Budding opera star from Antrim to open for superstar soprano

* Helenna Howie at Llangollen Railway Station with, seated from left,

vocal coach Janet Haney, Anne Williams-King,

vocal coach Deborah Lea and David Bartleet.

A budding opera star from Northern Ireland will join singers from across the UK as a warm-up act for superstar soprano Katherine Jenkins at this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod

Helenna Howie, from Whitehead, near Carrickfergus, will be among opera singing students who are in for the experience of a lifetime after being invited to appear on the outdoor stage at July’s 70^th Eisteddfod opening day ahead of Katherine Jenkins’s Carmen concert.

They have been raising the roof at a Llangollen church while being put through their paces by husband and wife opera voice coaches Anne Williams-King and David Bartleet.

Anne has returned to her Pen-y-Cae home after spending most of the past 20 years living and working in London with her husband David.

She’s now just finished her third sell-out course for aspiring opera singers at Llangollen’s Methodist church in Princess Street and is thrilled her students will be at the iconic festival.

The top soprano, who has performed at opera houses around the world, said: “I moved back from London to be closer to my mum some six years ago now. However, she passed away three years ago.

“There isn’t anything in the area for aspiring opera singers so I decided to run these courses. It isn’t just about teaching voice it’s about working on characters too.

“We want to give aspiring opera singers an idea of what it’s like in the business. I want students to learn the skills they need in the correct way.”

Williams-King, who successfully battled ovarian cancer a decade ago, added: “The Eisteddfod Musical Director, Eilir Owen Griffiths, has invited my students to perform on the outside stage ahead of the opening concert by Katherine Jenkins on Tuesday, July 5. What an amazing honour for them!

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their voices and acting talent and believe me, we have some wonderful singers who deserve to be heard and who will grab this amazing opportunity with both hands.”

Anne Williams-King’s husband David Bartleet, who won the Opera Scholarship at the Royal College of Music, said: “Anne and I decided to run opera courses in Llangollen as there are very few opera companies in the UK and conservatoires are so expensive.

“We have students coming from all over the UK and beyond and the standard on our courses is remarkable.”

Mezzo soprano, Helenna, says she suffers from nerves so having the chance to appear on a stage at Llangollen International Music Festival would be invaluable experience for her.

The 23-year-old, who will be performing in the chorus for the premiere of The Belfast Opera in June and with Northern Ireland Opera later in the year, said: “Singing and being on stage at the International Music Festival is great exposure to a wider audience. The whole event will be wonderful and such a fantastic experience.

“I attended Bangor University in North Wales and graduated in 2014 with a degree in music.

“I want to make as a many contacts as possible and progress to the next level. I heard about Anne’s opera course through the university and it’s been absolutely amazing. I’ve really enjoyed it

“I just can’t wait for July and the chance to impress on the Llangollen International Music Festival stage. The fact Katherine Jenkins is appearing at the festival the same day is both amazing and wonderful.”

Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “We are always looking to showcase new talent especially those who have had instruction from a renowned soprano like Anne Williams-King and a tenor like David Bartleet.

“This will be the 70th Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod and I’m incredibly proud to be associated with it.

“I’m sure these young opera stars of the future will enjoy the experience and I’m sure the festival audience will welcome them with open arms.

“It is important the eisteddfod continues to showcase the very best music and voices and I know festival goers are going to thoroughly enjoy seeing Anne and David’s students perform.”

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.

The great Bryn Terfel will headline the 70^th Classical Gala Concert on Thursday evening 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

County throws spotlight on noise problems

Denbighshire County Council is aiming to raise awareness of noise problems and solutions during the current Noise Action Week.

In the last year the council received over 500 complaints about noise – everything from loud music, barking dogs, shouting, banging and DIY to early morning deliveries, construction work and wind turbines.

It’s estimated that investigating noise complaints cost councils £130 - £7k per complaint. 

Housing providers, mediation services and the police are also frequently involved in resolving noise disputes, representing a huge amount of time and money. 

Denbighshire says it is asking all residents to show some consideration to their neighbours when considering any noisy activities.

* For further information and advice contact Denbighshire County Council Public Protection Team on 01824 706080.

Town Council objects to Vicarage Road homes plan

* The site of the proposed new homes off Vicarage Road.

LLANGOLLEN Town Council has formally objected to a plan to build 99 homes on land at Vicarage Road in the town.

Castlemead Homes recently submitted an application to Denbighshire 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.

As part of the formal consultation process, the town council has been able to give its official response to the application although a decision on it rests with the county council.   

And all seven members of the town’s planning committee present for last night’s meeting at the Town Hall voted to object to the proposal.

Planning permission to build 54 houses on land adjacent to Vicarage Road was granted to Castlemead 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.

Planning committee chairman, Cllr Sheenah Burrell, said the town council had received 57 separate representations about the scheme from people in the area, which would all be passed to the county.

Opposition to the scheme was led by the Mayor, Cllr Mike Adams, who said that while there was a desperate need for modern, cost-efficient housing in the area, there were a number of points on which objection could be made to the scheme.

These, he said, included the “loss of visual amenity” across the valley which the development would lead to, an inadequate number of parking spaces in the proposal and highway safety.

“There are very narrow access roads to the site and the planned increase in traffic is bound to present an additional hazard,” he argued.

He added: “The traffic generation of these additional homes should be taken into consideration.

“I believe we have genuine grounds for concern and I therefore propose we object to the current application.”

Former town Mayor, Cllr Bob Lube, also spoke against the application, saying: “I don’t think we can possibly agree with this until the road is done.”

Fellow members of the committee voted unanimously to object.

Cllr Burrell said: “I think we have been prudent and taken the emotion out of it and I thank everyone for their interest and information.”

Just over a dozen members of the public were at the meeting to hear the discussion.

The Welsh Government recently told the county council not to decide on the application until major road issues are clarified.

As part of the usual consultation process, the council asked the Welsh Government for its views on the application.

In a letter to the county’s planning chief an official from the government’s Department for Economy, Science and Transport writes: “I refer to your consultation of 14 April 2016 regarding the above application and advise that the Welsh Government as highway authority for the A5 trunk road directs that permission be withheld until further notice while additional information is sought from the applicant and/or information provided by the applicant is analysed to enable appropriate highway observations to be made.”

The letter adds: “The applicant must provide previous and proposed Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) values for Hall Street/A5 junction.

“The applicant must increase the future year assessment from 2020 to 20 years from year of opening.” 

Warning from police boss over Brexit consequences

* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

A police boss has warned North Wales will be a more dangerous place if Britain votes to leave the European Union.

According to the newly-elected North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, a former police inspector, the terrorist threat was a key reason to stay in Europe.

He believes the Paris and Brussels atrocities were stark reminders of what is at stake.

Mr Jones feared the European Police Office, known as Europol which contributes to more than 13,500 cross-border investigations every year, would be weakened if Britain withdrew from the EU.

In addition, life would also be made more difficult for other joint investigation teams tackling a range of crimes from terror to child abuse.

Mr Jones said: "We in North Wales are particularly vulnerable as we have in Holyhead one of the UK's major ports for entry from another EU member state.

"North Wales Police have always worked closely with the Republic of Ireland's Garda to safeguard traffic between our two countries but achieving the same levels of co-operation would be much more difficult in the event of the UK voting to leaving Europe.

"We know that the current UK terror threat remains severe, meaning that a terrorist attack in the UK is 'highly likely'.

"That means that those involved in law enforcement and safeguarding the public need to focus on doing just that and making use of the methods that we and our counterparts in Europe know work best.

"We are not part of the Schengen agreement so we already have border controls that other EU nations don't have and we have that vital sea barrier as well but we still need to work with governments and law enforcement and other agencies in the EU to keep our people safe.

"You only have to be on the A55 at 2am to appreciate the volume of road traffic that is heading to and from Ireland and that makes it vital that we liaise closely with our Irish counterparts.

"We would hope to use these measures to prevent terrorists getting into the country but if suspects are identified we need to be able to rely on our EU colleagues to apprehend them and we need to be able to rely on the evidence they gather to be presented in our courts.

"All that is currently available to us using current EU criminal justice and security measures and we would be unwise to jeopardise that by voting to leave the EU.

"The Brussels and Paris atrocities are a stark warning that we need even greater sharing of intelligence, pooling of resources and joint working across Europe.

"Outside the EU we would find it more difficult to respond quickly and forcefully to those who would threaten our communities and our values, and that's why there is a clear security case for us to stay in the EU."

Mr Jones was also concerned that a vote to leave Europe could trigger a further recession, particularly in rural communities in areas such as North Wales.

He added: "That could lead to a loss of income for farmers and increasing unemployment and rural depopulation and those factors could also make our countryside and its towns more prey to crime.

"I have the same commitment to our rural areas as my predecessor did and they deserve the same care and attention when it comes to ensuring the safety of the public."

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.