Lavish festival of gardens set to open

* Eirlys Jones, left, and Clare Britton, from North

Wales Tourism and Tony Russell, the consultant

who has helped put the festival together

and is based at Plas Tan y Bwlch.

Thousands of green fingered tourists will be heading to North Wales for a spectacular 16-day festival of gardens.

A packed programme of events, ranging from behind the scenes guided tours and photography competitions to a squirrel watch and a vintage car rally will be staged as part of the Festival of Gardens North Wales.

The festival, which is being supported by the Welsh Government, is being organised by North Wales Tourism.

It will be officially opened at the beautiful Plas Tan y Bwlch gardens near Maentwrog in Gwynedd by Gardener’s Question Time chairman and former TV weatherman Peter Gibbs tomorrow, Saturday, May 27.

Last year’s inaugural Festival of Gardens North Wales brought almost 44,000 visitors flocking to the beauty spots involved and it's expected to plough up to £2 million into the region this summer.

This year for the first time there will be a Friends of the Festival Discount Card costing £5 which will include offers such as free tea/coffee and discounted admission.

According to Peter Gibbs, the festival will uncover some hidden gems of the garden world.

Peter, who was also a BBC national TV weatherman until last year, said: “A lot of people, including gardeners, don’t realise how many different gardens there are in North Wales.

“Apart from the large, well known National Trust ones there are also lots of fantastic smaller gardens and without this sort of festival they wouldn’t get noticed by the kind of people who would really enjoy them.

Peter added: “It’s a great honour to be invited to open the festival and I’m really looking forward to what should be a memorable occasion in a wonderful part of the world.

“From a weather point of view North Wales is very interesting. It has a relatively mild climate and because of the Gulf Stream doesn’t get a lot of particularly cold weather. There’s also the effect of the mountains which gives you so many different micro-climates."

Peter, who’s had his key role on Gardeners’ Question Time for over 10 years, describes himself a `very keen gardener’ and admits this puts him in a fortunate position when it comes to getting the best advice.

“I’m very lucky to have all those experts on tap and if I do have problems in my own garden I know exactly who to call on for help,” he said.

“This year the programme, which I feel very fortunate to be involved in, celebrates its 70^th anniversary which will be marked by a number of special features looking back over the years and forward to hopefully the next 70.”        

North Wales Tourism managing director Jim Jones said: “North Wales has some of the most beautiful gardens in the UK and this event is all about showing them off to as many people as possible.”  

 

More than 100 unique events are planned over the 16 days of the festival at gardens taking part including musical performances, orienteering sessions, treasure hunts, bug hunts, gardening lectures, family treasure hunts, children’s trails and plant sales.

The festival dates have been arranged to coincide with late-spring flowering displays, which will include rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, tulips and flowering cherries, making this one of the best times of the year to visit the great gardens of North Wales.

Jim Jones added: “This is the second year of the festival and it’s going from strength to strength.

“It’s an excellent example of what can be achieved when North Wales gets together for a particular offer – in this case its wonderful gardens.

“We have some of the most beautiful in the UK, including some real hidden gems, and this is about showing them off to as many people as possible.

“You can see our gardens separately but being able to visit them all together during the festival is amazing and the event is the perfect showcase for one of our best assets.

“The festival has been extensively marketed and we expect to attract thousands of visitors not just from around the gardens but also from a much wider area including other parts of Wales as well as the North West and Midlands of England.

“Last year’s inaugural festival was a major success and brought over 43,000 people through the gates of the gardens involved.

“Welsh Government figures show that the average spend per day visit to Wales was £39 last year, which means the festival had the potential to bring a total of over £1.7 million into the local economy. 

“This year that figure could be even higher with the festival lasting longer and involving more gardens, which is great news for North Wales.”

He added: “We have an exciting, fascinating and entertaining programme of events and activities lined up, which means that every morning, afternoon and evening there will be at least one special event happening in or more of the gardens.

“We are also very lucky to have Peter Gibbs, who hosts the iconic Gardener’s Question Time on BBC Radio, to open the festival at Plas Tan y Bwlch on Saturday May 27, which should be a brilliant occasion.”   

Special advisor to the festival once again is gardens guru Tony Russell, renowned as one of Britain’s leading experts on trees and shrubs who also makes regular appearances on the BBC’s Gardener’s Question Time.

He said: “Having launched the festival in 2016, I am delighted to see it develop and grow into such an exciting event.

“For 2017 there are even more gardens involved and between them they will be running in excess of 100 special events.

“Having worked in horticulture for over 30 years, I can honestly say there is nothing quite like the festival held in any other part of Britain.

“North Wales has some of the finest gardens in the UK and the festival is a way of telling the world all about them.”

Gardens taking part in the festival from the county of Gwynedd are: Plas Yn Rhiw at Pwllheli, Caerau Uchaf in Bala, Treborth Botanic Garden in Bangor, Crug Farm Plants in Caernarfon, Parc Glynllifon in Caernarfon, Aber Arto Hall in Llanbedr, Plas Glyn y Weddw in Llanbedrog, Plan Tan y Blwch near Maentwrog, Portmeirion in Penrhyndeudraeth, Plas Brondanw at Penrhyndeudraeth, Nanhoron in Pwllheli and the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. 

In the county of Anglesey it’s Plas Newydd in Llanfairpwll and Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens in Menai Bridge.

In the county of Denbighshire it’s Plas Newydd in Llangollen, Bodrhyddan Hall Gardens in Rhyl, Nantclwyd y Dre in Ruthin and Dibleys Nuseries near Ruthin.

In the county of Powys there’s Powis Castle and Gardens near Welshpool, the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth and The Dingle Garden near Welshpool.

Taking part from the county of Wrexham are Chirk Castle near Chirk and National Trust Erddig near Wrexham.   

Gardens from the county of Conwy involved in include Bodnant Garden at Tal y Cafn and Gwrych Castle in Abergele which will be open on May 27, 28 and 29.

Highlights of the Festival of Gardens North Wales:

• In Wrexham, throughout the festival the National Trust is holding Big Bug Hunt where visitors can look for big cuddly bugs in the house and cast their eyes over some creepy carvings outdoors by international chainsaw artist Simon O’Rourke. Both parts of the hunt take place daily from 10am to 5pm in the garden and 12.30pm to 3.30pm in the house.
• In Anglesey there is a Red Squirrel Walk at Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens in Menai Bridge on June 4, starting at 2pm.
• In Powys there is the Dig a little Deeper event at Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth. Running each day from May 27 to June 4 between 10am and 5pm, it includes tours, activities, trails and workshops. The festival coincides with school holidays so there will be lots of garden inspired activities for kids and families.
• Among the highlights in Conwy is the Dawn Chorus Walk at Bodnant Garden near Colwyn Bay on May 29, starting early from 5.30-7.30am at a cost of £20. It includes a magical tour of the garden at dawn, including an exclusive viewing of the Laburnum Arch and expert birdwatching advice. A full Welsh breakfast will be available afterwards at a cost of £5.
• In Gwynedd there is a vintage car rally at Parc Glynllifon, Caernarfon from 10am-5pm on Sunday June 11.
• Highlight in Denbighshire comes on Sunday June 11 with the annual plant fayre at Bodrhyddan Hall.  

This year for the first time there will be a Friends of the Festival Discount Card costing £5 which will include offers such as free tea/coffee and discounted admission. For more information about the festival go to www.gardensnorthwales.co.uk

Battle of Britain legends to fly over Llan

A Spitfire and Hurricane (pictured) from the legendary Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will honour the Llangollen Motorcycle Festival - LlanBikeFest - with a fly past on Sunday, August 6.

RAF officials have confirmed the flight is expected on Sunday morning, with the actual time to be agreed nearer to the event.

“The spectacle will be amazing and the sound of two Merlin engines echoing around the Dee Valley will be music to the ears. We are especially honoured as 2017 is the 60th anniversary of the flight being formed,” said LlanBikeFest’s John Hutchinson.

“Wales has chosen 2017 as the Year of Legends – which is exactly what these aircraft and the crews who flew them are.

“Fingers crossed for great flying conditions. We will keep people posted with the time the flight expected over Llangollen on Facebook and Twitter.”

* Learn more about the Battle Britain Memorial Flight on its Facebook and website pages. Follow LlanBikeFest on Facebook at Llangollen Motorcycle Festival and Twitter at @llanbikefest.

LlanBikeFest is sponsored by Carole Nash Insurance, with day tickets £10 on the gate or online at www.llanbikefest.co.uk, and children 15 and under free. Or contact the Festival office at 07960 693398, office@llanbikefest.co.uk. Club stands and exhibitor bookings are free.

UKIP supplies Clwyd South candidate's details

Details of the UKIP candidate for Clwyd South in the general election have now been supplied.

Jeanette Bassford-Barton (pictured) spent her early years in Gresford and now lives in Bwlchgwyn.

A qualified transport manager, social care manager and now a psychotherapist/hypnotherapist, she gained degrees in Liverpool and Manchester and post-graduate degrees in Liverpool and Chester.

She says she has always had an interest in politics, history and current affairs and in earlier years supported her late husband in local elections in Liverpool.

She has stood as a candidate for UKIP in a council by-election in Llay in July 2015 and was a Welsh Assembly candidate for Wrexham in May 2016.

She has served as secretary/treasurer for UKIP's Wrexham and Clwyd South Branch and is now treasurer of the same branch.

She believes there is a `north/south divide' in Wales and says: "So much is given in funding to South Wales and North Wales, by comparison, is the poor relative.  

"Public transport is a major concern for me. There is restricted access during the day, some buses not starting service until 9.30am. There is no access to public transport in the evenings or at night. This can affect shift workers and people working unsocial hours or people wishing to go out in the evenings. Taxis are very expensive."

Ms Bassford-Barton added: "Communities, health, social care and education are of prime importance and there needs to be more cohesion in these areas.  

"Youth  and the elderly are also of major concern to me and there is very little to offer young people by way of youth clubs and after-school activities in the villages and small towns of Clwyd South and I feel that more funding and training of volunteers should be found to ease and help this situation.

"Our elderly should be looked after and respected, they have worked hard and contributed to the economy in their working lives and now deserve to have some relief in their twilight and sometimes sick, disabled and pain ridden years and this is where our health service can help."  

She says she also believes in the UKIP policy that farming subsidies should stay in place after Brexit, with special consideration being given to hill farmers.

Operatic gets its timing right with 9 to 5

* A scene from 9 to 5 at the Town Hall.

llanblogger review

Llangollen Operatic Society has once again got their timing right with their latest production, the Dolly Parton-penned comedy musical 9 to 5.

Yesterday’s first night audience at the Town Hall lapped up every second of the show which tells the hilarious tale of how a bunch of office worms turn to eventually take over the running of their company – and would easily have come back for seconds.

It’s 1979 and the staff of US-based Consolidated Industries, especially the females amongst them, are being ground down by their chauvinistic boss, Franklin Hart Jnr - until inexperienced new employee Judy Burnley turns up.

Her arrival in the typing pool is the spark for revolution when she teams up with efficient manager Violet Newstead and the voluptuous Doralee Rhodes, the Dolly Parton character who everyone suspects of having an affair with Hart.

Their various strategies ultimately give the good guys control of the place – but only after a great number of laughs are generated.

A terrific trio has been cast to take on the three key roles of the piece which adds some very catchy tunes to dear Dolly’s original words that were filmed for the big screen back in the eighties.

The reserved but gutsy Judy is played to perfection by society stalwart Louisa Jones, while another Llangollen stage favourite Helen Belton shines as Violet. Rising star Louise Cielecki makes a bustling, brilliant Doralee.

Apart from fitting their characters like custom-made cowboy boots each of them can also belt out a mean tune of which there’s a fair spattering throughout the lively two-acter.

Relative newcomer Brett Jones is seedier than an explosion in a tomato canning factory as Hart and, as intended, has the audience hating him right from the start.

Backing up the leads is an impressive supporting team spearheaded by Tessa Orton Jones who stepped in at virtually the last minute to take on the role of Roz Keith, who’d do anything to please the awful boss, after the lady with whom she was originally part-sharing, Justine Bradey, had an accident in rehearsals.

The script demands quite a bit of set-piece show dancing and singing. And that’s admirably provided by a strong ensemble cast.

Smooth musical backing was provided for all this by a six-piece band under the baton of musical director Elen Mair Roberts.

Settings are masterfully created by the back-stage crew and costumes, lighting and sound are up to the society’s usual high standard.

This is an inspired co-production by Alix Rawlinson and Robin Crowley which ranks as another hit for the talented Llangollen team.

To reflect the day’s dreadful news from Manchester, the show was prefaced by one minute’s silence.

9 to 5 is on again tonight (Wednesday) and also Thursday and Friday with two shows on Saturday. Tickets, I understand, are in high demand.

County lifts computer restrictions

Denbighshire County Council has announced that restrictions imposed on access to webmail addresses from public access computers in the county’s libraries have now been lifted.

The precautionary measures were introduced following the recent cyber issues, to mitigate any potential risks to Denbighshire’s systems. No security breaches had been reported with the Council’s systems.

Whilst access to all webmail is now enabled for libraries (public access) and schools,   the Council is urging people to remain vigilant. Suspicious e-mails should not be opened and should be deleted immediately. People should also avoid opening links sent via an e-mail and should not open any suspicious attachments.

All new incoming e-mails from hotmail.com, hotmail.co.uk, outlook.com, gmail.com, NHS.net, NHS.co.uk and NHS.uk will now be allowed through the system.

 

Trading Standards issues telephone fraud warning

Denbighshire Trading Standards Section are warning residents to be on their guard after they received a report of a telephone fraud from a resident of the county.

The consumer had received a call from a male stating that he was from a Claims Advisory Group and that a £2860 PPI refund was due.

Unusually, the consumer was advised that they would have to pay a release fee in ‘iTunes vouchers’ .

These would be collected by a representative of the company called ‘Craig White’ who would attend their home later that day to drop off the cheque. 

The calls were received from a Manchester telephone number beginning with 0161. Luckily, the consumer realised this was a scam and hung up on the caller.

Denbighshire Public Protection Manager,  Emlyn Jones, said: “This is one of a number of telephone scams we are receiving calls about at the moment.

“In this case we have identified that a further telephone call is received and the ‘I Tunes’ voucher codes are requested over the telephone and then no delivery is made and no money is received.

“We are urging residents to be extremely wary of any unsolicited phone calls and never give out personal or banking details.”
 

Trading Standards is issuing the following consumer safety advice:

• Consider making your phone number ex-directory.
• Register with the Telephone Preference Service
• Don’t give out any personal information unless you are the one who made the call and you are certain of the identity of the person you are speaking to.
• Don’t give out your credit card or bank card details to strangers on the telephone.
• NEVER tell somebody your bank PIN number, even if they claim to be the bank or police. If the caller is genuine they will never ask for this information.
• Don’t give out information which may infer that you live alone, are older or vulnerable.
• Never send money to anyone who claims to have a prize or refund for you.

Please remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

* If you have received such calls and need further advice or guidance or have been a victim of such a call, please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506 for the Welsh language line please ring 03454 040505, or alternatively you can report the scam to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Plas Newydd news for June

Saturday 3^rd June

Llangollen Rotary Club Garden Fete

Plas Newydd is again host this year to the popular Rotary Club Garden Fete.  Come along for a fun afternoon out with the family with many stalls and entertainment. 

Monday 12^th June    18.30  -  20.30

Myths & Legends Talk Part 2 with Gill Smith

The Myths and Legends  talk with Gill Smith on Wed 26th April was very well attended  and very informative.  As a result a second was requested and this is now arranged for Monday 12^th  June.  This date was chosen as it is the special day of the Warrior Princess Gwenllian. 

Wednesday  14^th June   14.00  -  16.00

Give Bowling a go

Meet at Plas Newydd.  Come and try your hand at bowling in the magnificent setting of Plas Newydd with the Friends of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley and the AONB Officer. 

Friday 16^th  June   10.00  -  12.00

Meet the Gardener Tour

Meet Plas Newydd.  Find out the secrets of the gardens at Plas Newydd with a tour of the grounds with the gardener.