Bank's safes are taken away

It was definitely the end for the HSBC Bank in Bridge Street when a large lorry parked up outside by this afternoon to take away the two huge safes which must have been sitting inside every since the branch opened.

The safes were lifted on to the back of the flatbed wagon with the aid of a crane.

Workmen could also be seen inside the building apparently stripping away other fittings.

Youth centre project shortlisted for top award

Denbighshire Youth Service are celebrating after being shortlisted for four major honours at this year's Welsh Government Excellence Awards.

Llangollen Youth Centre Education Project has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Contribution to Supporting Young People into Education, Employment and Training category.

Abigail Davies from Ruthin Youth Club has been shortlisted for Outstanding Volunteer

Nick Hargraves has been nominated in the Your Choice Category for his work with Ruthin Youth Club's Duke of Edinburgh programme. Nominated and voted for by young people.

Abigail Zurowski has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Part Time Youth Worker Award.

The awards will take place in Cardiff on February 20.

Jamie Groves, Denbighshire's Head of Communication, Marketing and Leisure, said: "This is a tremendous achievement. To be shortlisted for national honours in youth work is a testament to all the hard work going on in our Youth Service to provide the best possible provision across the county.

"We have developed a service that provides sector leading practice and I am proud of the whole team for their commitment, enthusiasm and dedication.

"This is not the first time for Denbighshire Youth Service to be recognised at the Awards. We have won national awards from the Welsh Government for the past three years and this is the fourth time for Denbighshire to be shortlisted in categories. We are proud of the fact that we have gained a national reputation for excellence".

Roger Ellerton, Lead Officer: Libraries, Arts and Young people, said: "The competition for these awards is really tough and shows the tremendous of good work going on across Wales to develop services for our young people.  

"In Denbighshire, we aim to be innovative and creative in our approach to working with young people and have a motivated team of talented individuals working tirelessly to improve the offer.  

"Our youth workers are great ambassadors for the Council and for youth work generally and I wish them every success at the awards".

Councillors urged to "do the right thing" over Plas Madoc

Council leaders meeting on Tuesday to decide the fate of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre have been urged to "do the right thing" by campaigners.

 

In an open letter to Wrexham Council's executive board, the Save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre campaign said: "The level of opposition to this plan to close Plas Madoc within two months is unprecedented. Thousands have signed petitions, registered their objections and joined our mass protests. In a few short weeks, despite attempts by the council to rush this decision through, we have mobilised a mass movement to oppose this plan.

 

 "The council's executive board meets on Tuesday (11th Feb) and has a simple choice. Officers and consultants are recommending that councillors ignore the views of the people and close Plas Madoc to save £96,000 a year - a drop in the ocean for an organisation with a £200m+ budget.

 

 "We urge the 10 councillors to do the right thing and side with the people's opinion to save a well-used leisure centre for future generations.

 

 "We know there are some councillors who are willing to challenge the consultants' recommendation to close. We are delighted that they have stood with us and hope that others will come over to our side and show some courage.

 

 "We will be monitoring the vote closely at the executive board on Tuesday and hope that everyone in the borough is aware of how their representatives are voting on Plas Madoc. This is an issue that has united the people of Wrexham like no other recently - we will not allow councillors to ignore the people's voice on this.

 

“All we are asking for is a bit of chwarae teg – fair play for the communities surrounding Plas Madoc.”

 

The campaign is organising another lively protest at 1pm on Tuesday outside the Guildhall before the meeting of the Executive Board. Everyone is welcome to attend with banners, whistles, placards and pots and pans to make a noise.

First snow of winter falls on town

Llangollen is waking up to see the first significant snow to fall on the town this winter.

The white stuff is being forecast at higher and even lower levels in north east Wales today, although the rain and wind is due to return later I the week.

Railway snappers visit Llan

 

 

A dedicated group of members from the East Midlands Railway Photographic Society were in town on Saturday night for a charter shoot at Llangollen Railway.

One of them, Tez Pickthall, has kindly given permission for llanblogger to use a couple of his pictures.

He says: “Here’s a selection of my shots from a very wet charter last night, including a couple to show the awe-inspiring power of the Dee - dwarfing engine D5310 in the corner of the shot showing the bridge.

“The charter raised £500 to be shared between the Railway and Diesel Group, so we saw good attendance despite the terrible weather, with most participants travelling from the East Midlands to attend - there are some dedicated enthusiasts out there!”

AM calls for more cold calling protection

North Wales Assembly Member, Mark Isherwood has called for Welsh Government action to ensure more older people in Wales are protected from scams and doorstep crime.

Speaking in Darren Millar AM’s Short Assembly Debate ‘Older People, Scams and Doorstep Crime’, Mr Isherwood highlighted the inconsistent provision and enforcement of no-cold-calling zones across Wales and urged the Welsh Government to address the matter.

 

Mr Isherwood, who in December raised the problem with the First Minister, referre d to Age Cymru’s ‘Scams and Swindles’ campaign which is calling for Welsh Government intervention to tackle the postcode lottery and consequently provide more older people in Wales with protection from criminals who ruthlessly steal from them through scams and swindles.

 

Speaking in the Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood said: “Gwynedd’s zero no-cold-calling zones, although it has one pilot scheme, contrasts with the situation in Monmouthshire, which has zones covering 8,000 houses—21% of the total. In Denbighshire, 12.3% of homes are covered. In Wrexham,  it is 2.41%, and in Flintshire, it is 1.04%. So, there is a huge range of need.

 

“When I recently raised this with the First Minister in the Chamber, I referred to Age Cymru’s call for no-cold-calling zones and for the Welsh Government to intervene to tackle the inconsistent provision and enforcement of these zones across Wales to protect older people. He replied that his programme for government sets out plans to extend no-cold-calling zones.

 

"However, programmes and plans are no substitute for action. If done properly, no-cold-calling zones are cheaper than painting yellow lines on the road and far cheaper than dealing with the consequences of scams and swindles. Therefore, let us tackle the postcode lottery and, perhaps, consider an opt-out scheme across Wales.”

Young 'Uns' Oliver! leaves you wanting more

* The splendid cast of Oliver! line up.

Just like the hungry little lad in the title, Llangollen Operatic Society Young ‘Uns’ production of the evergreen musical Oliver! at the Town Hall leaves the audience begging for more.

Although there are lavish helpings of top-class entertainment from start to finish, it’s hard to get enough of the mouth-watering characterisations and delicious singing from a talented cast of more than 40 youngsters.

So good is it that at times it’s difficult to believe that you’re watching kids not seasoned adults tackling the Lionel Bart masterpiece based on the Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist.

But with the notable exception of Chris Simms who is on loan from the “grown up” operatic society to lay on a marvellously mischievous Fagin, the rest of the actors are five to 18 year olds.

The acting and singing talent just keeps being served up in course after tasty course.

Connor Phillips pads up to neatly portray the overweight and painfully pompous workhouse boss Mr Bumble, ably assisted in the comedy routines by Holly Broadbent as his shrewish assistant Widow Corney.

It’s Bumble who balls out little Oliver for daring to ask for another ladleful of gruel and didn’t the cute, curly-haired Rhys Penge as our orphaned hero receive the bad news with the perfect balance of pathos and indignation?

In fact, young Rhys goes on to shine throughout in his centrepiece role, never missing a line or a lyric and bringing a tear to many an eye as he sings the plaintive Where is Love?

At the grim funeral parlour where he flees to escape the nightmare of the workhouse, Oliver encounters the appalling Sowerberry family, headed by Will Edwards as the oily undertaker and with Megan Howlett as his overbearing wife.

Both are highly proficient in the respective parts as is Zoe Nicholas as their dopey daughter Charlotte. The two girls’ reactions as a feisty Oliver fights to get out of the coffin in which they’ve placed him and are sitting atop to keep him there for everyone’s safety is something to behold.

Another vile character Oliver meets at the undertakers is apprentice Noah Claypole and, although he doesn’t have too big a slice of the action, the part is very convincingly played by Cassius Hackforth.

Poor Oliver’s fortunes hardly improve when he hot-foots it to London after leaving the awful company of the Sowerberrys because it’s there he falls in with the worst of bad company, Fagin who heads a band of junior thieves, and arch-criminal Bill Sykes. The only saving grace is Bill’s long suffering girl and Fagin graduate Nancy.

Operatic stalwart Chris Simms gives Fagin just the right balance of villainy and humour and delights with his interpretation of Reviewing the Situation.

Sykes doesn’t work unless he’s portrayed as a thoroughly evil psychopath, and Wilf Wort does not disappoints in the part. Again, he’s only in his teens but he can certainly act and manages to send a shiver down the spine with the way he batters and eventually murders the faithful Nancy. At one point in the action he even spits at her for real, hopefully missing the excellent Joanna Stallard.

Joanna has a singular talent all of her own. Acting, singing and even dancing are clearly second nature to her and, as Nancy, she is quite simply superb.

Her powerful and deeply moving rendition of As Long As Needs Me was a show-stopper in the truest sense. She also leads the exuberant action in the drinking song Oom-Pah-Pah which is performed with such gusto by the entire cast that some of the audience would love to have got up on stage and joined in too.

Also well up there with the stars of the show is Charlie Hackforth as the Artful Dodger. He simply radiates confidence as Fagin’s cheeky chappy apprentice and reaches out over the footlights in way which belies his years.

All the supporting roles are very competently filled and when the whole cast team up for the chorus numbers it’s a colourful and melodic spectacle to remember.

Providing the backing for all this is a live four-piece orchestra skilfully led by musical director Elen Mair Roberts who also provides a mean violin solo to accompany Fagin in Reviewing the Situation.

This Oliver! – the Young ‘Uns’ 25^th annual show - is a fine tribute to new artistic director Christine Dukes. She had the same role with famous Youth Theatre at the Stiwt in Rhos for 14 years, and this wealth of skills and experience shines out.            

Oliver! opened on Thursday night and still has two performances to go today – a matinee at 2.30pm and the evening show at 7.30pm. Catch one of them if you can!

Tickets are available door or, if you’re lucky, from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre (01978  860828), Jades Hair and Beauty, Gwyn Davies, Butcher, or Stella Bond (01978  860441). Tickets cost £8 for adults and £5 for concessions.