County issues rogue callers alert

Denbighshire residents are advised to be alert following reports of rogue callers impersonating council tax officers.

One man turned up unexpectedly at a house in Prestatyn and stated that he was investigating council tax arrears owed by a previous resident.

No person of that name is known to have previously lived at the address. The householder acted prudently and refused entry to the caller before reporting the incident to North Wales Police and Denbighshire Council the following day.

The caller was driving an unmarked white van and was wearing a lanyard with an identification card which was not shown. He failed to introduce himself and left no paperwork at the address.

A representative from the council tax service has confirmed that no employee of the service was in the area at that time and explains that council employees are instructed to always wear identification, hand it over for inspection and will always leave details of who they are.

The council says it has also received reports of other incidents  in the Rhyl, Prestatyn and Dyserth areas. The first relates to a lone male who stated he was from a money saving website who is believed to be trying to sell insurance, but information on this is limited.

The second incident relates to a group of males knocking door to door selling cleaning products and small knick-knacks, again information is limited on these individuals.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said:  “The council is committed to tackling those involved in rogue calling crime and will use all means at our disposal to ensure they are swiftly brought to justice.”

“Rogue traders usually turn up announced, claim to be respectable tradespeople when they are not and use a range of deceptions to gain personal information which they later misuse or charge inflated prices for sub-standard or unnecessary work.

“However, an effective way of preventing these incidents from happening in the first place is by raising awareness of the problem and advising members of the public on what steps they can take to better protect themselves from falling victim.

"We would recommend that you never engage anyone who turns up at your door and never give them money up front or disclose any personal or financial information. We would also caution against keeping large sums of cash in your own home.”

* More information about how to protect yourself against bogus callers can be found on the Trading Standards section of the Denbighshire County Council website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk

Twenty Club next presents The Entertainer

The Twenty Club has announced that its spring production will be state-of-the nation classic, The Entertainer.

Written in 1957 by playwright John Osborne, the story of struggling music hall comedian Archie Rice is acknowledged as one of the best-written plays of the last century.

Its enduring appeal was highlighted recently by the success of a West End production featuring Kenneth Branagh in the iconic role originally made famous on screen by Laurence Olivier (pictured).

Despite its age the play remains remarkably relevant with its examination, through the use of a dysfunctional family and the background of the Suez Crisis, of the state of the British nation.

The Twenty Club production is being directed by Barry Cook who made his directorial debut with Love on the Dole, and features David Edgar in the challenging role of Archie Rice.

The Llangollen group, founded in 1947, will be hoping to repeat the success of their previous production, The Vicar of Dibley, which played to full-houses and standing ovations on each of its four performances.

The Entertainer tells the story of Archie Rice’s family at a time of collective and personal crisis.

Archie’s father, a successful music hall comedian from the 1930s, despairs at what is happening to this form of popular entertainment.

His son, Archie, beset by money problems, struggles to invest in yet another doomed show and has turned to the device of using motionless nude female performers in an attempt to boost audiences.  

One son, Frank, has refused to do National Service and has spent time in prison because of this. Another has enlisted in the army and is currently fighting in Egypt. His daughter, Jean, has returned unexpectedly from her work in London with news of a broken engagement.

The play is imaginatively staged, with Archie’s performances to diminishing audiences interconnecting with his personal and domestic worries.

With a simple but stylish set, the play features songs specially written for the production.

The Entertainer will be performed at Llangollen Town Hall on Thursday March 30, Friday March 31 and Saturday April 1. Doors will open at 7pm with curtain-up at 7.30pm.

Tickets will be available at the door, if spaces are available on any of the three nights, but anyone wishing to attend is advised to book in advance.

An evening out with the Twenty Club also includes a grand raffle, refreshments on sale and the services of a wine bar.

Tickets are available from: Courtyard Books, Llangollen; Gwyn Davies, butcher; Special Thoughts and Mair Bowen on 01978 822759.
                            
They are also available online.

Volunteering event at the health centre tomorrow

llanblogger reader Mike Edwards has sent details of a volunteering event at Llangollen Health Centre tomorrow, Tuesday March 7, from 10am-12.30pm.

For details, please follow the link: https://mercury.postlight.com/amp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fartisans-collective.org.uk%2Fvolunteer-opportunity%2Fdenbighshire%2F

AM opens Llan's new health and fitness centre

* Clwyd South AM Ken Skates cuts the ribbon to open Verve in Market Street.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates officially opened Verve, Llangollen's new health, fitness and wellbeing centre yesterday (Saturday) morning. 

Facilities at the Market Street centre include an exercise studio, rehab and personal training gym and three treatment rooms.  

Physiotherapist and pilates tutor Susan Wallace of Get Moving Keep Moving said: “We are delivering a number of group exercise classes, including pilates, yoga, MMA, exercise for the mature mover, Feldenkrais and children's yoga.  

“We are planning to add further traditional exercises classes. However as a physio with a fitness and personal training background I am keen to add specialist rehabilitation classes and, linking with the health centre, provide GP referral, falls prevention, back care etc.

“Our treatment rooms are bringing together a host of experienced therapists currently practising in Llangollen and include physiotherapy, chiropractic and acupuncture.  Our gym will be used for rehabilitation and also small group personal training.”  

Visitors to an open morning watched Mr Skates cut the ribbon to declare the new facility open.  

Chamber can help with business rate concerns

Llangollen Chamber of  Trade and Tourism says it can help local firms with business rate headaches.

Secretary Ian Parry said: "Many people cannot have failed to notice the issue regarding the revaluation of business rates and the potential serious impact a significant rise in rates will have on businesses.

"The chamber has been looking at the Valuation Office Agency’s website and has collated a great deal of information about the changes affecting many businesses in the town.

"We have urged our members to check their new valuations as soon as possible but some businesses don’t seem to be aware of the issue and may subsequently be shocked when they discover the impact the revaluation may have on their business.

"All are urged to look up the Valuation Office’s website or contact David Davies, our chair on 01978 860557, myself on 01978 449365.

"We can provide some help, advice and information to anyone who may need some assistance in trying to obtain the appropriate information. 

"The chamber also has professional contacts who may be able to provide assistance in dealing with anyone wishing to appeal against the new valuations.

"There is the possibility of arranging a presentation by one of these professionals on the whole process of business rates.

"Again, contact me if you feel you would like to appeal or would be interested in attending a presentation."

Llan company wins coveted gold service award

* Peter and Lesley Carol celebrate their gold Feefo win at the shop.

ProAdventure of Llangollen has won a Feefo Gold Service award, an independent seal of excellence that recognises businesses for delivering exceptional experiences rated by real customers.

Created by Feefo, Trusted Service is awarded to businesses that use Feefo to collect genuine ratings and reviews.

A badge of honour, this accreditation remains unique as all the awards are based purely on the interactions with verified customers.

This feedback has been collated by the Feefo review platform, with the accolades being awarded based upon performance.

ProAdventure met the criteria of collecting at least 50 reviews between January 1 and December 31 2016, and achieved a Feefo service rating of between 4.5 and 5.0. (Currently 277 Reviews with a 4.7 average for ProAdventure).

Boss Peter Carol said: “It’s a real honour to receive this award from Feefo. To be recognised for delivering exceptional experiences to our customers is a great achievement.

"We’ve been working hard to ensure our customers receive the best service possible, and being able to listen, understand and respond to their needs has enabled us to improve our offering in 2016. We’re looking forward to another successful year ahead."

ProAdventure has grown out of Peter Carol’s 30 years of experience of working in outdoor adventure training and holidays and Lesley Carol’s 30 years of customer service experience.

Peter is highly trained and qualified in leading and coaching in the outdoors, and ran an outdoor adventure activity business for 25 years.

Lesley Carol has spent all of her life adventuring. She has expeditioned in the UK and Chile and has qualified as a Canoe River Leader. She also trained as a Mountain Leader and Nordic Walking Coach and holds the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Andrew Mabbutt, CEO of Feefo, said: “We would like to offer our congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Feefo Trusted Service award. We are so proud that so many businesses are putting customer service first.” 

“We have been working closely with all our customers to build trust and transparency online, and ultimately helping shoppers buy with confidence and make better decisions.” 

Feefo is a ratings and reviews, and customer analytics platform. It collects genuine, purchase-verified reviews on behalf of over 3,000 businesses.

Feefo ensures that all feedback is authentic, by matching it to a legitimate transaction; we believe this is the best way to combat the rising issue of fake reviews.

Dream Oz trip is prize for eisteddfod competition

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has partnered with one of the world’s biggest cultural festivals to offer musical theatre hopefuls the chance of winning the trip of a lifetime. 

The winner of the 2017 International Voice of Musical Theatre competition will be awarded an international medal, £1,500 and a trip to Australia’s Gold Coast to perform in The Musicale – the Gold Coast annual Eisteddfod’s showcase of rising musical theatre talent.

* Last year's winner Gareth Elis.

The 2017 winner will follow in the footsteps of Carmarthenshire singer and actor, Gareth Elis, who took the title of Voice of Musical Theatre 2016 and performed as a soloist in 2016’s Gold Coast Musicale. 

The Musicale follows seven weeks of competition featuring over 70,000 singers and dancers, most of them under 20, and including 350 bands and orchestras, 175 choirs, almost 1500 dance groups and over 3,000 solo dancers. 

Llangollen eisteddfod musical director, Eilir Owen Griffiths, said: “To be able to offer this incredible opportunity to a rising star of musical theatre for the second year running is wonderful, especially as we celebrate our 70th anniversary and the Gold Coast Eisteddfod marks 36 years of festivals. 

“Following the Gold Coast Eisteddfod’s visit to Llangollen in 2015 and International Eisteddfod winner, Gareth Elis’s performance at The Musicale last October, we have discovered such synergy between our two festivals. 

“The passion for music, performance and nurturing young talent is apparent both in North Wales and in Australia. The International Eisteddfod has always been about forging international links and friendships and we’re hugely grateful to the people at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod for this wonderful offer.   
  
“Our flourishing relationship will ensure that the Voice of Musical Theatre competition, which was introduced in 2015, will grow in popularity and attract singers from all over the world, adding to our already strong hand of prestigious solo competitions.” 

Judith Ferber, the Gold Coast Eisteddfod’s General Manager, said: “We are extremely excited to see the talent that the 2017 International Voice of Musical Theatre competition will reveal.  

“Working with an event that shares our ideals of friendship, passion for music and performance and allows us to open doors for new and exciting soloists is a pleasure and an honour. 

“We are also proud to be forging international links and raising global awareness of the Gold Coast Eisteddfod at its talented performers and competitors. We look forward to welcoming 2017’s winner to our Eisteddfod Musicale Concert on Sunday, October 15.” 

* Entries for the competition will close on Friday March 3.

Hopefuls can apply on the Eisteddfod competitors website http://eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk/. 

For the preliminary round competitors are required to perform two contrasting musical theatre songs within eight minutes, with all music sung in the original language.

For the final, competitors will be required to submit a contrasting programme of up to 10 minutes of music.