Artist recreates Plas Newydd in fabric

 
 
 
Llangollen-based artist Jan Wallis currently has a novel exhibition of her work at the Willow Gallery in Oswestry.

Entitled Quilt Built, it’s a representation of some of the internal features at Plas Newydd – home of the Ladies of Llangollen – including wooden wall carvings and even a four poster bed, entirely in fabric and thread.

 

Memorial Hall refreshments

Members of Llangollen Methodist Church are inviting people to join them for morning coffee, light lunches and afternoon tea at the Memorial Hall, opposite the car park in Market Street, between 10am and 4pm, from July 6-11.

The hall will be open until 5.30pm tomorrow (Tuesday) and closed on Wednesday.

Llan scientist appears in government film

* Dr Davies as she appears in the film.

A Llangollen woman features in a film promoting the importance of science in Wales.

Science For Wales, produced by the Welsh Government, promotes the country's scientific achievements.

In one sequence there's an appearance by Dr Charlotte Eve Davies, who was educated at Ysgol Bryn Collen and then Ysgol Dinas Bran before earning a PhD in biology from Swansea University at the age of 24.

The daughter of Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies, she has had six papers published and has travelled extensively around the world giving speeches on her speciality which involves lobsters.

In the film she is seen aboard a boat holding up a lobster.

Cllr Davies said: "I'd like to thank all the people from Denbighshire County Council who were involved in her education and helped to make this happen.

"As can be seen from the film, we deliver a world class education system."

An example of Dr Davies’ work can be seen at: http://theconversation.com/competitive-lobsters-are-fighting-it-out-in-uks-first-marine-park-35830

Methodist Church's festival of praise

Llangollen Methodist Church is hosting a Festival of Praise on Monday, July 6, starting at 7.30pm.

It includes favourite hymns by guest performers and will be led by the Rev Philip Poole.

A collection will be held in aid of Llangollen Cancer Research UK.

Real flap outside the Town Hall this morning

LLANGOLLEN town centre was in a real flap this morning (Saturday) when a trio of 1920s style  dancers went through a hectic routine on the Town Hall steps.

The flappers were there to promote the launch of the New Dot community cinema project, which will show its first film, the modern silent classic The Artist, at the Town Hall on July 15.

* Tickets are available NOW!
£8 (£5 concessions)
Buy in person from our two official outlets:
Bailey’s Fine Foods
Town Hall Stores
Castle Street
Llangollen
LL20 8NU
www.baileysfinefoods.com
Gales of Llangollen
18 Bridge Street
Llangollen
LL20 8PF
www.galesofllangollen.co.uk
Or buy online from our friends at Llangollen Fringe:
www.llangollenfringe.co.uk

* See llanblogger's film of the dancers at YouTube on: http://youtu.be/4MBnTi4wbNY

Time again for Llan to meet the world

* Bollywood on the Dee – Indian dancers on one of the outside stages.

Thousands of people from around the world - as well as a Royal couple - will descend on Llangollen next week as it celebrates the 69^th annual International Musical Eisteddfod.

The visit of the Prince of Wales on Tuesday afternoon, will make this a special occasion as he and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive in time for one of the event highlights, the Parade of Nations.

Prince Charles will be meeting Eisteddfod officials and chatting to competitors taking part in the parade which will again be led by the Eisteddfod’s President, Terry Waite CBE.

It is the fifth visit he has made to the festival, he came with Princess Diana in 1985 and with the Duchess of Cornwall in 2006, and also on his own as a Day President in 1996 and in 2003 to a special concert in aid of the Prince’s Trust.

Over the years the event which began as a festival of peace in the aftermath of the Second World War has grown into one of Europe’s premier music and dance events.

It has attracted cultural icons like Dylan Thomas and the great Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who began his international career as a member of a choir from Modena at Llangollen in 1955.

In recent years artists of the stature of Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins, Kiri Te Kanawa, James Galway, Montserrat Caballe and Jools Holland have performed at the Sunday Evening Gala Concert and last year veteran rockers Status Quo brought the curtain and the house down at the finale.

Most importantly the competitors have continued to come from all over the world – this year they will be here from Canada and China, Ghana, Hungary, India and Indonesia, Jamaica, Morocco, Nepal, Slovakia, Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA as well as from all over the UK and Ireland.

This year’s event runs from Tuesday, July 7, when Prince Charles will see off the colourful traditional procession from the Royal International Pavilion to the town and back, through six days of competitions and concerts to Sunday’s spectacular fireworks extravaganza.

This year the list of concerts is led by legendary American songwriter Burt Bacharach who will perform at the curtain-raiser on Monday night while artists of the stature of Alfie Boe, harpist Catrin Finch, choirmaster Gareth Malone and singer-songriter Rufus Wainwright will take the stage during the evenings.

This year’s closing concert will be performed by Ali Campbell, the voice of multi-selling reggae artists UB40, reunited on stage with former bandmatres Mickey and Astro.

But there will also be so much going on during the day, both on the main stage as competitions take place, and on the field where crowds mingle with performers and competitors in a multi-cultural carnival of nations.

Eisteddfod Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “We have another wonderful event to stage this year and with artists of the calibre of Burt Bacharach, Alfie Boe and Gareth Malone the status of the this unique event is underlined.

“The Royal visit just adds to the magic and sense of occasion andf we’re looking forward to another spectacular week this year.”

For more details on this year’s event go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/llangollen

Davies hits out over health board's turn-around plan

A LLANGOLLEN county council has branded as “idiotic” a plan by its interim chief executive to turn around the ailing Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in 100 days.

The board was recently placed in special measures by the Welsh Government amid concerns about management failings.

A report also condemned poor treatment of mental health patients at Glan Clwyd Hospital as "institutional abuse".

Simon Dean, deputy head of the NHS in Wales and the man appointed by the government to run the board after its chief executive Professor Trevor Purt was suspended, said last week that he had given seniors managers 100 days to start making improvements. 

But Cllr Stuart Davies (pictured right), who represents Llangollen on Denbighshire County Council, predicts the initiative is “doomed to fail” and says he will demand that Wales’s First Minister Carwyn Jones considers his position when it does.

Cllr Davies has also criticised the board for failing to go ahead with an arrangement for a representative to attend the full council meeting next Tuesday to allow members to raise questions about the current situation.

He said: “I am highly disappointed that the people in charge of the Betsi are not willing to come to our meetings to answer questions about their problems. Trevor Purt had promised to attend our July meeting.

“I am particularly concerned because I wanted to seriously question them on their widely promoted 100-day turn-around plan.

“I believe this is the most idiotic idea I have heard because it will take years to turn around the deep-seated culture that is now driving the Betsi.”

He added: “They are being their usual arrogant self in not wishing to engage with councillors.

“They say on one hand they want to engage and then turn down this opportunity.

“The whole project is doomed to failure in my opinion and it is all down to the Welsh Government who are doing their usual micro-managing bit.

“I will be calling on the First Minister to consider his position when this 100-day initiative fails.”

A spokesperson for the health board said: “Professor Purt wrote out to local authorities earlier in the year, seeking an opportunity to meet with them as part of a process of public engagement to support the development of the health board’s medium term plan.  

“The July date was offered by Denbighshire County Council for this.

“However, following the decision to place the health board into special measures status, the Health Minister issued clear direction that before carrying out any such discussion the health board is to carry out a widespread public listening exercise. 

“This exercise has now started, initially with a programme of public ‘drop in’ sessions in 15 locations across North Wales, and will continue over the coming months.  

“As a result of this the health board was no longer in a position to proceed with the meeting as proposed.”