County leader and cabinet survive vote of no-confidence

* Council and Labour leader Jason McLellan.

A vote of no-confidence in the leader and cabinet of Denbighshire County Council sparked by the way they have handled the troubled introduction of a new waste recycling scheme was lost 25-17 at the full council meeting this morning (Tuesday).

The motion, put forward by the Independent group of councillors and supported by the Conservatives, was successfully defeated by the ruling Labour group backed by Plaid Cymru and Green members. There were three abstentions.

Supported by Llangollen’s two county councillors, Karen Edwards and Paul Keddie, the motion, which was debated at length, read: “We wish to propose the motion for the removal of Leader Councillor Jason McLellan and his Cabinet.

“Recent events surrounding the leadership of the council have raised serious concerns about their effectiveness.

“The disastrous and inefficient execution of the new waste recycling system, coupled with the lack of clarity and ownership highlighted in a recent briefing, has resulted in a complete loss of confidence among residents.

“Moreover, the ripple effects of this new system have placed a significant strain on other departments within Denbighshire County Council, as staff resources have been diverted to address the failures of the recycling initiative.

“This diversion has led to a noticeable increase in operational costs, which in turn has negatively impacted frontline services that are vital to the community.

“The lack of strategy and effective leadership has caused considerable challenges for residents throughout the county, and the financial implications for the authority have been immense. It is no longer sustainable to maintain this approach, and the priority must be the well-being of Denbighshire residents. Therefore, as members of the independent group, we strongly call upon the Leader and his Cabinet to resign.”

A spokesperson for the county council said: “During today’s full council meeting in County Hall, Ruthin, a motion of no confidence in the Leader and the Cabinet of Denbighshire County Council was put forward. In accordance with due process a full and open discussion was conducted in the council meeting followed by a recorded vote.  

“The result of the recorded vote was 17 for the motion, 25 against the motion and 3 abstentions, which means the motion was not carried, therefore the Leader and Cabinet will remain in situ.”

Cllr Karen Edwards said in the debate: "For the last 15 weeks chaos and confusion has reigned supreme over the new Denbighshire waste and recycling collection service. 

"We are all aware how quickly the rollout failed to deliver and by the middle of June I had already voiced my concerns with respect to the systemic issues that were causing the failures in service delivery within Llangollen and the surrounding rural villages. The leadership of the Council supported by the Cabinet dismissed these as 'teething problems'.   

"Rather than hold DCC leadership to account and demand improvement, the Cabinet backed those officers responsible, collectively offered some apologies, donned some PPE, made some videos, ridden the waste lorries on the rounds and told us, all would be well in 12 weeks.

"The situation only got worse. Collections across the county failed to materialise and rubbish piled up in residents’ bins ,driveways, pavements, and streets, meanwhile they congratulated themselves and their colleagues for the great steps forward and  DCC officers told residents how proud they were of the work done whilst the Head of Service chastised Councillors for stepping in on the ground with waste teams to help get rubbish collected from our wards. The HOS ( Head of Service ) asked me to ‘refrain from interfering with operational matters’.

"This is a Council Leadership and Cabinet in collective denial at the scale of the problem.

"Fifteen weeks on we still have a system which albeit marginally improved from the start is still failing to consistently deliver a statutory service to the residents in my ward. It has consumed over £500k of  additional costs and partial improvements have only been brought about by the addition of extra personnel and vehicles, increased rounds, overtime and DCC staff being reallocated from their normal duties.

"All throughout this period the Cabinet and Council leadership have, like Nero, simply fiddled and in some cases holidayed whilst Denbighshire's fragile budget is being burnt up on this bonfire of failure.
 
"Rather than seek to determine the real systemic failures they have offered apology after apology week in week out to anyone they can possibly give one to. These apologies are meaningless. The Cabinet leader has admitted apologies don’t collect waste, but he still offers them knowing they are hollow.

"Whilst some councillors will claim all is well in their wards, I can hand on heart say they are not well in Llangollen. As an example, over the weekend, residents who I have helped several times already have come to me again advising of no collections in the past fortnight. 

"There have also been reports of other Health and safety issues and all this taking place despite officers telling us that extensive training had been undertaken.

"New cases arise, and closed cases reopen, it’s a perpetual pattern and for the last 15 weeks, my life has been consumed by this issue. Officers never appeared to have control of this project and they are still struggling to get into a steady state. They have resorted to obfuscation, hand wringing, meaningless apologies, numerous short-lived initiatives, and constant denial of the true scales of the problems.

"The Cabinet under the current leadership is failing to demonstrate its control over DCC officers  to rectify the situation. It is weakly led and unwilling to act decisively to demand more accountability and responsibility and to accept this system was not fit for purpose. The Lead member for waste and recycling and the Leader have to accept responsibility for this failure.

"Getting back to the basics though, as we sit here now in this chamber, waste remains uncollected, the rollout of additional programmes such as AHP are stalled because the system cannot cope with any more demand, and every week more overspend is happening. Control of the scheme has failed; fresh initiatives by DCC Officers to regain control are short lived, root causes of failure remain unknown, and control of the budget has been completely lost.

"The original estimated cost saving of £500K per annum has been consumed and it continues to cost £55-60K per week more than planned which equates to approximately £3m per annum. That is the stark reality we are now facing, the evidence of failure is overwhelming, undisputable, and ultimately, no doubt  it will be the residents that will be expected to pick up the tab, for what is a complete failure in the planning and implementation of this scheme and that is totally unacceptable.

"Consequently I have no confidence that any cabinet member or any of the leadership team responsible for this disaster can provide the assurance needed today that there is an end in sight, a fit for purpose recovery plan in place, and when the additional costs which are deeply damaging to the County’s budget will cease."

* To watch the debate, go to: https://denbighshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/909417 

Celebrate the work of local charities and volunteers

The Welsh Charity Awards are back! 

The awards, organised by WCVA, recognise and celebrate the fantastic contribution charities, community groups, not-for-profits and volunteers make to Wales by highlighting and championing the positive difference we can make to each other’s lives.

This is your chance to celebrate the life changing impact of not only charities but volunteers and voluntary organisations of all shapes and sizes in Wales. Whether or not they’re an award winner or finalist, being nominated for an award shows an organisation or individual that their work is valued and makes a huge difference.

There are eight categories in this year’s Welsh Charity Awards:

• Volunteer of the Year (26 and over)
• Young Volunteer of the Year (25 and under)
• Fundraiser of the year
• Champion of diversity award
• Best use of Welsh language award
• Most influential small organisation
• Health and wellbeing award
• Organisation of the year award

Making a nomination is easy, simply visit the Welsh Charity Awards website and, read the rules and complete the online form.

Organisers say: "Please take this opportunity to shout about your favourite voluntary organisation or volunteer, and give them the chance of getting some well-earned recognition and a glitzy night to remember at the Welsh Charity Awards ceremony."

The deadline for nominations is September 13, 2024. For more information and to nominate, visit www.welshcharityawards.cymru.

The Welsh Charity Awards are made possible thanks to headline sponsor The Open University Wales and the other category sponsors.

New Dolphin makes BYD for slice of EV market

BYD Dolphin launch by Steve Rogers

The BYD story is picking up pace with two new versions of the best selling Dolphin and a new SUV later this month.

First a quick reminder about the company that is still a mystery to many. It arrived from China last year with two electric cars, ATO 3 SUV and then the Dolphin, a five door family hatchback around the size of a Vauxhall Astra that has become its best seller.

BYD - Build Your Dreams - started life as a battery maker and, believe it or not, plays a huge part in our daily lives powering one in five smartphones and half of the world’s ipads.

Its big selling point is building affordable electric cars and on the back of the success of Dolphin is expanding the range with smaller battery outputs to keep prices down.

So two new models each with a 44.9kWh battery pack, Active with a range of 211 miles and the more powerful Boost with 193 miles. Even the 95bhp Active is sprightly but you get more zing from the 173bhp Boost which also switches to multi-link rear suspension for a slightly more settled ride. A fair question is why isn’t it on the Active model as well?

If planning a long journey a top up would be needed around the 150 mile mark so look for a 100kW charging point and the car can be 80 percent full in just under half an hour although these new models are aimed at customers who do not cover many miles.

Pricing is still competitive compared to the big names but cannot claim to be the cheapest with the Renault backed Dacia setting the cat amongst the pigeons with its £15k low range electric car.

Reducing the size of the battery pack has not impacted on the level of equipment, a strong point of the Dolphin, so you still get the big rotating screen, vegan leather trim, 360 degree surround camera, powered front seats. LED auto dipping headlights, and a safety pack that includes forward collision warning with emergency braking and rear cross traffic braking. There is a trolley full of technology, cheery design with lots of thoughtful touches and several storage spaces.

This is a spacious car thanks to its wafer thin underfloor battery pack. I sat behind a six foot driver and had plenty of legroom. Boot space is not class leading but more than adequate for family motoring.

Living with the Dolphin will take a bit of getting used to. There is precious little in the way of switches so prepare to be bamboozled by the touchscreen which controls just about everything. A good voice control system helps out until you get used to operating regular functions like heating selections and tuning the radio. There is no navigation but connections for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so routes can be displayed on the main screen.

BYD has had a good first 18 months with sales climbing steadily from 213 to 3,600. Dealerships have gone from four to 60 and that will double through next year when showrooms will open in north and south Wales.

We are going to see a lot more Chinese vehicles on our roads because joining BYD and MG is another newcomer with the strange name of Omoda. Next up for BYD is a plug-in hybrid SUV version of the Seal luxury saloon with prices ranging from £33,205 to £39,905.

That should be very interesting because the Seal was my 2023 Car of the Year.

Fast facts

Dolphin Active/Boost

£26,195/£27,195

Battery: 44.9kWh

Power: 95bhp/173bhp

Boot: 345-1310 litres

Warranty: 6 years

Battery: 8 years

New school admissions system to be implemented

From September, parents and carers will now be able to make applications for the academic year starting September in 2025, using a new Education Self-Service system. 

The new system will cover Nursery, Reception, Junior, and Year 7 school places, and will help streamline the application process, allowing parents and guardians to have a central and accessible way to easily view applications. 

To be able to use this system, users will need to setup a secure account and provide relevant details such as: 

1. Their details.
2. The details of their children.
3. The schools they wish to select. 

 

This change will make it easier for parents and carers to track their applications from start to finish, with future outcome notifications also provided in the system. 

Admission Phase	Admission forms available from	Consideration period	Closing date	Offer Date
Secondary	02/09/2024	02/09/2024   -   04/11/2024	04/11/2024	03/03/2025
Junior	23/09/2024	23/09/2024  –  18/11/2024	18/11/2024	16/04/2025
Reception	23/09/2024	23/09/2024  –  18/11/2024	18/11/2024	16/04/2025
Nursery	23/09/2024	23/09/2024  –  17/02/2025	17/02/2025	06/05/2025

 

Applications must be received before the closing dates shown above in order to be considered.  

For applications for September 2025, pupils must be of the following age:

 

	Child must be born between:
Nursery	1 September 2021 & 31 August 2022
Reception	1 September 2020 & 31 August 2021
Junior (year 3)	1 September 2017 & 31 August 2018
Secondary (year 7)	1 September 2013 & 31 August 2014

 

* Parents and guardians can set up an account through this link: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/education-self-service

Geraint Davies, Head of Service for Education at Denbighshire County Council said: “This new online facility will allow parents and carers to access and track their applications from start to finish more easily. Having the applications in one place also helps if there are a number of applications pending at one time."

Councillor Diane King, Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said: “It is great that we are making our school applications system easier to use and more accessible. I’d like to thank all involved for all of their hard work in developing and implementing this new system.”

Llangollen antique shop owner pens Gresford disaster book

In time to commemorate its 90^th anniversary later this month a man closely associated with the area’s coal mining heritage has published a book about the Gresford Colliery Disaster.

The 1934 catastrophe, which took place on September 22^nd 1934, saw a series of explosions rip through the Dennis Section of the mine to claim the lives of over 250 men in a matter of minutes.

The men blamed the pit management, the management blamed the men and the government fined the pit owner £500, or £2 per man lost. The dead are still underground.

George Roberts McGill, who lives in Ruabon and for years has run a well-known antique shop in Llangollen, was born into a mining community in Southsea, Wrexham, 75 years ago and had family members who worked down the local Plas Power pit.

He says this has given him a special empathy for the industry and the people who have worked in it and led him to write “No Moon No Stars”, a story he has woven around fictional characters with a connection to the disaster.

Although the paperback he has created runs to 140 pages he points out that it isn’t written in the style of a book at all but rather a theatrical script with over dozen characters who appear in it being guided by stage directions and speaking their lines as in the theatre.

George, who is retired but for many years has had the Passers Buy antique shop in Llangollen, said the title of his work is taken from a poem about the disaster by local writer Rhona Roberts, which appeared first in a Wrexham newspaper in the year of the disaster.

“I decided to use it as the title for the book – or play - which took me over 20 years to put together and has just been published,” he explained.

“I decided to write it as a script as I’m not a writer and couldn’t do a book. But I do know a bit about the style of plays, dialogue, scripts and stage directions as for a number of years I’ve appeared in local amateur stage productions. I’m actually rehearsing at the moment for the latest comedy, ‘Allo ‘Allo: The Camembert Caper, which Llangollen Twenty Club will be performing in November.”

George built up “No Moon No Stars” using anecdotes about Wrexham’s coal mining years he fund in books, autobiographies, biographies and old films of the period and the “cast” includes a mining family of grandfather, son and daughter, a police sergeant, a local doctor, a vicar and even a drunken Mancunian visitor to the area.

The action takes place just before, during and in the aftermath of the disaster, with even a few scenes set down a coalmine.

George said: “It is being sold on Amazon and I’m also distributing it to various venues in and around Wrexham, such as the Miners Rescue Museum in the city’s Maesgwn Road, Waterstones bookshop and the local library.

“I’m not taking any money for the ones they sell and have told them to keep the proceeds and put it towards their own upkeep.

“I wanted to do this because I have a strong feeling for the coal mining community, not just in this area but right across Britain.

“I even painted the front cover myself in the dementia-friendly art class in Wrexham that I help out with.

“It’s likely to be my one and only venture into writing but I must admit I have another subject in mind which quite interests me, so you never know.”   

* No Moon No Stars is available on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moon-Stars-George-Roberts-McGill/dp/B0DDHCVP22     

Latest dates at Pengwern Community Hub

 

Citizens Advice column for September

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice:

Q: Everywhere I look I see adverts for upcoming sales - Black Friday and Cyber Monday ‘deals’ are jumping out at me from all directions. Some of the prices seem too good to be true - how can I be sure I really am getting a good deal and not being scammed? 

A: You’re not the only one eager to bag a bargain. The busiest shopping time of the year is also a busy time for cyber criminals who use the spike in spending to disguise their scams as legitimate shopping sites. 

Fraudsters are also taking advantage of AI advances to help them produce accurate and professional-looking content to trick victims into giving away their financial details. 

It sounds like you’re aware there are risks when buying online and that scammers will try to tempt consumers with special offers, fake reviews and sought-after items at rock bottom prices. The good news is there are ways you can protect yourself and shop safely. 

Here Citizens Advice Senior Consumer Expert, Kate Hobson, shares her top five tips to make sure you don’t end up with more, or less, than you bargained for during this busy shopping season. 

1. Make sure you don’t feel rushed. Scammers will often create a sense of urgency by claiming it’s a limited offer or price which encourages you to act without taking as much time to consider the purchase. 

2. Know who you are buying from – if buying from a company you have not used before, check reviews and previous customers’ feedback. If in doubt, don’t buy. 

3. Be wary of suspicious web links. These may direct you to fake (but realistic-looking) websites. It is better to type in the website address yourself. 

4. Don’t share any one-time codes that you’re sent when shopping online. These codes are used to confirm that you’re the one making the purchase, so don’t share them with anyone. 

5. Avoid paying anyone you don’t know by bank transfer. Paying by credit card for single items costing £100 and over gives you legal protection if the goods do not arrive, are faulty, or do not match the description. Paying by credit or debit card for orders costing less than £100 also gives you protection using your card provider’s voluntary ‘Chargeback’ scheme. 

* If you’re worried that something you’ve seen online might be a scam, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer line by calling 0808 223 1133 or visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer for more information.

John Palmer completes skydive challenge at 77

                                * John Palmer kitted out and ready for the skydive.

Llangollen man John Palmer has just completed his first skydive at the age of 77, raising money for  a cause close to his heart. Here he describes how it went:

"I completed my tandem sky dive last week.  It had been postponed because of inclement weather.  However the forecast was promising and I arrived at Skydive Tilstock Freefall Club in Whitchurch at 8 am.  

"It was still a bit damp and cloudy but that gave us time for a briefing and some drills one of which was stretching back like a banana – necessary for the freefall part, and the second was pulling my knees to my chest to facilitate our landing. Having confirmed that I could actually do it, I put on my suit, met my instructor and got into the minibus to drive to the plane.  

"There were 10 of us in a ridiculously small aeroplane. Whenever I fly on a domestic flight I am always relieved when we actually leave the ground and continue to ascend. In retrospect this was probably the scariest part of the whole thing. We gradually reached 10,000ft. On the way up my instructor attached himself to me and briefed me again.

"Once we had the green light (literally) one by one people went out through the door. We were the last to go and I found myself dangling out of the plane – no going back now. Suddenly we were in flight just like a free fall parachutist falling at 140ft per second/per second.

* John floats to earth during the dive. 

Picture is by his son Nic.

"It was a relief when the parachute deployed with a jerk and we floated down to the landing zone. A quick practice of the landing drill and then we were landing for real.

"We returned to base and got changed. The instructors were very professional and I was very impressed with their expertise.

"Going home to do the shopping was in stark contrast to the adrenalin rush of a sky dive.

"I did the sky dive to raise money the Friends of Llangollen Health Centre and I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me. I have not yet got a final figure, but I am grateful for all the support.  On the news they reported that a 102-year-old lad had done a sky dive – puts my efforts in the shade.

* John's Gofundme page is at: https://gofund.me/7935d2aa

Llan park runner Michael takes on 100km charity challenge

* Michael Beynon is a regular at Llangollen's Old Railway Trail parkrun.

Sixteen years ago doctors told Michael Beynon’s mum he would spend most of his adult life in a wheelchair. 

But with support, continuous training and determination he is planning to take on the formidable challenge of running 100km in just one week in a bid to raise £10,000 for the charity Mencap.

 

Michael, now 29, was born with Downs Syndrome, visually impaired and mild right-sided Cerebral Palsy.

 

A resident of Chirk, he is a regular runner and volunteer with the Old Railway Trail parkrun in Llangollen.

Next month Michael aims to take on a the mammoth challenge of running or walking 100km in one week around Wales, starting on Sunday October 6 and finishing the following Sunday, October 13.

His plan is to raise £10,000 for Mencap by:

* Running the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 6

* Then running/walking 60km around Wales including walking 5km events with local Mencap Clubs, walking groups and Rotarians, taking in the Llanelli Millenium Coastal Path, the Botanical Gardens of Wales, Stackpole Gardens, Aberystwyth parkrun course, Llanfyllin and Llangefni parkrun course and Llangollen parkrun course.

* Finishing off at the Manchester Half on October 13. 

Michael said: “Every year I take on a challenge for charity. This year I decided to raise money for Mencap, as I am a Mencap Myth Buster and because I received amazing support from Mencap last year after a very difficult episode in my life after experiencing racial bullying.

“I wanted to do a challenge that will push me out of my comfort zone and to share my love for walking/running in nature with my Mencap, parkrun, Rotary and friends throughout Wales.

“Mencap works to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities, live happy and healthy lives through campaigning for our rights, providing support and services.”

 

“I will be updating progress on my 100km challenge daily on my social media platforms - Facebook page Michael Beynon, X (Twitter): MichaelBeynon7, Instagram: michaelbeynon95.”

* Michael’s Justgiving page is at: Michael huw mathew Beynon is fundraising for Mencap (justgiving.com)

Councillor reveals why she is backing no-confidence vote in county leader

* The roll-out of the new waste recycling system 

has been fraught by problems. 

Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards has given her reasons for supporting a vote of no-confidence in Denbighshire County Council (DCC) leader, Jason McLellan, which has been called for by fellow members. 

In a statement to llanblogger she says: "I have previously expressed my concerns in June with regard to the systemic failures in the new waste collection and recycling system which have continued to persist.  

"Whilst there may be some service improvements we continue to experience multiple incidents of missed collections, co-mingling of waste, missed green waste and commercial collections, residents on unadopted roads still encountering a sporadic service and non-collection of many surplus bins whilst many residents are still waiting for AHP containers.   

"All this is coming at a heavy cost and this marginally improved service is only enabled by the addition of significant extra resources, personnel working overtime, Saturday collections and the diversion of DCC staff from their usual duties. 

"This is enabling the current failed system at a cost of £55-60k per week with no clarity from the Cabinet or DCC leadership on when this unplanned cost will reduce which is unsustainable. 

"In the face of this we are only offered continuous apologies by the DCC CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Corporate Director, Head of Service for Waste and the Cabinet with no clarity on the root causes of the failings evident, commitment to systemic changes and evidence of a recovery plan with any measurable performance and cost improvement targets being set and reported against.  

"Whilst operationally matters may be improving, we are seeing no reporting of performance in terms of completed and missed collections and financially it appears no evidence of control has been established.  

"My opinion remains that the planning and implementation of this roll out was simply not fit for purpose and since the issues started there is no clear evidence of a structured and measurable recovery plan. 

"As the leader of the Cabinet states, “apologies don’t collect bins'. They also don’t pay for the additional costs which are being incurred every week as DCC struggles to improve their performance with no end date as to when this will be resolved. Ultimately the residents I represent will be asked to pay for this continued failure which is not acceptable. 

"Therefore, as one of the Llangollen independent ward members I supported the motion for a Vote of No Confidence."

Mazda2 hybrid is capable of beating 70mpg barrier

Mazda2 hybrid drive by Steve Rogers

It has been a week to remember. Our paralympians have been breaking records for fun and I have got in on the act as well.

Well, technically my record goes to a car because the Mazda2 hybrid achieved the best economy of any car I have reviewed in 43 years. For the first time I have cracked more than 70mpg over a week’s driving - 71.3mpg to be precise, and I wasn’t even trying, it just happened.

Before getting into the finer detail a little explanation is needed. The Mazda is a Toyota Yaris hybrid. Confused? Don’t be.

Mazda does not have hybrid technology for its Mazda2 supermini and could not justify the enormous cost of development so it made a call to Toyota who happily obliged. Mazda has made a few cosmetic changes, a different bumper and grille, and a body coloured rather than Yaris’s black panel between the rear lights, and, of course, Mazda badges on the body and steering wheel boss.

So let’s forget about Toyota, this is a Mazda and a very fine car into the bargain.

It might be small but can land heavyweight punches. Economy is the star turn but it is also a hoot to drive darting around like a hot hatchback. Acceleration is more than decent thanks to the 59kW electric motor stoking the fire of the 1.5 litre petrol engine. With Ford Fiesta off the grid this, and the Yaris, are probably the sweetest driving superminis out there.

But really this is a car that wears a Mr Sensible hat. This is a self charging hybrid that can cruise in electric at all but 60mph and store up enough kinetic energy to drive around town without using a drop of petrol.

It recharges the small battery pack through acceleration and braking and has a B gear. That beefs up the regenerative braking system and feels as if it is slowing the car, which it is, but don’t be fooled into thinking it will stop the car. It is just like dropping down a couple of gears to scrub off some speed. You can watch the state of play in a graphic on the central screen.

There is no gear changing, a CVT automatic box takes care of that so expect the usual whining when the revs shoot up, but however many people often moan about this system it is very efficient and here to stay.

Cars make a big hole in a family’s finances and with prices ranging from £24k to £29k this is a big chunk of money so is it feasible transport for a young family? The curvy roof makes entry tight, particularly into the back seats. I managed to squeeze in a child seat and later transported one tall teen and two youngsters although legroom is tight and not as generous as most rivals. Likewise boot space is low down the supermini league table.

If you can get over that hurdle then the Mazda is tempting particularly if you plump for the entry Centre-Line which has more or less all you need like reversing camera, electronic parking brake, climate control, auto dipping headlights, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, radar cruise control along with a good number of safety aids.

One surprise on my middle of the range Exclusive-Line was halogen headlights. You get so used to LED headlights it is surprising how dim these seem by comparison.

Dashboard layout is standard fair, a lot of black plastic but decent quality, analogue driver’s binnacle and a quick responding touchscreen for radio and infotainment. It is irritating for passengers that a clock is only displayed with the home screen, which will rarely be displayed.

Add ons like navigation, larger touchscreen, digital driver display and a few other luxuries will be found at the top of the chain but you will need to find £29,230. Ouch.

The obvious question is why buy the Mazda hybrid over a Yaris that is £1,490 cheaper? Basically it is giving customers who like the Mazda brand a top notch alternative to the petrol Mazda2. A likely condition of the deal is that Mazda will not undercut the Yaris which sort of makes sense. At least the Mazda is a good bit cheaper than the Honda Jazz, another hybrid packing a big punch.

What a strange old world we live in when it comes to cars…

Fast facts

Mazda2 Hybrid Exclusive-Line

££25,380 (starts £24,130)

1.5 litre 3-cylinder petrol; 114bhp

0-62mph 9.7secs; 109mph

70.6mpg combined

92g/km. 1st tax £175

Insurance group 14

Boot: 286-935 litres

Llangollen Food Share thanks donors for their support

For the second year running Llangollen Food Share has helped to feed local children during the summer holidays.  

During term-time all primary school children and some secondary school pupils receive free school meals. 

But parents don’t receive any help to provide the extra food needed to feed their children at lunchtimes during school holidays. 

The cost-of-living crisis is still very real to many families in Llangollen and the cost of providing extra food needed to feed their children is a real challenge.

A spokesperson for the Food Share said: “Over the last year there has been a growing need to help local families to feed children during the school holidays. Our aim is to make sure that ‘no-one goes hungry in our area’, but this aim is becoming more and more challenging to fulfil.

“This summer was the most challenging yet, because despite chasing funds from quite a few grant funders we were unable to get support for the school lunch project. 

"However, were delighted when Llangollen residents stepped in and donated over £2,000 to enable the lunch project to go ahead. The generosity of local donors is really appreciated. It has provided money for local children to receive healthy and nutritious packed lunches throughout the six weeks of the holidays.

“Llangollen Food Share began helping families during the school holidays just before the 2023 summer holidays. Help continued during Easter, Christmas and half terms. We are grateful to have received financial support from SDCP whilst the scheme was being established."

Each week throughout the year Llangollen Food Share supports over 130 local people from its centre based by Market Street car park. They also have a Community Fridge which is open to everyone that has surplus short-dated food on Monday and Thursday mornings.

* You can help to feed local people who would otherwise go hungry. Follow this link www.llangollenfoodshare.org.uk/giving to help out.

Langollen Food Share is a registered charity (1204420)

County council leader faces a vote of no confidence

The leader of Denbighshire County Council faces a vote of no confidence, according to a story in the Denbighshire Free Press.

* For the full story, see: 

https://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/24558116.denbighshire-county-council-leader-faces-vote-no-confidence/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR00XYYpx5_u2nBLIiWZI9n5r3jufipYXKEVCvJ4vU2d408V79fiPnT6ctY_aem_mSKYeRmPNT4ftZAqjfmxGA&sfnsn=scwspmo 

Volunteer recruitment fair planned for Town Hall

Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) is hosting a Volunteer Recruitment Fair at the Llangollen Town Hall on Wednesday September  25.

Volunteer and Engagement Officer Ruth Johnson said: "This is an opportunity for local organisations to advertise their volunteering opportunities to the general public. It is free to take part in and if you are interested in having a table there, you are most welcome to."

Eisteddfod opens group applications for its 2025 festival

* Côr Glanaethwy from Bangor celebrate their Choir of the World victory at the Llangollen Eisteddfod 2024. 

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has opened group applications for its 78th festival, which takes from Tuesday 8 to Sunday July 13 2025. 

Choirs and dance groups from around the globe can now apply to compete in the world-renowned celebration of music and dance.

Dave Danford, Artistic Director of the Llangollen Eisteddfod, said: “We are delighted to be launching our syllabus for 2025, as we prepare to welcome competitors from home and abroad to North East Wales next summer. We are building on our ambitious 2024 festival, and expecting a very high standard across all of our competitions.”

In 2024, over 3,000 competitors came to Llangollen from 30 different countries. The festival is hoping to top this in 2025, as invitations land with the best amateur choirs and dance groups from around the world. 

In 2024, Côr Glanaethwy from Bangor won the coveted Pavarotti Trophy, along with the title of Choir of the World. The Young Choir of the World accolade was won by Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir from the USA, with the Llangollen Dance Off being won by Prolisok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble.

The most famous winner of the competitions in Llangollen was Luciano Pavarotti in 1955, when he was a member of the Corale Rossini, a male voice choir from Modena, winning first prize at the International Eisteddfod. 

He later said that this was the most important experience of his life, and that it inspired him to become a professional singer. Since the festival was launched in 1947, tens of thousands of people from around the world have competed in the festival’s unique competitions.

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is located in the idyllic town of Llangollen in North East Wales, the majority of the competitions taking place in its magnificent 4,000-seater Pavilion.

* Group applications are now open with full details of the competitions released on https://eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk/  Applications for the solo competitions open on December 1 2024.

MS and MP want meeting with town councillors over public toilets

* Ken Skates MS and Becky Gittins MP.

Local Labour politicians will seek a meeting with town councillors in a bid to ‘explore every avenue’ to keep Llangollen’s public toilets open. 

New MP Becky Gittins and Clwyd South MS Ken Skates say they’ve been contacted by a number of local residents who are concerned about the possible closure of the facilities on Market Street.

Mrs Gittins is MP for the new constituency of Clwyd East, which includes Llangollen. She attended the recent public meeting in the town hall and said she’s aware of the strength of feeling locally.

She said: “Ken and I had a productive meeting with the Denbighshire County Council leader and lead member and I’m optimistic a solution can be found – we’ll certainly explore every avenue we can.

“We now need to get round a table with county council officers and Llangollen Town Council. We all want the same result, and we need to work together to deliver it for the town.”

Mr Skates said the meeting with county councillors Jason McLellan and Barry Mellor was ‘positive’.

He added: “I'm keen to see the local authority work with the town council on this, and Becky and I want to bring them together to find a solution.

“The meeting with Denbighshire was positive and sitting down with the town council and making sure we’re all on the same page is the clear next step. No one wants the toilets to close, so I think we’re building from a solid foundation. Becky and I will certainly do all we can.”

Denbighshire County Council said it had to find £10.4m of savings as part of its 2024/25 budget.

The county council is under no legal requirement to provide public toilets but said it wanted to review the needs of the community. 

A proposal to review public convenience provision in the county was one of the potential savings identified, so a public consultation was launched to allow residents, business owners and visitors to have their say.

Aqueduct named world's most captivating landmark

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal have beaten other global landmarks, including the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the Carioca landscapes in Brazil and the Ancient City of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka, to be crowned the most captivating UNESCO site in the world.

* For the full story, see: Welsh landmark named ‘most captivating in the world’ above sites in Brazil and Canada (msn.com)

Famous fishing tackle shop is relocating to Llangollen

A famous fishing shop is relocating to Llangollen following nearly 60-years of trading in St Asaph.

* For the full story in the Leader, see: Foxons to relocate from St Asaph to Llangollen next year | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk)