Urgent message from doctors' surgery

llanblogger has been asked to carry the following announcement from the doctors' surgery ...

DR A D EVANS & PARTNERS

We are currently experiencing problems with our main phone line – 01978 860625.

If you need to contact us between 8.00am and 6.30pm please ring 
01978 860489.

If you need urgent medical assistance between 6.30pm and 8.00am (overnight), please ring the 
Out of Hours service on  0300 123 55 66.
We apologise for any inconvenience.

Recording Gwyn's landmark day

* Gwyn welcomes the royal visitors to his shop.

As revealed recebntly by llanblogger, Gwyn the Butcher in Llangollen has been shortlisted in  a prestigious national competition to find high street champions.

Gwyn Davies in Castle Street has reached the final three in the food and drink retailer category of the Welsh Government’s High Street Heroes Awards.

The competition aims to honour businesses which help to make town centres great.

Members of the public were asked to nominate individual businesses and services in the six High Street Favourites categories - food and drink, fashion, health and beauty, leisure, home and garden, professional and financial services, eating out on the high street and community service provider.

Established for almost 40 years, Gwyn Davies Butchers put their success down to providing the local community with quality meat and a friendly, personal service.

The winners of all categories will be announced during High Street Week, 19–26 September 2015.

Gwyn has just released this picture of a another landmark occasion for him – the day when the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall came to call at his shop when they visited the town after touring the Eisteddfod field.

Busker raises £200 for Llan Christmas festival

* Busker Chris Burton plays outside the Town Hall on Saturday.

A musician from Walsall helped raise over £200 for Llangollen's Christmas festival on Saturday.

Chris Burton made the money by busking outside the Town Hall for four hours supported by a gorilla and town crier Austin Cheminais.

Chris has strong links with Llangollen and is a strong supporter of the Christmas festival. 

The annual event attracts a lot of visitors to the town and raises a substantial amount of money for Wales Air Ambulance.

The festival, to be held this year on Saturday November 28, relies on fundraising events, donations and sponsorship for its income.

* If you would like to contribute or sponsor the event, the Christmas festival committee can be contacted through Llangollen’s town clerk, Gareth Thomas, at the council office.

Police seek information on car damage

North Wales Police are appealing for information following criminal damage to a blue Renault Clio  in the car park of Llangollen Youth Club.

It happened sometime between 17.30 and 22.23 on Sunday 23^rd August and it’s believed a sharp implement has been used to smash all the windows of the vehicle.

If you noticed anything suspicious, or have any information relating to this incident please contact North Wales Police by dialling 101 quoting reference RC15128730. 

Alternatively, you can provide information anonymously by calling Crimestoppers Wales on 0800 555 111. North Wales Police would like to urge residents to always report suspicious activity to them at the earliest opportunity.

AM hails efforts of toilet volunteers

* Ken Skates AM unveils a plaque to mark the 10th anniversary of the re-opened toilets.

Village volunteers who saved their public toilets have marked a decade since reopening them.

Denbighshire County Council (DCC) closed the loos in the centre of Llandrillo, near Corwen, in 1998, but locals formed their own volunteer group and launched a takeover bid in 2002.

The fully refurbished facilities, complete with in-built energy-saving features, were reopened during the village carnival on August 20, 2005.

On Friday, Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates unveiled a new plaque to mark the 10th anniversary.

He said: “Because it’s so picturesque, and with the Berwyn Mountains on the doorstep, Llandrillo is very popular with visitors.

"While they could enjoy beautiful countryside, free parking, shops, a pub and places to eat, dozens of walkers and ramblers were arriving with nowhere to spend a penny when the toilets were closed.

“To get to 10 years has been a fantastic team effort and shows what can be achieved when the right people with the community’s best interests at heart work together.”

Llandrillo Public Conveniences Access Group (LPCAG), formed to manage the toilets, entered in to a 20-year commitment and started with eight volunteers. There are now 25 on the rota to carry out daily duties such as cleaning.

Resident Dave Robinson, a civil engineer, was the driving force behind the project.

He said: “We started with very little information, but a business case was put together along with the results of a local questionnaire and comments from visitors when preparing the feasibility study. Having adequate income was always going to be the issue.

“However, having discussed the matter with the Llandrillo Community Council, a local precept was set at £2 to generate £900. In addition, an annual contribution from Denbighshire County Council made the venture viable.

“In the each of the 10 years of operation we have delivered a surplus, allowing investment to improve the tiling, installing a baby-changing facility and decoration.”

Additional donations are gratefully received from residents, businesses and ramblers.

Budding opera stars to sing in Llan

* Singers taking part in the course take a break from rehearsals.

 

PUPILS of an opera singing course in Llangollen will present a concert showcasing their talents at St John’s Church in the town tomorrow (Friday) evening.

The course has been run over the past week by opera singer Anne Williams-King, who performs both at home in Wales and abroad.

Anne said: “I have always planned to set up an opera singing studio in North Wales and Friday's concert follows a week of concentrated work in Llangollen.

“It is the first public concert of the North Wales Opera Studio which will be based and rehearse at the Llangollen Community Hall and have masterclasses and performances at venues throughout North Wales.

“Together with my husband David, I have been teaching for quite a number of years in Wales as well as London and various European countries, plus Iceland in particular. It is now time to concentrate on my homeland. So much talent to help develop.”

Anne added: “St John's is a lovely venue to present a particularly enthusiastic group of young singers.

“They will performing a varied programme of favourites such as La Traviata, Marriage of Figaro,  Carmen, The Magic Flute, La Boheme and more.

“We will no doubt expand much more in the future and, who knows, help to develop a few stars of the future.”

* The Extravaganza of Opera starts at 7.30pm in St John’s Church in Abbey Road on Friday. Tickets are £6 on the door.

Young chef's starring role at Hamper Llangollen

Britain’s youngest head chef will have a starring role at food festival in North Wales - fresh from cooking Welsh Cakes on the beach in Dubai.

 

Luke Thomas, of Connah’s Quay, will be among a celebrity line up at Hamper Llangollen 2015 where he will be championing fresh, local ingredients.

 

The 21 year old says he can’t wait to pass on some of his award winning culinary tips to festival goers.

 

Entrepreneurial Luke (pictured right) says he is as passionate about food as he was when he clinched the UK’s FutureChef 2009 trophy, aged just 15.

 

Today he is the kingpin behind a number of restaurants in Chester, the Cotswolds and Berkshire, but he remains hands-on in the kitchen.

 

He said: “What I enjoy doing is just browsing round the exhibitor stalls and finding some lovely local ingredients that I can cook up on the podium. It might be the plumpest local sausages, Welsh oysters or seasonal fruit and vegetables but I know there will be plenty of choice there.

 

“I will be aiming to make three dishes in a half hour, simple recipes using great ingredients, designed to show people that they can achieve delicious cost-effective meals at home quickly and without having to spend hours on preparation.”

 

This year’s Hamper Llangollen will be at the Royal International Pavilion over the weekend of October 17 and 18. It is a favourite on the culinary calendar for Luke, not least because he grew up in Wales and, when not travelling the world, he still lives at his family home in Connah’s Quay.

 

It is expected that this year’s 19^th annual event will again attract thousands visitors to browse over 120 stalls.

 

The popular event in Llangollen’s Royal Pavilion is recognised as one of the UK's top 10 food festivals.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd has provided financial support over the past few years to ensure the festival's long term viability. This was funded through the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

 

Luke became the youngest head chef in the UK when at age 18 he opened Luke’s Dining Room at Sanctum on the Green, Berkshire. It won the Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Restaurant of the Year award in 2013.

 

Since then Luke has gone on to open Luke’s Eating House and Gin Rickey’s in Chester, partner with Puma Hotels to create Luke’s Broadway in the Cotswolds, and launch Retro Feasts, at first in London’s Mayfair and earlier this year at The Beach, Dubai.

 

Retro Feasts is inspired by some of Luke’s childhood favourite recipes, like home-made cottage pie.

 

He said: “It’s simple food with a little bit of a twist. I’ve put a modern take on some old favourites, spicing them up a bit and making them a little more exciting, fragrant and fresh, but without taking away the essentials and the old fashioned nostalgia factor.

 

“One concept behind Retro Feasts was to spread the word about how good British food can be. The UK is home to nature’s very best ingredients and some of the best cooks in the world. They’re all right here on our doorstep and we should be shouting about it from the rooftops.

 

“That’s why I love events like Hamper Llangollen. It’s a chance to get even more people involved and enthusiastic about the fabulous food surrounding us.

 

“I love to talk to people about cooking, and to get their honest feedback. One of my greatest passions is being able to pass on a simple tip that might help someone turn a mid-week evening meal into a real show-stopper.”

 

Even after several years in the business, Luke remains Britain’s youngest head chef, but despite his success he says he is always keen to learn more.

 

He said: “I wouldn’t lie and say I am in the kitchen seven days a week. Nowadays there’s so much going on with the way the business is so rapidly developing that it’s impossible for me to do that. But I do get in the kitchen as often as I can, whether it be in Chester, Berkshire, London or Dubai. Cooking is where I am happiest, I love the buzz of the busy fast-paced environment, the creativity and the satisfaction of serving great food.

 

Hamper Llangollen 2015 will also include cookery demonstrations by members of the Culinary Guild of North Wales, led by Graham Tinsley, who has cooked for the Queen, is part owner of the Castle Hotel, Conwy, and consultant chef at Carden Park Resort, Chester; Denise Baker-McLearn, of Bethesda, who specialises in creating delicious meals using ingredients which would otherwise go to waste; and comedian and musician, Silky, who will be swapping jokes for yolks, showing off his cookery skills in public for the first ever time.

Hamper Llangollen chair Colin Loughlin believes this year's festival is going to be one of the best ever.

 

He said: “Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, 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 details about Llangollen Food Festival-Hamper Llangollen visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com