Back our last bank, says AM

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has urged people to back the only remaining bank in his constituency after being given an assurance that it’s safe from closure for the immediate future.

The AM has spoken at length with Jonathan Brenchley, Barclays’ head of corporate relations in Wales, in the wake of HSBC closing its branches in Ruabon and Chirk.

Mr Skates said he was relieved to be assured that the Llangollen branch is safe for now, but encouraged his constituents to use it as often as they can. He also called for customers of banks which have left the area to switch to Barclays.

Welsh Labour AM Mr Skates, who is based in Llangollen, said: “I’m pleased to have been given assurances that, for the immediate future, the Llangollen Barclays branch is safe.

“Only once in the past six years has Barclays closed the last remaining bank in any town in Wales. This demonstrates a greater degree of social responsibility than other banks have shown, and I would urge customers to use the Llangollen branch as much as possible to guarantee its longer-term survival.”

 Mr Skates added: “More people are going online to do their banking, which is reducing demand for over-the-counter services. We need more people to switch their custom to Barclays and use the branch regularly in order to secure its future.

“I’d urge anyone who objected to the closure of other bank branches to switch to Barclays if they wish to see Llangollen remain open in the long term.”

Mr Skates recently secured a commitment from HSBC that it would keep a cashpoint in Ruabon, and has also fought for mobile banking services for communities where branches have closed, including Rhos and Brymbo.

Former mayor of Llangollen, Cllr Bob Lube, said the branch was of great importance to small businesses based in the town.

“I’m pleased Ken has had this discussion with Barclays, and I know he will do everything he can to keep banking facilities in Llangollen,” said Cllr Lube.

“I’m glad we’ve got someone as proactive as him fighting our corner once again.”

Spring gala steams into Llangollen

* The renovated Foxcote Manor will be a

star of this weekend's Steam Gala.

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

Headlining the event are two special guests, engine no. 7820 “Dinmore Manor” and the Small Prairie class No. 4566.

The gala should also feature the return of our resident No.7822 “Foxcote Manor” following a major overhaul, supplementing locos from the railway's home fleet: 5199, 6430 & 80072.

An intensive timetable will recall the sights and sounds of the Cambrian routes in the 1950s and 60s.

The route of the Llangollen Railway follows a 10-mile stretch of the former cross-country Ruabon to Barmouth line, which was once busy carrying holiday makers from the North West of England to the Cambrian Coast resorts of Pwllheli, Porthmadog and Barmouth.

"Dinmore Manor” will be joining sister "Foxcote Manor”, which has just returned to service after a lengthy overhaul which followed around two years of fundraising and work.

A special souvenir gala programme containing details about the loco fleet, attractions, timetable and photography locations, has been designed with a reproduction of the BR style timetable cover to make it blend in with the period.

This is available to download for free from the railway’s website and will be available for free in paper format from the station booking offices during the gala itself.

There will be recreations of a number of BR named trains from the 1950s and early 60s, with the most notable being the daily Cambrian Coast Express.

Gala visitors are encouraged to download and create their very own CCE luggage label from the railway’s website, which can then be attached to their rucksack, bag or other items for their journey.

On board the recreated ‘Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society AGM Special Train’, which ran annually over the Ruabon – Barmouth line on its way to Towyn until 1964, passengers will be given a complimentary copy of the 1962 souvenir eight-page booklet, reproduced from an original held in the Talyllyn Railway’s archive.

The Festiniog Railway Society railtour headboard will also be in use, as well as a recreation of the North Wales Radio Land Cruise, which once did a circular land cruise around North Wales via Bala, Barmouth, Porthmadog, Bangor and Denbigh.

Over the winter 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.

Footage taken during 7822 Foxcote Manor's comeback special on this stretch can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqZXeGgefJM

During the gala, the first departure from Llangollen will be the 9.20am double-headed express service, which will run non-stop through to Corwen.

Whilst the majority of the line will be representing the 1950s & early 1960s, Berwyn station will be remaining in its GWR 1930s guise.

The gala will be the first opportunity for the newly restored ticket office to be seen in use.

After Berwyn was downgraded to Halt status in the 1950s, the building was leased to the proprietors of the nearby Chain Bridge Hotel, who removed amongst other things all the ticket office furniture and fittings.

The partition wall was reinstated when the station reopened in 1985, but the counter unit remained absent.

A replica counter has been constructed by a specialist cabinet maker in Wallasey on the Wirral, based on the surviving counter at Carrog.

The ticket office will be fitted out for the gala as it would have been 80 years ago, complete with original GWR paperwork and furniture. 

The station's waiting room has also been fitted out with period GWR posters, including to Criccieth, a popular Cambrian Coast holiday resort.

Music event planned at St Collen's

MP campaigns over pre-pay meters

* Susan Elan Jones MP

campaigning with

Shadow Energy Minister

Dawn Butler MP.

Clwyd South Labour MP Susan Elan Jones is calling on the Government and energy companies to use the spring and summer as a time to clamp down on "the scandalous cost" of pre-payment meters.

Ms Jones has joined Shadow Energy Minister Dawn Butler MP in welcoming the tariff cap recommended by the Competition and Markets Authority, but the pair also want tougher action.

They want to see:
- costs of pre-payment meters cut so they're the same as direct debit fuel tariffs
- homes with pensioners, disabled people and children not having pre-payment meters in the first place.
- no instalment of pre-payment meters during the winter
- no debt collection by energy companies during the winter
- monitoring and action on self-disconnection by those on smart meters and the prioritisation of pre-payment customers in the UK roll-out.

Ms Jones said: "This is a real scandal that affects many of the poorest people in our communities.

"Estimates show around 8,000 households in this constituency alone have pre-payment meters. Energy costs have fallen, but this isn't being passed onto people on pre-payment meter. They are paying up to £330 a year more than if they were paying by direct debit.

"One leading charity even found that 57% of pre-payment meter users were limiting how much energy they used in the winter. That shows the scale of the scandal. We need serious action to end the pre-pay rip off."

Collabro heading for Eisteddfod

* Musical theatre boy band Collabro are heading for Llangollen.

A musical theatre boy band who won TV’s Britain’s Got Talent and reduced star judge Amanda Holden to tears are headed to North Wales.

Collabro will be starring with Kerry Ellis, the First Lady of the West End, in the Voices of Musical Theatre concert at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Wednesday, July 6.

And for one of the band members, Thomas Redgrave, it's going to mean a happy return to Llangollen where he competed as part of a choir from London some years ago.

Collabro are the latest top name to be announced for the landmark 70th festival since it was established in 1947 to promote peace and harmony in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Katherine Jenkins will be bringing the curtain up on opening night, Tuesday, July 5, when the popular mezzo soprano will be treating the audience to a concert version of Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen, opposite American tenor Noah Stewart.

Opera superstar Bryn Terfel will be sharing the stage on Thursday, July 7, with a good friend who's also a world class tenor, the 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.

Collabro won the hit talent show two years ago, earning rave reviews from the likes of Simon Cowell and Holden along the way and are no strangers to tearful audience members.

In fact the five-strong group say they know they have done a good job when they see their fans in tears – and it happens a great deal.

According to Thomas Redgrave, he often sees people in the audience dabbing their eyes as they perform hits from shows like Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Chess and West Side Story.

Redgrave, who hails from Saltfleet, Lincolnshire, said: “Musical theatre is such a special genre which people seem to connect with.

“It’s a dream come true for Collabro to be performing at Llangollen alongside Kerry Ellis who is the first lady of musical theatre, particularly when it comes to West End productions.

“Working with Kerry Ellis will be something else we can tick off our bucket list. We seem to be very quickly achieving all our ambitions, it’s incredible.”

Redgrave is looking forward to going back to Llangollen and has already told fellow members, Michael Auger, Richard Hadfield, Jamie Lambert and Matt Pagan, all about the festival

He said: “I couldn’t believe how incredible the festival was as a competitor even though I was just one member of a large choir.

“I remember we finished in third place and our conductor was at the bar when he should have been on stage receiving our award!

“The passion for music at Llangollen was so obvious and incredible. I can’t wait to return and have told the boys all about it.

“The fact we will be performing at the 70^th Eisteddfod is amazing and we are so honoured."

The group, currently touring the UK and playing to sold-out audiences, have been enjoying life since winning Britain’s Got Talent and releasing their first album, Stars, which went straight to the top of the UK charts.

Redgrave said: “We are living our dream, everything has gone amazingly well. We’ve toured America and Japan and even managed to sing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, from Les Misérables, to a Japanese audience in their own language - that took some doing.

“Our tour has gone amazingly well and we are all so looking forward to appearing at Llangollen. It’s going to be an amazing and an unforgettable evening.”

Collabro, who performed for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the 2014 Royal Variety Performance and at the 2015 VE Day 70 Party to Remember on Horse Guards Parade, won the 2014 Britain’s Got Talent by a big margin after wowing the huge TV audience with a rendition of Stars from Les Misérables.

Eisteddfod Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “Collabro are a group with a distinct style and will grace the Llangollen stage.

“The Voices of Musical Theatre Wednesday evening concert promises to be a real highlight this year.

Joining Kerry Ellis and Collabro will be the 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.

He added: “It’s going to be an unforgettable evening including songs from all the world’s major musical theatre productions. It’s not to be missed.”

Wednesday will be International Children’s Day and will include choral and dance competitions and also a new Under 16s solo competition, along with the crowning of the Children’s Choir of the World.

Friday will celebrate Rhythms of the World and will be a feast of music and dance from the best of the Eisteddfod’s international competitors with the Dance Champions of the World competition climax at the evening concert.

It will open with a Caribbean Carnival Extravaganza, followed by the International Peace message delivered by Theatr yr Ifanc, Rhosllannerchrugog.

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

Saturday is dedicated to the top choirs 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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob5UJS2WwQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_SNGyYQ7pk

Cruise ships could dock in Llangollen

* Cruise ships like this one could soon be docking at Llangollen Wharf.

In recent years Llangollen has benefitted from visitors from a number of cruise ships docking in Liverpool.   

Passengers are offered a day trip to North Wales that includes a visit to Llangollen but that unfortunately limits their time here and what they can see and experience. 

Under current investigation is a proposal that would bring the cruise ships over night from Liverpool around the Wirral and up the Dee, arriving around dawn for mooring at Dee Mill Wharf.

Spokesperson, David Davies, said: "This will enable passengers to spend a whole day in town with the opportunity to take a train ride, a trip on the horse drawn boat, partake of some lunch in one of our many cafes, restaurants or hotels and enjoy a local shopping experience.

"Passengers would return to their ship in time for a night time return sailing such that the cruise can then resume their programme on schedule.

"This would be a tremendous boost to tourism and trade in the town and a memorable  additional experience for all the cruise passengers, truly putting Llangollen on the world map." 

Llan event promotes best of county's food and drink

* Leanne Ing from the Cabin Kitchen.

A COUPLE who run a cake-making business in Denbighshire are tasting more success with the UK’s only white water paddle-boarding experience.

Lianne and Anthony Ing, who are both 24 were among the stars of an event to promote the best of Denbighshire’s growing food and drink industry.

Both businesses were showcased at A Taste for Local, a major networking event hosted by Denbighshire County Council at Llangollen Pavilion.

Part of March for Business, Denbighshire’s Business Month, the aim was to give people involved in the hospitality and tourism industries the chance to mingle with some of the county’s top local producers.  

 

Hugh Evans, Lead Member for Economic Development at Denbighshire County Council, was delighted with the turn out.

* Chrissie Ashworth from Temptations Cakes, left, with Karen Collo. 

He said: “We had close on 100 people at the event who were a mixture of people running their own food related businesses and those from the catering and accommodation sectors.

"Existing businesses shared information, experience and knowledge with each other while start up businesses were pointed in the right direction. There were practical examples of how to get local produce on the menu and examples of how to diversify into the tourism sector.

“The events are all part of our work on developing the local economy and delivering the wider economic development strategy for the county."

Lianne and Anthony operate Cabin Kitchen from their home in Glyndyfrdwy in the Dee Valley to supply mouth-watering cakes to cafes across the area.

Lianne explained: “It all started when we went on holiday to San Diego and California and saw people having lots of fun aboard stand-up paddle boards on the water there.

“We bought two of the boards for about £900 each and we had more boards specially made for use on white water rivers and soon afterwards started our business, Stand-Up Paddle Board UK, which offers people the chance to try them out on the fast-flowing River Dee and also the nearby Llangollen Canal.”

* Cllr Rhys Hughes opens proceedings.

“It’s a great new sport and I think we’re unique is offering the only white water paddle-boarding experience in Wales and the UK.

“In our cake-making business, called Cabin Kitchen, we bake a wide range of cakes, including gluten free, which we sell to cafes across Denbighshire."

Lianne added: “We wanted to be at A Taste for Local because it was a great opportunity to meet people in the same sort of businesses as ours and to help give what we’re doing a higher profile.”

Amongst those who picked up plenty of ideas for future business development was Karen Collo from Wrexham who was at the event on behalf of a friend who runs a string of cafes in Liverpool, Preston, Nottingham and Rotherham.

She said: “I was looking for different types of product to use in the cafes, which all have their own concept from stand-alone cafes to coffee shops.

“I found a few things which fitted the bill. One of the stalls which caught my eye was Temptations homemade cakes where the products looked very good.”

Temptations owner, Chrissie Ashworth, said: “I’ve just moved to new, larger premises in Corwen and it was good to be at the event and to show off my products to a wider market.

“I was delighted to have the chance to show them to a potential buyer.”

Guest speakers included TV hill farmer Gareth Wyn Jones who issued a rallying cry for a “farming food revolution”.

He said: “Events such as this are fantastic because we need to show people just how good Welsh food – such as our lamb – actually is.

“Because as a nation we have more and more children with obesity or diabetes, I believe education is the key to what I call a farming food revolution.

“We have got to educate them to eat more healthily and we could start with encouraging them to drink milk, which is one of the best things you can have, rather than fizzy drinks.”

Other speakers were Colin Loughlin, chairman of the Hamper Llangollen food festival, who stressed the importance of food and drink to the tourism industry, and David Shiel, senior countryside officer for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, who referred to the strong link between the local landscape and food.

Councillor Rhys Hughes, who represents Llangollen on Denbighshire County Council, said: “The event was all about networking and allowing businesses to meet and get to know each other.

“Tourism is worth over £400 million a year to the county and today was also a way to celebrate the abundance of good quality food products and what we have to offer our visitors.” 

Denbighshire Council have other events in the pipeline, including Social Media for Beginners at Rhyl College on May 12 and Open 4 Business at Oriel House, St Asaph, on June 30.