Wales Rally heading for county

Denbighshire County Council is gearing up to welcome the sights and sounds of rally cars as the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB returns to the county for the third year running.

Two of the stages of this year’s Rally of Legends – the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship - will be staged in the Clocaenog Forest on Sunday morning, October 30^th.

Rally cars will be visiting Ruthin on Thursday 27th and Sunday 30th of October 2016 for servicing and refuelling purposes.

As a result, the car park on Park Road, Ruthin will be closed to the public, except permit holders from Wednesday October 26^th 2016 to Sunday October 30^th 2016  at 5pm.  

Permit holders will be permitted to use the car park outside the following hours; Wednesday October 26^th 6pm to 3pm Thursday October 27^th  2016 and Saturday October 29^th 3pm to 3pm Sunday October 30^th 2016.  On Sunday, 30^th October , rally cars will refuel between 8.30am and 2pm.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE said: “We are delighted to see the return of Wales Rally GB to the county.

“The commitment of Wales Rally GB organisers to return shows that Denbighshire and North Wales as a region is a great place to host major events of this kind. It is one of the key highlights of  rallying calendar with thousands of spectators visiting the stages to see the action and others taking to the streets to show their support to passing vehicles.

“We have a wealth of fantastic scenery and forest locations that are ideal for the sport and we are delighted to be working with organisers to help facilitate another successful event in Denbighshire."

Dayinsure Wales Rally GB comes to the historic town of Ruthin on Sunday, 30^th October.  Live coverage of the Brenig Stage will also be screened at Park Road car park on Sunday, 30 October.  The live broadcast begins at 9am , cars are expected to arrive in Ruthin at 9.50am, the refuelling will be completed  by 12.15pm and the live broadcast comes to an end at 1pm.

For further information about the rally, please visit: www.walesrallygb.com

Special landlord event to be staged at Pavilion

Denbighshire County Council is hosting its latest Landlord Roadshow at Llangollen Pavilion on Tuesday November 1.

The event, which runs between 12 noon and 7pm, is held twice a year by the council's Housing Enforcement Team and provides help, advice, training sessions and presentations for landlords in the county.

There will be help and advice with a range of topics, including Rent Smart Wales, Housing Disrepair, Housing Options and Homelessness, Letting Agents, Energy Efficiency, North Wales Police & Fire Service, Landlord Insurance, My Deposits and Direct Collection Bailiffs.

Training sessions and presentations include:

* 1pm – Rent Smart Wales – Short presentation on new legislation for landlords registering and licensing followed by Q & A

* 2pm – SJL Insurance Services – Presentation Landlord Insurance and how to avoid having your insurance claim refused followed by Q & A

* 3pm – North Wales Police – Training. What all landlords need to know about modern slavery followed by Q & A

* 4pm – Energy Grants – Presentation on free grants available to landlords followed by Q & A

* 5pm – DCC housing Services – Presentation about Landlord incentives, preventing homelessness followed by Q & A

* 6pm – High Court Enforcement Services as seen on TV’s ‘The Sheriffs are coming’ -  Presentation on Enforcement services followed by Q & A.

Organisers say there's no need to book a place at this event, and people can come and go throughout the day. 

* For more information, call  01824 706389.

Eisteddfod celebration ale to premiere at food show

* Raising a toast to Harmony Ale ... Hamper Llangollen chairman

Colin Loughlin with Ynyr Evans from Llangollen Brewery.

A craft brewery has created a special ale so beer lovers can raise a hearty toast to Llangollen International Musical Festival’s landmark 70^th anniversary next year.

Ynyr Evans, who heads up the popular Llangollen Brewery based in Llantysilio just up the road from the famous Eisteddfod site, will be helping ale aficionados say cheers to the iconic annual cultural event when he launches the tasty new brew at this year’s Hamper Llangollen food festival.

And he reckons they’re in for a real treat when they taste his Harmony Ale, inspired by the Eisteddfod’s proud heritage of using music to promote peace and understanding amongst nations.

Thousands of foodies are expected to flock to the popular food festival which will see the Denbighshire tourist town become the culinary capital of Wales over the weekend of October 15 and 16.

Next July’s Eisteddfod will see a round of celebrations to mark 70 years since the very first festival was held in 1947 to foster international reconciliation and friendship in the dark years just after the end of World War Two.

It was with this in mind that 31-year-old Ynyr decided to produce the new ale which he says is specially blended to create a subtly harmonious flavour.

“I’ve been working on the new ale for some months now because I wanted to get the taste just right,” he explained.

“It’s a medium brown traditional bitter which is well-hopped to produce subtle after-tones conveying the Eisteddfod’s atmosphere of harmony.

“I love the festival and have been going there for many years both as a visitor and supplier of beer for the on-field and indoor bars.”

To come up with the new Harmony Ale, Ynyr has brought to bear years of brewing experience which began when he and his uncle Steven Evans, who owns the Abbey Grange Hotel and a number of pubs in the area, went into the beer making business together back in 2010.

Their new brewery was based in what had been the Abbey Grange’s farm shop on the road up to the Horseshoe Pass and close to historic Valle Crucis Abbey.

Ynyr, who had previously obtained a degree in geography and a master’s degree in countryside management, recalls that in the early days they were producing just 250 litres of ale per brewing but that expansion of the operation rapidly followed.

He said: “We extended the brewery into the old stables behind the hotel and gradually upped our production to our current 2,200 litres per brew and also increased our staff to three full-timers and two part-timers.

“We sell to scores of pubs across North Wales and into the North West of England but concentrate very much on looking after our local customer base.

“We only use the finest ingredients and local underground water source to produce our distinctive country ales, which include Llangollen and Welsh Black Bitters, Grange No. 1 and Wrexham Borders pale ales and Llangollen Lager.       

“A couple of years ago we created a beer named Holy Grail inspired by a local legend involving the great Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis and Dinas Bran Castle, on the hilltop towering over Llangollen.

According to the story, the castle is the final resting place for the Holy Grail, the cup that Christ drank from at the Last Supper and that there is a tunnel all the way down to the abbey below.

“We launched it at Hamper Llangollen and it went down so well that we’ve kept it in our product line-up.

“We’re doing a single brew of the new Harmony Ale, which means we’ll have 2,200 litres in nine gallon casks selling at about £3 a pint.

“Apart from launching it on our stand at the food festival we’ll also put some of it into local pubs to see what people think of it. If it does we'll consider keeping it too.

“We’re really looking forward to being at Hamper Llangollen again because it’s such a popular festival which we’d never think of missing and I can’t wait to unveil the new Harmony Ale.”

Eisteddfod marketing officer Megan McNutt was very impressed that Ynyr had taken the trouble to brew up the new ale especially for the festival’s landmark anniversary.

“It’s a lovely idea and we’re very grateful to him,” she said.

“It’s particularly nice to see the Eisteddfod being supported in this way by a very prominent local enterprise because apart from its international outlook, our festival relies very heavily on community support."

Hamper Llangollen chairman Colin Loughlin is also looking forward to sampling the new brew.

He said: "I think it's a wonderful idea to create a new ale to celebrate this major milestone in the Eisteddfod's history.

"The fact that the brewery has chosen to launch it at Hamper Llangollen is a perfect way of bringing two of the town's iconic festivals together.

“We're looking forward to a really special event this year. Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting."

* For more details about Hamper Llangollen 2016 visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Wild Pheasant hotel has new owner

The Daily Post is reporting this afternoon that Llangollen's Wild Pheasant hotel has been sold - two months after its sudden closure.

For the full story, see: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/llangollens-wild-pheasant-been-sold-11975097#ICID=sharebar_twitter

Tackle Ruabon speeding, urge Labour duo

Wrexham Council has been urged to tackle speeding drivers ‘hammering’ through Ruabon.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates and local councillor Dana Davies say many residents have raised concerns about motorists routinely flouting the 30mph limit on the B5605, the busy main road through the village.

Mr Skates said: “A growing number of my constituents are raising concerns about speeding through Ruabon, which has been ongoing for many years and, sadly, shows no sign of slowing down. I know Dana gets a lot of complaints about it, too.

“There is a play area not far off the main road, and parents are rightly worried about letting their children cross it because of cars regularly hammering along. I have asked the council to consider traffic-calming measures to ensure – as far as possible – that vehicles stick to the speed limit, and hope to have a response soon.”

Cllr Davies, leader of the Labour group on Wrexham Council, said: “This is an issue I’ve raised repeatedly and one I get a lot of complaints about. You get cars racing along that main road on a daily basis, and we’re not just talking about a few miles over limit. Something needs to be done sooner rather than later.”

Mr Skates has also asked North Wales Police Chief Constable Mark Polin to consider enforcement action in the village as a deterrent.

Silver Band to hold ladies' fashion night

Llangollen Silver Band will be holding a Ladies' Fashion and Fun Night at the band room on Saturday, d October 22, from 7pm.

Tickets cost £3, with this including a free drink and nibbles.

Tickets can be bought from the market at the Fringe or from band members.

The band says it would also be extremely grateful of any donations of unwanted ladies' clothing that could be sold during the evening.

Donations can be taken to the band room on practice nights (Monday 6:45 - 9pm and Friday 6 - 8pm).

MP calls for more government support for charities

* Susan Elan Jones MP at the UK Labour Conference in

Liverpool with a representative of national volunteering charity Volunteering Matters.

Susan Elan Jones MP has called for the Government to think more carefully about it can best support charities during two speeches at this year's UK Labour Party Conference.

The Clwyd South Labour MP, who co-chairs the All Party Parliamentary Committee for Charities and Volunteering, spoke at meetings organised by the Charities Aid Foundation and Common Vision about the future of charities.

Ms Jones proposed new ideas on grants to cover overheads, accountancy changes to support social enterprises and the need for extra support for small, community-based charities.

The MP also called on the Government to scrap the Lobbying Act.

She said: "It was a great pleasure to take part in two very well-attended meetings with many people who work or volunteer for charities. I was very pleased to take part in these events and to work with many national and local charities in this way."