Carols at the Abbey warm a cold night

* Young members of Llangollen Silver Band play a carol inside the Abbey.

PEOPLE braved the chill night air to attend a pre-Christmas event arranged by Llangollen Museum at Valle Crucis Abbey yesterday (Friday) evening.

Carols at the Abbey, held under the floodlights of the ancient site, saw a programme of music provided by Llangollen Silver Band and Cor Meibion Bro Glyndwr.

To help keep out the cold there was a serving of mulled wine and mince pies.

Favourite carols including O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels and O Come All Ye Faithful were interspersed with seasonal readings such as Three Drovers, A Child's Christmas in Wales and Two Letters to Santa.

Prayers were led by the Rev Andrew Sully, vicar of St Collen's Church, Llangollen.

At the end of the evening there was a bucket collection in aid of St John's and the Silver Band.

* Members of Llangollen Silver Band provide musical accompaniment.

* Choristers from Cor Meibion Bro Glyndwr on song.  

* Llangollen Deputy Mayor, Cllr Melville Mile, gives the reading Three Drovers.

Eisteddfod founder's son is guest of honour at Llan 2016

* Peter Tudor at home in Staffordshire.

 

The son of the man who founded the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is to be a guest of honour at the 70^th festival next July.

 

Peter Tudor, now 84, remembers how his father, visionary Welsh journalist Harold Tudor, came up with the idea of a grand cultural gathering to help heal the scars left by World War Two.

 

Peter vividly recalls the excitement generated as competitors from across Europe began to gather for the first festival in the small Denbighshire town in the summer of 1947.

 

Oxford graduate Peter, now living near Stone in Staffordshire, even played a part by volunteering as a messenger boy and later returned to sing in one of the famous choral competitions.

* Harold and Marjorie Tudor. 

He said: “My father was originally from Tanyfron, near Coedpoeth, and after attending Grove Park School in Wrexham started work as a sub-editor on the Post and Echo newspapers in Liverpool.

 

“During the Second World War he also became a member of the British Council, an organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities.

 

“That meant him doing quite a lot of public relations work with representatives of foreign governments in Britain, including people such as the Czech foreign minister Jan Masaryk and the King of Norway, to mention just a couple.

 

“At the end of the war he thought to himself what a terrible business it had been and was looking at things people could do to prevent it ever happening again.

 

“He came up with the idea of an international gathering of singers and dancers and suggested the idea to the board of the National Eisteddfod who I don’t think were too keen on it.

 

“He then approached W S Gwynn Williams, a leading figure in Welsh music who lived in Llangollen, and he gave his support.

 

“My father was obviously very persuasive and worked very hard to get the idea accepted, which it eventually was and Llangollen was chosen as the ideal location with my father being appointed honorary director of publicity.”

* Pages from the 1947 programme. 

Peter, who won a scholarship to Oxford University and went on to work in a series of university libraries including the Bodleian in Oxford, Glasgow, Manchester and Keele before his retirement, added: “For the very first Llangollen International Eisteddfod myself and some of my school friends from Grove Park acted as messenger boys.

 

“We were wearing Press badges and it was our job to run from one part of the field to another delivering messages to various people. It was great fun.

 

“It was just marvellous to see people coming to Llangollen from all parts of Europe and to be able to meet and talk to them.

 

“While the competitions in the Eisteddfod were pretty quiet affairs with everyone silently paying attention, once they were outside on the field it was a completely different matter and everyone mixed together to chat and laugh.

 

“You also had one or two of the choirs joining forces to sing the same piece.

 

“The following year I was back at Llangollen as a member of the Coedpoeth Youth Choir. We sang on the stage and came second in our competition.

 

“That same year my father arranged for the Rhos Male Voice Choir to take part in a concert in Spain and he and my late mother, Marjorie, went with them.

 

“As a result of that visit the Spanish decided to have their own version of the Eisteddfod and in 1949 I took part in the event, held in Madrid, with the Coedpoeth Youth Choir.

 

“I kept on going back to Llangollen for a few years until I was called up for my National Service with the army.

 

“My father also became much less involved with the Eisteddfod after he took a job as a sub-editor with the Post and Mail in Birmingham.

 

“The family moved to live in Northfield in Birmingham and my father died at the age of 79 in 1986.

“The part he played in founding the International Eisteddfod wasn’t always too well remembered but has been better acknowledged more recently. I am certainly very proud of what he did.”

 

Peter, who was married to his wife Eirwen for 51 years and has been a widower since 2008, has two daughters – the eldest of whom, Gillian, followed in her grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a Reuters foreign journalist – and five grandchildren.

 

In 2003 his close family connection with the founder of the Eisteddfod was celebrated when he was invited to meet the Prince of Wales when he paid an official visit to the festival and four years later he was asked back to Llangollen to give a speech about his father from the pavilion stage.

 

* Cuttings from a newspaper covering the
first Eisteddfod in 1947.

“Being able to meet the Prince of Wales was a memorable experience and after sitting next to him for one of the performances I got to speak briefly to him over refreshments,” said Peter.

 

“Apart from those two occasions I haven’t been back to Llangollen but I’m going to do my best to be there for the 70^th Eisteddfod next year as the festival is something which has always meant a great deal to my family and myself. I also send my very best wishes to everyone involved in the 2016 Eisteddfod which should be a very special occasion.”

 

Eisteddfod Chairman Rhys Davies said: “We’ll be delighted to welcome Peter here again as his father was the man who really began this great festival.

 

“Harold Tudor was a man of great vision and the Eisteddfod and people not just in Llangollen but all over the world have a great deal to thank him for.”

 

The Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod has been held every summer since 1947 and is recognised as one of the world’s most inspirational music festivals.

 

Next year’s event, the 70^th to be held, will feature star names Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins and Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra who will bring the curtain down on the festival on Sunday, July 10.

 

This year’s Eisteddfod begins on Tuesday, July 5, when superstar Katherine Jenkins gets things off to a sensational start as she sings Bizet’s Carmen while Wednesday will be International Children’s Day and will include choral and dance competitions and also a new Under 16s solo competition.

 

Thursday will be Voices of the World and the crowning of the Children’s Choir of the World while Friday will celebrate Rhythms of the World and will be dedicated mainly to the dance groups with the Dance Champions of the World competition climax in the evening.

 

In a change of the scheduling Friday will also see the Parade of Nations, led by Eisteddfod President Terry Waite switched from its usual Tuesday in anticipation of bigger crowds and more competitors being present.

 

Saturday is dedicated to the Choirs of the World and concludes with the Choir of the World competition for the Pavarotti Trophy while Sunday sees the Eisteddfod let its hair down for Llanfest before the climactic final concert.

 

The incredible Llangollen welcome and atmosphere won’t change though and throughout the week the field will be the scene for impromptu outbreaks of music and dance while the outdoor stages will host a variety of concerts and performances.

 

Food, drink and craft stalls also surround the field and visitors can dine on a difference cuisine every day of the event and enjoy the colour and excitement of what is a true carnival of nations.

 

* For more information on Llangollen 2016 go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk or onto Facebook at www.facebook.com/llangollen

Methodist Church stages Christmas Tree Festival

* Some of the colourful exhibits in the Christmas Tree Festival.

Llangollen Methodist Church has again branched out into the community with its annual Christmas Tree Festival.

A wide assortment of trees lovingly prepared by schools, clubs and businesses will be on show at the church in Princess Street until judging takes place just before Christmas.

Amongst the most novel offerings are a tree made from vacuum cleaner parts built by the Tidy Town Team, one fashioned in the shape of a traditional Welsh lady and named Myfanwy from Llangollen Museum and another from the New Dot community cinema hung with pictures of film stars.

Other contributions are a tree made from the pages of old books from the Hope House charity book shop and learning tree made by the children of Ysgol Dinas Bran.  

The festival is open to the public this Saturday from 10am-3pm and Sunday from 12.30-3.30pm.

Next weekend, trees can be viewed between 10am and 3pm on Saturday and from 12.30-3.30pm on Sunday.

* Above and below: More trees on display at the side of the church.

Councillor calls for speeding clamp-down

* Motorists are speeding past the new health centre, says Cllr Davies.

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has asked for a clamp-down on motorists speeding past the town’s new health centre.

He said: “Concerns have been raised with me that drivers leaving Llangollen heading towards Wrexham, past the health centre in Mill Street, are exceeding the new 30mph speed limit there.

“I have passed on these concerns to the relevant authorities and asked for enforcement activities to be put in place.”

He added: “By breaking the speed limit you are not only putting lives at risk, you are risking your driving licence as well.”

News site reports collision on Horseshoe Pass

Wrexham.com is reporting that a section of the road across the Horseshoe Pass was closed earlier this afternoon due to a collision.

For the full report, see: http://www.wrexham.com/news/horseshoe-pass-closed-following-collision-104592.html

Museum's festive event at Valle Crucis Abbey

Llangollen Museum is hosting a special Christmas celebration at Valle Crucis Abbey tomorrow (Friday) evening. 

Tickets are available from the museum or at the abbey on the night.

 

 

County faces cut in cash settlement

Despite facing a reduction of 1.2%, Denbighshire County Council reckons it has done better than expected in its latest cash settlement from the Welsh Government.

Councils across Wales heard yesterday what they would be receiving to help pay their way in the next financial year.

Denbighshire believes its settlement is better than expected and that a reduction of 1.2% in cash terms is much less than feared.

However, the authority says this still means that its budget is reducing while demand for services and cost pressures increase.  

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: “We have been working on the assumption that we would need to find savings for 2016/17 and this is the case, although the settlement announced by the Welsh Government is better than expected.

“We are on schedule to deliver a budget for 2016/17 and the council will need to consider the final detail in the coming weeks, including the impact on council tax levels.

“The vast majority (82%) of the savings made so far over the last two years have been through efficiency or other measures which have not had a negative impact on services to the public and that has been down to careful planning and making savings through working more efficiently.”

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates said: “The Welsh Labour Government has again done its utmost to protect local authorities, including Denbighshire, from the severity of Tory austerity.

“The reduction of just 1.2% is much lower than what Denbighshire had been anticipating and considerably less than what councils in England have endured.

“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to cut council settlements at all, but given that the UK Government has slashed the Welsh budget by £1.3bn since 2010-11 we have no choice. However, this is a considerably better settlement than local authorities were expecting.

“We have protected the funding for local councils over the course of this Assembly term – in stark contrast to the way the Tory Government at Westminster has slashed English council budgets by around 10% in cash terms over the past five years.

“In Wales, they’ve gone up almost 3% over the same period."

* Wrexham Council had been planning for a 4.5% cut in the amount it gets from the Welsh Government, but yesterday learned the reduction would be 2% at most – meaning the authority will have at least £4.3m more than expected.

* North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood challenged the Finance Minister in the Assembly Chamber this week over her Draft Budget.  

 

AM challenges Finance Minister over Draft Budget

 

Mr Isherwood (pictured) questioned the Minister, Jane Hutt AM, on a number of areas of spending, including health and housing, but claims she failed to answer his questions.

 

He said: “How much did you receive in consequence of the UK Government’s increased spending on health in England? How much did you receive in consequence of the UK Government’s announcement of the biggest house building programme by any government since the 1970s, for England? And how much of that additional money will you be allocating to new housing supply in Wales during 2016-17, after the devastating cuts imposed on housing since 1999 in Wales?

 

“Finally, what consideration will you give to rescuing the key services being delivered by third sector bodies across Wales, which have been improving lives and saving millions for statutory services for decades, such as Disability Wales and many others, given that when I wrote to the Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister on behalf of third sector bodies regarding core funding for the Families First programme, the reply I received was that the late timing of the UK Government’s spending review posed challenges for budget planning?”

 

Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood added: “It is very revealing that this Finance Minister wouldn’t answer my questions. We have consistently warned Labour about the consequences of their failure to adequately invest in the Welsh NHS – and with 1 in 7 people in Wales on a waiting list, the number waiting over 26 weeks for treatment up by 70% since 2011, and Wales’ critical care bed capacity the lowest in Europe, the consequences of Labour’s savage cuts have been vast. Presently, adjusted for age - and reflected by our increasingly ageing population - health spending per capita in Wales remains £50 lower than in England.

 

“She knows full well that I have been calling for action to tackle the housing supply crisis in Wales created by Labour  Ministers since devolution in 1999, and that Welsh Conservatives recognise the need for a whole market solution that delivers all types of affordable housing,  including social housing.

 

“It is also unforgivable that they are jeopardising key services provided by third sector bodies such as Disability Wales, when Welsh Government needs instead to be asking them how they can help to do things differently, improve lives and deliver better value for the budget available.”