Guest loco for railway's spring gala unveiled

* Ex-LMS 8F No. 48624 will take pride of place in the Spring Steam Gala. 

Llangollen Railway has announced details of the guest locomotive which will star at its first Spring Steam Gala from March 3-5.

Ex-LMS 8F No. 48624 will take pride of place in the event which is entitled Along Birkenhead Lines. 

The 8Fs were one of the most successful locomotive designs of all time and were devised by William Stanier for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway.

The design was chosen by the War Department for large scale production in the Second World War and eventually 852 members of the class were built.

The 8Fs were no strangers around the Wirral and North-East Wales during the 1950s and 1960s, including hauling heavy goods train up the notoriously steep climb to Brymbo steelworks.  

In 1967 a now long-scrapped member of the class, No.48697, hauled the final passenger train through Llangollen on an enthusiasts' rail tour.

No. 48624 is unique in preservation in that it is the only surviving example built at Southern Railway built example, being completed as part of the War Effort in 1943 at Ashford Works.

The locomotive is normally based on the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire.

Llangollen Railway says it will be making further locomotive announcements soon.

Christmas tree recycling ideas

Denbighshire County Council are encouraging residents to recycle their Christmas trees this New Year, with a number of ecological options available.

Subscribers to the garden waste service can place suitably trimmed/ chopped up trees in their green bins or sacks for collection.

Trees can also be taken to one of the three staffed Recycling Parks or taken to the Saturday morning services provided at Corwen and Llangollen.

Alternatively, there is a scheme to have old Christmas trees placed within the sand dunes of Barkby beach, Prestatyn and at Talacre beach, Flintshire.

For a donation, St Kentigern Hospice in St Asaph is offering to collect discarded Christmas trees on behalf of Denbighshire County Council and Flintshire County Council.

Christmas Trees will be placed on the sand dunes to help future flood defences and reconstruct the sand dunes.

To get involved in this scheme you need to register your details on the website www.charityxmastreecollection.com or over the phone on (01745) 536022 with the charity’s Fundraising Office, telling them where to pick the tree up and make your donation pledge.

The charity Christmas tree collection website closes Sunday 8^th and collection of trees will take place on 13^th, 14^th and 15^th of January. The drivers are all volunteers who have donated their time to the charity.

Tweed and Prosecco trek is Walking Festival highlight

* Organiser Mike Smart, left, and Pip Gale of Gales Wine Bar get ready for the Tweed and Prosecco Walk on May 1. 

PEOPLE taking part in a special Tweed and Prosecco Walk in Llangollen are being invited to dress for the occasion.

The event, which is part of the town’s annual Walking Festival, takes place on May 1 and trekkers involved are invited to get into the spirit of things by donning tweeds and other vintage attire.   

The Tweed Walk starts in Llangollen's riverside restaurant, The Corn Mill, with tea or coffee and locally made Welsh cakes.

Then there’s a short walk to Llangollen Railway Station where people can enjoy a nostalgic steam train ride along the River Dee.

The guided walk visits historic locations in the company of a friendly tweed-clad guide who will gently lead and share his knowledge of local history, folk tales and legends ranging from ruthless giants, fighting monks and fairy kings to a demon barber and the holy grail.

The day ends at Gales Wine Bar with prosecco and canapés.

Organiser Mike Smart said: “Certificates will be presented and there will be a special prize for the best dressed vintage rambler.

“Also on offer during the walking festival are the Offa's Dyke Path 18-mile challenge walk with free beer, a 15-mile wilderness walk with a steam train ride also with free beer and two eight-mile meanders, one also with a steam train ride.

“You can also try a free Nordic walking taster session for beginners, enjoy walking the local landscape and see the horse-drawn canal boats with an experienced Blue Badge Guide in the UNESCO World Heritage site.

“All the festival walks are within the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

Mike added: “This year’s Llangollen Walking Festival is on April 29 and 30 and May 1 and I’d advise people to book early as places are limited on all the walks.

“Like us on Facebook.com/LlangollenWalkingFestival and follow us on Twitter #LlanWALKfest.”

“You can book on line at http://www.llangollenwalkingfestival.co.uk/”

No change in summer opening date for new supermarket

Despite the on-site activity some llanblogger readers are reporting, Llangollen's new supermarket is not due to open until the summer.

That's the latest word from Aldi who will be running the superstore alongside fellow discount chain Home Bargains.

A number of our readers have been in touch to say they have seen work going on inside the Berwyn Street building, leading to speculation that the twin businesses might have an earlier opening date than originally announced.

But a spokesperson for Aldi told llanblogger earlier said today (Wednesday): "We've just got summer 2017 as the scheduled opening currently."

However he assured that the blog would be "kept in the loop" if there was any change to the situation. 

The new Aldi will create up to 30 jobs, says the company.

The discount grocery chain also says it aims to encourage links with other local traders.

A statement issued soon after the development received planning permission from the county council last year said: "We are really pleased to be opening a new store in Llangollen. We understand that there is a strong local interest in the future of the Berwyn Street site, so we are pleased to announce that we will be taking it on and bringing it into productive use.

“Not only will the new store deliver a multi-million-pound investment in the local area and create up to 30 much-needed new jobs, it will also provide greater shopping choice for local people and help them save money on their weekly grocery shop.”

The statement adds: "Unlike other retailers, Aldi has a unique offering and does not act as a one-stop shop.

"Aldi stores do not have a butcher, fishmonger or bakery, nor do they provide childcare facilities or sell tobacco.

"Instead, Aldi is known for encouraging linked trips between its stores and other local businesses, encouraging residents to complete their shopping at other local shops, adding to the vitality and viability of the local area.

"Recruitment will start during construction: anyone interested in jobs at the store should register their details on www.aldirecruitment.co.uk"

MP urges people to speak out on driving offences

Clwyd South Labour MP Susan Elan Jones is urging local residents to take part in a UK-wide Government consultation on driving offences related to causing death or serious injury.

Ms Jones, who introduced a bill to Parliament calling for tougher sentencing for driving offences, is a past recipient of the Parliamentarian of the Year award from road safety charity Brake.

She is currently campaigning for greater road safety on the A5 and A483 on both sides of the Welsh border between Oswestry and Wrexham. 

Ms Jones (pictured) has repeatedly questioned Government Ministers on road safety.

She recently led a debate in Parliament on sentencing policy, calling for the Government to review sentencing relating to road safety offences - something Ministers finally agreed to do at the end of last year.

Now she is calling on local residents to respond to the Government consultation in large numbers.

She said: "The law on driving offences in this country is totally inadequate. A previous generation changed our laws and culture to tackle the scandal of drink driving.

"We need to do the same in tackling sentences for those who kill or seriously injure people on our roads today."

* The Government's consultation can be found at  https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/driving-offences-causing-death-or-serious-injury/

Members of the public have until 1st February 2017 to respond.

Community aims to run village businesses

Members of the community in a village not far from Llangollen have embarked on an ambitious project to buy the village shop and Post Office.

The Cynwyd shop has been on the market for several years and the current owners will close the business if they don't get a buyer.

* Chair: Mabon ap Gwynfor.

Several members of the community agreed that losing the shop and Post Office would be detrimental to the village and organised a public meeting to see if the community could take the place over.

Over 65 people are now involved, and have formed the Siop Ni Cynwyd community enterprise.

Delyth Thomas of Siop Ni Cynwyd said: "The shop is right at the heart of the community. Not only does it provide an all-important service, ensuring that we all have access to some of our daily essentials, but it also acts as a community hub, with friends and neighbours having time to catch up on local issues and bind the community together.

"It would be dreadful if we were to lose the place, so we are exploring all possible avenues to see what can be done to keep it in the community."

The new group have so far received advice from the Wales Co-op Centre, Grwp Cynefin and Cadwyn Clwyd, and are in the process of applying for funding to complete a feasibility study to explore the best options available.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Chair of Siop Ni Cynwyd, said: "A lot of people have come forward willing to assist in this venture. This is a true community enterprise with everybody offering their services and chipping in.

"There is certainly a lot of good will. Grwp Cynefin, Cadwyn Clwyd and the Wales Co-op Centre have been brilliant, and we look forward to working with them to see this project to full fruition."

Cynwyd resident Alwenna Joyce said: "Keeping the shop and the Post Office in Cynwyd is vitally important, especially as we've lost the banks from every town in this region.

"We've got nowhere to pay in or take money out without having to travel some distance, and we don't have many buses here in Cynwyd. The shop sells everything and is indispensable to local residents."

Happy New Year from llanblogger