Public meeting planned over Plas Madoc

The group set up to save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre is said to be making rapid progress, with a variety of experts offering to help the takeover bid.

Spearheaded by Clwyd South AM Ken Skates, the Cross-Community Working Group has called a public meeting at 7pm on Thursday, March 13, at the Air Products Social Club in Acrefair.

The volunteers have held productive and positive talks with community activists fighting for the future of the facility, which Mr Skates believes could be reborn as a vibrant community hub capable of hosting events and encouraging wealth creation in what is considered one of Wales’s most deprived communities.

 “We are approaching the potential of Plas Madoc with broad minds and ambition. Our vision is to secure its future and ensure it rediscovers its rightful place at the heart of the Clwyd South community,” said Mr Skates.

“We have been humbled by the support offered from experts and residents and I would like to thank the working group’s members for stepping up to help without hesitation or fear. We want to succeed in saving Plas Madoc, but we need people to stay loyal and keep using it.”

The public meeting will provide an opportunity for the group to explain to residents how a community-owned leisure facility would work.

Mr Skates added: “We want to see a united campaign to give Plas Madoc a future. The fight for its survival has been divisive and heated, which is not unexpected as people care passionately about the county borough’s second most popular facility.

“Now we must all come together a work for something that unites us – a lasting future for Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.”

The working group’s plans would see the facility transferred to community ownership, with a new governance structure and minimal impact on staffing or services. Similar structures for operating leisure centres operate across the UK, the best known being Greenwich Leisure Limited, established in 1993.

The group says community ownership of leisure services enable savings to be made where councils are unable to find them, as well as opening up capital funding opportunities.

County has "cleanest streets in Wales"

Denbighshire has the cleanest streets in Wales, according to information issued by Keep Wales Tidy.

The organisation carried out surveys of the cleanliness of streets across all Welsh counties and the findings provide a snapshot of problems with litter and other environmental issues.  

The survey showed that 100% of the streets surveyed in Denbighshire received a Grade B and above, which showed the streets had a high or acceptable standard of cleanliness. Denbighshire was the only authority to have all of the streets surveyed reach the standard.
The survey also shows that Denbighshire is the only county in Wales that has seen a continuous increase in its cleanliness indicators, rising from 66.7 in 2008/09 to 71.7 in 2012/13 -  the highest in Wales.

The survey also highlighted:

* Denbighshire had the lowest percentage of graffiti, vandalism and fly-posting in Wales.

* Denbighshire had amongst the lowest percentage in Wales for pedestrian, business, domestic, construction an animal faeces litter and consistently performs better than the Welsh average

* Second lowest percentage of dog fouling in Wales.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: "Providing cleaner streets for residents and visitors to Denbighshire is one of the Council's key priorities and it seems that all the hard work is paying dividends.

"We have teams of staff out and about cleaning our streets, as well as dealing with environmental crimes and we are regularly publicising our initiatives to make out streets cleaner. We are extremely pleased that our campaigns such as our anti dog-fouling initiatives are making progress and that people's behaviour is changing.

"Street cleanliness is everyone's responsibility and we must all work together to tackle the issues. Of course, there is never room for complacency and we will continue with our efforts to make Denbighshire streets even cleaner in the future."

Young stars audition to sing alongside Bryn Terfel

Singing for Bryn, auditioning at the Wales Millennium Centre for the chance to sign with Bryn Terfel in Sweeney Todd at this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod were, from left, back, Elizabeth Smith, Meinir Wyn Roberts, Bethan Rumsey, Angharad Elise Thomas, front, James Hope, Rhys Nicholson, Daniel Lee and Owain John.

A young singing star from the Vale of Clwyd was among over 30 hopefuls to try out for a prestigious role alongside opera superstar Bryn Terfel at this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

 

The great bass-baritone from Caernarfon (pictured below) will head an all-star Welsh cast in a performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway smash hit Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The show, first performed in 1979, will see Terfel play the title role of the murderous barber with a cast that also includes Carmarthen tenor Wynne Evans, Gio Compario of the Go Compare television ads.

 

And 11-year-old Owain John, from Llansannan, near Denbigh, took part in auditions held in Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre, singing Not While I’m Around, from the Sondheim show.

 

Now a shortlist will be drawn up from over 80 young singers performing at the auditions, in Cardiff and at the Royal International Pavilion, in Llangollen, on Saturday, March 8, so that Bryn Terfel can himself choose the three young unknowns who will take the stage alongside him.

 

The roles to be filled are star-crossed young lovers Anthony and Johanna and street urchin Tobias Ragg who works for Todd’s rival, Pirelli (Wynne Evans) and then for piemaker Mrs Lovett, Todd’s murderous accomplice.

 

The Anthony and Johanna roles are for tenors and sopranos over 18 while Tobias will be played by a ten to 14-year-old.

 

At audition each singer performs a song from the show and after the Cardiff event Eilir Owen Griffiths was impressed by the quality of the entrants.

 

He said: “The standard has been very, very high and it’s been very exciting.

 

“Everyone is coming very well prepared and they are clearly taking it very seriously but then there is a lot at stake because performing a major role alongside an icon like Bryn Terfel could be the springboard for someone’s career.

 

“Each of them has had to sing a piece from Sweeney Todd, a song by the character they are trying out for and I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the singing.

 

“One of our roles at the Eisteddfod is to provide an opportunity for young talent to flourish and there can be no bigger opportunity than to sing alongside a legend like Bryn Terfel.

“Just the chance to actually audition for a role like this is an experience in itself and one which will stand them in good stead in the future.”

 

Owain, who goes to Ysgol Bro Aled, in Llansannan, began singing in the village eisteddfod aged about three and already has National and Urdd Eisteddfod successes under his belt.

 

He is also a member of Only Kids Aloud and is due to sing with Bryn Terfel in Cape Town, in South Africa, this year.

 

He and his mum made the long journey down to Cardiff to audition because the Llangollen auditions clash with the Urdd Eisteddfod preliminaries.

 

He said: “I enjoyed singing the audition and I’m looking forward to singing with Bryn Terfel in South Africa but it would be great to sing with him at Llangollen as well and with Wynne Evans.

 

“I love singing and I go round Eisteddfods singing duets with my older brother Dafydd Cernyw, who is 13.”

 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Sondheim is set in 19^th century London and tells the story of the crazed barber who murders his clients and supplies the bodies to his accomplice, piemaker Mrs Lovett.

 

Sondheim’s multi-award winning classic was first performed on Broadway in 1979 and has since been a regular production across the world and on the big screen in 2007 when superstar Johnny Depp played Todd and Helena Bonham Carter his accomplice.

 

Bryn Terfel has played the role before, in 2002 in Chicago but hasn’t sung it since 2007 although he will be fronting a performance of it by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lincoln Center in New York this month.

 

It will be the first time he has performed on the International Eisteddfod stage since he opened the 2006 festival and that was his first appearance at Llangollen in a decade.

 

He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled I’m able to appear at the 2014 International Eisteddfod. I’m a proud Welshman and the International Eisteddfod is unique, the atmosphere, the colour, the audience, even the flowers, it really is a very, very special event.”

 

Eilir Owen Griffiths added: “It’s brilliant to have Bryn back this year and what an experience for those who come through the auditions to be on stage with him.

 

“It’s very exciting and the orchestra for the performance, the Sinfonia Cymru, is a very young orchestra also, conducted by maestro Gareth Jones.

 

“We need to be leaving a legacy and giving an opportunity for young people to shine.”

 

Sweeney Todd will be the curtain raiser to six tremendous days at Llangollen which kicks off on Tuesday, July 8, with this year’s concerts featuring Dutch jazz diva Caro Emerald, American tenor star Noah Stewart, a new work by composer Karl Jenkins, the Cape Town Opera, the Choir of the World competition on Saturday night and legendary British rockers Status Quo closing the event on Sunday night.

 

To book tickets and for more information on the 2014 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Llan Community Garden hosts special event this Saturday

Llangollen Community Garden is hosting a Wild Weekend for Wales event on Saturday, March 8.

The event, from 10am-3pm, is sponsored by Keep Wales Tidy will see groups all over Wales doing practical projects to help wildlife. This spring the main focus is on pollinators.

Members of Llangollen Community Garden will be:

Establishing their Coppice Area

• Thinning the sapling trees, clearing bramble, coppicing some of the ash
• Planting hazel
• Under planting with snowdrops (and hopefully primroses).

Planting 2 Fruit Trees

• Planting a plum and a damson. Food for the bees and us!

Planting Honeysuckles

• Putting up wires to grow a honey suckle along the stone wall behind the social area
• Putting up trellis and planting 2 honeysuckles to cover the metal fencing erected by DCC

Tidying up our existing Flower Beds

• The garden's existing Bee Beds need some tlc after the winter
• We will be planting some extra “bee” plants too, mostly from plant divisions from our own gardens

Log / Bug Piles

• As an extra to their pollinator plans garden members will saw up some of the many branches in the garden
• The aim is to create 1 or 2 smaller log piles in the children’s area suitable for future mini beast hunting

All welcome

• Wear footwear suitable for mud and old clothes. Gloves & tools provided.
• Also provided; tea, coffee, juice plus biscuits & cakes too. If possible bring a mug, but we will have some spares.
• Children welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Tell your friends

• Drop in for an hour or two, or bring lunch and stay all day!

               

University to move out of Tyn Dwr Hall

* UCLAN is moving out of Tyn Dwr Hall.

BOSSES say they will do all they can to avoid compulsory job cuts when the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) pulls out of Llangollen’s historic Tyn Dwr Hall later this year.

The university took over the Victorian mansion in 2009 and spent £2 million on refurbishing the building which has since been used as a centre to prepare students for careers working outdoors, through tree climbing and living in Mongolian-style tents in the grounds.

But, as part of a major cost-cutting exercise, UCLAN now says it has decided to cease to deliver these activities at the hall from this autumn.

 

A UCLAN spokesman said: “Following a review of operational activity and academic need, the university has decided to use alternative facilities to the Tyn Dwr Outdoor Centre.

“The centre is currently used to deliver elements of courses run through the School of Sport, Tourism and the Outdoors, and it will cease to deliver these activities at Tyn Dwr from the end of the 2013/14 academic year.

“In future years, the university will deliver these activities in other parts of its estate or by using external providers when required.”

The spokesman added: “The decision comes as part of the university’s need to achieve recurrent cost savings of £10 million from its non-academic cost base by 2015, while still protecting and enhancing the student experience.

“We are committed to consulting with the recognised trade unions and staff with a view to minimise, mitigate and reduce any staff reductions through a variety of means including voluntary redundancy, TUPE transfers if appropriate and redeployment.

“The university will do all that it can to avoid compulsory redundancies.”

The hall, which dates back to the 1860s and is reputed to be haunted, was given a fanfare opening following a £2 million facelift in February, 2009.

Tyn Dwr Hall was built by John Dicken, an iron master, as a holiday home for himself and his family, with the estate covering roughly 12,00 acres, including much of the Berwyn Mountains.

In later years it became a youth hostel and in 2006 when it was earmarked for closure there was an unsuccessful campaign to save it.

The university spokesman did not reveal how many staff are currently employed at the hall or what is likely to happen to the building once UCLAN moves out.

Llangollen Chamber of Trade & Tourism said in a statement: “Llangollen Chamber of Trade & Tourism is saddened to hear the news about the forthcoming closure of Tyn Dwr Hall by UCLAN.

“This is devastating news for the existing employees and yet another example of the damage caused by expenditure cuts in local government, particularly in the education sector such as this.

“We can only hope that a buyer is found very soon and can offer some safeguarding of employment opportunities for the employees currently working there.”

County Councillor Stuart Davies said: "I am horrified to hear about the job losses at Tyn Dwr, coming on top of the proposed redundancies from Dobsons it is even more important that we push for more job making opportunities in the town.

"Work is ongoing to facilitate more job making opportunities. I continue to liaise with AMs to further these aims and to try and safeguard existing jobs."

Fatal accident near Mold this morning

North Wales Police say they were called to a serious incident involving an off-road Land Rover at Moel Llys Y Coed, near Mold, in the early hours of this morning (Sunday).

 

In a statement, the police say: "The Land Rover appears to have toppled down a hilled public area. Sadly, the driver sustained fatal injuries.

 

"No other vehicles are thought to be involved and there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances."

Carrog to launch new community map

The local community in Carrog will be launching their new community map at an event in the Neuadd at 3.30 pm on Thursday, March 6.  

The map has been created by local artist Ben Davis with a lot of involvement from local residents. The images on the map have been drawn by children during workshops, and these have been painstakingly coloured in using photographs of real textures.  

The result is highly unusual and eye catching, with lots of detail to explore.  Old photographs have also been included to give an insight into how people in the community used to live.

The project has been managed by the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and funded by the Communities and Nature Programme managed by Natural Resources Wales.

The highlight of the event will be a rendition of “Bro Edeirnion” by the local choir Côr Merched Edeyrnion.  The poem was originally written by W.E. Williams, a former headmaster at Glyndyfrdwy school.

Fiona Collins, the Village Hall Secretary and local storyteller is very excited about the launch. She said: "'The village community has been very much involved at every step on the process, and children and adults alike are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the finished map.  

"I have only lived in the village for ten years and have already learnt a lot about my adopted 'milltir sgwar' from the map  - and it's not even here yet!  The fact that members of the choir have agreed to come to sing their signature tune, Bro Edeyrnion, makes the opening event even more special."

For more information contact Ros Stockdale on 01978 869615 or ros.stockdale@denbighshire.gov.uk