Denbighshire "well run authority" says report

Members of Denbighshire County Council have today discussed the annual improvement report issued by the Wales Audit Office.

For 2015/16, the report concluded that the council, "with sound financial management and scrutiny arrangements, continues to make progress in delivering improvements in most of its priority areas”.

At a meeting at County Hall, Ruthin where the report was discussed, the Wales Audit Office hailed Denbighshire a "very good, very well run authority".

The report highlights the achievements of the council, which included:

* The provision of affordable housing – the council has developed a housing strategy and comprehensive supporting action plan

* Social services are said to be largely performing well

* Arrangements for managing performance and for delivering savings are described as "robust and effective"

* The  relationship between members and officers "continues to be constructive

* The council is said to be actively exploring new types of service delivery, including with commercial partners.

The council welcomed the fact that the 2015/16 report did not include any formal recommendations, reflecting the WAO’s positive view of  its progress.

The report did contact some areas for improvement and the council says it has already introduced measures to address these matters, such as:

* Safeguarding vulnerable adults - safeguarding training has been provided for lead managers, there are improved screening of referrals through the Single Point of Access and arrangements are being reviewed for providing domiciliary care.

* Attendance at scrutiny meetings – timetable of meetings has been reviewed to encourage greater attendance, location of some meetings have changed and this has resulted in better attendance over the last three months

* The use of alternative models to deliver services – a corporate approach to delivery models is being prepared and the council is looking at income generation, to ensure value for money.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Performance, said: “The report is a recognition of the amount of good work that goes on in Denbighshire to maintain very high standards in services to residents and we are pleased that auditors highlight our achievements, particularly around managing budgets and performance.

“Whilst no formal recommendations have been made in the report, we recognise that there are areas that have been highlighted for improvement, but members have been reassured that steps had already been taken to address some of those areas.

“We are never complacent as we always strive to improve services to the best of our ability and it was pleasing to hear that the council continues to be recognised as being one of the best performing councils in Wales."

This report was discussed at the same meeting as the delivery of the council's corporate plan which it describes as "most ambitious".

Eisteddfod reaches out across the border

The saxophone-playing chairman of one of the UK’s oldest and most iconic music festivals wants to broaden its appeal to secure its future.

Retired doctor Rhys Davies (pictured below) aims to reach out across the border to attract performers, competitors, concert-goers and visitors to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

His target areas are the big cities and highly-populated areas within two hours’ drive of the Denbighshire town where the event began in 1947.

Rhys, a doctor in the town for 30 years, attended his first Eisteddfod in 1956 – as a babe in arms and now he wants to see it capture the hearts of a new generation.

He said: “Wales is important to us but if you travel west of Llangollen there are a few hundred thousand people within an hour or two’s drive. Go east and there are six or seven million.

“It is Llangollen’s Eisteddfod and the better the Eisteddfod does the better it is for the town and the whole area but we are an international festival and we need to reach out far and wide.

“We need to reach out to those people across the border and show them what a worthwhile experience it is to come here and how much we have to offer.”

He succeeded the long-serving Gethin Davies, the only person to be chairman of the event twice, and is the son of the late Dr Jack Davies who practised as a GP in the town for 30 years from 1955 and for many years the family home was on the edge of the Eisteddfod field at Dolafon Villas, close to the old Cottage Hospital.

He and his wife, Ann, have two grown-up children and now live at Pentrefelin House where his parents later moved and he said: “From being a little boy I volunteered at the festival, as a messenger, an usher and a programme seller.

“University and my job took me away from the area for some years but when I returned to live and work in Llangollen – I was senior partner at the local GP practice – I resumed my association with the Eisteddfod.”

He’s a music fan himself and plays the saxophone – ever since his wife bought him one for Christmas 10 years ago – and has broad tastes including opera, classical, jazz and the rock music of the Seventies.

He would like to forge links with cities like Liverpool, where he trained as a doctor, Manchester and Birmingham which all have large populations with links to North Wales.

He said: “It would be great to have the Superlambanana here from Liverpool and perhaps to give one day and an evening concert to showcase the culture of a city like Liverpool, Manchester or Birmingham.

“They have vibrant cultural scenes, major orchestras and choirs, classical and contemporary dance companies and we have a fantastic venue and an event with a rich heritage.”

But he adds that it is also important to continue to reach out overseas and to recognise that the groups that come, particularly from the Third World, face major financial obstacles.

He added: “I would like to see Llangollen charity events and concerts through the year to boost the bursary fund to help these groups make the trip to Llangollen.

“It is the international flavour of the event that gives the Llangollen its incredible colour and atmosphere and we must do everything we can to maintain that tradition.”

Tickets sales for the concerts at this year’s Eisteddfod, which begins on Tuesday, July 5, are already going well, especially for the opening night when superstar Katherine Jenkins gets the programme off to a sensational start as she sings Bizet’s Carmen, .

Wednesday will be International Children’s Day and will include choral and dance competitions and also a new Under 16s solo competition while the evening will feature the Voices of Musical Theatre and West End star Kerry Ellis.

The great Bryn Terfel will headline the 70^th Classical Gala Concert on Thursday evening with acclaimed Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja while the day will see 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

Joint choir concert hits high note

AN audience of local people and tourists enjoyed a joint concert by Llangollen Male Voice Choir, Great Bowden Community Choir and Great Bowden Flute Choir at St Collen’s Church recently.

The Great Bowden musical director said she was "blown away" by LMV's rendition of Gwahoddiad in particular, adding that although she didn't understand a word she totally got the sentiment.

A spokesman for LMV said: “We were thrilled to help start the visiting choirs’ tour of North Wales on a high and raise money for the local charity, Dynamic.”

Tenant could be found for Llan's ghost supermarket, says report

* Llangollen's empty supermarket.

The Daily Post is reporting today that a deal to find a tenant for Llangollen's "ghost" supermarket is on the verge of being done.

The story says that discount chain Aldi has said it does want to open in Llangollen but was considering more than one site in the town.

For the full story, see: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/llangollen-ghost-supermarket-finally-verge-11297969

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.