Santa goes on the rocks ready for festival

* Santa on the rocks. 

IN the past few years he’s paddled in aboard a white water canoe and been carried in aboard a helicopter.

And now Santa has been practising his abseiling skills ready for his arrival at Llangollen’s annual Christmas Festival.

As our exclusive picture shows, the intrepid old man with a beard has been brushing up his rope technique on the cliffs overlooking the town ready.

“You may have been wondering how I manage to get down all those tall chimneys – and now you know,” he said.

“It’s almost a year since I got my ropes out, so a quick practice didn’t go amiss.”

The festival will be held on Saturday November 28 and starts with the big parade at 1pm.

Christmas lights will be switched on in Castle Street at 5pm.

There will be stalls and entertainment on the Tourist Information Steps and in the surrounding streets. Sion Corn himself will be in his grotto. 

Once the lights have been turned on the festivities will end with a firework display.

Proceeds from the event will once again be donated to Air Ambulance Wales. 

Llangollen remembers the fallen

* The Rev Andrew Sully leads the service.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Hundreds of people packed the centre of Llangollen for the annual Service of Remembrance this morning (Sunday).

The Rev Andrew Sully, Vicar of St Collen's Church, led the service assisted by other local clergy.

The traditional Ode of Remembrance was read out by John Lawton, of the Lllangollen branch of the Royal British Legion, followed by the laying of wreaths by representatives of numerous local organisations and groups, including the Mayor, Cllr Mike Adams, on behalf of the Town Council.

As the wreath-laying was taking place the names of local servicemen who fell fighting for their country were read out.

Following prayers and hymns, the parade, led by Royal British Legion standard bearers and Llangollen Silver Band, proceeded through the town centre. In its ranks were various groups such as local military cadets, Scouts, Guides and Brownies.

 

 

* The parade forms up in front of the war memorial in Castle Street.

 

* Members of the local army cadets take their place.

 

 

* Standards are lowered in homage to the fallen.

 

* A young member of Llangollen Silver Band sounds Last Post.

 

* An elderly veteran salutes the fallen after laying his wreath. 

 

 

* A younger veteran lays his wreath.

 

 

* The parade marches off along Castle Street at the end of the service.

 

 

* Many young people took part in the parade.

 

 

* The Mayor of Llangollen, Cllr Mike Adams, 

parades along Bridge Street.

Food Assembly launches this month

* Robyn Lovelock with her son Harris. 

A NEW way of buying food is coming to Llangollen. 

The Food Assembly is an online service that brings people together to buy food directly from local farmers and foodmakers.

Customers in Llangollen can order food online from local food producers before picking it up weekly at a local pub, the Ponsonby Arms.

All the food comes from within around 26 miles of the area, meaning for every £1 spent, 90p stays in the local economy. 

Weekly shoppers can choose from unique local products, such as organic veg from Babbinswood Farm, oak-smoked cheese from Knolton Farmhouse Cheese, and award-winning bangers from family-run business, Pen-y-lan Pork.

There will also be plenty of pastries, artisan bread and other local and seasonal goodies. 

Community is at the heart of the Food Assembly – it connects neighbours to farmers, neighbours to each other, and everyone to their food. 

Each Food Assembly is a neighbourhood meeting point.

Llangollen Food Assembly is organised by Robyn Lovelock from the town who said: “While we have some fantastic locally produced food in the area, it can be difficult to find in one place and to buy outside of working hours.

“I’m excited that the Food Assembly will bring some together local farmers and producers with customers keen to buy fresh, tasty local food and other products.”

She added: “I hope the idea will bring another dimension to food options in Llangollen, supporting its Cittaslow slow food status and adding to the great selection of restaurants and delicatessens already here.” 

Llangollen is only the second Welsh town to get Cittaslow status, after Mold.

Llangollen Food Assembly will launch on Wednesday November 18, from 6pm-8pm at the Ponsonby Arms in Mill Street, with online ordering available from November 11.

Local customers can meet farmers, foodmakers and their neighbours, taste local food samples and see where their food comes from – as well as sampling some of the Ponsonby Arms’ selection of beers and wines.

For more information and to register as a customer or producer, go to www.thefoodassembly.com and search for Llangollen, or call Robyn on 0779 9896108.

 

Twenty Club's triumphant return to Fawlty Towers

* Ally Goodman as Basil and Richard Mascarenhas as Manuel in

a scene from Fawlty Towers.

Tripadvisor would have had a field day with comments about Fawlty Towers if it had been around in the 70s.

And every excruciating minute of a stay at this very dodgy Torquay hotel created by John Cleese and Connie Booth for their iconic TV series is currently being superbly recreated live in Llangollen.

Back in 2012 the Twenty Club amateur players took three episodes of what many believe is one of the UK’s finest ever TV sitcoms and turned them into a stage production which ended up as a sell-out.

And, by popular demand, they’ve just done the same with another trio of shows to bring the awful Basil back to manic life at the Town Hall over the next couple of days.

These include the ones entitled Communication Problems, Waldorf Salad and Basil the Rat.

Many of the 2012 cast are reprising their roles, including Ally Goodman as the impossible Basil, Helen Belton as Sybil, his over-coiffeured, domineering wife, and Richard Mascarenhas as bumbling but loveable Spanish waiter Manuel.

Goodman was born to play this role, capturing as he does every nuance and twitch of the raving mad hotelier.

Ms Belton gives Sybil all her syrupy charm with a mailed fist hiding just below the make-up.  

And what could be better than watching Mascarenhas portray Manuel pleading hilariously yet pathetically with Fawlty not to “keel” his pet rat after it goes on the loose just as a health inspector calls.

Each is brilliant in their part and capable of wringing maximum laughs from every line.

New members of the cast this time include Carys Stallard as the calm and capable Polly along with Ian Wright who takes on the role of the oft-confused Major.

There was magnificent support also from Bill Hughes doubling up as two very different awkward hotel guests and Lyn Aston as the elderly lady with a hearing problem who tangles with Fawlty in Communication Problems.

The show is once again directed with aplomb by Chrissie Ashworth.

Now, what about the remaining six episodes, especially the one where Fawlty tries to whip to death his broken-down car?

Fawlty Towers is on again tonight (Friday) and twice on Saturday – there’s a matinee at 2pm.

But as there was almost a capacity audience at yesterday’s first night, it would be advisable to do everything possible to secure a seat.

Tickets are available at tinyurl.com/fawltytowerstickets or via the Twenty Club page on Facebook.

The Twenty Club is one of the oldest dramatic societies in North Wales.

It was founded in 1946 with 20 original members, which gave the club its name.

The club presents two plays a year, in autumn and spring, with a mixture of comedy, drama and period productions.

Rally car action comes to Chirk Castle

* A rally car in the grounds of Chirk Castle.

More accustomed to hosting medieval banquets, state room tours and woodland walks, Chirk Castle will welcome more than 150 flame-spitting rally cars later this month as one of the leading family-friendly attractions at Wales Rally GB (12-15 November).

The Chirk Castle RallyFest stage on Saturday, 14 November is sure to be one of the weekend's standout events - a high-octane feast of spectacular rallying thrills and fun for all ages.

The action begins at 9.30am, as competitors in the Network Q WRGB National Rally pitch up for a flat-out blast around the slippery parkland roads surrounding the magnificent medieval fortification, before the FIA World Rally Championship stars speed into sight in the afternoon.

In-between, fans will be kept entertained by a variety of parades and displays featuring exotic supercars, iconic 'Slowly Sideways' rally cars from years gone by, awe-inspiring Supermoto races and a jaw-dropping stunt show from 22-time Guinness World Record-holder Terry Grant - providing a full, action-packed day in the castle's leafy grounds.

Weather permitting, the spectacular Red Bull Matadors will also be putting on a dazzling air show.

Enhanced facilities include live rally coverage on a big screen, commentary, food outlets and funfair rides for the young and young-at-heart - meaning the full rally atmosphere can be enjoyed without having to set foot outside the castle boundaries.

"RallyFest is the perfect location for fans who are new to this exciting sport, and an excellent-value, family-oriented day out for everyone," said Ben Taylor, Managing Director of Wales Rally GB.

"Chirk Castle is a stunning backdrop to a fantastic day of epic entertainment, and we have a full day of thrilling action on offer that will be a treat for seasoned motor sport aficionados, curious observers and families looking for a fun day out."

Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, said: "Widening the appeal of the Wales Rally GB has always been a priority for the Welsh Government and the RallyFests are a perfect way of getting the whole family involved for a spectacular day out full of things to see and do. Some of the fans may not have thought of visiting somewhere like Chirk Castle before and therefore the event will also widen the appeal of our heritage attractions."

Advance tickets have been held at last year's prices, with adults admitted to the RallyFest at Chirk Castle for just £25* and children only £1* (aged 9-15 inclusive; eight-year-olds and under admitted free). There is also a special family offer for two adults and three children costing £45*, with each additional child an extra £1*. Every adult RallyFest ticket includes a free programme worth £9. On the day, adult tickets will cost £30* with child tickets charged at £1* - the family ticket offer is only available in advance.

To avoid traffic congestion, a one-way system will operate into and out of Chirk Castle on Saturday, 14 November. The road leading to the car park will be closed at the A5 turn from 14:00, before the direction of travel is reversed to one-way only for exiting. It will not be possible to join the car park entrance route after 14:00. Please approach only from the A5 two miles north of Chirk town and not through Chirk itself as all minor roads will be closed.

Chirk Castle RallyFest Timetable, Saturday 14 November:

08:00 Car parks open
09:43-11.20 Network Q WRGB National Rally
11:45-12:00 Supercars
12:05 Slowly Sideways historic rally cars
12:25-13:45 Supermoto displays and Terry Grant stunt driving displays (3 each)
14:15-14:30 Red Bull Matadors air show (weather permitting)
14:31-16:00 FIA World Rally Championship

For further updates, follow Wales Rally GB on Twitter @walesrallygb or join the conversations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walesrallygb

County backs small business campaign

Denbighshire County Council is lending its support to a major nationwide campaign, encouraging people to support their local businesses.

 

Saturday 5^th December is designated Small Business Saturday, with a major campaign launched to raise the profile of businesses in communities across the UK. 

 

 

* Castle Street is full of good small businesses. 

Organisers of the national campaign are encouraging all kinds of small businesses to get involved, including family businesses, local shops, online businesses, wholesalers, business services or small manufacturers. The council is running a promotional campaign to support the day, with banners and posters being produced as a visual reminder to people to support their local shops and businesses across Denbighshire.

 

Messages will also be circulated on social media and through the council’s website and local media.

 

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “This is an extremely important initiative to highlight the wealth of businesses in our towns and villages.

 

“People will be very surprised at the unique kind of products and businesses they can access locally, right on their own doorstep.  Public support is vital to the on-going success of our businesses which, in turn, will provide opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish.

 

“But we want people to support their local businesses all year round, not only for one day of the year. Nationally designated days like Small Business Saturday are really good for raising the profile of businesses – what we want is for people to consider their towns and villages as their first port of call when considering their needs."

 

* For further information, please visit: www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com

 

People can also pledge their support on social media through Twitter: #SmallBizSatUK

Operatic auditions for new show this weekend

Llangollen Operatic Society is holding auditions for its latest show, The Producers, this weekend.

A society spokesperson said: "There are lots of fantastic parts up for grabs for both men and women and new members are very welcome."

* Anyone interested should register with Tracey Rawlinson in advance on 07875 639533, or e-mail traceyrawlinson@btinternet.com