Red tape is "strangling" Fringe claims director

*Town Mayor, Councillor Mike Adams, cuts the tape to open this year's Fringe Festival.

A DIRECTOR of Llangollen Fringe claims council red tape is "strangling" the popular annual event.

Graham Timms says that despite the festival, currently in progress at various venues in the town, bringing £150,000 into the local economy, its success is being hampered by both the town and county councils.

And Graham Timms believes that without more support he does not see how it can survive.

The Fringe includes music, comedy, theatre, dance and workshops.

Over the past two decades big names who have taken part include Lesley Garrett, Rhys Ifans, The Damned, Cerys Matthews,  Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Juan Martin, John Cooper Clark and Will Self.

Mr Timms said: “Denbighshire County Council and Llangollen Town Council are strangling the Fringe Festival by their inflexible attitude and the rigid enforcement of minor bylaws.

“We always try to make the town feel special during the festival with street art, banners and posters, but this year we have been told by Denbighshire that we cannot  attach anything to their  - or is it our - street furniture.

“This led to the near invisibility of our promotion in the town in the previous week, whilst the international eisteddfod was held, and a resulting loss of ticket sales.

“We were told that signage on the approach roads had to be placed in less prominent positions and attached to trees instead of street furniture.  

“For the last few years, whilst our festival has been growing, signs have been attached to lamp posts to promote the Fringe Festival. I understand that regulations are necessary, but in this instance it is strangling the fringe.”

Mr Timms added: “We ordered hundreds of pounds worth of publicity and signage and Llangollen Town Council told us that nothing was permitted to be attached to the outside of the town hall because it is a listed building.

“We’ve wasted money on publicity that cannot be used and we’ve lost vital income as a result.

“After the first day of this year’s festival we were contacted by Llangollen Town Council to remove our professionally installed lighting in an exhibition in the town hall entrance and replace it with fluorescent lighting and be charged for the privilege.

“Even though the four directors of the not-for-profit festival are financially liable for any losses and I personally feel that we are risking too much as individuals without getting any flexibility from the town hall, who see us just as an income stream or the county council who have to employ enforcement officers to check we haven’t put any signs up.”

Mr Timms went on: “The Fringe brings £150,000 into Llangollen’s economy, according to formal events impact calculations submitted to the Arts Council of Wales. Unless we get more support, I cannot see how we can survive.

“In its 18^th year, the Fringe currently has the most ambitious and expensive programme ever.

“I urge local people to come and support the huge range of events that are on in the town to ensure the festival’s continued success.”

Clerk to Llangollen Town Council, Gareth Thomas, said: "It is correct that the Town Council doesn’t allow fixed banners on the Town Hall as it’s a listed building, and this has been a policy approved by the Town Council in consultation with the Town Hall Management Group and the Friends of Llangollen Town Hall since June 2014. 

"The purpose was to stop the proliferation of banners that were being fixed to above the front entrance of the Town Hall which were detracting from the appearance of the listed building.

"However, the Friends of Llangollen Town Hall are looking at a new system of vertical banners to identify the main entrance of the building that will be available to other users.  Given the status of the building these have to be designed appropriately and must not detract from the quality of the listed façade.

"This has not prevented the weekly Country Market, the Twenty Club, The Llangollen Operatic Society or The International Musical Eisteddfod from adequately promoting events in the Town Hall, it is simply a matter of using appropriate banners that do not require permanent fixings attached to the walls of the Town Hall.

 

"In respect of the comment, `After the first day of this year’s festival we were contacted by Llangollen Town Council to remove our professionally installed lighting in an exhibition in the town hall entrance and replace it with fluorescent lighting and be charged for the privilege,' this is not the case.

"Contact was made with the fringe as somebody had placed plastic film over the Town Hall lights in the foyer and under the upstairs balcony and had disconnected one set of lights.  Hirers should not interfere with the fixtures of the Town Hall and the initial thought was it had been done by the technical team of the fringe. 

 

"This however has proved to be wrong as the works were undertaken by another user associated with the Fringe, who has rectified the situation and has apologise for interfering with the Town Hall's fixtures and fittings.

"The Town Council clearly supports the Llangollen Fringe, but equally it has a responsibility to manage its assets to ensure that the fabric of the building is maintained to a high standard given the significance of the Town Hall, and its designation as a listed building, in the centre of the town’s retail area."

A Denbighshire County Council spokesperson said: "The council understands that the fringe festival is important for Llangollen, and we are therefore happy to work with the organisers on an agreed signing layout.   However, the council also has a duty to make sure that road users and pedestrians can use the highway safely, and we these two objectives can sometimes be in conflict with each other.
 
"We are keen to support community events like Llangollen Fringe. We recognise that running an event is a very complex process and we need to make sure we are providing easy to access, clear guidance on publicising events.  We have therefore set up a toolkit to help advise event organisers to make sure the advice and guidance is crystal clear for people."

Play gives insight into the lives of Llan's Ladies

 

 

* Caroline Anthonisz, left, and Paula Sutton as Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby.

 

A PLAY specially written for the town’s Fringe Festival provides a fascinating and thoughtful insight into the lives of the famous Ladies of Llangollen.

The one-hour drama, penned by Wrexham playwright Peter Read, was given added poignancy as it was performed earlier this evening in the open air within the grounds at Plas Newydd where the couple lived together for over 50 years.

The exact nature of the relationship of Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Elizabeth Butler is central to the piece.

Were they living together as “lovers” in the sense of the term we accept today, or were they simply two women who loved each other for companionship and out of mutual admiration – a meeting of minds rather than bodies?

Thankfully, to help preserve the question mark which has hung over them for the past couple of centuries, the truth of the matter isn’t explored too deeply.

Instead, we see the frantic flight of this aristocratic duo from their native Ireland – where perhaps loveless marriages and a life of strict conventionality awaited them – to the Vale of Llangollen where their idyll was frequently buffeted by a lack of funds, untrustworthy servants and spats with the neighbours.

It is a credit to Peter Read’s dramatic abilities and a talented eight-strong cast that a decent-sized audience got a real flavour of what life was like for this rather odd couple.

Caroline Anthonisz and Paula Sutton were highly believable as Butler and Ponsonby respectively.

The fictitious modern-day couple – a playwright called James and a writer of coffee table books called Anna visiting Plas Newydd for research purposes - whom the author uses a device to tell the tale, are thoughtfully played by Joe Scatley and Megan Wroe.

And there are some neat cameos in various supporting from David Edgar, Andrew Welsh, Lizzie Clifford and John Clifford.

Sarah and Eleanor the Play will be performed again at Plas Newydd tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7pm.

* For tickets, see the Llangollen Fringe website at www.llangollenfringe.co.uk, or get them at the Fringe desk at the entrance to the Town Hall, or at Plas Newydd on the night.

 

Operatic's next show will be The Producers

* Producer Tracey Rawlinson, right, presents the John Evans Memorial Trophy to Elen-Haf Taylor.

Fresh from its recent success with Sister Act, Llangollen Operatic Society has announced that its 2016 production will be the internationally acclaimed musical The Producers by Mel Brooks.  

 

Originally a film starring Gene Wilder, the show first opened on Broadway in 2001 and has since won a staggering 12 Tony Awards in addition to three Olivier Awards.

 

It is currently on a UK national tour with the comedian Jason Manford playing the principal role of Leo Bloom and Ross Noble as Franz Liebkind. 

 

The show will be produced by Tracey Rawlinson, assisted by her daughter Alix Rawlinson, who has just graduated in drama and theatre studies from Aberystwyth University.

 

Elen Mair Roberts will once again take the helm as musical director and society stalwart Nia Pickering will make her debut as artistic director.  

 

Tracey said: “In the same vein as Sister Act, The Producers is quite unlike anything we have staged before.

 

"It will be a challenge but Elen, Nia and I have every confidence that the cast and crew will rise to the occasion as they always do and put on a unique and unforgettable production that our audiences will absolutely love.  

 

“The show has everything; it’s vibrant, outrageous, risqué and will have you aching with laughter. We really can’t wait."  

 

The production will run from April 12-16 next year, with a matinee performance on Saturday, April 16.

  

As ever, the group is keen to welcome new members for roles both on stage and off. In particular, they would like to hear from any men who are interested in joining as this show has a significant male cast.  

 

The new season will start with a musical theatre-themed get together on Saturday, September 5 in Llangollen’s RAFA club.

 

There will be a bar, nibbles, an opportunity to get the vocal chords working with karaoke and for potential or returning members to meet and chat with some of the current membership.  

 

Rehearsals will then start in earnest on Tuesday, September 8, at 7.30pm in the studio off Castle Street. 

 

If you would like to like to get involved or would like more information, contact Tracey on 07875639533/traceyrawlinson@btinternet.com or Nia 07766800272/ nia_heavens@hotmail.com   

 

* The society recently held its annual general meeting during which the winners of its 2015 awards were announced.

 

The John Evans Memorial Trophy, which is judged by an independent adjudicator and presented to the member who is deemed to have given the best all round performance in the annual production, was awarded to Elen-Haf Taylor for her spectacular performance as Deloris van Cartier in the society's recent production of Sister Act.  

 

 

 

* Paul Gay, left, presents the Diana Gay Rose Bowl to Tracey Rawlinson. 

 

Elen-Haf is leaving the society to pursue a degree course at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

 

Recipient of the Diana Gay Rose Bowl, which is presented by Paul Gay in memory of his late wife, who was the society’s wardrobe mistress for a number of years, was Tracey Rawlinson.

 

This award is voted for by the membership and is presented to the member who is considered to have done the most for the society over the year.

 

Having not only produced but also directed Sister Act as well as doing so much more, Tracey was the unanimous choice for this award.

Statement from KLS on recent developments

It should be self-evident that agreeing to a developer’s plans to construct a lighthouse would rightly have people incensed if the developers built a well-head for fracking instead.

 

The public expects to have exactly what it’s agreed to, no more and no less – we won’t accept an abattoir when we were promised a health centre. The public is in no mood to sign blank cheques or give carte blanche to a developer who refuses to specify what the development is for.

 

Now Sainsbury’s have pulled out of building a giant, town-killing supermarket on the edge of Llangollen, we’re expected to accept something else in its place but the people behind the negotiations, including our elected representatives, won’t tell us what, except to intimate that it’ll bring in jobs of some kind and on that basis, they’ll support it.

For the residents, it’s a classic pig in a poke and they have the legal right to buy it using our own money whether we like it or not. It is wholly improper for voters and taxpayers to be treated as if they all had diminished responsibility and need legal guardians instead of elected representatives.

If something else is now required to be developed then there must be an entirely new planning application submitted.

 

Due to the lack of information being distributed to the residents of Llangollen, I have written to Denbighshire Local Planning Authority asking them to void and annul the original planning application for the 32,000sqft supermarket development.

 

It would be patently absurd to assume that detailed plans for a supermarket could be adapted to build a marina, outdoor leisure centre or anything else.

As usual, confusion reigns supreme here in Llangollen. At the moment, Llangollen is being fed crumbs and hints of unspecified “good things to come”, of unknown ‘interests’ being expressed i n the newly-built shell but with no indication of what type of businesses have their eyes on it. Consequently we don’t know if access designed for a giant supermarket will be suitable for one or more new clients, if hours of use will change, if waste collection will increase or even if present foul water drainage will cope. We have no projections for traffic flow and capacity and all this must be re-examined by Highways.

Also needing to be re-examined is the changed situation over Planning Policy Wales version 4 which can no longer be disregarded due to the delay in adopting the LDP. Do we even know what will replace the gigantic sign which was originally intended to read ‘Sainsbury’s’ or how the original agreement with the Town Council to use car parking spaces might be affected?

 

Will the small cafeteria on the play park now be protected and will the reduction of trees now be obviated if the requirement for sight lines to attract passing trade is no longer a priority as it usually is in retail?

If not, can we revisit the impact on the AONB, one of the most contentious aspects of the development?

We don’t know if there are legal implications regarding the condition on Cilmedw and Sainsbury’s opening for trade but KLS would not wish to impede the new company operating the Cilmedw business. However, the status of the link between to two developments should be clarified to avoid possible future complications.

Can there possibly be any doubt that the whole thing needs to be thought-out properly? Can there be any doubt that without input from the community another dismal failure is virtually guaranteed? Can there possibly be a valid reason why our elected representative baulk at any involvement by their constituents when yet again we’ve proved our capability to shape our town’s future and avoid the pitfalls nobody else saw coming?

In a nutshell, the more information we’re can provided with, the greater likelihood we can avoid the bitter divisiveness Llangollen suffered the first time around.

Please be reassured KLS’s motives remain unchanged – to protect the character and viability of independent small traders, to protect our local economy from predation by national multiples, but above all to encourage sustainable, skilled work to support our youngsters and local workforce.

We have to get it right this time. KLS is always willing to participate in consultations and any aspects which may have impact on Llangollen.

It cannot be overemphasised that there’s no short cut to creating a new planning application completely from scratch or else the old, inherent flaws will reappear, and local involvement is the key to success from the very beginning – the original error was in assuming the town could be shaped to suit the project when only the reverse could possibly work.

Martin Crumpton

 

Chair ΞKeep Llangollen SpecialΞ

 

Good rockin' at Fringe's steam train music event

* The Del Sharrons get the train underway from Llangollen station.

There was good rockin' all along the line this evening as Llangollen Railway hosted a Fringe event called Rock 'n' Roll Steam Train.

Revellers turned up from 5pm to be greeted by sounds from the band Del Sharron playing on Llangollen station.

Shortly afterwards, they boarded the train, hauled by a steam engine, which took them to Carrog station where there was a lively set from the country outfit, The Goat Ropers.

On the way back there was dancing in a carriage specially set aside for the purpose.

It was then back aboard for the return leg to Llangollen where once again they were able to groove to tunes from Del Sharron heavily laced with 60s favourites.

* The Goat Ropers play for train passengers at Carrog station.

* Dancing on the train back to Llangollen (picture by Mike Edwards).  

* Dancing breaks out on the platform back at Llangollen station.

Musical theatre workshops for the holidays

Get your Splurge guns ready and brush up your Charleston as we're heading for 1920s Chicago.

Gangsters and molls are wanted for this year's Musical Theatre Workshop, Bugsy Malone, to be held in Llangollen, Wrexham an Oswestry by local dance instructor Julie Thomas.

And to celebrate 10 years of her workshops Julie has chosen one of her favourite children's shows.

The latest two-day workshops will run in the three towns during the summer holidays.

Julie said: "If your boy or girl aged six to 12 years old enjoys performing then book them on to this fantastic event which will culminate in a short performance for family."

* See poster below for further details ...

Search and rescue team called to Llan

North East Wales Search and Rescue has just revealed on its Facebook page how one of its teams were called out to Llangollen last Wednesday.

They say ...

"CALLOUT: On Wednesday 15/7 the team was called to treat and evacuate a young person with a significant lower leg injury following a fall at Dinas Bran Castle, near Llangollen.

Ten of our volunteer team members responded with two Landrovers.

When we arrived on scene a Welsh Ambulance Service crew had already reached the casualty and were providing initial treatment.

The casualty was placed in a vacuum mattress to stabilise the injured leg and then stretched back to the waiting ambulance. We wish the casualty a speedy recovery. The picture shows the team members carrying the casualty down."