Police urge caution after 69 smashes in a day

Police are urging motorists to drive carefully as a huge demand was placed on officers following a series of road traffic collisions today (Monday).

Between 7am and 1pm the North Wales force dealt with 69 reports of collisions across the region and officers are asking the public to be mindful of the weather and road conditions as the cold weather is set to continue.

Superintendent Alex Goss from North Wales Police’s Joint Communications Centre said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank the public for their patience this morning. We experienced a surge in demand into our control room reporting collisions across all six counties.

“As a result of two separate collisions two people have been taken to hospital in Stoke with serious injuries and we wish them a full recovery. Investigations are now ongoing to establish the cause of those separate collisions.

“The cold weather is set to continue so I am urging all motorists to take care on the roads and drive according to the conditions. Please allow extra time for your journeys and keep a check on weather reports for your area.”

Aled Roberts leads Lib Dem election list

Welsh Liberal Democrats have chosen their lead candidates for the North Wales assembly regional list.

It is led by Aled Roberts, current Assembly Member for North Wales and also includes, Victor Babu, Sarah Lesiter-Burgess and Rob Walsh.

Aled Roberts (pictured), who was first elected in 2011, says he believes that North Wales is often neglected by politicians based in Cardiff.

He has campaigned against a 10% increase in Assembly Members’ pay and against fracking.

He has also championed a better-run health service and more investment in North Wales roads and rail, private and public transport.

Before becoming an AM he was Leader of Wrexham Council for six years and a Ponciau councillor for 20 years.

Born and brought up in Rhosllannerchrugog and educated in Wrexham, Mr Roberts gained a law degree from Aberystwyth and initially worked as a solicitor.

In the Assembly he is Shadow Education Minister for the Lib Dems and also speaks on Welsh Language and Older People’s issues for the Party.

He is a leading member of the Assembly’s Public Accounts and Children and Young People Committees.         

Victor Babu is a surgeon working in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and lives with his family in Colwyn Bay.

Sarah Lesiter-Burgess is a mother of three children and a community councillor in Glan Conwy where she lives with her family.

Rob Walsh is a county councillor in Wrexham who last year he won a spectacular victory for the Liberal Democrats in a by-election to become member for the ward of Llay.

Aled Roberts said: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats have a strong record of delivery for the people of North Wales.

“The choice for the fourth seat in North Wales is clear: do you want a hard-working Welsh Lib Dem AM fighting for North Wales with a proven track record, or UKIP who have no record for campaigning in North Wales outside election times. You may have forgotten that they have one Member of the European Parliament who is supposed to represent Wales, but we rarely hear from him.

“I’ve spoken to traditional Plaid, Labour and Conservative voters on the doorsteps over the past few months who are lending their second regional list votes to the Welsh Lib Dems to stop UKIP. I’d urge anyone who utterly opposes their views to do the same.”

Methodists enjoy lunch at the White Waters

* Methodist Church members concentrate on naming the flags at their New Year lunch at the White Waters Hotel.

More than 50 members of Llangollen Methodist Church gathered at the White Waters Hotel yesterday (Sunday) for their annual New Year lunch.

After enjoying a buffet meal, they took part in a general knowledge quiz organised by Gill Newbrook and then tackled the poser of putting names to a series of national flags from around Europe.

Public meetings will discuss HSBC branch closures

 

* Simon Baynes, left, with Shaun Roberts at the HSBC branch in Ruabon.  

 

Two public meetings are planned for later this week to discuss the closure of HSBC bank branches in in Chirk and Ruabon - both of which will affect people in Llangollen.  

 

The meetings have been organised by Simon Baynes, the Welsh Conservative Assembly Candidate for Clwyd South.

 

Last week, following the closure announcement, Mr Baynes and a team of local helpers distributed 1,500 copies of a residents’ survey on community banking in Chirk and Ruabon.

 

He says demand for the survey from shops, local businesses and residents was very strong and shows the depth of concern in the communities about the closures.

 

Helped by residents such as Lynne Hughes in Chirk, who has the shop M.G.Hughes Fruit & Veg on Church Street, Mr Baynes has arranged the public meetings, at the Parish Hall, Chirk on Thursday January 14 at 7pm, and at St Mary’s Church and Community Hall in Ruabon on Friday January 15 at 7pm. 

 

Mr Baynes said: "Our residents' survey in Chirk and Ruabon provides an opportunity for the com munity to show how important the banks are to their daily lives.

 

"There was huge demand for the surveys today and local residents, shops and businesses in both communities are very concerned about the banks’ closures.

 

"The surveys come with a Freepost envelope for their return to us and we will communicate the results to HSBC. The survey can also be filled in on my website - http://www.simonbaynes.co.uk/campaigns/hsbc-bank-closures

 

"We are pleased to be working with people locally in both communities in organising these public meetings which will give an opportunity to local residents and businesses to express their worries.

 

"We are inviting HSBC to both meetings and hope that representatives can be present next week or on a future occasion to hear their customers’ concerns, many of whom have been loyal and longstanding clients of the bank."

 

Museum stages art competition

Scrapyard survivor stars at Llan steam gala

* Loco No. 7820 Dinmore Manor will appear at

Llangollen Railway's Spring Steam Gala. 

A LOCO which powered its way back from the scrapyard will star in the Spring Steam gala at Llangollen Railway.

Manor class No. 7820 Dinmore Manor will be the second visiting engine at the event which runs from Friday-Sunday, April 8-10.

Built at Swindon in 1950, it was the first of 10 of these 4-6-0s built by British Railways following the original batch of 20 (numbered 7800 to 7819) for the GWR in 1938.

After being withdrawn from service in 1965, it languished in a South Wales scrapyard until being purchased for preservation in 1979.

The loco is currently based on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and is visiting courtesy of Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd.

Subject to completion of its major overhaul, it is hoped that the heritage railway’s resident Manor class loco No. 7822 Foxcote Manor will also be in operation during the gala.

As well as the two black-liveried Manors, there will also be two ex-GWR Prairie class locomotives in operation.

Small Prairie loco No. 4566 will be visiting from the Severn Valley Railway, courtesy of the 4566 Fund, and will make an interesting comparison with Llangollen’s resident Large Prairie loco No. 5199.

* Full gala details will be announced in due course at: http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/event/spring-steam-gala-8th-april/

Town scenes feature in Llan panto

* Tessa Orton Jones, left, as the Ace of Spades and Jo Potts as the Mad Hatter.

SCENES from around Llangollen will feature in this year's town pantomime, as the local group stages Alice in Wonderland.

Final rehearsals are underway for the show which opens at Llangollen Pavilion on Thursday, January 14 for five performances.

It's the first time Llangollen Pantomime Group has performed Alice in Wonderland, which last year celebrated 150 years since the book was first published in 1865.

 

* The Mac Cat played by
Neil Barrett. 

This production is billed as the traditional story with a modern twist, featuring well-known buildings, locations and references from around Llangollen as well as bush-tucker trials.

Hits from across the decades will provide the sound-track, opening with Do You Love Me from the 1960s, and will be accompanied by a live band.

Alice in Wonderland's co-director, Nico Decourt from Abbey Road, Llangollen, said: “The show features well-known songs and music from every decade since the 1960s including last year's hit Uptown Funk.

“For a 90s theme we're looking to the Manchester band Oasis for inspiration and have renamed the Cheshire Cat in the story of Alice in Wonderland, the Manc cat, as a tribute to the band. The cast and crew are rehearsing very hard to ensure this pantomime is the best ever.”

Alice in Wonderland is the 33rd production by the Llangollen Pantomime Group, which was started by St Collen's Church in 1983.

Entire families regularly participate in the production with parents and grandparents performing or working backstage alongside their children and grandchildren.

The show runs from Thursday, January 14 to Sunday, January 17 at Llangollen Pavilion.

Doors 7pm, show 7.30pm, Saturday and Sunday matinee (doors open 2pm, show 2.30pm).

Tickets: Thursday, £6 and £4, other times, £8 and £6.

For the first time, tickets are available online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenpanto and from Jades Hair & Beauty, Llangollen or Gwyn Davies (Butchers), Llangollen. You can also reserve tickets by calling 01978 860297.