Chocolatier smashes truffle record at food festival

* Jo Edwards breaks the truffle rolling record at the show.

A chocolatier from North Wales has become the fastest truffle maker on the planet after smashing the world record in front of a cheering crowd at a food festival.

Jo Edwards broke the record of TV chef Gino D’Acampo in the main demonstration kitchen at Hamper Llangollen over the weekend and has now sent off the evidence to the Guinness World Records.

It was the perfect way for Jo, 42, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her artisan chocolate company, Aballu, which she founded in 2006.

According to Jo, it was more difficult than expected because the chocolate was stickier than normal making rolling and coating the truffles harder than usual.

Even so, she still managed to better D’Acampo’s total of 47 in two minutes with a new world best of 49.

The record was one of the highlights of Hamper Llangollen - now recognised as one of the top food festivals in the UK - which attracted thousands of foodies to the picturesque town in the Dee Valley.

Jo said: “It was a fantastic experience and the number of people in the audience was amazing, they really got behind me. I also had family who travelled from Manchester and South Wales to support me.”

“The Hamper Llangollen food festival has been brilliant and very, very busy; I’ve had a wonderful time introducing visitors to my artisan chocolate products.

“I make everything on site in Rossett and currently employ two people but I’m looking to expand.”

Hamper Llangollen chairman Colin Loughlin was delighted with the attendance at this year’s event.

He said: “It’s been brilliant and we are really pleased. This is our 19^th year and the festival is clearly now a very well established and extremely popular event on the calendar of food lovers across North Wales and beyond.

“I’m delighted we continue to attract the very best exhibitors and suppliers to the festival and which helps brings so many visitors to then town.”

Also there was one of Britain’s youngest sommeliers, Dan Davies, 21, who has advised stars like Sir Tom Jones, actress  Jennifer Lawrence and Coldplay's Chris Martin on which wine to choose with their meals.

Dan, the son of celebrity chef, Dai Chef, has attended the festival every year since he was just five years of age and now works as the head sommelier at the four rosette Stovells hotel at Chobham, Surrey.

At Hamper Llangollen, he helped his dad present cookery demonstrations by talking about wines as well as sampling the delights of the food festival.

He said: “Stovells is a classic restaurant with a Mexican flare and my job is to run the department and buy the wines we sell. Wine is my passion and I trained over three years.

“I have advised singer Tom Jones on wines when he came into the restaurant for a meal and when I worked at the Clifton, a three rosette restaurant in Taplow, Berkshire.

“I also advised Jennifer Lawrence and Coldplay’s Chris Martin on their wine choice and took care of Heston Blumenthal when I was at the Clifton too.”

He added: “The Hamper Llangollen food festival is a wonderful event. I have been coming with dad and the family since I was a little boy and it’s always an event I look forward to.

“The quality of the products on display is first class and the range of exhibitors is amazing. It’s a really special event.”

Festival visitors were treated to flutist Maria Hayes as she played on the stall of Denbigh gin maker the North Star Distillery.

The artisan gin is the brainchild of hospital worker Mathew Rowland who launched the first new distillery in the Conwy hills for more than 100 years to produce his folk music inspired new gin.

Margaret Rowland, Matthew’s mum, says the classic gin distilled by her son is infused with music.

She said: “Matt is a keen folk musician and Morris dancer and plays musical instruments as the gin is fermenting; hence it is infused with the music of the region.”

The head chef of Gales, Llangollen, Jack Hatley, took to the demonstration kitchen stage to prepare a lamb shawarma for the audience and said he was amazed at how good the festival was.

Jack, who has previously worked in the kitchens of the Chester Grosvenor, also teaches regularly at Upstairs Downstairs, a cook shop in Oswestry which runs cookery lessons in everything from bread making to Greek or Italian cooking.

He said; “It’s my first visit to Hamper Llangollen and I’m really, really impressed. The variation and quality of the products on display is amazing."

Brian Horwich, who runs Pant Glas Bach Preserves, at Llanasa, says he has been attending and exhibiting at Llangollen since launching his business eight years ago.

He said: “I’m really happy with Llangollen the festival is always a highlight for me. I find regular customers come back year after year to buy from me and being in exactly the same place inside the exhibition hall each year helps too.

“I produce jams, marmalades, chutneys and curds using, whenever I can, local produce. I supply farm shops and independent food stores across North Wales. It’s always nice to attend Llangollen and see regular customers.”

* For more information about Hamper Llangollen go to www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Bugsy Malone comes blasting into town

* Celyn Orton Jones as Blousey Brown and her co-star Cassius Hackforth in the title role of Bugsby Malone pose beside the vintage car as they shoot the promo video in Castle Street. 

It was "lights, camera, action" for members of Llangollen Operatic's Young 'Uns recently as they shot a promotional film for their latest production.

The society's junior section will be staging the smash-hit kids musical Bugsy Malone in the Town Hall early next year.

Rehearsals started last month and the 40-strong cast reckon they already know most of the songs from the piece which has words and music by Paul Williams and a libretto by Alan Parker.

Two of the main performers were out last weekend filming scenes from the production which cleverly puts a rip-roaring tale of 1920s gangsters into a kids' setting.

Some of the action for the movie took place in the period setting of Llangollen steam railway while a gleaming vintage car lent extra authenticity.

Celyn Orton Jones plays Blousey Brown. She's been part of the Young 'Uns for seven years and had numerous cameo roles but this is her first principal part. 

She said: "This was my first experience of being filmed for a video. Going on the train was an adventure and good fun.  The ride in the car was awesome!"

Her co-star was Cassius Hackforth who plays Bugsy Malone.

Another seasoned Young 'Uns performer, he has landed the award for best performer in the last two shows but this is also his first lead role. 

Cassius, who has been busy performing with National Youth Music Theatre over the summer months in The Pied Piper of Hamlin, said: "What an enjoyable experience, having access to such amazing local facilities, such as the railway station, and using a genuine 1920s car to drive around Llangollen in."

Assistant producer Dee Smith said: "Filming in town for our promotional video, which is being created by Barrie Potter, was great fun.

"Llangollen Railway  kindly allowed us to film Bugsy and Blousey on the station and in the old-style carriages.

"Llangollen Motor Museum gave us enormous help by making driver Geoff Owen and their 1926 vintage convertible  - the same one that Terry Waite uses in the Eistedfodd parade- available  for us to film Cassius and Celyn. 

"Bailey's Delicatessan provided a film set for Blousey and Bugsy's meeting and Banardo's kindly lent us some tea-cups at the last minute. 

"We really want to thank them all for their assistance." 

* Bugsby Malone will be staged from February 16-18, including Saturday matinee. Tickets are now on sale via www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety priced at £10 for adults and £8 concessions.

Plan to set up safer neighbourhood group

Consideration is being given to establishing a Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership with the local police in Llangollen.

This would be a small group of people meeting with police representatives on a quarterly basis to discuss any issues of concern, particularly matters relating to crime and anti-social behaviour and to review local crime statistics.

The partnership could consist of representatives from the town council, county councillors, other public services agencies, local public houses, hotels, schools and any member of the public with a particular interest in the issue.

A spokesman for the organising group said: "This will help build closer relationships with the police and the community generally and hopefully have some influence in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in the town.

"Anyone interested in being part of this partnership or who has any comments to make should contact the Safer Neighbourhoods Team Leader, Sergeant Martin Jones, at  email: Martin.Jones2@nthwales.pnn.police.uk,  or Ian Parry  Tel: 01978 449365, email: ian.parry@uwclub.net

Drug services can make better use of council change cash says police boss

* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

A police boss says vital services for victims of drug abuse in North Wales can make better use of £12 million in funding thanks to the Welsh Government decision to abandon a council shake-up.

According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, the stability of working with existing public bodies will help him deliver on promises in his Police and Crime Plan by working collaboratively across the region with local authorities and the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board.

He has pinpointed building effective partnerships as a cornerstone of his work and he said: “We need a co-ordinated approach with everyone working to the same plan and I have prioritised services to the victims of domestic abuse, substance abuse and the victims of crime.

“In the area of substance abuse there are various pots of money available but different agencies are commissioning services separately and I want us to provide services together, avoid duplication and get more bang for our buck.

“This is a project that is ongoing and will be helped by the Welsh Government’s decision to scrap plans to slash the number of local authorities because there is £12 million plus available and if we can bring it all together there will be more money for the front line.”

His intervention comes after Wales’s Local Government Minister Mark Drakeford’s announcement that the Welsh Government no longer planned to cut the number of local authorities from 22 to as few as eight.

In North Wales this would have meant the existing six authorities being pruned to three or even two but the £250 million bill and the expected 2,000 job cuts have dissuaded the Government from pursuing the controversial policy.

Mr Jones said: “I fully support and welcome this decision because it will help me to work collaboratively to deliver vital services such as those that help victims of domestic abuse and substance misuse.

“That is a key part of my Police and Crime Plan and it means we can continue to work with our partners the local authorities, the health boards and the fire and ambulance services which will all be affected by Professor Drakeford’s proposals.

“One thing I would caution about is that as part of the process he looks at the number of statutory bodies otherwise all we will be doing is attending meetings and I see this as an opportunity to rationalise these strategic bodies so we can get on with the real work.

“I’m not one to get hung up on infrastructure. What I want is to get the best structure to deliver the most appropriate services most efficiently to the people who need them.

“The Minister must also not forget the role to be played by the non-devolved organisations like the Police, the Probation Service, the National Offender Management Service and the Prison Service in delivering these vital services to the people of North Wales.

“It is important that he issues guidelines to include us as stakeholders within the new regional partnerships.”

His response comes in the wake of the decision by Professor Drakeford to scrap the proposals that were the brainchild of his predecessor as Local Government Minister, Leighton Andrews.

Instead he has set out “a new way forward” which would instead see closer collaboration between neighbouring councils and key services delivered regionally.

Mr Jones added: “This is the right way forward and local authorities will remain as the alternative would cost too much, cause a major upheaval and cultural issues but would put back the delivery of services.

“The main concern should be what services look like and how effective they are and not the structures for their delivery.”

Llan man in line for top care award

* Josh Wilson.

A rugby-playing father-of-one from Llangollen who combines life on the family-owned holiday park with a job as a support worker in a children’s home is in line for a top care award.

Josh Wilson, 25, is a role model for the youngsters he supports at a specialist therapeutic children’s home in Ruthin in encouraging them to strive for the best and keep active through sport.

The home is a six-bedroom unit for young boys aged 11-18 with complex behavioural and emotional difficulties who are given intense support to help them succeed in education and employment.

Josh, who is employed by Branas Isaf, formerly taught swimming to children aged three to 12 at Corwen Leisure Centre. He plays competitive rugby for Chester Rugby Club, which is in North Division 2, has a talent for communicating with children and inspiring them to succeed.

He combines his challenging role as a support worker two days a week with his responsibilities at the family business, Ty Canol Caravan Park in Llangollen, which includes holiday cottages and caravan sales.

The new dad, whose daughter Azaia Wilson, was born a year ago, has now been formally recognised as one of the best support workers in the care industry after being announced as a finalist in the Wales Care Awards 2016.

Josh has been working for the children’s home for just over a year, has been shortlisted for the Exceptional Newcomer Award, sponsored by Coleg Cambria, which is one of a series of categories in the prestigious national awards, run by Care Forum Wales, which acknowledge the hard work and exceptional performances of those in the care sector.

As a finalist Josh, who lives in Llangollen, will now attend a glittering awards ceremony at City Hall in Cardiff on Friday, October 21.  

It is an impressive achievement for the former fitness instructor who also won the national and regional Newcomer of the Year title in the Caretech Awards in November.

“It was a bigger shock than last time to be nominated. My family are proud and my mum is especially proud,” said Josh, who also worked in Corwen and Llangollen Leisure Centres as a fitness instructor after leaving school.

“I’m not bothered about winning. I’m just flattered to be shortlisted. I’m looking forward to representing my company as they’ve done a lot for me.

“I feel like I’m putting something back and making a difference. When I come back from work I feel happy, it’s very rewarding.

“When you drive home at the end of the day you always think about what you’ve done with the kids and what I would’ve liked to have done better.

“I love working there. The whole team is brilliant and my manager has done a lot for me. I’ve come a long way since joining the team.

“I’d never worked in care before. I was in the deep end quite quickly but I wouldn’t have had it any other way as it meant I learnt very quickly.”

Josh, who attended Ysgol Dinas Brân, said the most satisfying aspect of his job was watching the youngsters’ progress and reform their behaviour through sport and other goal-driven work. The home has even created a squash league to build their self-confidence.

One of his most notable achievements was seeing a young boy for whom he was a key worker move on from the home and flourish.

“I feel like I’m a role model to them. I always tell them what the score was in the rugby. I’m trying to inspire them and keep them active by encouraging them to the gym,” said Josh, who is in the completion stages of his QCF Level 3 in Caring For Children and Young People.

“I’ve recently had a child myself and it’s put a different perspective on things. I’m much more empathetic.

“You have your bad days but I’m level-headed and can deal with most things thrown at me. You want to see the lads do well.

“I would like to continue working with young people in the future. I play rugby and I look after myself and the kids look up to me. I try to work on their self-confidence and you develop a bond.”

Josh is attending the awards ceremony with registered manager Leanne Bennett who herself has been nominated for the Peter Clarke Award.

Nominating Josh for his award, Leanne said: “Josh is a very well-liked and respected member of the team at Pant Glas and nothing is ever too much trouble for Josh. He is eager and enthusiastic in his role and works exceptionally well both lone working and in a team.

“He has a good morale which impacts on others and his can do attitude is infectious to his colleagues. Josh is an asset to our team and I feel he has a brilliant career ahead of him.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards had gone from strength to strength.

He said: “The event is now firmly established as one of the highlights in the Welsh social care calendar.

“The aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines across Wales.

“The care sector is full of wonderful people because it’s not just a job it’s a vocation – these are the people who really do have the X Factor.

“If you don’t recognise the people who do the caring you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.

“We need to do all we can to raise the profile of the care sector workforce - they deserve to be lauded and applauded.”

Gig raises over £2,000 for Christmas festival

* Captain Zed on stage.

* Marblehead Johnson play.

A recent event at Llangollen Town Hall raised £2,160 for Llangollen Christmas Festival funds. 

Llangollen resident Ross Anderson, a guitarist with local band Captain Zed, organised the sell-out session at the Town Hall where an audience of 275 were entertained by popular local musicians.

Captain Zed were joined on stage by Marblehead Johnson, Jamie Jay and Tom Wilson.

All of the bands and artists performed for free and where supported by Paul Brown and James Barber who provided lights and sound.

Paul Keddie provided the bar with profits going to festival funds. Local businesses also supported the even by providing prizes for a raffle.

The Christmas Festival, to be held on November 26, provides a free family event in Llangollen town centre with surplus funds donated to Wales Air Ambulance. 

Chair of the Christmas Festival Committee Austin Cheminais was thrilled by the way the Llangollen Community came together to help ensure the immediate future for the event.

“Our thanks to Ross and all of those involved in what was a great evening. The local community coming together to support us demonstrates what a special place Llangollen is," he said.

Meanwhile, Austin, who doubles at the town crier, has put out the call for volunteers to help out at the festival ...

Skates calls on council to splash out on leisure centre

Wrexham Council has been urged to follow the Welsh Labour Government’s lead and show its support for Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

Ken Skates earlier this week welcomed the news that communities minister Carl Sargeant had awarded the Splash Community Trust a £0.5m grant.

The Clwyd South AM (pictured) is now calling on Guildhall leaders to show the same good faith in the volunteer-run Trust, who have asked for a £50,000 loan from the council to ease cash-flow concerns caused by the huge repair bill it inherited.

“I’m proud that the Welsh Labour Government has shown its support for Plas Madoc Leisure Centre and the local community, and I’d love for Wrexham Council to now do the same and agree to help the volunteers,” said Mr Skates, a founder member of the trust set up to save the centre.

“Maintenance problems passed on to the Trust from the council’s watch have already cost more than they are asking for. I would now urge the leadership at the Guildhall to emulate the Welsh Labour Government, which earlier this year gave them an interest-free loan of £1m to fund the revamp of Chirk Leisure Centre and Waterworld in Wrexham.”

Before the council voted to close Plas Madoc in 2014, it was running at a £500,000-a-year loss.

Cllr Kevin Hughes, deputy leader of the council Labour group, said: “This funding from the Welsh Labour Government comes just at the right time. I don’t think anyone envisaged just how much work was required and how much money was needed when they took over the building. It’s a tribute to the dedication of the management team, employees and all the volunteers that they’ve kept this much-needed facility going with limited resources.”

Local councillor Paul Blackwell added: “A loan from Wrexham Council would further ease financial pressures caused by neglect over a number of years. The Welsh Labour Government is investing in the facilities of Wrexham, it's about time the council did as well.”

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones said the Trust has spent in excess of £50,000 on repairs ‘which had been allowed to deteriorate as a result of the council assuming eventual demolition of the building’.

Ms Jones added: “There is clearly great support from the public and the profile of the centre is rapidly growing, its successes being noted on a national scale. I am also aware of the contributions of community councils such as Cefn Mawr, Ruabon and Rhos, who are doing everything possible on very tight budgets to support Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

“I feel that the population of Wrexham would welcome their council supporting such a worthy cause.”

Culinary maestro to champion local produce at Hamper Llangollen

* Robert Didier will champion local produce at Hamper Llangollen this weekend.

A culinary expert who trained under chef to the stars Raymond Blanc will be championing local produce at one of the UK's best-loved food festivals.

Robert Didier, whose unique brand of pies, pastries and bread has tantalised the taste buds of the food industry’s toughest critics, will be the first to feature in a host of cooking demonstrations at Hamper Llangollen this weekend, October 15 and 16.

The popular event in the picturesque Denbighshire town has been hailed as one of the UK's top 10 food festivals by both The Independent and the Daily Telegraph.

The restaurateur turned businessman, whose gastronomic finesse has been enjoyed by some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones, is excited to be getting back behind a frying pan, where it all began, to show off the region’s finest, home-grown ingredients.

Robert's handmade bakery business, Wrexham-based Orchard Pigs, continues to go from strength to strength and scooped its first two Great Taste Awards this year for its fruit cake with cheese and gingerbread. The prestigious awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, are the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink.

“I’ve always loved demonstrating, it goes back to my restaurant days. I don’t find it very stressful at all now,” he said.

“It’s like the first time you do a public speech – you spend the first minute judging what the crowd are like and then get into your stride. Most audiences at food festivals have come along to be inspired by food and cooking and that’s what I intend to do.”

Robert will open the festival’s cooking programme on October 15 and among the culinary delights he plans to demonstrate is a feast of Welsh rack of lamb, supplied by D & J Thomas & Sons family butchers in Wrexham, locally-picked wild mushrooms and farm-to-doorstep vegetables as well as a mouth-watering desert of Tarte Tatin with hedgerow fruits and apples.

The top chef, who employs five people, is passionate about supporting local food businesses and growers and protecting the livelihoods of independent suppliers.

“It’s always important to back local producers, if we don’t support local farmers and businesses then our food will be imported from overseas. They might be able to produce it cheaper but the quality and taste isn’t the same,” said the 50-year-old, who runs Orchard Pigs alongside his wife, Nicky.

“If something has been on a lorry for two to three days, it’s not going to offer the same quality. If you buy local, the produce is picked locally and is fresher, there’s more flavour and there’s a better quality overall.

“You can talk to local suppliers and engage with them. If you ask your local butcher for something specific, like pig cheek for instance, they will say ‘no problem’ because they have the whole beast there in the shop.

“But it’s not all about taste. You’re also supporting the infrastructure, providing jobs for youngsters and apprentices. As small businesses grow, they employ people and train them up so that hopefully one day they will go on and start their own business.”

Robert, whose French father was a chef, spent his early career working at Raymond Blanc’s bakery and patisserie, Maison Blanc, in Oxford, which supplied Harrods and a host of top London restaurants with traditional French bread and patisseries.

A stint in the kitchen at Blanc's double Michelin starred restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, in the Oxfordshire village of Great Milton, followed before he travelled to the Valence region of the south of France with his grandmother for a year while he worked as a second chef in a bakery and patisserie.

Robert later opened his own restaurant, Petit Robert, in the Borough Market area of London, before it was compulsory purchased to make way for a new railway line.

He moved to Bwlchgwyn in 2003 where he bought Nant y Ffrith forest, a 250-acre mixed woodland, and populated it with a herd of Oxford sandy and black pigs. What originally started out as a means of managing the undergrowth soon became a thriving business with Robert selling pork, bacon, hams and sausages at farmers’ markets. 

The handmade pies followed and went on to become the focus for the business, with 1,000 to 1,500 now made every week – including Robert’s trademark Tractor wheel pie, using local free range produce.

The business, which is now in its 13^th year, now boasts no fewer than 130 products from artisan breads and cakes through to luxury pastries and deserts – success Robert credits to wife, Nicky, 43, who has led the path to expansion.

“Nicky is a much better salesperson than me and she organises me – I can bake but she is behind the new product development and building sales at the markets and festivals,” he admitted.

Previously, the chef unveiled the UK’s most expensive loaf at Hamper Llangollen, made with champagne and 24 carat gold at a cost of £25. 

To this day, Robert remains at the centre of the business operation – in the kitchens.

“I still love the baking side of things,” he said.

“I love making bread – it’s my first passion – and there’s always something new to learn. It really tests your skill as a chef, judging what’s going on with the temperature in the room and how it’s going to impact your bread.

“It really keeps you on your toes.”

Returning to Hamper Llangollen is always a treat for the chef, who has been a regular for the last 10 years at least.

“Llangollen is a focus for us every year,” said Robert.

“Although it attracts a lot of local people, you get visitors from across the UK who come along for the weekend. Many of the visitors have been coming along as long as we have and you get to know them.”   

Hamper Llangollen chair Colin Loughlin is delighted the food festival has played a part in the Orchard Pigs success story.

He said: "Robert is a multi-talented culinary expert and is a very welcome regular at Hamper Llangollen.

"We're all looking forward to his demonstration, particularly because he will be championing local produce which is what Hamper Llangollen is all about.

“Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality products.

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of the local economy."

* For more information about Hamper Llangollen go to www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

MP calls for radical reforms to Universal Credit

Susan Elan Jones MP has written to Prime Minister Theresa May urging her to make "radical reforms" to Universal Credit.

The Clwyd South Labour Member (pictured) said: "If the Prime Minister really wants a country that works for everyone, she needs to reform the current mess that is the Universal Credit system as soon as possible. 

"I think most of us would support the intentions of Universal Credit to simplify benefits and improve incentives to work. However, the system as it operates at the moment is a serious threat to the incomes of low-paid working families, who are left much worse off when they get transferred onto Universal Credit.

“I am glad we forced the Government to change its mind on tax credit cuts, but I want to see Theresa May go much further to tackle the issue of in-work poverty".

"The shopworkers' union, USDAW, has just produced detailed research that shows that a parent couple, both working in retail, earning just above the so-called National Living Wage, one working full-time and one part-time, would be £1,866 worse off on Universal Credit. That can't be right. It isn't an incentive to work and it isn't supporting family life.

"I am calling on the Prime Minister to do a total overhaul of Universal Credit so that it supports ordinary working families."

Learn to play the ukelele course planned

Plas Madoc wins £500,000 boost

Assembly Member Ken Skates has welcomed a huge investment by the Welsh Labour Government in Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

The Clwyd South AM said he was delighted that communities minister Carl Sargeant had awarded a £500,000 grant for the facility, which was saved from the bulldozers after Wrexham Council leaders voted to demolish it in 2014.

“This £0.5m grant is massive for Plas Madoc, and I’m delighted for the team that their application has been successful. They really deserve this,” said Mr Skates, who was a founder member of the charitable trust set up to save the centre.

Mr Skates added: “I’m proud that the Welsh Labour Government has shown its support for Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, and I would like to thank Carl Sargeant for awarding this grant.

“The volunteers who run the Trust and the centre’s hard-working staff have done such an amazing job, from rescuing and reopening it initially to making it the success story it is now.

“The fact that Plas Madoc is even still standing is testament to a people power, and the public need to continue to support it as they have done so brilliantly over the past two years.”

Decision time looms for controversial homes scheme

* The site of the proposed housing development at Vicarage Road.

A controversial scheme to build 99 homes on land at Vicarage Road in Llangollen is likely to be decided within the next couple of months, according to a senior county planner.

Earlier this year Castlemead Homes submitted an application to Denbighshire County Council for the development, which includes a mixture of two, three and four bedroom detached and semi-detached properties.

But the scheme has sparked fears amongst people in the area that local roads will not be able to cope with the extra traffic it will generate both during construction and when the new homes are occupied.

The scheme has attracted considerable opposition and members of the group campaigning against it have submitted evidence to the council which they say shows the kind of traffic problems it would create on roads leading to the site from the town centre.

One of the opponents has just received notification from a senior planning official which says: “We are in the process of receiving various amended details in relation to the application. Once these details are complete and finalised then a re-consultation with interested parties will take place.

“The deadline to report to October Planning Committee has passed and therefore I would anticipate that the application will be presented to either the November or December Planning meeting.”

Planning permission to build 54 houses on land adjacent to Vicarage Road was granted to Castlemead on appeal by Denbighshire back in 2001.

Attached to the original application was a Section 106 agreement under which the developer was legally bound to build a new access road to the site before the scheme was started.

The field above the main site has since been included in the Local Development Plan at the request of the Planning Inspectorate to encourage the building of more houses to meet local demand.

Castlemead’s latest application has been to build a further 45 homes, making a total of 99 houses on four parcels of land.

A statement issued on behalf of the company by planning consultants in support of the application said it would not be economic to build the access road before construction work starts on the houses and suggests it should be put in place by the time the 31^st dwelling has been occupied.

As part of the formal consultation process, the town council has been able to give its official response to the application although a decision on it rests with the county council.   

At their May meeting all seven members of the town’s planning committee voted to object to the proposal.

In a subsequent development, the Welsh Government told the county council not to decide on the application until major road issues had been clarified.

Wales Rally heading for county

Denbighshire County Council is gearing up to welcome the sights and sounds of rally cars as the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB returns to the county for the third year running.

Two of the stages of this year’s Rally of Legends – the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship - will be staged in the Clocaenog Forest on Sunday morning, October 30^th.

Rally cars will be visiting Ruthin on Thursday 27th and Sunday 30th of October 2016 for servicing and refuelling purposes.

As a result, the car park on Park Road, Ruthin will be closed to the public, except permit holders from Wednesday October 26^th 2016 to Sunday October 30^th 2016  at 5pm.  

Permit holders will be permitted to use the car park outside the following hours; Wednesday October 26^th 6pm to 3pm Thursday October 27^th  2016 and Saturday October 29^th 3pm to 3pm Sunday October 30^th 2016.  On Sunday, 30^th October , rally cars will refuel between 8.30am and 2pm.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE said: “We are delighted to see the return of Wales Rally GB to the county.

“The commitment of Wales Rally GB organisers to return shows that Denbighshire and North Wales as a region is a great place to host major events of this kind. It is one of the key highlights of  rallying calendar with thousands of spectators visiting the stages to see the action and others taking to the streets to show their support to passing vehicles.

“We have a wealth of fantastic scenery and forest locations that are ideal for the sport and we are delighted to be working with organisers to help facilitate another successful event in Denbighshire."

Dayinsure Wales Rally GB comes to the historic town of Ruthin on Sunday, 30^th October.  Live coverage of the Brenig Stage will also be screened at Park Road car park on Sunday, 30 October.  The live broadcast begins at 9am , cars are expected to arrive in Ruthin at 9.50am, the refuelling will be completed  by 12.15pm and the live broadcast comes to an end at 1pm.

For further information about the rally, please visit: www.walesrallygb.com

Special landlord event to be staged at Pavilion

Denbighshire County Council is hosting its latest Landlord Roadshow at Llangollen Pavilion on Tuesday November 1.

The event, which runs between 12 noon and 7pm, is held twice a year by the council's Housing Enforcement Team and provides help, advice, training sessions and presentations for landlords in the county.

There will be help and advice with a range of topics, including Rent Smart Wales, Housing Disrepair, Housing Options and Homelessness, Letting Agents, Energy Efficiency, North Wales Police & Fire Service, Landlord Insurance, My Deposits and Direct Collection Bailiffs.

Training sessions and presentations include:

* 1pm – Rent Smart Wales – Short presentation on new legislation for landlords registering and licensing followed by Q & A

* 2pm – SJL Insurance Services – Presentation Landlord Insurance and how to avoid having your insurance claim refused followed by Q & A

* 3pm – North Wales Police – Training. What all landlords need to know about modern slavery followed by Q & A

* 4pm – Energy Grants – Presentation on free grants available to landlords followed by Q & A

* 5pm – DCC housing Services – Presentation about Landlord incentives, preventing homelessness followed by Q & A

* 6pm – High Court Enforcement Services as seen on TV’s ‘The Sheriffs are coming’ -  Presentation on Enforcement services followed by Q & A.

Organisers say there's no need to book a place at this event, and people can come and go throughout the day. 

* For more information, call  01824 706389.

Eisteddfod celebration ale to premiere at food show

* Raising a toast to Harmony Ale ... Hamper Llangollen chairman

Colin Loughlin with Ynyr Evans from Llangollen Brewery.

A craft brewery has created a special ale so beer lovers can raise a hearty toast to Llangollen International Musical Festival’s landmark 70^th anniversary next year.

Ynyr Evans, who heads up the popular Llangollen Brewery based in Llantysilio just up the road from the famous Eisteddfod site, will be helping ale aficionados say cheers to the iconic annual cultural event when he launches the tasty new brew at this year’s Hamper Llangollen food festival.

And he reckons they’re in for a real treat when they taste his Harmony Ale, inspired by the Eisteddfod’s proud heritage of using music to promote peace and understanding amongst nations.

Thousands of foodies are expected to flock to the popular food festival which will see the Denbighshire tourist town become the culinary capital of Wales over the weekend of October 15 and 16.

Next July’s Eisteddfod will see a round of celebrations to mark 70 years since the very first festival was held in 1947 to foster international reconciliation and friendship in the dark years just after the end of World War Two.

It was with this in mind that 31-year-old Ynyr decided to produce the new ale which he says is specially blended to create a subtly harmonious flavour.

“I’ve been working on the new ale for some months now because I wanted to get the taste just right,” he explained.

“It’s a medium brown traditional bitter which is well-hopped to produce subtle after-tones conveying the Eisteddfod’s atmosphere of harmony.

“I love the festival and have been going there for many years both as a visitor and supplier of beer for the on-field and indoor bars.”

To come up with the new Harmony Ale, Ynyr has brought to bear years of brewing experience which began when he and his uncle Steven Evans, who owns the Abbey Grange Hotel and a number of pubs in the area, went into the beer making business together back in 2010.

Their new brewery was based in what had been the Abbey Grange’s farm shop on the road up to the Horseshoe Pass and close to historic Valle Crucis Abbey.

Ynyr, who had previously obtained a degree in geography and a master’s degree in countryside management, recalls that in the early days they were producing just 250 litres of ale per brewing but that expansion of the operation rapidly followed.

He said: “We extended the brewery into the old stables behind the hotel and gradually upped our production to our current 2,200 litres per brew and also increased our staff to three full-timers and two part-timers.

“We sell to scores of pubs across North Wales and into the North West of England but concentrate very much on looking after our local customer base.

“We only use the finest ingredients and local underground water source to produce our distinctive country ales, which include Llangollen and Welsh Black Bitters, Grange No. 1 and Wrexham Borders pale ales and Llangollen Lager.       

“A couple of years ago we created a beer named Holy Grail inspired by a local legend involving the great Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis and Dinas Bran Castle, on the hilltop towering over Llangollen.

According to the story, the castle is the final resting place for the Holy Grail, the cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper and that there is a tunnel all the way down to the abbey below.

“We launched it at Hamper Llangollen and it went down so well that we’ve kept it in our product line-up.

“We’re doing a single brew of the new Harmony Ale, which means we’ll have 2,200 litres in nine gallon casks selling at about £3 a pint.

“Apart from launching it on our stand at the food festival we’ll also put some of it into local pubs to see what people think of it. If it does we'll consider keeping it too.

“We’re really looking forward to being at Hamper Llangollen again because it’s such a popular festival which we’d never think of missing and I can’t wait to unveil the new Harmony Ale.”

Eisteddfod marketing officer Megan McNutt was very impressed that Ynyr had taken the trouble to brew up the new ale especially for the festival’s landmark anniversary.

“It’s a lovely idea and we’re very grateful to him,” she said.

“It’s particularly nice to see the Eisteddfod being supported in this way by a very prominent local enterprise because apart from its international outlook, our festival relies very heavily on community support."

Hamper Llangollen chairman Colin Loughlin is also looking forward to sampling the new brew.

He said: "I think it's a wonderful idea to create a new ale to celebrate this major milestone in the Eisteddfod's history.

"The fact that the brewery has chosen to launch it at Hamper Llangollen is a perfect way of bringing two of the town's iconic festivals together.

“We're looking forward to a really special event this year. Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting."

* For more details about Hamper Llangollen 2016 visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com