Historic railbus heading for Llangollen

Llangollen Railway's annual Railcar Gala will take place on the weekend of June 11 and 12.

Alongside the resident fleet of DMUs, the special guest to the gala will be a diminutive 1958-built railbus, No.79960, visiting from its current base at the Ribble Steam Railway.

Railbus 79960 was built in Germany by Waggon Und Maschinenbau more than half a century ago as an experiment for British Railways to see if more traffic could be drawn to little used lines by the use of lightweight vehicles – a move that had been very successful in mainland Europe.

Introduced to service in 1958 the tiny train (pictured below), one of the smallest to operate in the UK, was used in East Anglia and in the North East before being laid aside as the lines for which it had been intended were closed under the Beeching programme.

Preserved as long ago as 1968 the train served the North Norfolk Railway for 44 years before moving on to the Ribble Steam Railway near Preston.

A detailed history and photos can be found at: http://preserved.railcar.co.uk/79960.html

The Railbus will be in operation for one weekend only and will be joining another historic survivor from East Anglian branch line services, the sole-surviving Class 109 Wickham DMU.

Full use will be made of the Llangollen Railway's unique collection of 1950s and 1960s railcar trains, with the weekend featuring a very intensive timetable. Departures from Llangollen and Carrog will be at half-hourly intervals and from Corwen every hour.

Prior to the event on the Friday evening there will be a photographic evening featuring the railbus during which will stop at various locations along the valley.

On the Saturday evening there will be a social event and barbecue, as well as the ever popular driver experience runs.


* Tickets for the event will be available on the day but can also be purchased in advance and at a discount by going to http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/events/.  More details can be found by visiting www.llangollenrailcars.co.uk or www.llangollen-railway.co.uk

Plaid's Arfon Jones is new police and crime boss

Plaid Cymru's Arfon Jones has been elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales.

Following the count at Coleg Cambria in Deeside this afternoon (Sunday), the 60-year-old Wrexham councillor and former police officer said he was "overjoyed and overwhelmed" to win.

Bacharach cartoon up for auction in aid of Eisteddfod

* Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head by musical legend Burt Bacharach.

A signed cartoon by legendary singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach of his hit song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head is to be auctioned for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The 87-year-old American superstar (pictured right) penned the cartoon on a blank postcard for the iconic festival, writing the first bar of music on one side with some raindrops and then signing the other side.

The Oscar-winning song was originally written by Bacharach and Hal David for 1969 film classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and sold over two million copies for singer B J Thomas.

Bacharach performed it at Llangollen and it has become a standard over the years, recorded by artists from Johnny Mathis and Sacha Distel to the Manic Street Preachers.

* Going for a song: Louisa Jones models a rugby shirt signed by Status Quo watched by Llangollen International Eisteddfod’s Gareth Edwards and Ian Lebbon who will auction it and other items later this month.

The autographed cartoon is one of several lots being auctioned at Llangollen Town Hall on Saturday, May 21, at 7.30pm at an Eisteddfod fundraiser of Cheese, Wine and Musical Crackers in collaboration with local show choir, Stage 2 Stage.

Also going under the hammer is a watercolour painting of the stage at last year’s Eisteddfod by acclaimed local artist Ian Wildgoose as well as more cartoons by a range of those who performed last year including Rufus Wainwright and his sister, Lucy, Royal composer Paul Mealor, harpist Catrin Finch, West End star Sophie Evans, the nation’s favourite choirmaster, Gareth Malone and others.

One of those is a sketch of Go Compare’s TV advertising star Gio Compario by the man who plays him, top Welsh tenor Wynne Evans, and among the signed items are Welsh rugby shirts autographed by veteran British rockers Status Quo and Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Antoine and a guitar signed by reggae maestros UB40.

The full list of lots to be auctioned is online at http://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Auction-Catalogue.pdf with information on how to bid.

Eisteddfod Committee men Gareth Edwards and Adrian Farrell came up with the brainwave for the auction and collected most of the items though volunteer Louise Morris suggested the cartoons which were gathered by Eisteddfod Events Co-ordinator Sue McEvoy who said: “We had these blank postcards and it seemed a good idea to ask the artists to draw something.

“They were delighted to do so and there are some really good cartoons. Rufus Wainwright has done a dragon and his sister, Lucy, has done two, one a picture of a barge on the canal.

“Burt did the first bar of music for Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, complete with raindrops, Wynne Evans drew Gio Compario with his frizzy hair and moustaches and some musical notes while Catrin Finch has done a finch sitting on a treble clef.”

The event organisers are expecting plenty of interest and bids can be registered ahead of the event by ringing 01978 862001.

The Ian Wildgoose painting has a reserve of £1,000 while the postcards are being auctioned in groups with a reserve of just £30 while the Status Quo-signed rugby shirt has a minimum of £200.

The auctioneer will be Ian Lebbon, Chairman of the Eisteddfod’s Marketing Committee, and the organiser has been Eisteddfod Volunteer Team member Louisa Jones, a member of local show choir Stage 2 Stage.

They will perform a two-set programme of popular songs from musical theatre and screen, accompanied by a five-piece band, and including hits from Les Misérables, Evita and West Side Story and medleys from Chicago and Guys and Dolls.

Colin Roberts, secretary of the Eisteddfod's Grounds Committee and member of the singing group said: “One of Stage 2 Stage's main objectives is to support local organisations in their fundraising activities by providing high quality, affordable entertainment.

* The Stage 2 Stage Choir will perform at the Eisteddfod fundraiser.

“Several of us have close connections with Llangollen Eisteddfod, therefore it seems only natural that we would give our support to an event which we hope will generate a good sum for Eisteddfod funds.”

Tickets for Cheese, Wine and Musical Crackers are priced at £12 and include a glass of wine on arrival and cheese and biscuits during the interval.

They can be purchased directly from the Eisteddfod Office, by phone on 01978 862001 or from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre.

Bids for the lots can be made by phone to the Eisteddfod Office on 01978 862001, by e‐mail info@international‐eisteddfod.co.uk, or by post to Eisteddfod Office: FAO: Mikala Bennion, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen, Denbighsire LL20 8SW.

Bidders must give Name, Address, Telephone Number and/or E‐mail address, plus the Lot number, including a short description, with a starting bid and maximum bid in Pounds Sterling. All bids received via phone, e‐mail or post will be treated as strictly confidential.

All bids must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, May 18.

Campaigners send out leaflets over Vicarage Road plan

Campaigners are distributing 500 copies of a leaflet setting out the case against a plan to build 99 homes in Llangollen's Vicarage Road.

Castlemead Homes recently submitted an application to the county council for the development, which includes a mixture of two, three and four bedroom detached and semi-detached properties.

But the scheme has sparked fears amongst people in the area that local roads will not be able to cope with the extra traffic it will generate both during construction and when the new homes are occupied.

Planning permission to build 54 houses on land adjacent to Vicarage Road was granted on appeal by Denbighshire back in 2001.

Attached to the original application was a Section 106 agreement under which the developer was legally bound to build a new access road to the site before the scheme was started.

The field above the main site has since been included in the Local Development Plan at the request of the Planning Inspectorate to encourage the building of more houses to meet local demand.

And Castlemead  recently submitted a new application to build a further 45 homes, making a total of 99 houses on four parcels of land.

A statement issued on behalf of the company by planning consultants in support of the application says it would not be economic to build the access road before construction work starts on the houses and suggests it should be put in place by the time the 31^st dwelling has been occupied.

Transport consultants acting on behalf of the company say in their submission to the county council: “It has been demonstrated that the development traffic can comfortably be accommodated within the highways assessed indicating that the development will not materially impact upon the operation of the local highway network.” 

But an action group, started through Facebook, has expressed concerns about the impact of the development on local roads. 

It's latest step is to distribute door to door  500 copies of a leaflet setting out the facts as it sees them and encouraging people to make their views known to the county council ahead of its planning committee discussing the application.

In the leaflet, campaigners say: "The affect on traffic congestion and road safety will be immense and detrimental."  

Skates retains Clwyd South for Labour

Ken Skates (pictured) held on to the Clwyd South seat with 7,862 votes for Labour in yesterday's Welsh Assembly elections.

The party has retained all five of its seats in North East Wales and appears set to keep control of the assembly.

For more details, see the BBC coverage at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-wales-36207414

Full result:

* Ken Skates (Welsh Labour) 7,862

Simon Baynes (Welsh Conservatives) 4,846

Mabon ap Gwynfor (Plaid Cymru) 3,861

Mandy Jones (Welsh UKIP) 2,827

Aled Roberts (Welsh Lib Dems) 2,289

Duncan Rees (Welsh Greens) 474

We're taking a short break

llanblogger is taking a short break and will be back in about a week's time ...

Llan represented in contest for young cooks

Nine top cooks from primary school across the county, including Ysgol Y Gwernant in Llangollen,  will gather at Denbigh High School for the grand final of this year’s Great Denbighshire Menu competition in May 2016. 

As one of Denbighshire Education and Children’s Services’ centrepieces to mark 100 years since the birth of Roald Dahl, this year’s Great Denbighshire Menu Primary School Competition takes as its theme “Dahlicious” and asks children to choose their favourite Roald Dahl book to create a healthy (fictional) breakfast that could be served at school. 

Now in its second year, the Great Denbighshire Menu competition is a successful collaboration between Denbighshire Healthy Schools and Curriculum Enrichment initiatives. 

The competition encourages children to learn how to cook by using local ingredients to prepare healthy meals, while, at the same time, teaches them about the importance of food preparation. 

Healthy Schools Co-ordinator Paula Roberts said: “The copmpetition raises awareness about healthy eating and why it is important.  Your food choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future."

Curriculum Enrichment Co-ordinator, Sarah Dixon, said: “In the build up to the launch of the competition in February, students had been busily learning new skills in the kitchen and mastering their techniques.  We’re very proud of all these students for what they have achieved."

The young cooks endured rigorous school-based and regional heats to reach the Grand Final. 

The nine finalists from Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog, Ysgol Pendref, Ysgol y Llys, Ysgol Carreg Emlyn, Ysgol Bro Famau and Ysgol y Gwernant will now go head to head in the final.

* You can follow the competition on Twitter @cyfoeth_enrich and keep up to date with any news on www.denbighshireenrichment.com