning and this illustrates the existing problem for road users - pedestrians, wheelchair users, mums and dads with pushchairs and drivers

“I have written a letter to Graham Boase, head of planning and public protection at the county council, with a copy of this photo pointing out that this road is already hazardous and will not accommodate additional traffic.

“The planning application, 03/2016/0300, proposes that construction traffic will use Hill Street and Willow Street until the 31st dwelling is occupied and Willow Street is widened and reconstructed.”

A5 closed by road accident

The A5 just outside Llangollen has been closed in both directions following an traffic accident.

A tweet from North Wales Police just before 7.30pm says:

North Wales Police ‏@NWPolice 9m9 minutes ago

RTC A5 Llangollen. Road blocked near Ty'n y Wern Hotel. Officers on scene diversions in place. Please avoid if possible. Thank you.

A fire engine was seen just a little earlier speeding in that direction along Regent Street, followed by two police cars.

A further tweet from the road agency says:

North & Mid Wales ‏@TrafficWalesN 5m5 minutes ago

#A5 : Both directions : Llangollen : Incident : Road closed : Due to Accident

Sources said a vehicle had overturned and the driver has been taken to hospital.

Churches come together for open-air service

* Worshippers at the open-air service gather around the bandstand. 

Churches in Llangollen came together earlier today for a joint open-air service for Pentecost Sunday which also marked Christian Aid Week, from May 15-21.

Over 80 members of the various congregations gathered around the bandstand in Riverside Park for the worship, led by the Rev Andrew Sully of St Collen’s Church and the Rev Phil Poole of Llangollen Methodist Church.

Hymns were accompanied by Llangollen Silver Band and a collection was taken in aid of Christian Aid.

* The Rev Andrew Sully leads the service.

Operatic land am dram "Oscars" for Sister Act

* Tracey Rawlinson holds up the Best Production award.

Llangollen Operatic Society has landed two amateur stage “Oscars” for its production of Sister Act last year.

The society received three nominations for the NODA Wales and Ireland regional awards for 2015, which aim to honour the cream of amateur shows.

And at the presentation evening in Hereford last night (Saturday) it was awarded Best Production  and Best Performance 2015 for Sister Act which it staged at the Town Hall a year ago.     

The society’s version of the musical, the stage version of the hit Whoopi Goldberg film, attracted large audiences throughout its week-long run and much critical acclaim.

The Best Performance award went to Elen-Haf Taylor for her portrayal in the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier. 

The show was co-produced by Michael Jones and Tracey Rawlinson who was also artistic director, with musical direction by Elen Mair Roberts.

AM attacks county over halting Right to Buy

Shadow Housing Minister and North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has criticised Denbighshire County Council’s decision to stop people buying their own council houses for five years.

Denbighshire has voted to stop ‘Right to Buy’, following in the footsteps of Anglesey, Flintshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea councils.

The council has said there were 10 applicants for every vacant council home in the county and right to buy "threatened investment in new homes".

But Mr Isherwood (left) claims the take-up of ‘Right to Buy’ is no longer significant enough for its suspension to reduce housing pressure.

He said: “I believe this is the wrong way forward. Abolishing ‘Right to Buy’ in Denbighshire will deny the prospect of home ownership to tenants and will not in itself increase the supply of affordable housing.

“Further, current legislation only allows Councils to suspend the Right to Buy’ for a limited time in a specified area, which would make a negligible contribution to improving the availability of affordable housing, given findings by leading expert Professor Wilcox that tenants remain in occupation for 15 years on average.

“As the Welsh Affairs Committee found, the suspension of the Right to Buy would not in itself result in an increase in the supply of affordable housing.

“The proposed scrapping of Right to Buy is a smokescreen and would not do anything to create more homes or increase the numbers of households with their own front door.”

Mr Isherwod says Welsh Labour has mounted a sustained attack on ‘Right to Buy’ and  in 2015  halved the ‘Right to Buy’ discounts from £16,000 to £8,000 and signalled its intention to scrap the ‘Right to Buy’ altogether.

He added: “Welsh Conservatives would instead protect the ‘Right to Buy’ for tenants wanting to buy their council home and reinvest ‘Right to Buy’ proceeds into new social housing, providing more homes for more people languishing on Labour’s waiting lists, increasing the number of people who are able to find a home to meet their needs.

“‘Right to Buy’ has already dwindled under Welsh Labour. During 1999-2000, 3590 ‘Right to Buy’ Council Home sales were completed in Wales, rising to 6,865 during 2003-04, but since falling to just 176 in 2014-15.  

“The social housing crisis is the result of Welsh Labour policies, not right to buy. During its first 3 terms in Welsh Government,  Labour cut the supply of new affordable homes by nearly three quarters and slashed the total number of social homes in Wales by nearly 30,000.

"As the 2012 UK Housing Review stated "it was the Welsh Government itself that gave housing lower priority in its overall budgets, so that by 2009/10 it had by far the lowest proportional level of housing expenditure of any of the four UK countries".

“National House Building Council’s figures show that Wales was the only nation in the UK to decrease new homes registrations in 2014-15.  Compared with a 7% increase in the UK overall, Wales is lagging behind with a 2% reduction.”

Valley Girls raise £3,000 for hospices from calendar sales

* Valley Girls hand over a cheque for £1,500 to Hope House Hospice.

Members of Valley Girls WI have said a big public thank you to everyone who has helped their Llangollen Vintage Calendar raise a total of £3,000 for two charities.

The money will be split between Nightingale House Hospice and Hope House Hospice.

A group spokeswoman said: "We'd like to thank the Chamber of Trade and Tourism for their support and for encouraging local business to stock and sell the calendar and also the businesses themselves, who were all very supportive, co-operative and even had staff giving us an extra plug at the checkout, which bumped up sales.

"We're so grateful to all of our local supporters who took this project to their hearts and made many sales to friends, relatives, colleagues, members of their dance class or patients in the waiting room.

"No opportunity was missed. Everyone can feel proud, this really was a community project.

"The Valley Girls are taking a break from calendars this year to concentrate on something a bit different.

"It will all come together around the time of the Fringe Festival.

"Members are hoping to show off some of their creative skills but nothing has been confirmed yet as details are a bit woolly!"

* Another £1,500 cheque goes to Nightingale House Hospice.

New police boss pledges to serve all the people

* New North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

A new police boss has pledged to serve all the people of North Wales without fear or favour - and to make tackling domestic violence a top priority.

Former police inspector Arfon Jones, the second ever North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, was speaking on his first official day in office (Thursday, May 12) after succeeding Winston Roddick in the job.

Standing as a Plaid Cymru candidate, he swept to victory with a massive majority of 25,364 votes.

According to Mr Jones, a member of Wrexham County Borough Council, it was one of the proudest days of his life to lead the force he served for 30 years, both in uniform and as a detective.

A native of Harlech in Gwynedd, he is married with two daughters and four grandchildren and lives in Gwersyllt, near Wrexham.

Mr Jones is now in charge of a budget of £147 million and is responsible for making sure the money is spent effectively to keep the people of North Wales safe and secure.

In doing so, he vowed to represent everybody in North Wales, regardless of their political affiliations.

He said: "It's very important.  I agreed 100 per cent with what Sadiq Khan said when he became Mayor of London, that he represented all the people of London.  I think that is perfectly correct.

"I think all politicians should do that, no matter who has voted for you, you represent all your electorate without fear or favour. It’s part of being sworn in.  I have promised to do this and I take my responsibilities seriously.

"I plan to consult widely about the policing priorities for North Wales to make sure we have a good idea of what it is that the people of North Wales want us to deliver over the next 12 months.

"Once I publish the plan I will then scrutinise the force and hold the chief officers to account to make sure that the plan is realised."

One of the commissioner's first priorities will be tackling the issue of domestic violence.

Mr Jones wants to extend the use of body-worn video to all front line police officers in North Wales so that evidence of crimes can be captured as they happen.

A total of 128 video camera kits have already been deployed across North Wales and have proved a big success, particularly in relation to domestic violence.

Mr Jones said:  "Domestic violence is a hideous crime and one I feel passionately about.

"The fact that seven victims of domestic violence are killed every month in England and Wales makes it an obvious priority. 

"There’s an emotional cost, there’s a cost to society and there’s a financial cost and I think it’s a responsibility to us all to prioritise things of this nature.

"I would very much like to provide every front line officer in North Wales with a body-worn video. 

"I think that the evidence that is coming out from the use of body worn video is that the number of offenders who are arrested and charged and brought before the courts has increased.

"I would certainly encourage victims to come forward, either by reporting the matter directly to the police or by getting in touch with a partner agency.

"When people come forward to report such an offence, it's often the case that it will have happened dozens of times previously.

"To be fair to my predecessor, Winston Roddick, he did a lot of work on this issue and I’m looking forward to carrying on this work and developing it further."

Another priority for Mr Jones keeping children out of the criminal justice system to ensure they are not criminalised at a young age, blighting their future prospects.

One of the problems, he said, was the absence of a consistent approach in the way young justice services were delivered in different parts of North Wales.

I’ve been leading Children’s Services for Wrexham County Council with responsibility for Youth Justice which comes under the Ministry of Justice at Westminster.

"It is financed by the Welsh Government, the office of the Commissioner, North Wales Police, the probation service and the health board and it is all dealt with differently across the whole of North Wales.

"Responsibility for youth justice should be devolved to Wales because at the moment the way it works is that it’s like a postcode lottery and I think that children and young people deserve a better service.

"We should intervene earlier when the children are younger and break the cycle of crime before it happens."

Chief Constable Mark Polin wished Mr Jones well in his new role. He said “I would like to congratulate Mr Arfon Jones and welcome him as the new Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales. 

"I look forward to working closely with him to deliver the Police and Crime Plan and ensuring North Wales remains a safe place to live, work and visit where vulnerable members of society are protected from harm.”

New Dot Cinema has an horrific offering

Tonight's screening at Llangollen's New Dot Cinema in the Town Hall council chamber is one of two films specially chosen to appeal to a young adult audience.

Critically acclaimed Swedish horror Let The Right One In (pictured below) is a vampire movie unlike any other.

Less trashiness, more intelligent suspense.

Doors open tonight (Friday May 13) at 7.30pm.

Be warned: this film contains sex and nudity, violence and gore - not for the faint-hearted!

Then next month's film is Dear White People showing on Friday June 10.

A low budget, independent recent release from the US, this stylish, sharp talking and beautifully shot movie tells a story about being a black face in a white place.

New Dot organiser Keiron Preston has encouraged several new volunteers from the 18-25 age group to assist at this special screening.

Together they've tweaked the refreshments for a new market and will be present on the night to run the proceedings.

This initiative is part of an on-going strategy to reach out to different sectors of the community in the Dee Valley.

New Dot Cinema is a not-for-profit organisation, run by volunteers. Watch this space for news of a spectacular summer screening in conjunction with The Fringe Festival!

More information: http://www.facebook.com/NewDotCinema/

Tickets, priced at £5 each, are available online or from Baileys Deli of Llangollen. Also available on the door, unless sold out.

MP calls for women's pension re-think

* Susan Elan Jones with other MPs in Parliament calling

on the government to re-think its pension plans for women born in the 1950s.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones joined WASPI Westminster, a cross-party group of MPs that is calling on the Government to look again at pension provision for women born during the 1950s.

The Labour MP said: "The Government urgently needs to make fair transitional arrangements for all women born on or after April 6 1951 who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA).

"Hundreds of thousands of women have had significant changes imposed on them with a lack of appropriate notification. This isn't fair or right.

"It is a big issue for many women in our area and indeed across the UK. Planning means everything when it comes to pensions."

She added: "At the heart of the campaign is the 1995 Conservative Government’s Pension Act included plans to increase women’s SPA to 65, the same as men’s.

"Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), agree with equalisation, but don’t agree with the unfair way the changes were implemented – with little/no personal notice (1995/2011 Pension Acts), faster than promised (2011 Pension Act), and no time to make alternative plans."

RAFA Club to host charity concert

A charity concert will be staged at Llangollen RAFA Club at 8pm on Saturday May 28.

Featuring Alan B, who has toured with singing greats including Rob Orbison, all proceeds from the event will go to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital stoke unit. There will also be a raffle.

Tickets, at £5, are available from Gwyn the Butchers, the RAFA Club or on the door on he night.

No confirmation over supermarket tenants

* Neither Aldi nor Home Bargains will confirm an interest in the new supermarket.

Neither of the two retail giants suggested as potential occupiers of Llangollen’s “ghost” supermarket will say for sure whether they have an interest in taking it over.

Sainsburys, who built the 34,000 square foot store off the A5, announced a year ago that they wouldn’t be running it directly due to adverse economic conditions and revealed they were looking for potential tenants.

The pull-out also dashed hopes for 130 promised jobs.

There has since been speculation that supermarket chain Aldi and discount group Home Bargains were ready to sign a deal to jointly occupy the building.

But this week both companies remained non-committal.

A spokesman for Aldi told llanblogger yesterday (Tuesday):  “Aldi, the award-winning discount food retailer, is keen to develop a new food store in Llangollen.

“There is a clear need for greater shopping choice in the area and Aldi is looking at a variety of sites that fit both suitability and convenience for local shoppers.”

And a spokesman for Home Bargains said today: “Unfortunately, it’s a no comment from us, as we work to a strict planner of confirmed stores.”

Tory candidate says thanks for support

Simon Baynes, the Welsh Conservative Assembly Candidate for Clwyd South in last week’s election, has thanked supporters and says he will continue to campaign on local issues in Clwyd South.

He said: “Many thanks to the thousands of people who voted for me and supported me in my campaign in Clwyd South.

"I congratulate Ken Skates on his re-election as AM for Clwyd South and wish him well."

Mr Baynes (pictured) added: "I greatly enjoyed the campaign and am proud of the huge effort that the Clwyd South Conservatives made in knocking on thousands of doors the length and breadth of the constituency which played its part in increasing the turnout from 37% to 41%.

"I will continue to help and campaign on local issues and problems in Clwyd South alongside our North Wales Regional Assembly Member Mark Isherwood AM and our local Councillors.

"I can always be contacted on 07880 786573 or baynes@bodfach.com if I can be of assistance.”

 

Designer Sarah creates poster for 70th Eisteddfod

* Sarah Meade with some of her previous posters and post cards.

A designer from the town is creating a poster and post card marking this summer’s 70th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Sarah Meade, who runs the Honey Pots gifts emporium and ceramic studio in Castle Street, said: “It will feature Katherine Jenkins and Jools Holland, who are both starring at the festival.

“I've been working with the Eisteddfod to make sure I feature as many of the flags of the competing countries as I can and it's this element of the poster that I'm just completing.

“It will have a railway poster-type feel to it, the same as the previous postcards and posters that I have designed. We're hoping to get this one reproduced on to tea towels as a souvenir for this year as well.”

Sarah currently has a joint promotion running with the nearby Witzend Gallery.

She explained: “People can come into our shop and pick up a poster and then pop over the road to Witzend to have it framed, or alternatively we have a few they prepared earlier to purchase in store now.”

County aims to suspend council home Right to Buy

Denbighshire County Council is to submit an application to the Welsh Government for approval to suspend the right to buy for council homes for a period of five years.

The loss of homes to right to buy has significantly reduced the council’s housing stock by over 4,000 homes.


In 2015/16 the authority lost eight council homes to the right to buy and whilst it intends to increase its housing stock during future years, its claims any similar loss of homes will significantly reduce the additional gain of new homes.

The application will be submitted following a decision by members of Denbighshire County Council meeting in Ruthin today (Tuesday).

Councillor Barbara Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing, said: “The council is making a firm commitment in its Housing Strategy to provide more homes to meet local need and demand and to create a supply of affordable homes, again to meet  demand.

“Significant investment has been allocated in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to allow the council to drive regeneration schemes through buying land for new high quality council homes, but this significant investment is at risk if further homes continue to be lost through right to buy.

“There is a demand for council homes in Denbighshire, with ten applicants on our waiting list compared to every vacancy. This is a significantly greater ratio than Swansea and Carmarthenshire who were the first two councils in Wales to suspend the right to buy. Other councils look set to follow suit.

“Our local Registered Social Landlord partners are supporting our application. They have indicated that they require the suspension to also apply to their stock, subject to formal consultation and decision. We also have support from the majority of our tenants, as well as the Denbighshire Tenants and Residents Federation.

“We hope that the Welsh Government will allow the suspension of the right to buy scheme in Denbighshire. There clearly is a case in the county for this to happen."
 

Denbighshire "well run authority" says report

Members of Denbighshire County Council have today discussed the annual improvement report issued by the Wales Audit Office.

For 2015/16, the report concluded that the council, "with sound financial management and scrutiny arrangements, continues to make progress in delivering improvements in most of its priority areas”.

At a meeting at County Hall, Ruthin where the report was discussed, the Wales Audit Office hailed Denbighshire a "very good, very well run authority".

The report highlights the achievements of the council, which included:

* The provision of affordable housing – the council has developed a housing strategy and comprehensive supporting action plan

* Social services are said to be largely performing well

* Arrangements for managing performance and for delivering savings are described as "robust and effective"

* The  relationship between members and officers "continues to be constructive

* The council is said to be actively exploring new types of service delivery, including with commercial partners.

The council welcomed the fact that the 2015/16 report did not include any formal recommendations, reflecting the WAO’s positive view of  its progress.

The report did contact some areas for improvement and the council says it has already introduced measures to address these matters, such as:

* Safeguarding vulnerable adults - safeguarding training has been provided for lead managers, there are improved screening of referrals through the Single Point of Access and arrangements are being reviewed for providing domiciliary care.

* Attendance at scrutiny meetings – timetable of meetings has been reviewed to encourage greater attendance, location of some meetings have changed and this has resulted in better attendance over the last three months

* The use of alternative models to deliver services – a corporate approach to delivery models is being prepared and the council is looking at income generation, to ensure value for money.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Performance, said: “The report is a recognition of the amount of good work that goes on in Denbighshire to maintain very high standards in services to residents and we are pleased that auditors highlight our achievements, particularly around managing budgets and performance.

“Whilst no formal recommendations have been made in the report, we recognise that there are areas that have been highlighted for improvement, but members have been reassured that steps had already been taken to address some of those areas.

“We are never complacent as we always strive to improve services to the best of our ability and it was pleasing to hear that the council continues to be recognised as being one of the best performing councils in Wales."

This report was discussed at the same meeting as the delivery of the council's corporate plan which it describes as "most ambitious".

Eisteddfod reaches out across the border

The saxophone-playing chairman of one of the UK’s oldest and most iconic music festivals wants to broaden its appeal to secure its future.

Retired doctor Rhys Davies (pictured below) aims to reach out across the border to attract performers, competitors, concert-goers and visitors to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

His target areas are the big cities and highly-populated areas within two hours’ drive of the Denbighshire town where the event began in 1947.

Rhys, a doctor in the town for 30 years, attended his first Eisteddfod in 1956 – as a babe in arms and now he wants to see it capture the hearts of a new generation.

He said: “Wales is important to us but if you travel west of Llangollen there are a few hundred thousand people within an hour or two’s drive. Go east and there are six or seven million.

“It is Llangollen’s Eisteddfod and the better the Eisteddfod does the better it is for the town and the whole area but we are an international festival and we need to reach out far and wide.

“We need to reach out to those people across the border and show them what a worthwhile experience it is to come here and how much we have to offer.”

He succeeded the long-serving Gethin Davies, the only person to be chairman of the event twice, and is the son of the late Dr Jack Davies who practised as a GP in the town for 30 years from 1955 and for many years the family home was on the edge of the Eisteddfod field at Dolafon Villas, close to the old Cottage Hospital.

He and his wife, Ann, have two grown-up children and now live at Pentrefelin House where his parents later moved and he said: “From being a little boy I volunteered at the festival, as a messenger, an usher and a programme seller.

“University and my job took me away from the area for some years but when I returned to live and work in Llangollen – I was senior partner at the local GP practice – I resumed my association with the Eisteddfod.”

He’s a music fan himself and plays the saxophone – ever since his wife bought him one for Christmas 10 years ago – and has broad tastes including opera, classical, jazz and the rock music of the Seventies.

He would like to forge links with cities like Liverpool, where he trained as a doctor, Manchester and Birmingham which all have large populations with links to North Wales.

He said: “It would be great to have the Superlambanana here from Liverpool and perhaps to give one day and an evening concert to showcase the culture of a city like Liverpool, Manchester or Birmingham.

“They have vibrant cultural scenes, major orchestras and choirs, classical and contemporary dance companies and we have a fantastic venue and an event with a rich heritage.”

But he adds that it is also important to continue to reach out overseas and to recognise that the groups that come, particularly from the Third World, face major financial obstacles.

He added: “I would like to see Llangollen charity events and concerts through the year to boost the bursary fund to help these groups make the trip to Llangollen.

“It is the international flavour of the event that gives the Llangollen its incredible colour and atmosphere and we must do everything we can to maintain that tradition.”

Tickets sales for the concerts at this year’s Eisteddfod, which begins on Tuesday, July 5, are already going well, especially for the opening night when superstar Katherine Jenkins gets the programme off to a sensational start as she sings Bizet’s Carmen, .

Wednesday will be International Children’s Day and will include choral and dance competitions and also a new Under 16s solo competition while the evening will feature the Voices of Musical Theatre and West End star Kerry Ellis.

The great Bryn Terfel will headline the 70^th Classical Gala Concert on Thursday evening with acclaimed Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja while the day will see the crowning of the Children’s Choir of the World.

Friday will celebrate Rhythms of the World and will be a feast of music and dance from the best of the Eisteddfod’s international competitors with the Dance Champions of the World competition climax at the evening concert.

It will open with a Caribbean Carnival Extravaganza, followed by the International Peace message delivered by Theatr yr Ifanc, Rhosllannerchrugog.

In a change of the scheduling Friday will also see the Parade of Nations, led by Eisteddfod President Terry Waite, switched from Tuesday in anticipation of bigger crowds and more competitors being present.

Saturday is dedicated to the top choirs and concludes with the Choir of the World competition for the Pavarotti Trophy while Sunday sees the Eisteddfod let its hair down for Llanfest before the climactic final concert.

* To book tickets and for more details on the 2016 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Joint choir concert hits high note

AN audience of local people and tourists enjoyed a joint concert by Llangollen Male Voice Choir, Great Bowden Community Choir and Great Bowden Flute Choir at St Collen’s Church recently.

The Great Bowden musical director said she was "blown away" by LMV's rendition of Gwahoddiad in particular, adding that although she didn't understand a word she totally got the sentiment.

A spokesman for LMV said: “We were thrilled to help start the visiting choirs’ tour of North Wales on a high and raise money for the local charity, Dynamic.”

Tenant could be found for Llan's ghost supermarket, says report

* Llangollen's empty supermarket.

The Daily Post is reporting today that a deal to find a tenant for Llangollen's "ghost" supermarket is on the verge of being done.

The story says that discount chain Aldi has said it does want to open in Llangollen but was considering more than one site in the town.

For the full story, see: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/llangollen-ghost-supermarket-finally-verge-11297969

Historic railbus heading for Llangollen

Llangollen Railway's annual Railcar Gala will take place on the weekend of June 11 and 12.

Alongside the resident fleet of DMUs, the special guest to the gala will be a diminutive 1958-built railbus, No.79960, visiting from its current base at the Ribble Steam Railway.

Railbus 79960 was built in Germany by Waggon Und Maschinenbau more than half a century ago as an experiment for British Railways to see if more traffic could be drawn to little used lines by the use of lightweight vehicles – a move that had been very successful in mainland Europe.

Introduced to service in 1958 the tiny train (pictured below), one of the smallest to operate in the UK, was used in East Anglia and in the North East before being laid aside as the lines for which it had been intended were closed under the Beeching programme.

Preserved as long ago as 1968 the train served the North Norfolk Railway for 44 years before moving on to the Ribble Steam Railway near Preston.

A detailed history and photos can be found at: http://preserved.railcar.co.uk/79960.html

The Railbus will be in operation for one weekend only and will be joining another historic survivor from East Anglian branch line services, the sole-surviving Class 109 Wickham DMU.

Full use will be made of the Llangollen Railway's unique collection of 1950s and 1960s railcar trains, with the weekend featuring a very intensive timetable. Departures from Llangollen and Carrog will be at half-hourly intervals and from Corwen every hour.

Prior to the event on the Friday evening there will be a photographic evening featuring the railbus during which will stop at various locations along the valley.

On the Saturday evening there will be a social event and barbecue, as well as the ever popular driver experience runs.


* Tickets for the event will be available on the day but can also be purchased in advance and at a discount by going to http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/events/.  More details can be found by visiting www.llangollenrailcars.co.uk or www.llangollen-railway.co.uk

Plaid's Arfon Jones is new police and crime boss

Plaid Cymru's Arfon Jones has been elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales.

Following the count at Coleg Cambria in Deeside this afternoon (Sunday), the 60-year-old Wrexham councillor and former police officer said he was "overjoyed and overwhelmed" to win.

Bacharach cartoon up for auction in aid of Eisteddfod

* Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head by musical legend Burt Bacharach.

A signed cartoon by legendary singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach of his hit song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head is to be auctioned for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The 87-year-old American superstar (pictured right) penned the cartoon on a blank postcard for the iconic festival, writing the first bar of music on one side with some raindrops and then signing the other side.

The Oscar-winning song was originally written by Bacharach and Hal David for 1969 film classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and sold over two million copies for singer B J Thomas.

Bacharach performed it at Llangollen and it has become a standard over the years, recorded by artists from Johnny Mathis and Sacha Distel to the Manic Street Preachers.

* Going for a song: Louisa Jones models a rugby shirt signed by Status Quo watched by Llangollen International Eisteddfod’s Gareth Edwards and Ian Lebbon who will auction it and other items later this month.

The autographed cartoon is one of several lots being auctioned at Llangollen Town Hall on Saturday, May 21, at 7.30pm at an Eisteddfod fundraiser of Cheese, Wine and Musical Crackers in collaboration with local show choir, Stage 2 Stage.

Also going under the hammer is a watercolour painting of the stage at last year’s Eisteddfod by acclaimed local artist Ian Wildgoose as well as more cartoons by a range of those who performed last year including Rufus Wainwright and his sister, Lucy, Royal composer Paul Mealor, harpist Catrin Finch, West End star Sophie Evans, the nation’s favourite choirmaster, Gareth Malone and others.

One of those is a sketch of Go Compare’s TV advertising star Gio Compario by the man who plays him, top Welsh tenor Wynne Evans, and among the signed items are Welsh rugby shirts autographed by veteran British rockers Status Quo and Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Antoine and a guitar signed by reggae maestros UB40.

The full list of lots to be auctioned is online at http://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Auction-Catalogue.pdf with information on how to bid.

Eisteddfod Committee men Gareth Edwards and Adrian Farrell came up with the brainwave for the auction and collected most of the items though volunteer Louise Morris suggested the cartoons which were gathered by Eisteddfod Events Co-ordinator Sue McEvoy who said: “We had these blank postcards and it seemed a good idea to ask the artists to draw something.

“They were delighted to do so and there are some really good cartoons. Rufus Wainwright has done a dragon and his sister, Lucy, has done two, one a picture of a barge on the canal.

“Burt did the first bar of music for Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, complete with raindrops, Wynne Evans drew Gio Compario with his frizzy hair and moustaches and some musical notes while Catrin Finch has done a finch sitting on a treble clef.”

The event organisers are expecting plenty of interest and bids can be registered ahead of the event by ringing 01978 862001.

The Ian Wildgoose painting has a reserve of £1,000 while the postcards are being auctioned in groups with a reserve of just £30 while the Status Quo-signed rugby shirt has a minimum of £200.

The auctioneer will be Ian Lebbon, Chairman of the Eisteddfod’s Marketing Committee, and the organiser has been Eisteddfod Volunteer Team member Louisa Jones, a member of local show choir Stage 2 Stage.

They will perform a two-set programme of popular songs from musical theatre and screen, accompanied by a five-piece band, and including hits from Les Misérables, Evita and West Side Story and medleys from Chicago and Guys and Dolls.

Colin Roberts, secretary of the Eisteddfod's Grounds Committee and member of the singing group said: “One of Stage 2 Stage's main objectives is to support local organisations in their fundraising activities by providing high quality, affordable entertainment.

* The Stage 2 Stage Choir will perform at the Eisteddfod fundraiser.

“Several of us have close connections with Llangollen Eisteddfod, therefore it seems only natural that we would give our support to an event which we hope will generate a good sum for Eisteddfod funds.”

Tickets for Cheese, Wine and Musical Crackers are priced at £12 and include a glass of wine on arrival and cheese and biscuits during the interval.

They can be purchased directly from the Eisteddfod Office, by phone on 01978 862001 or from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre.

Bids for the lots can be made by phone to the Eisteddfod Office on 01978 862001, by e‐mail info@international‐eisteddfod.co.uk, or by post to Eisteddfod Office: FAO: Mikala Bennion, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen, Denbighsire LL20 8SW.

Bidders must give Name, Address, Telephone Number and/or E‐mail address, plus the Lot number, including a short description, with a starting bid and maximum bid in Pounds Sterling. All bids received via phone, e‐mail or post will be treated as strictly confidential.

All bids must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, May 18.