Police mount extra mountainside patrols

Wrexham.com is reporting that police mounted extra patrols across Llangollen and Wrexham over the weekend following reports of illegal off-roaders causing damage to several mountainside areas. 

* For the full story, see:
http://www.wrexham.com/news/illegal-off-roaders-cause-damage-to-mountainside-113722.html

Eisteddfod fundraiser is a big hit

* Stage 2 Stage's performance prompted a standing ovation. 

A fundraiser for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod at the Town Hall last night (Saturday) brought a packed audience to their feet at the end of a choral concert and then had them putting their hands in their pockets to the tune of over £1,700 as they bid for lots in a fun auction.

The concert, compered by Eisteddfod stalwart Christine Dukes and musically directed by Elen Mair Roberts, featured a two-set programme by locally-based choir Stage 2 Stage in which they showcased songs from a host of shows and films, from Guys & Dolls and Chicago to Evita and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

At the end of the performance the packed audience gave them a rousing standing ovation.

In the auction which followed, conducted by Ian Lebbon, Chairman of the Eisteddfod’s Marketing Committee, 19 lots went under the hammer, including pieces of art connected with the festival and items signed by recent star performers such as Rufus Wainwright and Jonathan Antoine.

Lots which created most interest were a Wales rugby shirt signed by all members of the rock band Status Quo, which went for £350 after some hot bidding, and a signed cartoon by legendary singer-songwriter Burt Bacharach of his hit song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head which realised £210.

Total amount raised by the auction was over £1,700.

Historic garden's new lease of life

* The renovated garden at Nantclwyd y Dre. 

A historic garden at a popular townhouse in Ruthin has been opened to the public after a three-year restoration.

                

The project to rejuvenate the Lord’s Garden at Nantclwyd y Dre cost £220,000 and has been funded by Denbighshire County Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Ruthin Town Council and the Friends of Nantclwyd y Dre.

The work of renovating the garden was assisted by over 100 volunteers who learned traditional skills such as hazel hurdling and meadow scything along the way.

The garden is a listed landscape, originating from medieval times and has been lovingly restored to reflect several ages of its history.  The gardens are open at the same time as the main house, as part of the Nantclwyd y Dre visitor experience.

Nantclwyd y Dre is Wales’ oldest dated timbered town house. The house was first built in 1435 and has been added to, updated and upgraded throughout the centuries..

Nantclwyd y Dre has been beautifully restored to demonstrate the changing fashions and the lives of its residents.

Visitors can observe a colony of Lesser Horseshoe bats in the attic rooms via ‘bat cam’, participate in a quiz and use interactive media screens to learn more about the house and its inhabitants.

Nantclwyd y Dre is open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays during May and September; Open on Saturday – Wednesday from June until end of August.

County comes up with new anti-fouling signs

New signs are being placed on lamp-posts across Denbighshire as part of the county council’s latest initiative to tackle dog fouling.

The warning signs have been designed using images of ‘reflective eyes’ which bounce back light in the hours of darkness and warn the public that the area is being monitored.

* Watching you: the new anti-fouling signs.

Small cameras will also be used in areas that are deemed to be fouling hot-spots and signs will be placed to warn people they may be filmed. 

The council says the cameras used are not covert, are easy to set up and have the flexibility to be moved to another location quickly. Officers from Kingdom Security, working on behalf of the council are focussing their efforts on patrols specifically to identify offenders over the coming two weeks. 

They will be out and about working two shifts, 6am-2pm and 12pm until 8pm. They will also engage with dog owners about the need to clean up after their animals.

Other activities will see the council providing free bags to do owners; dog mess found on pavements will be painted using chalk, in order to highlight the problem and officers will also be gathering intelligence to enable further enforcement.

Dog owners found to be cleaning up after their animals will be  offered the chance to enter into a prize draw as part of the Bin it to Win It scheme.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Public Realm, said: “This is the latest in a range of initiatives undertaken by the Council to tackle dog fouling in the county.

“Residents tell us that it is one of the biggest issues of concern to them. The majority of individuals want to live in, work in and visit an area that is free of dog mess. It is a blight on the landscape and can be detrimental to people’s health and well-being.

“This campaign is about educating people to be considerate and not allow their dogs to foul in public.  The majority of people do act responsibly and we thank them for that. It’s the small group of individuals that we are trying to reach with our message.

“Dog fouling will simply not be tolerated in our county and we hope that our high profile and visible approach will make a real difference."

Responsible owners or any member of the public can contact the Council with information and remain anonymous if they wish. They can report issues through the website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk or through the Customer Service Centre, on 01824 706101.

Trials competition returns at LlanBikeFest

* A Junior Kick Start style competition will roar into LlanBikeFest in July.  

The BBC’s Junior Kick Start style of trials competition is bouncing back at the Llangollen International Motorcycle Festival – LlanBikeFest - on Saturday July 23 and 24.

The Kick Start show aired from 1979 until 1988, with the original course laid out by Sammy Miller.

The Junior Kick Start offshoot was hosted by Blue Peter’s Peter Purves and encouraged the talents of youngsters such as trials legend Dougie Lampkin.

At the festival, junior riders from Llangollen and District Motorcycle Club (LLDMC) will have to negotiate a series of obstacles without putting their feet down or stopping, plus there are time penalties. 

LlanBikeFest co-organiser John Hutchinson said: “The Junior Kick Start event will provide plenty of action for spectators to watch and be a tough challenge for the young riders taking part.

“Even more off-road spectacle will be provided by professional trials stunt experts Inch Perfect. 

“Their act features massive jumps up vertical walls, breath-taking ‘drop offs’ and a full range of freestyle tricks.

“They will be joined by the Extreme Mountain Bike Show - Europe’s number one mountain bike and Trials/BMX demonstration team, led by the multiple British and European trials bike champion Danny Butler.”

LlanBikeFest 2016 will build on the success of last year’s festival, with guest of honour Giacomo ‘Ago’ Agostini – winner of an unbeaten 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championships - flying in especially from his Italian home to spend the weekend at the festival meeting fans, judging competitions and providing opportunities for autographs and photos. 

Held at the town’s Pavilion, the festival’s on-site attractions will include hundreds of bikes, displays, stunts, demonstrations, trade and club stands, plus beer, bands and evening entertainment in Llangollen town.

There will also be a charity raffle in aid of Wales Air Ambulance.

Follow the event on Twitter at @llanbikefest and Facebook at Llangollen International Motorcycle Festival.

Day tickets are £10 on the gate or online at www.llanbikefest.co.uk with concessions, or contact the festival office at 07960 693398, office@llanbikefest.co.uk. Club stands and exhibitor bookings are free.

Warning goes out over scam HMRC calls

Neighbourhood Watch members in the area have received the following "scam" warning:

"A number of residents have received automated telephone calls from a person purporting to be from HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs).

"The calls claim that the matter is ‘serious’ and that the recipient needs to call back straight away. The phone calls threaten ‘action will be taken’ if the number is not called.

"Enquiries reveal that this is a scam.  If you receive a telephone call of this nature, do not telephone the number provided, and do not pass on any information. If you have provided information, or are concerned, having received a call of this type please contact North Wales Police by dialling 101.

"If you wish to contact HMRC do so after obtaining contact details for them from a trusted source, not from the telephone cold caller/automated message."

Road closed to allow tree removal work

Denbighshire County Council is informing motorists that the A525 at Nant y Garth Pass will close for up to two weeks as of next Monday to allow essential tree removal work to take place safely.

The council was approached by contractors Tilhill who needed to undertake tree removal work on the pass.

Following discussions, it became clear that the road would need to close fully whilst the work was underway.

The council is working with the contractor to both minimise the length of the closure and to ensure that other essential works needed in the area are carried out at the same time. This would avoid having to close the road again for future work.

Whilst the work is scheduled for two weeks, Tilhill say they are making good progress and will aim to re-open the road under traffic light control as soon as practically possible.

To coincide with the closure, the council has served notice on the other land owners informing them that a closure will be in place and that they should undertake all necessary works so as to ensure that the trees on their land do not cause interference to the travelling public.  Most are using this closure as an opportunity to undertake work.

Denbighshire’s own teams will also be undertaking some tree work on sections of the verge that form the highway and in addition they will be undertaking some sign repairs, structural surveys of culverts, gully cleaning, sweeping and grass cut ting.

The council can also confirm that two school buses using the route will be escorted safely through the road closure, to ensure that the road closure does not have an impact on examinations taking place.

The official diversion route for traffic will be clearly signposted. Additional signs are also being placed at key locations to deter larger vehicles and caravans from using routes that would affect Pentrecelyn and Graigfechan.

The council says it would like to apologise in advance for any disruption an d inconvenience this work will cause and is reassuring the public that it has worked with the contractor to take every possible step to ease congestion and minimise any effects on the local community.