Railway hosts weekend carriage convention

Around 40 delegates from across Britain will be at Llangollen Railway for the 15^th annual Carriage Convention being hosted there this weekend, October 18 and 19.

This is the first time the Carriage Convention has been held in Wales and many of the diverse groups involved with carriage restoration at the various heritage railways and museums in Britain will be represented.

 

The gathering will bring together the vast knowledge and experience of those working to preserve the wide variety of heritage carriages which exist in operational condition, or as museum exhibits, and others in course of restoration.

During the course of the convention Llangollen Railway intends to provide practical demonstrations of work on rail vehicles, including panel welding and body repairs, mechanical maintenance and wood manufacturing in the railway’s workshops.

Delegates will give talks on the many varied aspects of carriage restoration and illustrate the work they are involved in with their project for the promotion and interest to others.

 

The exchange of information will help those looking for assistance with their own challenging restoration project who may benefit from applying new technology to the solution for a repair of obsolete equipment, as pioneered by others.

A carriage parts sales stand will provide for the many hard-to-find items needed to complete a restoration project from obsolete screws to full size vehicles and a mini car boot sale on Sunday morning will cater for those who bring parts for sale.

The convention will provide a full tour of the engineering workshops at the Llangollen Railway which is the home for such new build locomotive projects as the Patriot ‘The Unknown Warrior’, ‘Betton Grange’, the ‘Night Owl’ and the recently announced B17 ‘Sandringham’.

 

The carriage workshop was the location for the acclaimed restoration of the Great Western Steam Railmotor and Trailer as operational at the Didcot Railway Centre, as per picture below.

Restoration projects completed at Llangollen Railway will be on show and will include the Wickham railcar, the Southern Railway Elephant Van, the London North Eastern Railway Thompson Brake Third coach and the former Kings Cross Suburban Coach set, as well as other projects which are underway.

A convivial Saturday evening will be offered with a trip on the Llangollen Railway’s Real Ale Train which operates with the restored Elizabethan Buffet coach.

Llangollen Railway director, Peter Lund, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this national event and look forward to meeting delegates from a wide range of participating railways and museums.

 

"We want to make this weekend a very useful occasion for all delegates. By bringing people together to share their experiences, and to view our own projects, we hope to promote the important work of continuing to provide historic railway vehicles for the enjoyment of the many people who visit heritage railways.”

Healing course planned for Llan

llanblogger has received the following poster advertising an event at St Collen's Community Hall in November:

LimeLight to stage two Christmas shows

Award-winning LimeLight Productions, who are winning a  good reputation in Llangollen for their musical theatre and drama productions, have unveiled details of their two Christmas productions.

One is original drama written and directed by Peter Read which, after its launch at Llangollen Town Hall goes on a semi-professional tour.

The second it a musical spectacular featuring the Carl Jones Dancers and John Durham and his Rat Pack repertoire.  

The first show, A Dickens of an Evening, is on at the Town Hall on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15 at 7.30pm

Depicting the life of Charles Dickens, it shows the great author celebrating Christmas with his friends.

There are visitations from ghosts, haunted men, Christmas trees coming to life, plus lots of festive joy.

But beneath the jollity, and the undercurrents, Dickens's private life is always near the surface.

As they act out The Battle of Life it is clear that the plot of two sisters loving the same man mirrors his own life. And there is also Ellen Ternan, the secret lover, hovering in the wings.

The second production, Christmas in the Limelight, on Friday, December 5 at 7.30pm, offers a wealth of musical theatre and much-loved songs in a cabaret-style setting.

LimeLight features music from their forthcoming 2015 production Fiddler On The Roof, along with some beautiful dancing accompanying the singers and solo pieces from the Carl Jones Dancers.

John Durham, a professional vocalist,  joins the cast as host singing songs from his Rat Pack collection. Fellow host is the well-known John Clifford.

LimeLight are offering discounted seats for those booking tickets for both shows.

Tickets are £8 and £6.50 concessions with  group discounts available. They are available by calling the box office on 01978 351315/07504031029, or from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre.

Email contact: limelightwrexham@googlemail.com

Latest in Allt y Badi story

An article on the Denbighshire Free Press website describes latest moves in the dispute over the use of the Allt y Badi pass between Llangollen and Glyn Ceiriog by off-roaders.

http://denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/139344/off-roaders-asked-to-stay-off-path.aspx

Politicians seek talented young designers

Assembly Member Ken Skates and MP Susan Elan Jones are encouraging schoolchildren in Clwyd South to show their artistic side by designing their own Christmas cards.

The political pair are inviting pupils of every infant and primary school in their constituency to look forward to the festive season and enter their annual competition.

The winning design, which will be chosen by First Minister Carwyn Jones, will become the Labour duo’s official Christmas card and will be sent out to constituents, businesses, schools and voluntary groups across Wrexham and Denbighshire.

Last year’s winner was 11-year-old Ross Griffiths from Cefn Mawr, who now goes to Ysgol Rhiwabon, after his card was chosen out of more than 100 entries.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates said: “There were so many great designs last year we decided to feature four on our card, and we’re hoping for just as good a response this time.
“The children in Clwyd South always seem to really get into the spirit of the competition and we’re extremely grateful to the teachers for encouraging their creativity and enthusiasm. I’m sure this year will be no different.”

 

MP Ms Jones added: “The competition gives us a good opportunity to engage with young people in Clwyd South, and it’s a fun way for them to learn a little bit about who represents them. The competition closes on November 14 as we need time to whittle them down and get the winning design printed, so the sooner the children get cracking the better!”

Prospective Picassos should ask their teachers to send their designs to Mr Skates’ constituency office at Unit 19, The Malthouse, Regent Street, Llangollen, LL20 8HS.

Beatriz to serve up Spanish dishes at food festival

* Beatriz Albo with one of her paella dishes.

A former research scientist who worked at a college on Deeside is recreating the dishes that her gran served up at the family’s award-winning restaurant in Spain.

 

Beatriz Albo has left the lab behind to spend more time in the kitchen at her home in Brymbo, near Wrexham, where she’s cooking up dishes she learned as a child from her gran Teresa, back home in the ancient city of Salamanca, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

 

She’s just set up her own company Sabor De Amor – named after her favourite song - while her version of paella along with Spanish specialities  chanfaina, garlic sauce aioli and olive tapenade are  winning plaudits among her growing number of fans.

 

Beatriz’s culinary creations will be on sale at Llangollen Hamper this weekend, now recognised as one of the UK's top 10 food festivals, which is supported by rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution comes via the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

 

According to Beatriz, Hamper Llangollen will the perfect shop window for her Spanish cuisine.

 

She said: “I’ve only been going a few months so I was very pleased to be accepted as an exhibitor by Hamper Llangollen – it will be a real chance to showcase my dishes to a much wider audience.”

 

Now a mum of two, Beatriz first came to the UK aged 24 to work at Deeside College, now part of Coleg Cambria, researching gum arabic, a flavouring and thickening agent, and later proteins in mung beans.

 

She went on to gain a doctorate at Manchester University and after the birth of her children Albert  and Susana, now aged 17 and 10, she began teaching science, most recently at Ruabon High School.

 

“I was covering maternity leave at Ruabon, teaching maths and biology and when that ended last summer I considered going back into pure research. However, I realised that as I hadn’t been involved in that for a long time, and hadn’t published papers,  it would be difficult

 

“My family and friends have always been very complimentary about my cooking and said I should do it professionally. There is a growing interest in Spanish food, with more and more tapas restaurants opening.

 

“When I was growing up in north west Spain my grandmother Teresa ran a restaurant in Salamanca called Roma. All the family worked in it – my uncles and my mother, so after school I would go along to help out. I remember the dishes she made, they were wonderful. After my great-grandmother died I lived with my gran for a while, so she wouldn’t be alone, and I learned more from her about cooking.

 

“I still have family in Spain and they often send me ingredients, such as olives from the local villages, and spices and herbs. That’s how I get the authentic taste of Spain in my dishes.

 

“After getting lots of advice I decided to start my own business making Spanish food to sell at farmers’ markets. However, I wasn’t sure what to call the new company. Then, one day when I was making strawberry jam at home my favourite song came up on my iPhone playlist – Sabor de Amor. It’s all about the taste of strawberries and home, and I thought it would be ideal.

 

“As I am a scientist at heart I made sure my kitchen at home met all the high standards needed to get the licences to create food at home to sell.

 

“One of the most popular things I’ve been making is a paella sauce: it’s a real concentrated stock with authentic flavourings in a bottle, so you just have to add it to rice and meat, or other ingredients,  to create the perfect dish. It really does taste like the one my grandmother used to make.

 

“I also make chanfaina, which is a regional dish from Salamanca that uses cheaper cuts such as offal, plus tapenades, which seem to be very popular with shoppers at farmers’ markets, like the monthly one at the Grosvenor Centre in Pulford.

 

A quartet of Wales’s best chefs will have a starring role at the festival. Graham Tinsley, executive chef at Carden Park in Cheshire and Conwy’s Castle Hotel, will be cooking up a Welsh feast with Mike Evans, hospitality lecturer at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos on Sea, and Dion Jones, one of Europe’s finest young chefs.

 

The ever popular Dai Chef, now the resident chef at Bodnant Welsh Food, the centre of excellence for Welsh food in the Conwy Valley will be there too.

 

Robert Didier, a baker who trained with culinary legend Raymond Blanc will also unveil the UK’s most expensive loaf – made with champagne and 24 carat gold, at the event.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd’s Agri Food Officer, Robert Price, believes this year’s festival is going to be one of the best ever.

 

He said: “Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies like Orchard Pigs, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

 

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

 

“The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular – I can’t imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting.”

 

For more information about Hamper Llangollen 2014 visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

 

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