Louisa gets back on her bike for a great cause

* Louisa Jones is ready to climb back into the

saddle for a marathon charity challenge.

AN INTREPID Llangollen Operatic Society member is getting back on her bike for another marathon charity challenge.

Back in 2012 Louisa Jones, 37, took part in a gruelling 260-mile cycling expedition through India in aid of three women’s cancer causes, raising over 3,000 along the way.

Now she’s planning to climb back into the saddle for the same three charities - Breast Cancer Care, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.

From February 6-17 next year she will be joining a group of 70 women to cycle 450km (280 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

* Louisa on her Indian challenge in 2012.

Louisa, who works as a project manager and lives in Chirk, said:  “This is the second time I have taken on such a challenge, having successfully undertaken the Women V Cancer Cycle India event in November 2012, which took a group of us across rural Rajasthan in aid of the same three causes.

“Although fairly fit, I am not a cyclist so the event will require me to undertake quite some training in order to get to the level of fitness and stamina needed to complete six days of cycling in a very different climate and terrain.

“It will be no easy task but I believe it will be extremely rewarding both personally and in terms of the benefit to the charities and the excellent work that they do in the areas of research and support. Without the generosity of donors, they simply could not continue.

“Through sponsorship and fundraising activities, I am aiming to raise at least £1,700, 100% of which will go directly to the charities. I will be paying all tour and administrative costs of about £1,500 myself.”

* To sponsor Louisa, go to her fundraising page at:  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Louisa-Jones9

llanblogger notches up £200 from Memory Walk

* Phil at the finishing line with his medal.

llanblogger raised £200 to help in the battle against dementia when he strode out in the Alzheimers Society's first ever Memory Walk in Delamere Forest on Saturday morning.

Phil Robinson joined around 3,500 fellow trekkers in the big event, which was part of the current season of walks being held across Britain with the aim of raising £6.4 million to help finance research into the distressing condition which affects 225,000 people in the UK each year.

Phil chose to walk the route around the lake in memory of two close members of his family who suffered from dementia.

He said: "It was a fantastic day which saw upwards of 3,500 people gathering on the car park at Delamere to take part in the first Memory Walk to be held there.

"There was a real carnival atmosphere, with a Zumba warm-up session before we all headed off into the forest, where we found a drum band in a clearing who were helping to set the pace for us.

"On the walk it was amazing to see the little cards attached to people's official teeshirts describing who they were remembering as they marched on - parents, grandparents and spouses.

"There were people of all ages, from tiny tots to more mature walkers and, as they went along they were sharing their stories about why they had decided to get involved.

* Thousands of people gather before the start of the Memory Walk.

"Almost as numerous as the human trekkers were the dogs people had brought along with them - some proudly wearing their Memory Walk teeshirts or Alzheimers Society scarves."

* Out on the trail.

* A four-legged walker proudly wears the official Memory Walk teeshirt. 

He added: "The whole thing was brilliantly organised with walk marshalls dotted along the route to make sure everyone was ok and didn't get themselves lost.

"I understand that the current season of walks will involve around 100,000 across Britain, and if they have as much fun as I did it's something they'll never forget.

* A drum band helps set the pace for walkers.  

"I'd like to thank everyone who sponsored me, enabling me to comfortably hit and then better my fundraising target of £150 to make £200 for this extremely worthwhile cause."

* See Phil's Justgiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Philip-Robinson8

Balloons take flight again ...

Another balloon flight this morning ...

   ... and last night's fireworks ...

Balloon festival provides spectacular sight

* One of the balloons heads from the field and across town.

* A member of the Red Devils display team in action.

* Another of the balloons reaches for the sky.

* A third balloon gets airborne.

Llangollen Balloon Festival provided a thrilling display for scores of people waiting on the bridge and across town earlier this evening.

Around half a dozen colourful balloons launched from the International Pavilion field around teatime to drift slowly towards Regent Street.

Shortly afterwards there was another spectacular sight as members of the Red Devils Parachute Display Team went through their paces hundreds of feet above the town.

Still to come this evening:

* 8pm Evening Glow

* 8pm Firework Display

And programme for tomorrow (Sunday) is:

7am Gates open for early morning ascent.
10am Main show begins with balloon display in main arena.
11am Galloping Acrobats
12pm Cheshire Falconry
1pm Balloon Display
2pm Llangollen Motorcycle Club
3pm Galloping Acrobats
4pm Cheshire Falconry
5pm British Ironworks Balloon Race

New tourism awards celebrate success of North Wales

* North Wales Tourism managing director Jim Jones.

The first ever tourism awards celebrating the work the spectacular successes of the £2 billion industry in North Wales are being launched.

The Go North Wales Tourism Awards, which will also showcase local produce, aim to highlight excellence in the region’s high flying hospitality and tourism sectors. 

The awards are being run by private sector body North Wales Tourism, in partnership with Heart FM, and will be handed out at a gala dinner on Thursday, November 24 at Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Heart FM presenters Spencer and Rachel will also be at the black-tie event.

* White water rafting is one of the many

activities on offer in North Wales.

North Wales is at the centre of the growing adventure holidays market and is earning recognition as a world leader thanks to developments like Zip World, Surf Snowdonia and the Snowdonia Pass provided by the Attractions of Snowdonia.

Tourism already employs 40,000 people across North Wales - which adds up to one in every seven jobs in the area.

At the same time more than £100 million of mainly private sector money is currently being invested in tourism-related projects in the region.

North Wales Tourism managing director Jim Jones said: “These awards are all about celebrating everything that’s wonderful in North Wales. 

“They will showcase and celebrate the achievements, hard work and dedication of the hundreds of entrepreneurs who run businesses in this area.

“Tourism and hospitality are worth millions to the economy of North Wales, with the value growing every year. Thousands of people already work in the industry across the six counties and there’s the potential to grow this, to enable more jobs to be created.

“We want people to nominate their tourism business, by demonstrating their success and showing how they offer an exceptional experience to visitors - one that makes people return time and again to North Wales.

“There are a wide range of categories because there are so many different providers in the tourism and hospitality sector in North Wales. It could include an adventure park, bike trail, hotel or B&B, a crowd-pulling event or festival, campsite, promotional campaign, or a new food or drink. 

“There is also a Green Award as it is important that we safeguard this environment - we know visitors to North Wales come to enjoy the wonderful outdoors and we want future generations to continue to enjoy it. 

“I am very grateful to those businesses that have agreed to sponsor the different categories - their support will help us to showcase the very best in North Wales.”

Nominations can be made via the website GoNorthWalesTourismAwards.net until October 23. A judging panel will then draw up a shortlist in each category, with the winners announced on November 24.

The categories are

• Best Attraction, sponsored by Contact Centre Cymru
• Best Food or Drink, sponsored by Celtic Holiday Park
• Best Accommodation, sponsored by Wrexham Lager
• Best Caravan, Camping or Glamping site, sponsored by Wrexham Destination Partnership
• Best Destination (town or area), sponsored by WR Davies Motor Group
• The Green Award, sponsored by Carbon Zero
• Best Use of Digital, sponsored by Cartrefi Conwy
• Best Newcomer, sponsored by Silver Birch Golf Club
• Tourism Business Innovation, sponsored by North Wales Economic Ambition Board
• Year of Adventure, sponsored by Arriva
• Magnificent Crowd Puller (audience over 7,500) sponsored by Powlsons
• Magnificent Crowd Puller (audience under 7,500), sponsored by North Wales Tourism. 

North Wales Tourism is one of the UK’s leading tourism organisations, supporting businesses across the region’s six counties.  Its aim is to build and maintain a prosperous and sustainable tourism industry in North Wales.

The Awards evening on November 24 includes a gala dinner and award presentations followed by an evening of entertainment and dancing. Event tickets are available at a cost of £50 plus VAT per person or £500 plus VAT for a table to seat 10 guests.

To book by phone call 01492 539058 or visit GoNorthWalesTourismAwards.net

Planning application submitted for "ghost" supermarket

* The Berwyn Street supermarket for which a planning application has now been submitted.

A planning application has been lodged with Denbighshire County Council which could possibly see Llangollen’s “ghost” supermarket split between two tenants – discount retailers Aldi and Home Bargains.

The 34,000 sq ft unit off Berwyn Street has stood empty since May 2015 when Sainsbury’s for whom it was built made the shock announcement that they would not be moving in due to a scaling back of their stores.

The application, made in the name of Sainsbury’s who still own the building, seeks permission for the subdivision of the existing retail unit and alterations to allow it to trade as two retail units with associated internal and external physical alterations to the building, service yard, customer entrance and forecourt areas.

The move, which comes after more than a year of speculation about the eventual tenant, has been welcomed by Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies who said: “Mention of Aldi and Home Bargains being the two prospective tenants of the supermarket is made in the covering letter of the planning application and also in a background document.

“I am happy that an application has finally been made for this empty building and to see that there are prospective tenants in mind.”

The Sainsbury’s pull-out, which they blamed on “adverse trading conditions” at the time, dashed hopes for 130 promised jobs.

Sainsburys announced they wouldn’t themselves be running the store directly and revealed they were looking for potential tenants.

Interest by Aldi and the discount group Home Bargains has often been speculated upon but never confirmed by either company.

A spokesman for Aldi told llanblogger a few months ago:  “Aldi, the award-winning discount food retailer, is keen to develop a new food store in Llangollen.

“There is a clear need for greater shopping choice in the area and Aldi is looking at a variety of sites that fit both suitability and convenience for local shoppers.”

And a spokesman for Home Bargains said at the time: “Unfortunately, it’s a no comment from us, as we work to a strict planner of confirmed stores.”

* The application, reference number 03/2016/0887, can be inspected in full via the planning search section of the Denbighshire County Council website at: http://planning.denbighshire.gov.uk

Council slammed over station parking

* Ken Skates AM with Cllr Dana Davies at Ruabon Station.

Wrexham Council has made ‘an utter mess’ of parking charges at Ruabon Station, according to opposition politicians.

Along with many residents and station users, Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates and Ruabon councillor Dana Davies have previously criticised the authority over the introduction of a pay-and-display system at the popular station.

Now they say constant issues with the ticket machine are exacerbating problems – and have called on the council to address the situation.

Mr Skates and Cllr Davies last April suggested the council should reinvest money from the new parking charges – up to £400 a year per person – into improving the station’s facilities, such as better disabled access. But their plea fell on deaf ears at the Guildhall.

Cllr Davies, leader of the opposition Labour group said: “At least if the money had gone towards station improvements, commuters and users could’ve seen where it was going. This is purely a revenue stream, while at the same time the council is wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money trying to demolish The Groves.

“Since the charges came in, people are parking anywhere but at the train station, including at the cemetery and in residential areas.

“These issues were raised at the time the decision was made, but our concerns were ignored. They are still discussed on a regular basis at Ruabon Community Council, and I’m getting a lot of complaints from residents.

“The ticket machine is also faulty on a regular basis and people often have problems paying for long-term stays. I was assured this would be looked at, but I’m still waiting.”

Cllr Davies added: “Wrexham Council leaders continue to make an utter mess of this.”

Mr Skates added: “I use this station and know how frustrating the parking payment system is. I also know how badly the charges have impacted on neighbouring householders, who are finding people parking all over the place. I have taken this up with the chief executive once again and hope to get a response in the very near future.”

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “I am flabbergasted at Labour’s hypocrisy, given the decision of the executive board on January 13, 2015, to introduce a Pay and Display service at Ruabon Railway Station - it is my recollection that this was a unanimous decision which included the two Labour members of the executive board at that time.

“It seems to me they have short-term memory loss, and I would suggest to Ken Skates AM that he needs to have more dialogue with his Labour members on Wrexham Council.”

Cllr Bithell added: “In respect of the issues raised, this was part of the revenue budget savings for 2015/16, where the Council had to make £11.6 million of savings. The department is also currently working with the local member on some localised issues around the use of Pay and Display at the car park.”