Still places left on first ever illuminated tractor run

* Getting their tractor ready for the big run on December 4 are 13-year-old Harvey and six-year-old Olivia Burke, grandchildren of agricultural contractor Alan Hughes of Garth. 

The area's new Rotary club says it still has space for modern or vintage vehicles festooned with fairy lights to join the first Llangollen Illuminated Tractor Run on Sunday December 4.

The recently launched Vale of Llangollen Rotary and Llangollen and District Young Farmers Association have organised the run. 

Tractors will muster at 3.30pm at Llangollen Pavilion and, after judging, will be waved off at 5pm by town mayor Councillor Paul Keddie and Rotary district governor Paul Dutton.

The route goes up Castle Street on to the A5 and then through Froncysylte, Chirk, St Martins, Overton, Ruabon, Trevor and back to Llangollen. 

Short stop-overs are planned in Chirk and Rhyn Park School car park in St Martins for local people to walk around the tractors and for children to get their photo taken with our Santa.

Spectators are asked to bring along some cash for a charity bucket collection.

A Rotary club spokesperson said: "Please, local farmers, get behind this new attraction and charity fund-raiser for the community.

"You can visit our website at www.valeofllangollenrotary.com and click the page for the tractor run to see the rules, how to register and how to pay for the entry."

Vale of Llangollen Rotary is ready to welcome individuals and couples of 18+ from the local community who want to be “people of action”. 

The club normally meets face-to-face, at Liberty Tavern, 20 Market Street, Llangollen on Monday evenings at 7.15 for 7.30pm.

* For more information on what the new style of Rotary has to offer contact Mike Lade on 07803 038858, valeofllangollenrotary@gmail.com or see www.valeofllangollenrotary.com.

Inner Wheel to host charity whist drive

 

Llangollen Inner Wheel is hosting a charity whist drive at the Welfare House in Market Street on Thursday November 10, starting at 7pm.

The International charity mwmbeers are supporting this year is Mary's Meals which supplyies mid-day meals to schoolchildren in the world's poorest countries. 

Not only does this feed the children but it encourages families to send their children to school.

Health centre invites patients to take part in survey

* Llangollen Health Centre.

As part of the national Access Standards for GP practices in Wales, Llangollen Health Centre is undertaking a Patient Experience Survey.

All our registered patients are invited to give their feedback via the link Patient Experience Survey

or QR code below.  

It only takes a couple of minutes and is completely anonymous.

Paper copies of the survey are also available at the Health Centre.

A Health Centre spokesperson said: "Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey."

Funky Juke goes hybrid and improves its star quality

Nissan Juke hybrid drive by Steve Rogers

Funky, quirky, trendy, call it what you will but no one can deny the Nissan Juke hasn’t captured the hearts of the nation.

It has sold in its hundreds of thousands since bursting on to the fledgling supermini crossover market in 2010. Twelve years on the Sunderland built Juke has hit another landmark...it has gone hybrid.

A natural progression given that all around are doing the same so we have a 1.6 litre petrol backed up by an electric motor giving a total output of 141bhp so it is no dead duck. Hybrid power costs £1,730 more than the standard automatic but Nissan say it is worth it for the extra performance, economy and lower emissions. Are they right?

With that amount of horse power Juke hybrid is quicker off the mark than the standard petrol and stays strong up to motorway speeds. The CVT gearbox makes it a bit noisy as the revs build but that is par for the course and unless you are always in a hurry it will barely be noticed.

Hybrid brings new technology and Juke gets e pedal. Once engaged e pedal brakes the car as the driver lifts off the throttle capturing energy for the batteries. It slows the car to 5mph and although it is not as effective as the Volvo system, which comes to a dead stop, it is a step forward and apart from harnessing battery power saves on brake wear.

We can tick the box on economy as well because after a long trip Juke returned 64mpg and over a week’s driving averaged just over 56mpg.

What about the rest of the car? I was spoilt with a top end Tekna+ so loads of kit and a lot of suede inserts along the dashboard and doors. It also has a stonking Bose sound system with speakers built into the head rest on the front seats.

Dashboard layout is more or less the same as the standard car with an 8-inch touchscreen for navigation, radio, phone apps etc, but thankfully Nissan has stuck with physical switches for the heating controls. It is ditto for the driver’s binnacle apart from energy flow graphics replacing the rev counter.

For a small car Juke is quite roomy although the boot has given up some of its capacity to the battery pack. Back seat legroom brought praise from passengers but they laid into the lack of light. Juke has a high waistline and slim back windows which, they said, made it claustrophobic which goes to show bold styling is not without its pitfalls.

That heavy battery pack has another negative side effect. My guess is the suspension has been beefed up to compensate for the extra weight resulting in an overly hard ride which becomes obvious the moment you hit anything but a smooth surface.

The upside, if you can call it that, is smart handling through the twisty bits, but surely companies have enough technology at their disposal to come up with a better compromise when it comes to tuning suspension.

Equipment level across the range is reasonable but if you can stretch to Tekna+ you will enjoy, amongst other things, navigation, Bluetooth, mobile phone connections, heated front seats, heated windscreen, front and rear parking sensors and camera, auto dipping headlights, and keyless entry with walkaway locking and unlocking on approach, along with a strong list of safety features.

In its early years Juke had a love it hate it reputation. Not everyone liked its futuristic styling but attitudes soften as has the styling. The bulging ‘frog eye’ sidelights on the top of the bonnet have been toned down and now blend nicely above the headlights but otherwise that brave bit of styling by Brit Mark Weaver is unchanged.

Now the burning question. Is it worth the extra money to switch to hybrid? For me it is a no brainer. I am not ready to go electric even though I love driving them, but hybrid has to be the sensible choice because they give more economy, more performance and lower emissions, and a lot more people will come to that conclusion as we close in on 2030.

Juke had star quality back in 2010 and that star is even brighter with hybrid power. Would I buy one? Yes, if I couldn’t get a Toyota Yaris Cross.....

Fast facts

Juke Tekna+

£30,150 (range starts £27,250)

1.6 litre petrol auto; 141bhp

0-62mph 10.1secs; 103mph

56.5mpg combined

114g/km 1st tax £190

Insurance group 15

Boot: 354-1114 litres

 

MS calls out 'abhorrent' behaviour shown to councillors and candidates

Sam Rowlands, MS for North Wales, has called for more protection for local councillors and candidates from abuse. 

Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government was speaking during Local Government Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government, Rebecca Evans, in the Senedd. 

He said: “Recently a 2022 council candidate from Newport received hundreds of pounds-worth of damage to his car, and that isn't the first attack on his property, with targets to his house, nails pushed into his car tyres and social media trolling during the recent council and Senedd elections.

“In light of this Minister, what are your views on council candidates, who are willing to put their head above the parapet and represent their communities, having to deal with this abhorrent abuse? 

“This is not just a recent or single issue for one candidate. In May's elections, paint was thrown over cars owned by a long-serving Swansea councillor, which led to irreparable damage; we saw two councillors in Caerphilly receive abuse letters, calling them all sorts of things and the police had to get involved in that; in addition, a Cardiff councillor, who'd been a councillor for a long time, shared some horrific stories about some of the abuse that she has had to face up to over recent years. 

“You have outlined some of the work and the actions that you are undertaking.  It is really important that we protect our local councillors, our local candidates, from this disgusting behaviour.” 

The Minister said: “We have to give respect to anybody who puts themselves forward as a candidate for a community council, town council or county council election, because it does take an element of bravery to do that. Abuse of any candidate is absolutely unacceptable and we have to do everything that we can to prevent it.  

“One of the important things that we have to do is to help councillors understand that this kind of behaviour isn't acceptable, because there's often an inclination on the part of elected representatives to think that abuse just comes with the job, and it absolutely shouldn't. We have recently refreshed 'The good councillor's guide', and that very much is about helping those councillors understand what is and isn't acceptable in terms of the response that they receive and potentially the abuse that they receive, and it also then helps them to understand what support might be available to them.”

Long-time museum volunteer and author dies aged 77

* Janet Wakefield.

The funeral of a woman who involved herself deeply in Llangollen life over two decades and has died at the age of 77 will be held later this month. 

Janet Wakefield, who had lived with her partner of 25 years Keith Sullivan in a cottage on the canal since 2002, was the author of a series of popular local history books and for many years a volunteer at the town’s museum. 

Born in Eyam, Derbyshire in 1945, Janet spent her entire career in nursing. 

After completing her training in Edinburgh she joined the nursing staff at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield and later worked as a steelworks nurse, a district nurse and the matron of a nursing home in that city.      

Moving over to Wales Janet was a senior member of the nursing staff on Luke Ward at Wrexham Maelor Hospital until her retirement in 2005. 

While at Llangollen Museum she wrote and published three history books - on local pottery, breweries and ghost stories. 

She also wrote the words and music for a musical about a mischievous local cat, entitled The Life and Times of China Tom, which was performed at Llangollen Town Hall. 

Janet, who died on September 28, had a son, Stuart, a daughter, Rachel, and two grandchildren. 

Partner Keith said of her: “She involved herself deeply in the life of the town and will be sadly missed by many people.” 

Janet’s funeral will take place at Pentre Bychan Crematorium at 11am on Monday November 21 when the celebrant will be Charlie Jones from Llangollen. All are welcome to attend.    

Roadworks planned for Chapel Street

 

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Chapel Street, Denbighshire 03 November - 02 December   Roadworks, Delays possible   Traffic management: Traffic control (multi-way signals)   Description: Installation of New Traffic signal heads and Controller. Loop Cutting and installation...   Works location: Castle Street   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Denbighshire County Council.   Responsibility for works: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Forward planning   Works reference: QR015S000000001852

Former Young 'Uns star makes West End debut

* West End debut: Cassius Hackforth.

A former member of Llangollen Operatic Society's junior section, the Young 'Uns, has made his professional West End stage debut.

Cassius Hackforth was one of the regular favourites with the group, taking leading roles in a number of its productions including the smash-hit Half a Sixpence in 2015.

He went on to study at the famous Trinity Laban stage school in London and at the weekend he made his first professional appearance in the West End revival of Tim Rice and Stuart Brayson's epic musical From Here To Eternity at the Charing Cross Theatre.

On its Facebook page the Operatic Society says: "2022 has been quite the year for Cassius, as he graduated from Trinity Laban earlier this year.

"It predictably didn't take long for Cassius to make his mark, as he reached the final of the Stephen Sondheim Society's Student Performer of the Year competition in May, and made in his West End debut in The Secret Garden at The London Palladium in August.

"You may have also seen Cassius starring in several adverts since graduating, as he appeared in a commercial for Android and interrupted the singing of none other than Ellie Goulding in an another advert for SPAR."

* Cassius Hackforth in 2016.

New acupuncture clinic opens in Llangollen

* Jo Pearson has opened her own acupuncture clinic.

J K Acupuncture is now open, providing a dedicated space in Llangollen for the traditional Chinese medicine of acupuncture.  

Practitioner Jo Pearson, whose business it is, said: “I’m so excited to finally realise my dream opening an acupuncture clinic in my home town for the community of Llangollen.  I’ve made every effort to provide a calm and peaceful environment for my patients and cannot wait to welcome people to the clinic."

Jo said: "Acupuncture is a well respected therapy that has demonstrable benefits for many health conditions such as sciatica, stress, anxiety, depression, migraines, tinnitus, asthma, fertility, Bell's Palsy and insomnia. 

"Each treatment is tailored to meet the individual's needs and seeks to treat the underlying cause, as opposed to merely treating the symptoms.  

"TCM Acupuncture is widely used alongside Western medicine with patients typically reporting health benefits including pain relief, reduction of symptoms and a general sense of wellbeing." 

* The inside of the clinic.

With a BSc (Hons) in Acupuncture, Jo is a fully qualified and licenced Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, with membership of the Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ATCM) and the British Acupuncture Federation (BAF).

She has lived in Llangollen for nearly 20 years and will be a familiar face to many having performed with Llangollen Pantomime Group and Llangollen Operatic Society. 

The clinic has daytime and evening appointments available. To book or for more information, contact Jo on:

* Tel:  07413 293408.  

* Email:  info@jkacupuncture.co.uk 

* Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085066451166 

* Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CkQrd9ttV8l/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Roadworks planned for Church Street

 

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is: 

Church Street, Denbighshire 31 October - 02 November   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: New service required at property. Excavation of a joint bay in footway outside 5a Church Street and...   Works location: Outside 5   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by SP Energy Networks.   Responsibility for works: SP Energy Networks   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: GY002CCT971139

Bikers attend service in square to launch Poppy Appeal

* The Centenary Square service is conducted by Father Lee Taylor and the Rev Rebecca Cannon.

* Bikers gather for the Act of Remembrance.

* A bugler sounds Last Post.

* One of the bikers lays a wreath at the foot of the war memorial.

Around 20 Legion Bikers - the motorcycle branch of the Royal British Legion - attended a special Service of Remembrance in Llangollen's Centenary Square this morning (Sunday) marking the official launch of the 2022 Poppy Appeal.  

It was conducted jointly by Father Lee Taylor from Collen's Church and the Rev Rebecca Cannon.

The service included the traditional prayers, bugle calls and the minute's silence.

The bikers visit a number of parishes in North Wales as part of the commemorative event.   

Talented cast present Collen Players' latest music hall show

Pictures by Jeanette Robinson

* The cast of the music hall and variety show.

* Esme Salnow, left, and Sue Stokes.

* Phil Robinson.

* John Williams.

* Chairman Lee Taylor.

* Sue Stokes.

* Esme Salnow.

* Accompanist Owen Roberts.

A diverse array of talented performers presented Collen Players' latest old time music hall and variety show at the Community Centre yesterday evening.

Presided over as usual by Father Lee Taylor in his guise as the quick-talking Victorian music hall chairman, the show got under way with a selection of rousing songs from the era under his direction with which the packed audience sang enthusiastically along.  

First up on stage was Players' regular Sue Stokes accompanying herself on the ukelele with a rousing Knees Up Mother Brown. She was assisted by returning favourite Esme Salnow who provided the dance exertion to move the number along.

Next it was the turn of another cast regular Phil Robinson to describe in colourful terms how My Old Man's a Dustman. 

Esme was back shortly afterwards to present two songs in her own polished period style - Under the Bed and Burlington Bertie.

Right after the break and more patter plus a Max Bygraves selection from the chairman, Sue Stokes returned to the stage with My Old Man Said Follow the Van and then Phil Robinson was back to relate that plaintive cry of Alfie Dootlittle from My Fair Lady of Get Me to the Church on Time.

In his appearances John Williams provided moving versions of the standards Keep Right on to the End of the Road, The End of the Day and Roses of Picardy.

In was then time for a touch of old Hollywood-style glitz as Esme came back to sing and soft-shoe-shuffle her way through I'm Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter and Putting on the Ritz.

Accompanist for the evening was Owen Roberts.

The now-traditional rousing choruses of Down at the Old Bull and Bush, ably augmented by the audience, brought the evening's enjoyable proceedings to a fitting close.    

Meeting planned to take forward Llan Parkrun

* Photograph courtesy and with thanks to volunteers at Henley Wood Parkrun, Oswestry.

Local people are being invited to a meeting at Llangollen Health Centre in Bishop’s Walk  on the evening of November 8, starting at 7pm, to discuss setting up a Park Run for Llangollen. 

A spokesperson for the group said: "We need amongst other things to set up a core group who will be responsible for establishing and launching our Parkrun. 

"We also need a team of people to volunteer on a regular basis - every Saturday at 9am once the event is launched - to marshall the course and we will also need time-keepers, bar-code scanners and people to lay out the course and clear it up after the event. It’s great community fun.

"We will explain everything at the meeting and look forward to your attendance."

Woodland trees to be felled to prevent spread of larch disease

* Foel-woodland.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will begin to fell larch trees at Foel Woodland, near Llangollen, this November.

This is part of NRW’s Larch Reduction Strategy to help control the spread of Phytophthora ramorum, commonly known as larch disease.

NRW will then replant and establish a native woodland within the felled areas. This is part of the staged approach to the eventual removal of all larch from within the Foel Woodland.

The work will involve felling the trees with the use of a harvester and chainsaw support. The operations will begin in November 2022 with the aim of being finished by April 2023.

Once removed they will go to sawmills to be used for house building material, fencing and wood fuel.

The Foel Woodland block is located directly above the village of Pentredwr, about three miles to the north of Llangollen and clearly visible from the Horseshoe Pass.

Aidan Cooke, Senior Officer Forest Operation for NRW, said: “Felling the larch trees now allows us to adequately plan for a sensitive operation without the timing restrictions of a Statutory Plant Health Notice.

“By removing Larch trees from the Foel in stages, we will have the opportunity to re-create a diverse and resilient native woodland habitat throughout the woodland to help benefit wildlife and enhance the environment for everyone’s enjoyment.

“We will work closely with the Forestry Works Manager and the local community in Pentredwr throughout the tree felling operations to reduce the impact of the works wherever possible.”

* If you have any concerns regarding the scheduled works please contact North East Wales’ Forest Operations Team via email on ForestOperationsNE@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk.

Forester is up there with the best off-roaders

Subaru Forester drive by Steve Rogers

Let’s face it, you don’t see many Subaru Foresters around yet this car is up there with the best off roaders money can buy, its sophisticated all wheel drive system capable of handling conditions many drivers would be afraid to attempt.

The brand is best known for its rally winning Imprezza which was also favoured by the cops because tearaway drivers couldn’t get away from it.

Subaru would prefer that side of the business was confined to its proud history preferring to concentrate on more economic, environmentally friendly cars. The new Solterra, for instance, is an eye catching electric car so the company has definitely drawn a line under its wild side.

Forester has been around for 25 years but has never enjoyed the success of more illustrious rivals. It is not that Subaru models are not liked, there are just not enough showrooms to get customers interested.

Which is not the case if you travel further afield. I have just spent some time on the east coast of Canada and over the border into Boston where Subaru models, particularly the XV Cross Trek, are as common as Tim Horton doughnut cafes. And it is much the same story in Nordic countries although the clue there is snow!

On the surface Forester should stand up to scrutiny against any of its medium sized SUV rivals. It is a roomy, solidly built, well equipped car that can go anywhere and pretty much do anything.

The permanent symmetrical all wheel drive system called X-Mode has gained legendary status making Forester far and away the most capable off roader in its league. If you are a caravanner worried about the cost of diesel then Forester is a good option and has the best towing capacity of any hybrid SUV.

Is it over engineered for our needs? Money no object punters who spend £90k on a Range Rover don’t care about paying for off road technology that will never be used, but lower down the chain nearly 40 grand for a Forester is quite a slab against £33,000 for a basic Honda CR-V.

The real point here is that Forester, along with its siblings, is engineered for markets that need the highest level of off road ability but it does not deserve to be ignored  by UK drivers.

That said there is a lot more to the car than its ability to traverse rocks, greasy drops and the like. It has been given a mild facelift with a redesigned grille and light signature but more significantly is built on a new platform which has made it more engaging to drive and improved passenger comfort.

With the diesel engine dropped the only power unit is the trusty 2-litre flat four Boxer mated to a CVT gearbox that works better than most, a rarity these days. Economy was always its Achilles heal but things have improved with the addition of hybrid power.

I was expecting no more than low thirties at best and was gobsmacked when it pumped in a 46.3 on a 340 mile round trip. Where did that come from?

The cabin trim has a quality feel and at first glance the layout is pleasing with touchscreen and clear tactile switches for the heating controls. But a closer look revealed areas that are outdated.

I like my switches, especially to work the heating rather than scrolling though a touchscreen, but the centre console is awash with them, and there are more.  Below and to the right of the steering wheel is a bank of eight whose symbols cannot be read so they need to be memorised. This is not good.

What is good is the Eyesight safety system. This was ground breaking when introduced in 2016 using two cameras built into the rear view mirror to monitor and take evasive action in an emergency. That has three new functions including recognizing the edge of the road and grass when the lane departure system is activated.

The problem for Forester is that it is not seen as a fashionable alternative to more trendy rivals like Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V but is certainly underrated and deserves the title as an off road maestro.

Fast facts

Forester e-Boxer XE Premium

£40,895 (starts £37,895)

2-litre petrol; 164bhp

0-62mph 11.8secs; 117mph

41.9mpg combined

Road tax £155

Insurance group 23

Boot 509-1779 litres

Towing 1870kg

Final consultation opens on Wales’s new constituencies

* The newly-proposed Clwyd East constituency including Llangollen at the bottom of the map.

* The new constituency map of north and mid Wales. 

Clwyd East is at number 14. 

The Boundary Commission for Wales has published its revised proposals for re-shaping the map of Welsh Parliamentary constituencies which will come into force at the next general election.

As well as publishing its proposals, the commission has opened a consultation period, closing on November 15, during which the public can share their views on the proposed constituencies.

Under rules set out in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (as amended) each constituency proposed by the Boundary Commission for Wales must contain between 69,724 and 77,062 electors.

The Revised Proposals see changes to the majority of constituencies initially proposed by the Commission in September 2021, and changes are proposed to every existing constituency.

That includes Clwyd South which currently includes Llangollen.

Under the commission’s proposals the town will form part of a new Clwyd East constituency of 76,395 electors compared to Clwyd South’s 77,062.

This new constituency also includes areas such as Ruthin immediately to the north of Llangollen, Llanarmon-lal/Llandegla to the immediate north as well as parts of Flintshire such as Leeswood, Northop, Mostyn, Caerwys and Ffynongrow up towards the coast, Mold and Prestatyn .

The proposals mean that areas not far from Llangollen, such as Corwen and Glyn Ceiriog, will be included in a separate new constituency called Montgomeryshire/Glyndwr. It was also include Rhos, Cefn, Acrefair and Johnstown.

The boundary review began in January 2021 and the commission is required to submit its full recommendations to Parliament on July 1, 2013.

The proposals were created following two separate consultations and five Public Hearings since the commission’s initial proposals were published.

The commission says it considered several factors in developing its proposals, as well as the statutory range of electors.

Geography (such as lakes, rivers, and mountains) was an important consideration, as was current boundaries such as local authority and ward boundaries. The commission also considered local ties, such as shared history and culture as it developed its initial proposals.

The commission is now inviting comments on its proposals as it launches its final four-week consultation period. Members of the public are encouraged to send in their views, whether they support or oppose the proposals.

The commission has however stated that it has no power to set the number of MPs, which was decided by Parliament, and will not be able to consider arguments around the number of constituencies in Wales.

An online consultation portal at bcw-reviews.org.uk features the proposals in full, and members of the public can submit their views directly through the portal.

Deputy Chair of the Commission Mrs Justice Jefford DBE said: “The Commission received 1,367 written and 81 oral representations on the initial proposals.

“Public hearings were held across Wales to enable members of the public to express their views on the initial proposals and to suggest how they could be amended and improved.

“The commission is extremely grateful to all those who took the time to contribute.

“As a result, the commission has revised the initial proposals. It has proposed changes, often significant changes, to 22 of the 32 proposed constituencies.

“It has also proposed different names for nine of the constituencies. There is now an opportunity to make representations on these revised proposals before the Commission makes its final report on proposed Parliamentary constituencies in Wales.”

Following the consultation period, the commission will assess the representations received and submit its final recommendations to Parliament in July 2023.

The final recommendations will come into effect automatically at the next scheduled General Election.

* People can take part in the consultation by emailing bcw@boundaries.wales or writing to The Commission in the post at Boundary Commission for Wales, Hastings House, Cardiff, CF24 0BL.