Pontfadog Oak could be cloned

* The Pontfadog Oak before it fell victim to the weather. 

The BBC North East Wales website is report this evening (Monday) that the 1,200-year-old Pontfadog Oak, which was felled by the recent snow, could be using its DNA.

See the full story at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-22308186

Sunday lunch gets its place in the Sun

llanblogger taste test

* The Sun Inn at Rhewl - now serving Sunday lunches again. 

After lying empty for a time, the historic Sun Inn at Rhewl is once again very much open for business.

And the people now in charge of the centuries-old hostelry not far out of Llangollen have obviously set out to revive its reputation as a great place to go for Sunday lunch.

llanblogger tried it out yesterday and can thoroughly recommend it as the perfect venue for a traditional roast-and-veg meal.

As anyone who has been there will know, it’s not a large establishment and lunches are served in the small front room with atmospheric low ceilings, a massive open fireplace and low, black-painted beams.

There doesn’t seem to be a menu as such but as you pass the small bar-room on the way in and express a wish to eat, a staff member rapidly follows you to one of the four dining tables and tells you what’s on offer by way of Sunday lunch.

Yesterday it was either beef or pork, both of which came with a Yorkshire pudding, roast potato, cauliflower, broccoli and diced carrots, topped off by a very nice gravy.

llanblogger’s party both opted for the roast beef, which was tender and succulent and may even have been locally sourced.

All the veg were obviously fresh and also came well cooked.

Portions were adequate rather than over-facing – which meant there was room left for dessert.

For the llanblogger duo this came in the shape of orange and lemon sponge with custard, and rhubarb crumble and custard – both delicious.

The basic roast dinner is a very reasonable £6.99 and the price of the two desserts plus a tea and a coffee brought the final bill to just £21.80 for two people – not at all bad these days, especially in a place where the surroundings are as agreeable as this.

Apart from the food, the pub also has a worthy selection of real ales on tap, including the Llangollen Brewery range of beers and the re-born Wrexham Lager.

All in all, we’d say that it’s definitely worth aiming for a place in the Sun. 

Operatic's Travelling Troupe a hit at Ryan Jones testimonial

* Travelling Troupe members with George North, Ryan Jones and Sam Warburton.

OVER 250 people paid £75 a head to attend a glittering testimonial dinner for Wales rugby star Ryan Jones at Llangollen Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Entertainment for the black tie event, compered by the BBC’s Scrum V commentator Rick O’Shea, was provided by the famous Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir and Llangollen Operatic Society’s Travelling Troupe.

Jones, who was supported at the event by Wales colleagues Sam Warburton and George North, is one of a handful of distinguished Welshmen of any generation who can lay claim to playing a significant role in the winning of three Grand Slams in a hugely successful rugby career.

He has chosen the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal as his nominated charity during his testimonial year. 

 

Louisa Jones, who sings with Llangollen Operatic’s Travelling Troupe, said: “Being asked to provide entertainment at the testimonal was a great honour.  

“It is the most high profile gig we have done as a troupe and our largest audience, so we were very keen to deliver a highly polished performance.

“The audience's reaction to our programme, which included Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and One Day More from Les Miserables, was warm and appreciative and we were thrilled to receive some fantastic feedback later on when we mingled with the guests.  

“Ryan Jones himself was also extremely complimentary and he and his colleagues Sam Warburton and George North kindly posed for photographs with us and signed autographs.”

 

* Pictured right, Ryan Jones with Troupe members Pamela Williams, left, and Alison Jarvis. 

Llangollen Operatic Society Troupe is available for bookings and anyone interested can contact Louisa on 07989 985644, Tracey on 07875 639533 or e-mail: Troupe@llangollen-operatic.co.uk.

County council clamps down on rogue traders

As part of National Rogue Trader week Denbighshire Trading Standards Officers and North Wales Police have been out patrolling the county on the look out for rogue traders operating in the area. 

Officers were looking for offences relating to consumers’ cancellation rights and aggressive selling techniques linked to “cold calling”.

Traders were also given advice as to their legal obligations.

The two organisations also teamed up with Neighbourhood Watch to get out and about and advise the public on dealing with cold callers.

One of the major issues identified by officers is that many residents do not report the activities of “Rogue Traders”.

David Smith, Denbighshire Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for Trading Standards is urging  residents to be aware and to tell the authorities if rogue traders cold call in their area offering to do gardening, tree cutting, tarmacing, roof repairs and general odd jobs. 

He said: "These traders can do a poor job and subsequently charge over the odds for that work, ask for cash and then simply disappear. They are usually untraceable when things go wrong as they give false names, addresses and phone numbers.

"Whilst not all doorstep traders are ‘rogues’, many are completely legitimate and provide a good level of service, there are some who prey on the elderly or vulnerable members of society."

Emlyn Jones, Denbighshire's Public Protection Manager said: "Officers from each of the organisations teamed up and have been speaking to people in the county.  We hope that those individuals will not only follow the simple rules when dealing with cold callers but also spread the message to their neighbours and family.  Whilst we did not find any issues during our patrols we will continue to be on the look out for any activity which might be attributed to a rogue trader."

Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Pam Gardner also added: "No cold calling zones are a good way of discouraging traders from operating in certain areas as any trader cold calling in No cold calling area could be committing an offence.  Anybody wanting more information about cold calling zones should contact their local Neighbourhood Watch coordinator on 01745 539208 or via www.ourwatch.org.uk"

Inspector Siobhan Edwards of North Wales Police sais: "If in doubt, keep them out" is the simple message to remember when somebody knocks at your door.  If you are concerned about anybody in your neighbourhood ‘knocking’ on the door offering to carry out home maintenance work, then please make a note of vehicle make, model, colour and registration number and any descriptions of the individuals, and contact either the police on 101 or Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Customer Service on 08454 04 05 06 or for the Welsh Language Service 08454 04 05 05.

Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.  If you feel intimidated or threatened by any doorstep seller you should shut the door and call the police emergency number 999.

Man charged with murder following Oswestry death

Detectives have charged an 18 year old man with murder following the death of a 21 year old man earlier this week.

Danny Jones of Chirk died in hospital following the attack in Oswestry on Wed night (24 April) after he received a single stab wound.

The teenager who has been charged is a local man and is due before Shrewsbury Magistrates Court on Monday 29 April.

He was arrested a few hours after the attack and charged this evening (Sat 27 April). He has been remanded in custody.

Detectives working on the investigation have recovered a knife which they believe to be the murder weapon.

Red-hot Latin American band star alongside Strictly duo

 

* Strictly's James and Ola Jordan. 

 

 

 

* Buena Vista Social Club .

 

Television’s Strictly Come Dancing stars James and Ola Jordan are household names – but not to the band who will be supplying the music for Llangollen International Eisteddfod’s Strictly Cuban night.

The glamorous dancers, stars of BBC’s Saturday night smash hit show, will bring their Latin American dance expertise to the Eisteddfod stage this July but the musicians of Havana’s Buena Vista Social Club have never heard of them.

That doesn’t worry them though – they had never heard of legendary American guitarist Ry Cooder when he discovered them in Cuba in 1997 and it didn’t stop them going on to worldwide fame, an Oscar nomination and a Grammy award.

This July their traditional rhythms and haunting melodies will flood a North Wales valley as The Buena Vista Social Club take to the Royal International Pavilion stage on Thursday, July 11.

And although the Eisteddfod’s history and tradition is also something new to the band’s Cuban musicians according to trombonist Jesus ‘Aguaje’ Ramos, band members are honoured and excited at the prospect of making their Eisteddfod debut alongside James and Ola.

Speaking from Havana, Aguaje says he, and his fellow Cuban musicians, are looking forward to meeting the star dancers and their Welsh audience.

He said: “We are learning about the Eisteddfod and the fact it was set up to promote international harmony. Of course we are really excited about being invited to such a wonderful event and are happy to be part of it.

“We play traditional Cuban music and everything surrounding it! This is the roots of our music, our culture, and there are countless different styles within our traditional music, such as Cha Cha Cha, Guajira, Son, Danzón, Montuno, to name a few.

“We are sure James and Ola will enjoy it too and we look forward to seeing them dancing to our sound.”

Eisteddfod Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “We’re thrilled to have the Buena Vista Social Club here in Llangollen as their roots go back to the origins of Latin American music.

“It’s a really exciting prospect to have James and Ola dancing on the same stage as them and a little corner of Wales will be transformed into a sultry night in Havana.”

While the Buena Vista Social Club owes its roots to the traditional rhythms of Cuba the band, perhaps, owes its worldwide fame to their collaboration with Ry Cooder.

In 1996 Cooder, who has worked with Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Neil Young, among others, was invited, by British music producer, Nick Gold, to Havana to record a session with two African and Cuban musicians.

However, the two Africans, from Mali, were unable to get visas in time so Cooder and Gold changed plans and decided to record an album, along with local musicians, of traditional Cuban music.

Within a few days they’d managed to put together a band and began recording at Havana’s EGREM Studios despite the recording equipment and atmosphere having remained unchanged since the 1950’s.

The album was recorded in just six days with Cooder, unfazed by the language barrier, saying musicians understand each other through means other than speech.

One of the songs featured on the album was ‘Buena Vista Social Club’, a song written by bass player Israel Lopez.

Cooder, who was looking for a name for the album, was told of the history of the actual members-only social club that existed in the Marianao district of the Cuban capital and which had adopted the song as its signature tune.

Following the album’s 1997 release the CD became a word-of-mouth global smash hit selling more than five million copies and winning a Grammy Award.

On the back of the album the Buena Vista – meaning good view in Spanish – Social Club began touring as they generated a revival in interest in traditional Cuban and South American music in general.

And while band members may have changed as the years roll by they will always stick to their traditional Cuban roots, according to Aguaje.

He said: “From the original band there is still Omara Portuondo (vocals), Eliades Ochoa (guitar and vocals), Barbarito Torres (laud, a traditional stringed instrument similar to a guitar) and Guajiro Mirabal (trumpet).

“I joined the band myself after a few shows and we are currently accompanied by a great cast of young musicians.

“Since the band starting touring we have visited so many countries we have lost count and this year we have a long tour coming up, including Llangollen, with a lot of dates still to announce.

“But we still perform, when we can, in Havana. To us music is life and whenever we get the chance we like to gather in Cuba and play.

“We play traditional Cuban music, son, guajiras, montunos, and look to our island¹s rich musical history, and the musicians’ own personal experiences, I think this is what makes our music so special.”

Omara Portuondo says the Llangollen audience will experience the full Buena Vista Social Club band in a high-energy performance that will leave lasting memories.

He said: “The full band will be in Wales and the show will feature Eliades Ochoa and me on vocals. You can expect some classic Cuban songs such as Veinte Años, Chan Chan, or El Cuarto de Tula, but also there would be some nice surprises with new songs we¹ve been working on recently.

“Of course we would love to have Ry Cooder join us again on stage one day but it won’t happen this time.

“Hopefully, some day in the future, our paths will cross and we will remind ourselves of the beautiful memories we have and the music we did with him.

“Within the band we have a number of younger musicians, Calunga and Idania, the singer, Rolando, the pianist, Pedro on bass, Guajirito alongside his grandfather, Guajiro Mirabal, on trumpet.

“And also, in all the music schools in Cuba, the students are taught traditional music so our roots will never be lost!

“We would like to release more albums but only the future knows if we are going to be able to. We are working really hard with some new tracks, such as Changui, and some of them are already included in the set list that you’ll be able to listen to in Llangollen when you enjoy the show.”

Speaking about life in Cuba, Aguaje, says even traditional music is evolving as time goes by.

He said: “For me Cuba is music, it’s my family, my happiness, my reason to live. I think its culture that is constantly evolving; the younger generations of musicians in Cuba are producing some really interesting music, which although it maintains its Cuban roots, does have a real 21st Century sound.

“People ask me why is Buena Vista Social Club has been so successful, well for me it’s because when something is unexpected, you receive it in a natural manner and with great happiness.

“We never imagined we would be so successful and it would last for so long. We just played and still just enjoy playing and making music together.”

The Buena Vista Social Club are part of a stunning lineup at this year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July.

The will perform with Strictly Come Dancing’s James and Ola Jordan and other top attractions are Jools Holland, harpist Claire Jones, tenor Noah Stewart, percussionist Evelyn Glennie and a 200^th anniversary performance of Verdi’s Requiem.

The Eisteddfod runs from Tuesday, July 9, to Sunday, July 14, at the Royal International Pavilion site and as well as star-studded concerts there are top class music and dance competitions.

Tickets for this year’s concerts are available from the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk and more information is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/llangollen

Hospital closure referred to older people's czar

Campaigners have condemned a “reckless” hospital closure which they say will endanger patients’ lives in the Llangollen area.

The group fighting to retain hospital beds and improve health services in Llangollen and the Dee Valley are so concerned about the situation that they have called on the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales to hold an investigation into the Health Board’s decision to close Llangollen Hospital.

They say that they fear for the well-being of elderly patients in the area.

Keep Llangollen Health Services have contacted the office of Sarah Rochira, the Commissioner for Older People, urging her to look into the “reckless” decision by the health Board.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, of Keep Llangollen Health Services said: “I recently spoke to a care home professional who said that it was his opinion that the closure of Llangollen Hospital would endanger people's lives.

“He explained that elderly people who needed medical care had no issues with going to a Cottage Hospital, but were reluctant to go to general hospitals because of the risks of contracting hospital-acquired infections, such as C-difficile and MRSA.

“Unfortunately his concerns stack up.”

Mabon ap Gwynfor referred to a paper published in the British Medical Journal, which is quoted by the respected Dr Fosters Hospital Guide, which says “Risks (such as hospital acquired infections) are discernible when average bed occupancy rates exceed about 85%”.

"Last year both Wrexham Maelor and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd had bed occupancy levels reaching 87%.

“The NHS is at crisis point in Wales with A&E in meltdown, ambulances queuing 10 deep, and bed-blocking because there aren’t enough community beds available. The Health Board have compounded this with their reckless decision to close Llangollen Hospital with the loss of 18 beds.

“Elderly and vulnerable patients are especially put at risk because of the closure of the hospital. That is why we have called on the Commissioner for Older people to hold an inquiry into the health Board’s decision.”

The Campaign group are urging people to share their stories with them by emailing keepllanhealthservices@gmail.com