County prepares to welcome Queen's Baton relay

The countdown has begun for the Queen’s Baton Relay to visit Wales at the end of May, with Denbighshire County Council preparing to welcome this prestigious event to the county.
The Queen’s Baton Relay which will be visiting the county on Friday, May 30, with the official route due to be announced in the coming weeks. Today (Monday), the baton bearers for the various stages have been announced.
A programme of activities are being arranged to coincide with the event. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Councillor Huw Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Leisure said: “The fact that the baton bearers have been confirmed is great news and we are a step closer to welcoming the Baton Relay to Denbighshire and to Wales.

“It’s great that local athletes and those with connections with the county are to be given an opportunity to be part of this major event and will hopefully inspire a new generation of children and young people to see the benefits of sport and leisure activities in general”.

Jamie Groves, Head of Communications, Marketing and Leisure for Denbighshire, said: “We have a team of staff working tirelessly to welcome the Baton Relay into the county and to arrange activities to coincide with this historic event.

“It is also a great platform for the county to show the rest of Wales and beyond that Denbighshire is a great place, not only to live and visit, but also to host major events of national significance.”

Chris Jenkins, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales, explains; “The Queen’s Baton Relay is a chance for the whole nation to get behind the team of athletes set to compete for Wales at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games just two months later, and it really is an invitation to join us on our journey.”

“By linking athletes and coaches from past and present back to the communities they came from through the QBR, we hope that it will inspire the next generation to believe that anything is possible, and that one day they could be a Commonwealth champion bringing their medals home.”

The Queen’s Baton Relay begins in Wales on Saturday 24^th May 2014 and will spend seven days visiting a mixture of close knit community events, large multi-sport bonanzas and iconic landmarks before it heads across the border to England on Friday 30^th May.

For more detail on the route that the baton will take please visit www.teamwales.co.uk/queens-baton-relay-2014/ 

Group raises questions about hall's future

 

 

 

* Interior pictures of Tyn Dwr Hall courtesy of Lawray Architects.

A Llangollen community group has asked Denbighshire County Council for assurances about the future of historic Tyn Dwr Hall in the town.

As llanblogger revealed last week, the 1860s building and former youth hostel is being closed as an outdoor centre by the University of Central Lancashire which has used it for that purpose since 2009 following a £2 million refurbishment.

The Keep Llangollen Special (KLS) group has now written to Mark Dixon, the county’s strategic regeneration manager, putting a number of questions about the hall.

KLS chair Martin Crumpton says in an email to him: “Undoubtedly you’re aware that Tyn Dwr Hall, Llangollen, will likely fall victim to cuts by UCLAN, despite its award-winning refurbishment in 2009.

“Its intrinsic value, and its part in the community make it unthinkable to leave it and its grounds to fall derelict, as was Denbigh Hospital. Given the consequences of that sorry episode, avoiding a similar situation is paramount to all of us.

“On behalf of our community group, Keep Llangollen Special, we would like to ask: Can UCLAN’s shortfall be made up for it to continue; are there viable alternatives, either public or private, which would maintain the house, outbuildings, grounds and jobs; can KLS be involved? Our intention is to be supportive.”

The company’s website shows that as lead architect on the refurbishment, Lawray Architects developed designs to convert the building into three-star accommodation, which reflected the brief not only to provide an educational facility for students, but to allow the building to hold commercial conferences and team building events.

The development includes bedrooms, teaching rooms and lecture facilities, IT suites, dining and relaxation areas and ancillary storage buildings to hold outdoor equipment.

The project received the Llangollen Civic Society Award ‘for the sympathetic restoration and renovation of a Victorian building’ and the North Wales LABC Building Excellence award, County Winner for the ‘Best Commercial Development less than £1million’.

See: http://www.lawray-architects.co.uk/projects/heritage/tyn-dwr-hall/

Motorcyclist dies after collision with car at Bryneglwys

The BBC news website has the following story this evening (Saturday):

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-26499718

Powerful portrayal of cannon fodder heroes

* Ally Goodman is a scene from The Accrington Pals.

In the patriotic fervour that immediately followed the outbreak of World War One, exactly a century ago this year, large groups of young men from the same towns, workplaces or youth organisations rushed to sign up for service on the Western Front.

They became part of what was known as Kitchener’s Army after the Secretary of State for War who had launched the massive recruiting drive and were dubbed “pals battalions”.

One such unit was the Accrington Pals, a bunch of hearty lads from the Lancashire mill town, officially known as the 11^th Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment. 

But the tragedy of having large groups from the same area joining the ranks together was that when the guns began to fire they died together, and in horrendous numbers which decimated their home towns.

On the blood-soaked first day of the Battle of the Somme in July, 1916 the Accrington Pals attacked the German front line at Serre 700 strong but within just half and hour 235 of them lay dead and 350 wounded.

One of the survivors recalled: "We were able to see our comrades move forward in an attempt to cross No Man’s Land only to be mown down like meadow grass. I felt sick at the sight of the carnage and remember weeping."

Back home a rumour that spread around Accrington that only seven men had survived from the battalion and an angry crowd surrounded the mayor's house, demanding information.

This bitter tale of love and loss is retold in Peter Whelan’s 1982 play, The Accrington Pals, which is being performed by Llangollen Twenty Club at the Town Hall this week to mark the World War One centenary.

This powerful production, which has the last of three performances tonight (Saturday), vividly contrasts the pals’ life and experiences at the front with those of the women they left behind to keep the home fires burning in Accrington.

The story revolves around balsy market stall holder May Hassall, her young cousin Tom, for whom she has an unrequieted passion, and their friends Eva and Ralph.  

The performance provided by Anna Turner as May just doesn’t come any finer. Everything from her Lancashire accent to her gut-wrenching anxiety at the thought of young Tom going off to war is quite simply brilliant.

Tom – much more of an artist than a fighter - is played to perfection by Andy Evans, one of the many young men whose futures affected by the conflict.

An equally strong portrayal of Ralph, their jack-the-lad friend, comes from Twenty Club stalwart Ally Goodman and the part of Eva, his girlfriend, is played with feeling by Natalie Evans.

As is usual with the Twenty Club, the key players receive strong backing from those in the supporting roles.

Despite its tragic theme, the piece has plenty of lighter moments and there to deliver her fair share of laugh-lines is Hannah Brockley as Sarah, a mill worker who is a friend of May and Eva.   

A nice piece of casting is Andrew Sully as another of the pals, Arthur. He’s a bit of a religious type so it helps that Andrew is the local vicar.

To keep it in the family there’s a nice little cameo from Carys Stallard – Andrew’s real-life daughter – as Bertha the millgirl who becomes a wartime bus clippie.

Liz Evans turns in a neat performance as Annie, a housewife greatly affected by her husband going off to the trenches, and Joe Maddocks makes a useful Twenty Club debut as Reggie, the boisterous son of Annie and Arthur. 

David Connolly gives a strong interpretation of Company Sergeant Major Rivers, the old soldier who gives a guarantee to May that he will look after Tom in the hell of the trenches.

The show, a marvellous evocation of the era and its cannon fodder heroes, is a credit to director Rachel Morris and the entire team - both in front of and behind the scenes - who deserve campaign medals for their brave efforts.

If you’re lucky you’ll get a ticket for tonight’s performance.      

New foodbank "could soon be up and running"

CLWYD South AM Ken Skates is confident he can help get a foodbank up and running to help the most vulnerable people in his constituency.

Mr Skates recently met Andrew Sturgess from the Trussell Trust, the national charity which operates the community projects throughout Britain, and Ruabon businessman David Jones to discuss opening a branch to serve the Dee Valley.

Mr Skates said: “It was a really positive meeting and we are making rapid progress, it’s really encouraging. There is still work to be done, but I am hopeful we can get the Clwyd South Foodbank open for business within the next few months.”

He added: “Sadly, more and more people across Wales are having to rely on foodbanks because of a variety of factors such as rising costs of fuel and energy bills, static income, high unemployment and changes to benefits. Some 13 million people are currently living below the poverty line in the UK and food poverty is rising.

“Trussell Trust foodbanks play a vital role in helping the most vulnerable in our society by providing emergency parcels with enough nutritionally balanced supplies to last three days to those referred by health and social care professionals.”

There are currently has almost 400 Trussell Trust foodbanks in operation nationwide – including in Rhosddu, Mold, Denbigh and Oswestry – and the charity’s goal is for every town to have one.

Mr Skates and Mr Sturgess, a Trussell Trust development officer, identified what they say is ‘an obvious need’ for a presence in Clwyd South, and Mr Jones, a former chairman of Ruabon Community Council, responded to their call for help.

It is hoped the foodbank could be based within Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

Mr Skates added: “I have long been a supporter of the amazing work the Trussell Trust does and would love to help get a centre up and running in Clwyd South. However, the project will
need at least a dozen volunteers to get it off the ground, so I would urge anyone who is interested in playing a part to email Ken.Skates@Wales.gov.uk or call my office on 01978 869058.”

* It has been pointed out since this story was posted that Matt's Food Bank has already been operating successfully for some time in Llangollen.

Work starts on canal towpath facelift

 

* Work in progress on one section of the towpath between Llangollen

Wharf and the Motor Museum. Picture courtesy of Mike Edwards.

 

A historic canal towpath is undergoing a makeover this month as part of plans to make it easier for walkers, boaters, cyclists and a traditional horse-drawn boat to use.

Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, is repairing 1,500 metres of towpath along the Llangollen Canal so that the route can continue to be enjoyed by visitors throughout the year.

The £220,000 project has been made possible thanks to funding from the Welsh Government’s sustainable transport programme, TAITH, and support from Denbighshire County Council and Sustrans Cymru.

The works include widening and resurfacing the towpath along the World Heritage Site between Horseshoe Waterfalls and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, adding to the 16km of towpath that have already been improved.

The towpath will be closed throughout the works, which are expected to take approximately six weeks to complete.

Jim Forrester, chair of the Canal & River Trust’s North Wales & Borders Partnership, said: “The Llangollen Canal is one of the most visited canals in Britain and these improvements are vital because of the high number of visitors who use the towpath everyday. We want to ensure our canals in Wales are suitable for everyone to enjoy the beautiful scenery, wildlife and the 200 year-old canal network.”

Councillor Huw Jones, Denbighshire's Cabinet Lead Member for Tourism, said: "The council is delighted to be supporting this work as we see the canal as one of the Dee Valley's most valuable assets from a tourism perspective. It is vital that we work with our partners to make sure the infrastructure is in place to enhance our tourism offer and provide visitors with a pleasurable experience when visiting our waterways."

Glyn Evans, North Wales Area Manager for transport organisation Sustrans, said: “We want to make sure that this popular route is suitable for all, from children on bikes, to mothers pushing prams and those with mobility issues. Resurfacing this path will enable many more local people to walk or cycle for shorter everyday journeys, or for a pleasant day out.”

Linking Memories: Your Bridge – Your Stories

* The world famous Chain Bridge.

Do you have memories about the Chain Bridge? 

The Chain Bridge Project, a new £350,000 Heritage Lottery funded project, along with Menter Iaith Sir Ddynbich, are inviting anyone with memories of the famous bridge to attend the Linking Memories: Your Bridge – Your Stories event, between 10.30am and 4pm on Saturday, March 8 in Llangollen Town Hall.

The event will celebrate the bridge, its fascinating past, and more importantly, its significance to everyone who has used and enjoyed it. Your stories will help the project understand its past. 

Gareth Thomas, Llangollen's Town Clerk, is looking forward to Linking Memories.

He said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for local people to come and share their memories about the Chain Bridge.”

Sandra Baker, the Town Clerk for Llantysilio Community Council, said: "People in Llantysilio have many stories to tell about the Chain Bridge. I even have some of my own to share.”  

Linking Memories is free and open to everyone. Since memories come in any shape or form, feel free to bring photos, posters, and documents. There will be trained volunteers on hand to help to scan your items and take down your stories. 

If you are unable to attend Linking Memories on Saturday but would still like to take part in it, contact Samantha Jones at chainbridgeheritage@gmail.com or call 07936 590867. 

Stay in touch and find the latest updates on the Chain Bridge Project on Facebook, Twitter, and the project’s official website.