Local attractions join new gardens festival

* Blooming marvellous: Festival of Gardens organised by North Wales

Tourism at the Hidden Garden Plas Cadnant on Anglesey.

Pictured are Tony Russell, festival co-ordinator, Anthony Tavenor, owner of Plas Cadnant, and Shirley Foulkes, of North Wales Tourism.

Chirk Castle and Erddig are both taking part in a major new gardens festival being launched to attract green fingered tourists to North Wales and tap into a £5 billion market.

From Saturday May 28 until Sunday June 5, gardens which are the jewels in the crowns of Anglesey, Conwy, Gwynedd, Powys and Wrexham will throw open their gates to thousands of visitors during the first ever Festival of Gardens North Wales.

A packed programme of events, ranging from behind the scenes guided tours and gardening workshops to a visit by a vintage steam train will be staged at various gardens as the festival unfolds.

* Chirk Castle gardens are joining the festival.

With more than 20 million gardeners in Britain, the drive to bring the growing garden army to the region is being mounted by North Wales Tourism who believe the festival has huge potential.

The horticultural market is worth £5 billion annually – more than UK people spend on chocolate.

The festival will be officially opened at a ticket only event, with limited numbers, at the beautiful Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens in Anglesey by celebrity gardener and broadcaster Roy Lancaster CBE VNH.

North Wales Tourism managing director Jim Jones said: “North Wales has some of the most stunning gardens in the UK and this event is all about bringing them together and showing them off to as many people as possible.”   

More than 100 unique events are planned over the nine days of the festival at gardens taking part include musical concerts, historical re-enactments, gardening lectures, photographic workshops, art and sculpture exhibitions, children’s trails, garden inspired poetry and prose, plant sales and prize competitions.

The festival dates have been arranged to coincide with late-spring flowering displays, which will include rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, tulips and flowering cherries, making this one of the best times of the year to visit the great gardens of North Wales.

Mr Jones added: “North Wales has some of the most stunning gardens in the whole of the UK, run by a diverse range of organisations including the National Trust and a variety of private owners, with whom we have been collaborating closely to organise this very special event.

“Our aim with the festival, which will be the largest and a most ambitious of its kind ever seen in the region, is to bring them all together under the banner of North Wales.

“The festival has been extensively marketed and we expect to attract thousands of visitors not just from around the gardens but also from a much wider area including other parts of Wales as well as the North West and Midlands of England.

“We have an exciting, fascinating and entertaining programme of events and activities lined up, which means that every morning, afternoon and evening there will be at least one special event happening in one or more of the gardens."

Co-ordinating the festival is North Wales based gardens expert Tony Russell, renowned as one of Britain’s leading experts on trees and shrubs who also makes regular appearances on the BBC’s Gardener’s Question Time and famously put the Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire on the international tourism map.

He said: “I do lots of work encouraging people to visit gardens across the UK and find that although lots of people are familiar with those in places like Cornwall or Kent, they don’t know too much about the ones in North Wales.

“They know about the region’s other attractions such as castles, steam railways, mountains and coastlines but not our gardens, which are some of the finest in the UK.

“With the festival our aim is to wave the flag for North Wales’s fantastic gardens.

“The thing about the gardens we are featuring is that they are all set in such a great landscape and because of the conditions we enjoy they contain varieties plants that can’t be found in lots of other areas of the UK.

“We’re blessed with the three things that make the difference – plenty of moisture due to the closeness of the coast, mild winters and acid soil.

“That means plants such as agapanthus, magnolias and camellias, which usually grow up in more exotic parts of the world like South Africa, flourish in North Wales.

“Gardens are also big business now, with 30 million day visits being made to gardens across the UK every year. And of the 30 million overseas visitors coming to Britain annually 11 million visit a garden.”

Delighted to be taking part in the festival is Anthony Tavernor, owner of Plas Cadnant in Menai Bridge, Angeley.

His famous walled garden took a severe battering from floods which hit the area last December, washing away a 200-year-old wall and rare plants.

But Mr Tavernor, who has been restoring the gardens for 20 years, said repair work was currently well in hand.

“Things are going full steam ahead and there are lots of things going on to get the gardens restored,” he explained.

“We’re giving our full support to the festival and are delighted to have the launch here on May 28.

“The aim is to establish North Wales are a place to visit a range of beautiful gardens and to show people that we have some of the best in the UK because of our good growing conditions.” 

Gardening legend Roy Lancaster, who will open the festival, said: “I’ve been visiting the gardens of North Wales for the past 60 years and they are definitely some of the most attractive in Britain.

“The festival is all about showing them off to a wider audience and I’m looking forward very much to the official opening, particularly as it’s at Plas Cadnant, which has had a phoenix-like resurrection after being damaged so badly by the terrible floods.

“From what I hear they’ve really worked wonders there and I can’t wait to see it.

“The festival is unique in North Wales and should therefore do very well, especially as it features so many wonderful gardens and will be offering a very wide range of attractions.

“Garden festivals generally are becoming extremely popular these days and I’m sure this one will help put North Wales even more firmly on the UK’s tourist map.”   

Taking part in the festival from the county of Wrexham are Chirk Castle and National Trust Erddig.

Gardens from the county of Gwynedd include Plas Brondanw at Penrhyndeudraeth, Crug Farm Plants near Caernarfon, Plas yn Rhiw in Pwllheli, Plan Tan y Blwch in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Caerau Uchaf Gardens in Bala, Portmeirion in Penrhyndeudraeth, Aber Arto Hall in Llanbedr, Penrhyn Castle in Llandegai and, via its website only, Nanharon in Pwllheli.

In the county of Anglesey are Plas Newydd in Llanfairpwll and Plas Cadnant in Menai Bridge.

Gardens from the county of Conwy involved are Bodnant at Tal y Cafn, Gwydir Castle at Llanrwst, the Welsh Mountain Zoo's gardens in Colwyn Bay and the Conwy Valley Maze at Dolgarog.

In the county of Powys there’s Gregynog at Newtown, the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth, Powis Castle and The Dingle Garden near Welshpool.

* For more information go to www.gardensnorthwales.co.uk/events

Railway volunteers work through the winter

* Volunteers at work on a section of lineside.

Over the winter Llangollen Railway has put in a large amount of work to manage the vegetation growing along the lineside.

"This is a regular but often 'behind the scenes' part of railway operations and enables the travelling public to see the superb countryside through which the railway runs instead of a green corridor," said railway spokesman Peter Dickinson.

"A dedicated group of volunteers have cleared the shrubs, trees and overhanging branches from both ends of Berwyn Tunnel, making the approaches to it much lighter and drier.

"The immediate benefit for photographers is that the view from the dedicated Lineside Viewing Area, opened last year, at the eastern end of the tunnel has been much improved.

"Between March 10 and 13 a shredder was hired in to tackle the lineside between Berwyn station and the tunnel, making light work of the vegetation growing on the embankments.

"This has dramatically improved the view from the train of the Horseshoe Falls and the Llantysilio mountains, whilst restoring the lineside back to its original Great Western Railway and British Railways condition."

AM demands action on mobile signal problems

An AM has called on regulators and phone companies to act urgently to address loss of services in Wrexham and the Dee Valley.

Ken Skates said mobile customers in his Clwyd South constituency are reporting regular and repeated losses of reception throughout the area.

BT customers have also bemoaned a slowdown in broadband speeds, he added.

The Labour Assembly Member, who is based in Llangollen, said: “I've been inundated with complaints about mobile networks not operating properly across the area, especially in the Dee Valley.

“Mobile signals are crucial for many people and for businesses, so I have demanded urgent action to restore networks immediately.

"I've also written to the UK Government, demanding that we benefit from the service obligation for networks to provide 4G to 95% of customers by the end of next year.”

Mr Skates added: “I also have concerns with the loss of speed for many broadband customers, along with the inability of others to be able to connect to the internet, so I have also asked BT to take swift action to rectify the situation.”

Mr Skates said he has gathered a huge number of concerns throughout the Dee Valley and Wrexham area, including via Facebook page Llangollen Noticeboard.

He added: “The lack of coverage is threatening businesses and essential services and affecting people throughout the valley. It needs resolving now.”

Noah Stewart to team with Katherine Jenkins at Eisteddfod

* Noah Stewart is heading for Llangollen.

One of the world’s top tenors has a musical date with classical superstar Katherine Jenkins OBE (pictured below) at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, it's been revealed.

Noah Stewart is set for a third appearance at Llangollen in four years as he prepares to join the Welsh mezzo soprano on stage for a concert adaption of Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen.

According to Stewart, who hails from Harlem, in New York, he can’t wait to perform alongside Katherine in her portrayal of the fiery gypsy, Carmen, in ‘special’ Llangollen, which is one of his favourite concert venues.

On the opening night of this year's festival on Tuesday, July 5, he will play the role of the lead male role of Don José opposite Katherine.

Stewart said: “I’m so excited it’s going to be wonderful evening. Katherine is such a fabulous singer and a truly beautiful person.

“We have worked together before. We did the Glasgow Proms three summers ago, I think it was the last night and we sang a series of duets together.  She has an amazing voice and is such a wonderful and talented woman.”

Other highlights at this year's festival - the 70th since it started in 1947 - include superstar bass baritone Bryn Terfel in concert with top tenor Joseph Calleja on Thursday, July 7, along with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra who bring the curtain down on the festival with a foot stomping party on Sunday, July 10.

The Wednesday night concert will be a celebration of musical theatre featuring the Kerry Ellis, dubbed the First Lady of the West End, and Collabro who won Britain's Got Talent in 2014.

They 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.

The Friday night concert, Heart Of Llangollen, will showcase the best of the international competitors. It will also include the Dance Champions competition and a Caribbean Carnival Extravaganza.

The competitions draw to a close on Saturday night with the famous Choir of the World contest with the prestigious Pavarotti Trophy up for grabs. The audience will also be entertained by the popular vocal group, The Swingles.

Playing Don José is a familiar role for Stewart.

He said: “I’ve played Don José more than any other throughout my career. In fact at least 36 times, I’ve just completed a 16 date tour of the UK with the Scottish Opera playing that very role.

“It’s a fantastic part to play and perform and Don José is such a complex character who falls madly in love with this sexy, alluring gypsy girl. It’s a tragic tale of a love triangle that has become the most performed opera of all time.

“I think people identify so easily with Carmen, Don José and the glamorous toreador Escamillo.

“It’s going to be a special night I think everyone knows the Flower Song from Carmen, it’s one of the most famous operatic arias of all time. And Don José is such a tragic figure; it’s an amazing role.”

Katherine Jenkins said: “I’m really excited as it’s a role I have always wanted to sing. I studied Carmen at the Royal Academy of Music before I graduated and being a mezzo soprano, it's my favorite opera. 

"I’ve always talked about doing this and it will be the first time fans will be able to hear all the arias in one evening.

"I do usually include several operatic arias in my concerts but I have never condensed and performed all the arias from a single opera into one concert. 

"Carmen is such a wonderful character and it’s one of the most popular operas. It’s going to be a wonderful night, something I hope everyone will really look forward to and I for one couldn't be more excited to be returning to Llangollen for this special event."  

Stewart was delighted to be returning to Llangollen, a place where he says everyone speaks the same language – the language of music.

He said: “You meet people you have never met before, people from the other side of the world yet you share that special love of music.

“I always get the impression people admire, respect and love each other at Llangollen and music is the glue that binds people together. Everyone at Llangollen is a winner."

The festival's musical director, Eilir Owen Griffiths, is thrilled Noah Stewart is returning to Llangollen and will be appearing alongside Katherine.

He said: “What an amazing evening of music for those privileged enough to be in the audience.

“To have Katherine Jenkins OBE and Noah Stewart on the Eisteddfod stage is a real coup, they would grace any of the world’s biggest concert venues.”

“We also have some wonderful artists who will be joining Katherine and Noah on stage. Baritones Adam Gilbert will be play the role of El Dancairo and Lukask Karauda the role of Escamillo.

“We also have Welsh mezzo-soprano Caryl Hughes, of Aberdaron playing Mercedes and tenor Trystan Griffiths, who hails from Clunderwen, Pembrokeshire playing El Remenado.

“The orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, under the baton of Anthony Inglis, and the voices of Ruthin’s Cor Cytgan Clwyd will add to what will be a magical night of music and drama.”

For more information about the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod, including tickets, visit www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

MP calls for disabled cuts re-think

Susan Elan Jones MP is writing to the Prime Minister urging the Government to re-think cut-backs to Personal Independence Payments and support to disabled people that were proposed in Wednesday's Budget.

The Clwyd South Labour MP (pictured), who has previously led a debate on Personal Independence Payments in Parliament, said: "The Conservative Government only has a small majority and I know from my personal involvement in the campaign against changing our Sunday trading laws that they can be defeated.

"The resignation of Iain Duncan Smith MP as Work and Pensions Secretary and the clear disquiet of so many MPs on the issue of Personal Independence Payments suggests that we should be able to get a U-Turn on this issue.

"Part of the craziness in the Government's thinking  is that their proposed changes actually make it harder for people with disabilities to work and access jobs, which is what PIP is about. It really beggars belief that any Government would think of implementing these changes. They are not just heartless; they don't make economic sense either." 

In her letter to David Cameron MP, Susan Elan Jones MP states: "We are all aware that Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are designed to make a contribution towards the extra costs caused by long term health conditions and disabilities.

"DLA and PIP are, of course, very important to disabled people who face a wide range of additional daily living costs. The help provided by DLA and PIP towards these additional costs makes a real difference to people's independence and quality of life. Many of my constituents are concerned that the proposals in the recent DWP Consultation on PIP eligibility, if implemented, would mean a dramatic reduction in the amount of help provided or, in some cases, no help at all."
 

Abbey Dingle uses meditation as dementia therapy

* Resident Agnes Holt, Senior Carer Hayley Reeves and resident Brenda Andrews.

People with dementia at a care home in Llangollen are using meditation to unlock their artistic talents in an exciting new art therapy project.

The ‘Try Something New’ sessions, organised by Alzheimer’s Society in Conwy and Denbighshire, are being held at the Abbey Dingle Care Home, a member of Care Forum Wales which promotes the value of the arts in social care.

The aim is to boost the health and wellbeing of residents and other members of the community and to support residents who have dementia. 

Senior carer Hayley Reeves came up with the idea after taking two residents to a Lost in Arts project at St Collen’s in Llangollen last December was run by Denbighshire Arts Services in partnership with the Alzhiemer’s Society.

The residents’ enjoyed their experiences so much that she decided to offer a six-week course on-site at Abbey Dingle.

“We have around ten regulars aged from about 85 upwards,” said Hayley, who has worked at the care home for the past 15 years.

“The residents really enjoy it. It’s an easy activity for them to take part in and it’s not too strenuous.

“The art therapy is great for interaction, socialising and reminiscing. We find the residents are really calm after the session and they thoroughly enjoy it.

“It really surprised me how well and quickly they took to it.”

There is growing support for the idea that painting and other creative art skills can enhance the wellbeing of people with dementia by improving mood, reducing depression and anxiety, promoting social interaction and stimulating memory.

The classes have been taking place every Wednesday afternoon since late January and have drawn visitors from outside the immediate area.

“We’re had an elderly lady from Rhyl coming along and a husband and wife from Llangollen,” said the 41-year-old who lives in Chirk.

“We find that an hour is enough before we have a break for tea and biscuits. 

“During this course the participants have learned all about colours and their meanings. They do a small meditation session initially and I was amazed at how much they remembered from their lives.

“The residents then apply different textures and materials to card to form a collage. One of the ladies has a daughter who’s an artist and was really surprised at how creative she was herself.”

Colour therapist Sue Hall, who has been teaching art therapy for 15 years, said each session begins with a short guided visualisation in which participants are able to explore the colour theme of the week.

“One week we visualised a picnic in the sand and another we went on a walk through the park,” she said.

“They take a big deep breath and relax and allow themselves to be guided along.

We then provide them with the corresponding colour essential oils so they can smell them. It’s amazing what they remember from the meditation and different memories from their past.

“Afterwards, they get stuck in with all the coloured materials and glue. There’s so much focus when they’re working, it’s really good to see.”

Carole Waterworth, Group Coordinator for Alzheimer’s Society in Conwy and Denbighshire said; “Just because someone has received a diagnosis of dementia it shouldn’t mean that they no longer have the opportunity to acquire new skills and share in new experiences, including our new exercise and craft groups. We want to support people with dementia to get involved with different activities in their local communities.

“As the population ages, we all face the risk of one day developing the condition. We hope that the ‘Try Something New’ project will increase public awareness of dementia and give people a better understanding of the condition; reducing the stigma.

One of the female participants is partially-sighted but has still been able to explore her creative side through touching and feeling the textures of the materials.

“It has been hugely beneficial to her and she’s presented some really good work,” Hayley explained.

 

“This lady has already had the opportunity of having some of her work displayed in an exhibition following the last church-based project and is definitely benefitting from the therapy.

“The outcome has been really positive for everybody involved and we’re keen to hold a similar event later in the year, perhaps under a gardening or flower theme.

“As with everything, these kinds of activities come down to funding but thankfully we were able to work in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society, the use of a room is free and the tutor has been came via the Try Something New Project.

“I’m so glad the project turned out the way it has and I’m hoping to do lots more in the future.”

Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said: "This is an innovative project that is helping to enrich the lives of people living with dementia.

"The arts are able to reach people and inspire creativity which is a life-enhancing joy.

"Another benefit is that the arts also greatly assists the development of the social care workforce in understanding the value of enriching people's lives.

"Care Forum Wales has been promoting the value of the arts within social care for a long time and this project is a fantastic example of why it is so worthwhile."

Rail commuters being let down, says Lib Dem candidate

Rail commuters from Chirk, Ruabon and Wrexham have been let down by the Welsh Government and Network Rail, says Clwyd South Welsh Assembly Candidate Aled Roberts.

 “To great fanfare the Welsh Government announced some time ago that a scheme to dual the line between Wrexham and Chester would reduce journey times and be operational from February last year,” commented Mr Roberts (pictured).

“Now the first anniversary of that completion date has been and gone and we are still waiting for the scheme to be completed.

“In November last year I demanded to know what was going on and what action could be taken to speed things up. Since then I have had a number of meetings with the Welsh Government’s Transport Minister and now appreciate that the overall aim of the £40m scheme was to increase the number of trains and their speed between Shrewsbury and Chester. But commuters have been badly let down since none of the planned improvements have taken place

  “Last week the Transport Minister invited me to another meeting where a report was discussed which outlined not only the problems with the current project to improve rail services but ways in which the £10m of extra funding secured by the Welsh Liberal Democrats during budget negotiations could be used to improve services from Chirk, Ruabon and Wrexham.

  “Unfortunately when the Welsh Government was commissioning the addition of an extra line between Wrexham and Chester they left out a section between Wrexham and Rossett thereby reducing the numbe r of trains that could provide direct services to Manchester and Liverpool. The extra £10m of investment negotiated by Liberal Democrat Assembly Members will give the commuters the option of commuting by train to jobs in the north west of England.

  “A major problem appears to be the inability of Network Rail to plan and implement major rail improvements. There has been a problem with the cabling installed for signalling and a need to upgrade the level crossing at Broad Oak which had not been identified when the project was planned.

"But that is not all. There is also a problem with one of the bridges between Shrewsbury and Gobowen which can’t accommodate faster trains! The Transport Minister has issued a recent statement in which she is seeking assurances from the UK Government about the future of Network Rail – that is something that needs to be urgently pursued by the new Welsh Government after the Assembly elections."