Beatriz's new food range in memory of her mother

* Beatriz Albo with one of her tapas meals.

A scientist who swapped the laboratory for the kitchen by launching a cooking sauces brand has won a vital grant enabling her to expand her business.

Dr Beatriz Albo is returning to the lab to develop an exciting new range of Spanish tapas meals and delicious aiolis created in memory of her mother.

Beatriz is planning to unveil the new range at the Hamper Llangollen food on October 17 and 18.

She is looking forward to returning to the annual food festival where her innovative Sabor de Amor products made their debut last year.

“Hamper Llangollen was my first food festival, so it is special to me,” said Spanish-born Beatriz, whose Wrexham business has taken off faster than she could ever have imagined.

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.

 

Beatriz has just been awarded a grant to develop her long dreamed of range of tapas ready-meals at the new North West Food development Research Centre (NoWFOOD) at Chester University.

“Facilities there are fantastic, they have everything I need to help my business grow,” said the mum of two who inherited her passion for food from her family.

Her grandparents ran a restaurant in Salamanca, Spain, all their lives. Her mother was also an accomplished cook and, following her death in June, Beatriz has developed a trio of flavoured aioli sauces in her honour.

“I want to name them Elisa, after my mother. I’ve worked on the recipes at home and the family all love them. There’s a chilli flavoured aioli, another to go with paella and the third has hints of lime and mint.”

Beatriz, who lives in Brymbo, trained as a scientist, gaining a PHD and working in food research before becoming a teacher. But her first love was cooking and last year she followed her heart and made it her full time career.

She started Sabor de Amor – which means flavour of love – by producing the traditional sauces she grew up with in Spain and which she continued to cook for her family after moving to Wales. They included Sofrito, a perfect base for paella, salsa brava, tapenade and aioli. All the sauces are completely authentic, have no additives or artificial flavourings.

She said: “They are just natural ingredients which we used all the time when I was a child. People love them because of the pure flavour. There is a food revolution going on.

Consumers are looking more and more for additive free products. They want to experience simple, natural tastes and aromas. I started off producing just two sauces and now there are 12 in my range, demand has grown so fast.”

Sabor de Amor supplies local farm shops and Beatriz also attends events such as Hamper Llangollen, for which she has to work full out to ensure she has enough stock.

“I went to one festival where I sold out in the first day and had to cook more sauces overnight ready for the following day,” she said. “They were so fresh that the jars were still warm as I was selling them.”

She hopes the Sabor de Amor range will soon be available in supermarkets and is using her grant and work in the NoWFOOD lab to help achieve that ambition.

Beatriz does all the preparation, cooking and marketing of the brand herself, with occasional help from her children, Albert, 18, soon to study business management at Lancaster university, and Susana, 11, a pupil of St Joseph’s school, Wrexham. Her partner, Paul Keysell, a graphic designer created the Sabor de Amor brand designs.

Information and tasty recipes can be found at www.sabordeamor.com

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 Hamper Llangollen 2015 visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Witness appeal follows Bryneglwys collision

An appeal for information and witnesses is being made following a serious collision on the A5104 Bryneglwys this morning (Tuesday, September 8).

Four people have been taken to hospital following the incident involving a grey coloured Vauxhall Corsa and a black Mitsubishi Warrior which happened before 5.28am.

Ambulance service attended and the road was closed for a time and diversions put in place which emergency were at the scene.

The driver and two other individuals who were travelling in the Corsa along with the driver of the Warrior have been taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital having sustained serious injuries which are not believed to be life threatening.

The road was re-opened at 8.54am.

Sergeant Nicky Collins of the Roads Policing Unit said: “We are keen to trace anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have seen the vehicles on the road prior to the collision to contact officers at the Roads Policing Unit in St Asaph on 101 quoting reference S137307.”

County's statement on refugee crisis

The following position statement has been supported by councillors in Denbighshire this morning, following a discussion about the situation regarding refugees in Syria.

 

The statement, submitted by Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire, reads:

 

“The tragedy of the Syrian refugee crises has touched all of us. Denbighshire County Council is keen to join with the Welsh and UK governments and others to coordinate an approach to fulfil our responsibility and play our part in providing assistance and humanitarian support to those refugees displaced as a result of the war in Syria. This could include accommodating a number of families, with appropriate Government support."

Historic Plas Newydd font gets new lease of life

AN 800-year-old font in the grounds of Plas Newydd, historic home of the legendary Ladies of Llangollen, has been given a new lease of life.

The ornately-carved font, which was originally located at nearby Valle Crucis Abbey, stands within a well-house in the dell behind the mansion, just below a summer house.

* Plas Newydd gardener Neil Rowlands at the revived font.

Despite being a popular spot for visitors it had to be closed by Denbighshire County for around two years due to safety reasons when the whole area became waterlogged and muddy.

Now it has been revived by Plas Newydd’s resident gardener Neil Rowlands using the experience he gained in a previous job in the gardens of Lady Lever at Port Sunlight on the Wirral.

Neil said: “Three springs flow into the top of the dell with the water eventually finding its way down into the River Cyflemen. The the springs had gradually altered course which meant water was dropping onto the pathway linking the summer house to the font making it slippery and dangerous.

“We put in two French drains to divert the flow of water away from the path and the font.

“Now clean water from the springs is being delivered to the font instead of the muddy water which had been going into it.

“It’s now much cleaner and nicer to look at for people visiting Plas Newydd.

“The whole job took about five weeks and was very satisfying to do.”

Kevin Pennington, who is charge of Plas Newydd for the county council, said: “The font project was part of our aim to re-create some of the views within the estate that the Ladies of  Llangollen would have known and loved.

“It’s very important to do this as the house and grounds are an important feature of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of which Llangollen is part.” 

New qualifications launched in Wales

From the start of this year's school term, students across Wales are able to take revised qualifications which the Welsh Government says are specifically tailored to the needs of Welsh learners and businesses.

For the full story, see ITV.com at: http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2015-09-07/new-qualifications-launched-for-welsh-pupils/

Police boss hunts unsung crime-fighting heroes

A POLICE boss is asking for the public’s help to honour unsung crime-fighting heroes of the community.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick CB QC (pictured) has just launched his latest round of Community Awards to recognise people and groups who help police to keep their neighbourhood a peaceful and safe place to live and work and who help in rehabilitating offenders.

And he is inviting members of the public to send him their own nominations for the main accolade on offer, the coveted People’s Award.

This aim of this award is to highlight and honour an individual or community group who have made a strong contribution towards community safety and crime prevention.

It is the only one of the awards which is nominated directly by members of the public using an online form. The closing date for nominations is September 25.

Mr Roddick,  who in his time has served as a police officer, a barrister and a judge, revealed that his inspiration for setting up the awards, which are now in their second year, came from last year’s People’s Award winner, Deana Fisher, who pioneered the successful Gwarched Bermo CCTV project which helps keep Barmouth safe.

The Commissioner said: “I went over to Barmouth with a group of police officers and others to see the system and I recall that a local councillor said to me when referring to Deana, `that woman deserves a medal’.

“That comment inspired me to say that the excellent work done by people like Deana must be acknowledged.”

Mr Roddick added:  “One of the awards I established last year is called the People’s Award. 
“This will go to an individual or group who have made an impact in helping to keep people safe and/or to reduce crime. 

“This contribution may impact the whole area, a local town, neighbourhood or even street, but it will have made a difference to the people living and working there.

“It could be someone who is working to bring communities together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, or is working with people to deter and reduce offending.

“While I will select most of the award recipients myself in consultation with my office, the People’s Award is special in that it is the only one which will be nominated directly by the public.

“I am therefore asking for the assistance of the people of North Wales to help me select a suitable candidate for this particular award.

“If you know someone in your community who has gone that extra mile to prevent or reduce crime, protect and support members of the community or generally helped to make North Wales a safer place to live and work, please nominate them for the People’s Award. 

“I believe I was the first Police and Crime Commissioner in England and Wales to institute such awards, so North Wales is very much leading the way with this initiative.

“Last year’s awards ceremony was a great success and allowed me to shine a light on the tremendous efforts of some very special people.

“That is why I again decided to host my community awards in 2015.”

The winners of the People’s Award and the other PCC Community Awards will receive their honours in front of police and civic leaders at a presentation on the evening of Thursday, October 22.

Last year’s inspirational People’s Award winner was Deana Fisher who was a key figure in establishing and running the Gwarchod Bermo CCTV project.

For a number of years she has been an active member in the community and spent several years as a town councillor.

She regularly volunteers her time to the project and willingly monitors/reviews the system to help keep Barmouth safe.

The CCTV service relies entirely on enthusiastic and driven volunteers like Deana to operate successfully.

There is clear evidence of a reduction in crime in the area due to her work on the CCTV project.

The member of the public who nominated Deana last year said of her: “She has almost single- handedly transformed our small town into probably the safest place to live in North Wales.”

* To nominate your choice for the People’s Award, go the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s website at www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk to complete and return the online form.  Alternatively you can download the form, complete it and return it to The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Glan-y-Don, Colwyn Bay, LL29 8AW, or by email to opcc@nthwales.pnn.police.uk and remember the closing date is September 25.

Llan now has its own WI Calendar Girls

* Posing with a 1935 Standard car loaned by Llangollen Motor Museum

at the Plas Newydd calendar launch are (front) photographer Kim Price

Evans (left) and Valley Girls WI president Gail Ellson (right).

Other calendar girls are behind them.

LLANGOLLEN now has its own version of the famous WI Calendar Girls.

But instead of posing nude like their counterparts in Yorkshire a few years ago, members of the area’s newest branch of the Women’s Institute donned a range of colourful period costumes to appear alongside some famous local landmarks in their 2016 calendar.

And Valley Girls WI are now selling copies with the aim of raising £1,000 to split between Nightingale House and Hope House hospices.

Llangollen-based professional photographer Kim Price Evans, who took the dozen atmospheric images for the calendar, revealed that although her fellow members kept fully clothed for her shoots, the project did stem from a saucy burlesque workshop she and friend Julie Thomas, who are both accomplished dancers, did for the Valley Girls earlier this year.

* An evocative 1940s type scene at Llangollen
Railway is on the calendar's front cover. 

She said: “We went along to a meeting to do the workshop and the idea of doing a calendar came from that.

“We wanted to create something a bit different, so we decided on a calendar showing famous spots in Llangollen including the heritage railway, the Motor Museum, the Chain Bridge, Plas Newydd, Valle Crucis Abbey, the canal and wharf and the International Pavilion.

“We had members posing in each scene and we reckon we have them wearing costumes depicting most of the decades of the 20^th century, which is appropriate as the WI is celebrating its centenary this year.

“The whole thing began in the spring and has taken quite a few months to complete but it was a lot of fun to do.”         

Valley Girls WI was founded in 2013 by a small group of local thirty-somethings who shared a passion for baking, crafting and socialising.

Its president, Gail Ellson, said: “We have a target of raising at least £1,000 from sales of the calendar which will be split equally between our two local hospices.

“But, apart from supporting these great charities, we also want the calendar to be used as a tool to help market Llangollen.

“We’d like to see businesses buying a stock to distribute to their customers and people using them as Christmas or birthday presents for their friends and family.

“We’ve had an initial print-run of 1,000 copies and they’re already selling well, with orders coming in from as far apart as Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Bagshot in Surrey.”

On hand at the official launch of the calendar at Plas Newydd, historic home of the Ladies of Llangollen, was Chris Andrews of the Nightingale House fundraising team.

He said: “It costs £2.8 million a year to run the hospice and most of that must come from local fundraising, so we are incredibly grateful to the Valley Girls for pledging half the proceeds of their calendar sales to us.”

John Matthews, ambassador for Hope House Hospice, who was also at the launch, said: “We need £4 million a year to keep running and what the Valley Girls are doing for us is much appreciated.”

Copies of the calendar are available via Valley Girls’ website at www.valleygirlswi.co.uk, or by emailing: valleygirlswi@outlook.com