Steam Gala comes powering into Llan

*Headliner: Dinmore Manor. 

Llangollen Railway's Spring Steam Gala will take place over three days from Friday 8th April to Sunday 10th April.

Headlining the event are two very special guests: 4-6-0 No. 7820 "Dinmore Manor" and Small Prairie class 2-6-2T No. 4566.

The gala should also feature the return of the railway's resident 4-6-0 No.7822 "Foxcote Manor" following a major overhaul, supplementing locos from the LR's home fleet: 5199, 6430 & 80072. Expect to see double headers, express workings and an intensive timetable recalling the sights and sounds of the Cambrian routes in the 1950s and 60s. A gala programme including timetables will be available free from stations when purchasing tickets - while stocks last.

HIGHLIGHTS

* It's the first time two BR unlined black Manors have run together in preservation.
* Recreated named trains and railtours of the 1950s & 60s, including the 'Cambrian Coast Express'.
* First visit of No. 4566 to Llangollen in 25 years!
* Community railway film screening by New Dot Cinema (Friday evening only) in Llangollen town hall
* Illustrated Talk "A History of Railway Preservation" courtesy of the NRM (Saturday evening only).

AT THE STATIONS

Llangollen
* The Station Café Bar - serving fresh coffee, teas, soft drinks & alcoholic beverages as well as freshly prepared sandwiches and cooked meals.
* Yard and shed open for a browse - check out the progress on our new build and under overhaul locos.
* Well stocked retail shop
* Photographic display in the Henry Robertson suite on platform 1

Berwyn
* Station tea room - serving delicious home made sandwiches and cakes.
* Oldest chain link bridge in the world spans the River below the station
* Great photo opportunities from the lineside viewing area at Berwyn Tunnel (1/2 mile walk from the station)

Glyndyfrdwy
* Station tea room - serving delicious home made sandwiches and cakes.
* The Cambrian Bar - featuring a selection of real ales
* Barmouth South Signal Box open as a photographic vantage point overlooking the station
* Station shop on the platform, selling second hand books, railwayana, pictures, prints & DVDs.

Carrog
* Station refreshment room offering Tea, Coffee, freshly made sandwiches, pasties and homemade cakes
* Carriage shops selling second-hand books, railwayana, pictures & DVDs.

Corwen East
* Large car park available adjacent to the station
* Corwen Museum featuring railway displays open to the public (5 - 10 min walk). Free entry.
* Guided site tours around the under construction Corwen Central station.
* Refreshments (subject to availability)

FARES

One Day Rover – Advance: Adults – £23, Senior – £20, Child – £12, Family (2 adults & 2 children)– £50
One Day Rover – On the day: Adults – £25, Senior – £22, Child – £16, Family (2 adults & 2 children)– £60

Two Day Rover – Advance: Adults – £42, Senior – £36, Child – £22, Family (2 adults & 2 children) – £90
Two Day Rover – On the Day: Adults – £45, Senior – £40, Child – £29, Family (2 adults & 2 children)– £108

Three Day Rover – Advance: Adults – £55, Senior – £48, Child – £29, Family (2 adults & 2 children) – £120
Three Day Rover – On the Day: Adults – £60, Senior – £53, Child – £38, Family (2 adults & 2 children) – £144

Standard Return (not available to pre book)  – Adult – £18, Senior – £16, Child – £10, Family – £48.

Full details including the latest programme can be found at: http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/event/spring-steam-gala-8th-april/

           

County completes traveller site study

Denbighshire County Council has completed an assessment of gypsy and traveller accommodation and will be presenting its findings to the Welsh Government later this month.

 

All local authorities are required to undertake an up to date assessment by February 26 and every five years after that.

 

The 2015-16 assessment has been carried out jointly with Conwy County Borough Council.

 

This was as a result of the 2013 assessment which called for a shared transit site for the two authorities as a high proportion of unauthorised encampments occur in the north of the county in the border area.

 

The county does not currently have any authorised sites for gypsies and travellers.

 

Councillor Hugh Irving, Cabinet Lead Member for Communities, said: “The latest assessment has revealed a clear need for a transit site(s) or stopping place given the incidence of unauthorised encampments and under the Housing (Wales) Act, the Council will be required to address this need.

 

“The need for any future provision of sites is a regional issue, given the movement of gypsies and travellers in North Wales and the limited Welsh Government funding available for sites."

 

Councillor Barbara Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing, said: “New guidance from the Welsh Government specifies that authorities should consider a regional approach in relation to the development of new gypsy and traveller transit sites and Cabinet has approved this approach."

Museum hosts history talk tonight

Eisteddfod prize of trip Down Under

* Competition at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod.

A fabulous 10,000-mile trip Down Under to one of the world’s biggest cultural festivals is the prize for one lucky winner at this summer’s 70^th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The title of International Voice of Musical Theatre in July will come with a paid-for trip to Australia’s Gold Coast Eisteddfod in October to sing in their Musicale event.

The invitation follows a visit to last year’s Eisteddfod by representatives of the Gold Coast Eisteddfod, held in Queensland’s stunning tropical beachside city for the past 33 years.

The Musicale follows seven weeks of competition featuring over 70,000 singers and dancers, most of them under 20, and including 350 bands and orchestras, 175 choirs, almost 1500 dance groups and over 3,000 solo dancers.

Judith Ferber, the Gold Coast Eisteddfod’s General Manager, said: “We visited Llangollen in July and we loved it. It’s quite different from ours though it has the same ideals.

“We were very keen to forge international links. That has been our aim and we’ve done it very successfully.

“Llangollen has the concerts at night and we really enjoyed the friendship, the company and the location and we’re firmly of the belief that it is a wonderful event and hopefully with this prize we have enhanced it even more.

“We were very impressed with what we saw and we came back with some ideas and have spoken with the people at Llangollen and we have offered this prize for the winner of the International Voice of Musical Theatre.”

This year’s winner of the event, open to singers under the age of 28 on the day of competition, and which also carries with it a prize of an International Medal and £1500, will also receive a fabulous bonus.

They will be flown out to Queensland for the October Musicale, to sing in a concert featuring 20 of the winners from the Gold Coast Eisteddfod and Judith Ferber added: “We thought it was a fabulous idea.

“We wanted an international connection and because the winner of the prize will be a young person, probably in their 20s, it will be a wonderful opportunity.

“We will pay for the flights and we will put them up and a companion if they want to bring one, and we’ll show them some great hospitality and we can help if they would like to spend longer in Australia and see more of the country.

“October is our spring so it’s a lovely time of year and we’ll make sure they have a really good time.”

Eilir Owen Griffitths, Musical Director at Llangollen, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the winner of this competition in July and can really open some doors for them.

“Llangollen has always been about forging international links and friendships and we’re hugely grateful to the people at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod for this wonderful offer and we are sure this is a relationship which will flourish over the years.

“It should certainly ensure that what has become a very popular and competitive event since it was introduced two years ago will attract singers from even further afield.

“We have always been known especially for the quality of our choral competitions and with the introduction of this category alongside the International Voice of the Future and International Young Musician we have a very strong hand of prestigious solo competitions.”

This year’s Eisteddfod begins on Tuesday, July 5, when the preliminaries for the Voice of Musical Theatre competition will be held with the final held the following day on the stage in the Royal International Pavilion.

The closing date for entries to all the solo competitions at Llangollen 2016 is Friday, March 4, and successful applicants will be notified before March 25.

On Tuesday evening superstar Katherine Jenkins gets the programme of concerts 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.

To book tickets and for more details on the 2016 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Silver Band youngsters in the honours

* Taya Castley and Elizabeth Mwale with their silverware.

Two young members of Llangollen Silver Band have scooped first prize in a prestigious brass contest.

At the North Wales Brass Band Association's contest held at the Galeri in Caernarfon, Taya Castley and Elizabeth Mwale, both aged 13, won first prize in the under 14's section of the J.B. Williams Challenge Shield for Duets.

Taya (on cornet) and Elizabeth (baritone), put in a highly polished performance of  Pleasant Moments by Geo Hawkins and beat off strong competition to claim first place.

Band spokesman, Robert Stock, said: "The band are extremely proud of the girls' achievement and it's great to see the talents of our young players being recognised on a national level."

MP demands more help for self-employed to get mortgages

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones is calling the UK Government to do more to help self-employed people have access to mortgages.

She made her comments after the publication of a review into self-employment by businesswoman Julie Deane.

The independent report had been commissioned by the UK Government's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Ms Jones (pictured) said: "15% of people in the UK are now self-employed and that number is set to grow. I think we should do everything we can to help people set up and grow their own businesses in our local area. Self-employment offers a real boost to the economy.

"I really hope the Government gives really serious consideration to some of the big barriers to self employment, including access to mortgages and parental leave, that have been identified in the report." 

Julie Deane's report 'Self Employment Review: An independent report' notes (p22): says: "Buying a house is often the largest financial commitment people will make and it is in their own interest that they are able to afford the repayments.

"Having said that, it is worrying that a number of self-employed workers have expressed that they find it difficult to obtain a mortgage. There is a risk that this could become a more widespread problem in the future given the large number of self-employed individuals (4.6m) and the fact that this number is predicted to grow.

"As the number of self-employed continues to increase, the need for a more flexible type of mortgage will become more obvious. The financial institutions that choose to address this need stand to benefit enormously.

"When such flexible financial instruments do begin to appear it will be the role of the trade organisations to signpost these so that their self-employed members can benefit from them." 

Report see: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/500320/ind-16-2-self-employment-review.pdf




 

West End singing star heads for Llangollen

The singer dubbed the First Lady of the West End is heading for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod this summer.

Organisers of the iconic festival have signed up Kerry Ellis who has starred in smash hit musicals in London's West End and Broadway in New York and is a long-term collaborator of Queen guitarist Brian May.

She will be topping the bill in the Voices of Musical Theatre concert on Wednesday, July 6, when she'll be sharing the stage with Britain's Got Talent winners Collabro, the classical and musical theatre boy band.

* Kerry Ellis. 

Kerry, 36, made her name in productions like Wicked, Cats, Les Misérables, My Fair Lady and We Will Rock You.

She is the latest top name to be announced for the landmark 70th festival.

Classical singing sensation Katherine Jenkins will be bringing the curtain up on opening night, Tuesday, July 5, which is being sponsored by care organisation Pendine Park.

The popular mezzo soprano will be treating the audience to a concert version of Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen.

Opera superstar Bryn Terfel will be sharing the stage on Thursday, July 7, with a good friend who's also a world class tenor, supremely talented Maltese opera colleague, Joseph Calleja, in a concert that's also being supported by Pendine Park

Meanwhile, Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra are returning to Llangollen to bring the curtain down on the festival with a foot stomping party on Sunday, July 10, sponsored by the Village Bakery.

According to Kerry, performing at Llangollen in the concert sponsored by Kronospan will be something very special as it means she will get to sing many of her favourite songs all on one magical evening.

She and Collabro will be joined by talented Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre, the CBC Voices from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra under the direction of John Quirk.

Mother-of-two Kerry said: “It’s without doubt a very special and wonderful event.

“I’m so looking forward to what will be a special evening in such a magical place. And as I have such amazing people, such as Collabro, joining me on stage, it’s going to be an evening to remember.

“Recently, have been concentrating more on my concert work with Queen’s Brian May. We have been working together for 13 years now. I landed the role of Meat in the original We Will Rock You cast and we have worked together ever since.

“It’s an unlikely collaboration and we come from two very different worlds but it works and the exciting part for me is I get to perform some very different songs.”

Kerry, who won the 2015 BroadwayWorld.com award for Best Featured Actress in a new production of a musical for her portrayal of Grizabella in the new production of Cats at the London Palladium, says the programme will include many of her personal favourites.

She said: “I love Memory from Cats and Anthem from Chess. Actually, Anthem is normally a guy’s song but Brian May wrote a new arrangement for me and I absolutely love it.

“It’s really different and means something. I think it’s a song that everyone seems to know and love anyway.

“It’s going to be an exciting and very different year and Llangollen is definitely going to be a big highlight. I try and take my boys with me where ever I’m performing and it sounds like they are going to really enjoy Llangollen."

Eilir Owen Griffiths, the festival's musical director, said: “To celebrate our 70^th festival we really wanted to treat our Eisteddfod supporters to a concert highlighting the very best of musical theatre.

“We are delighted to be welcoming Kerry Ellis, a performer who is the First Lady of West End theatre, to Llangollen for the first time.

“I’m also looking forward to seeing Collabro, the Welsh National Opera and CBC Voices, Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre and the Arts, who will also be appearing and adding to what will be a magical night celebrating the very best of musical theatre.”

He added: “I think everyone has a favourite musical theatre production and song that means something to them. This will be a wonderful evening of music and one I’m sure everyone is going to really enjoy.”

To learn more about the Llangollen International Eisteddfod and for tickets which can be booked on line, please visit www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk