Cash boost to help highlight county tourism

* Llangollen Railway is one of Denbighshire's top tourist attractions.

A grant of £40,000 from Welsh Government has been secured to highlight North East Wales’ tourism offer.

Lead partner Denbighshire County Council together with Wrexham County Borough Council and Flintshire County Council have joined forces to run a ‘Routes to the Sea’ project during Visit Wales’ themed Year of the Sea in 2018 and have been successful in the funding from Welsh Governments’ Regional Tourism Engagement Fund 2017-2019.

The project, supported by the three county Destination Management Partnerships, aims to showcase and tell engaging stories about the region’s coastline, cycle routes, walking trails, mountain biking, outdoor activities, landscape, historic sites, canals and rivers as well as celebrate the food offer.

Ian Lebbon, Chair of Denbighshire Destination Management Partnership, said:  “I’m really pleased to hear that the North East Wales partnership has secured this funding to continue the great work in promoting the region to both residents and visitors.

"We know tourism plays a vital part in the regions’ economy, with a total economic impact in 2015 of £808m and over 11 million visits made and this funding will help to ensure we continue to build a thriving, sustainable tourism economy.”

Economy Secretary, Ken Skates, said: “Innovative projects are key to the future success of tourism and attracting visitors to Wales. The North East Wales funding is part of £2 million which has been approved for a total of 38 projects across Wales under the Tourism Product Innovation Fund and Regional Tourism Engagement Fund. 

"I’m delighted that this funding enables the private and public sectors to develop innovative projects that will stimulate demand and improve the visitor offer through supporting our themed years.”

A variety of high quality images and short films featuring many of our key locations and landmarks such as the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal World Heritage Site, Wales Coast Path and Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be produced.

Building on the success of the 2017 North East Wales Food Challenge; a ‘Year of the Sea’ Food Challenge will also be launched in 2018 which will showcase our food offer and restaurants associated with our coast and waterways.

The three Destination Management Partnerships will be launching their Destination Management Plans for 2017-20 this year to build on the work already done and ensure long-term sustainability for the development of tourism. The North East Wales brand will continue to be a key feature of all three plans to promote the region for visitors and residents to enjoy.

* For more information on North East Wales please visit www.northeastwales.wales

Council "disappointed" by broadband information

Denbighshire County Council has expressed its "disappointment and frustration" at information released by the Welsh Government about which properties will not get access to fibre broadband through the Superfast Cymru programme.

Although a second scheme is due to get underway next year there are no guarantees that properties in Denbighshire currently unable to access superfast broadband will get this opportunity in the next phase.

The current information shows that there are 2,400 properties not able to access superfast broadband in Denbighshire. 

Councillor Richard Mainon, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for Digital, said: “This is very disappointing as the council has been pressing both the Welsh Government and BT for many months for answers as to when all communities in the county can benefit from it.

“The council is aware of the economic benefits that high quality broadband can bring to communities and that superfast speeds are or will become essential for many of our businesses and residents.

“Until now there has been uncertainty on which properties would not benefit from the publicly subsidised Superfast Cymru programme and the council has shared the frustrations and concerns of our businesses and residents.

“The council has identified those properties in the county that cannot access superfast broadband. While this is far from unique across Wales,  the council is taking the opportunity to highlight the issue and support communities in moving forward."

Funding is available from Welsh Government for individuals and groups of property owners to upgrade their broadband themselves and the council is providing information on these opportunities on its website –

www.denbighshire.gov.uk/superfastbroadband

The council believes the Welsh Government’s ‘Access Broadband Cymru’ (or ABC) scheme may be the most appropriate option for most residents. It offers grants of up to £800 per household on a first come, first served basis.

The council says it is willing to coordinate meetings with the most affected communities who would be   interested in working together to improve their broadband, but would need local ‘champions’  who would be willing and able to co-ordinate the work required to implement a community solution.

* If you are interested, or know of anyone who would like to work with the Council please contact the Council, on 01824 706000 or e-mail: customer.services@denbighshire.gov.uk

Tourist spots "becoming too popular" says report

* The Horseshoe Falls.

A report by the Clwydian Range and Dee Valey claims some North Wales tourist hot-spots, including the Horseshoe Falls, are becoming too popular for their own good.

* See the full report on the BBC website at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-40369388

'Best live band' to play at Llan Fringe

* CC Smugglers will play at the Fringe on Friday July 14.

Cerys Matthews has described Bedfordshire sextet CC Smugglers as “the best live band on the scene at the moment.”

This summer, CC Smugglers will be taking their formidable live show to prominent slots at Cambridge Folk Festival, Cropredy and Llangollen Fringe.

Since their rapid rise to fame supporting two-time Grammy award winning Old Crow Medicine Show on their UK tour, CC Smugglers have been selling out venues, and stealing headlines at the Cambridge, Cornbury, and Glastonbury festivals.

The band have also been touring around Europe, playing many prestigious festivals, including Werchter Festival in Belgium – sharing a bill with Bruce Springsteen. 

CC Smugglers describe their sound as a mixture of American folk music, swing, jazz, country, ragtime and bluegrass with contemporary touchstones such as hip hop, metal, dubstep, house and dancehall.

It seems nothing is off limits for this group who began their career busking outside of venues across the country. 

The band have collected many critical plaudits along their journey to success, including The Sunday Times culture section, Bob Harris, Cerys Matthews - and even Jon Snow says he's is a fan. 

CC Smugglers will appear at the 20th edition of Llangollen Fringe on Friday July 14, supported by Wrexham’s Heal the Last Stand. 

* Tickets are now on sale at: www.llangollenfringe.co.uk 

Llangollen Fringe Festival takes place from Thursday-Sunday, July 13-23.

Eisteddfod prize gets major cash boost

* Mario and Gill Kreft of Pendine with eisteddfod musical director Eilir Owen Griffiths. 

Twenty four of the world's best young singers are flocking to North Wales to compete for a prestigious new international prize.

Competitors from as far afield as Switzerland, the Philippines, the USA and China will be competing for the title of International Voice of the Future at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Thursday, July 6.

The record number of entrants has been attracted by the boost given to the prize fund by  the arts-loving Pendine Park care organisation and the Sir Bryn Terfel Foundation.

The finalists will compete for the brand new Pendine Trophy and a cheque for £6,000 while the two runners up will each receive £2,000.

Pendine Park  have pledged to contribute £5,000 to the International Voice of the Future competition with £3,000  coming from Sir Bryn's foundation and £2,000 from the Eisteddfod.

As a result, the total prize pot is more than six times the  £1,500 awarded in previous years and the aim is to catapult the competition into a whole new league.

The idea is to showcase and nurture young talent, providing each year’s winner with support and a cash injection to advance their burgeoning careers.

The competition will be one of the highlights of the week at the festival which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

The preliminary round gets underway at a free event at Llangollen Town Hall at 10am when the adjudicators will be internationally renowned soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and BBC presenter Gareth Jones

Each entrant will perform up to eight minutes' of music in its original language, after which the judges will select three finalists to take centre stage at the International Celebration evening concert,  when they'll be performing 12 minutes' of music.

Pendine Park are also sponsoring the performance of the classic opera Tosca, starring Sir Bryn Terfel, Kristine Opolais and Kristian Benedikt on Tuesday, July 4.

"Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft said: "Our aim in supporting the event and providing the Pendine Prize is to help transform it into a truly international competition that attracts the best singers from across the world.

"It is wholly appropriate that the Sir Bryn Terfel Foundation is also involved because the Eisteddfod provided him with a stepping stone to his stellar career and he is keen to nurture the talented young singers following in his footsteps.

“I firmly believe in the vital role played by music and arts in social care and as part of our enrichment programme for people with dementia we regularly have world-class musicians from the Hallé orchestra and Welsh National Opera as part of our enrichment workshops and staff training and development programme.

"Again this year we will be showcasing the value of the arts in social care and are organising a series of activities on the festival field, including dementia workshops. and intergenerational music workshops involving our residents and staff on Children's Day.

"We are deeply rooted in the communities which we serve and the ethos of the Eisteddfod chimes perfectly with what we are doing in promoting the arts and culture as way of enriching lives across the generations."

The festival's music director, Eilir Owen Griffiths, said: “Nurturing and promoting young talent is at the heart of the Eisteddfod and the Voice of the Future competition has launched the career of many a young soloist.

“The standard of entries is always high but thanks to the generous contribution of Pendine Park and the Bryn Terfel Foundation the increased prize fund has attracted a record number of high-quality entries. The adjudicators will have their work cut out for them this year!”

Sir Bryn Terfel added: “The Bryn Terfel Foundation is committed to supporting the development of aspiring young performers.

“The Eisteddfod’s International Voice of the Future competition has great synergy with the foundation’s objectives and we are happy to be contributing to the prize fund in the festival’s 70^th anniversary year.”

* For more information on the preliminary round of the International Voice of the Future Competition to secure your tickets for the International Celebration, please visit: www.Llangollen.net

Leisure centre stages special fundraiser

The charity which re-opened Plas Madoc Leisure Centre following the council closure in 2014 is calling on local people to help it gain extra funding through Localgiving’s Small Charity Week Match Fund campaign.

The campaign starts at 10am today, Thursday (June 22) and one-time donations will be matched pound-for-pound up to £25.

For a one-time £25 donation with Gift Aid, Splash receives £56.25.

Each year Small Charity Week celebrates and raises awareness of the essential work of the UK’s small charity sector - of the invaluable contribution that these groups make to the lives of millions of individuals, communities and causes across the UK and the rest of the world.

The Small Charity Week match fund has been funded by the FSI and a private philanthropist.

Stella Matthews, Chairman of The Splash Community Trust said: "2017 has been a great year for us so far, we’ve seen major investment in the facility by the Welsh Government which has allowed us to replace the roof, upgrade electrics and modify the plant room.

"The Small Charity Week Match Fund is an exciting campaign and a fantastic opportunity for us to kick start our summer fundraising.

"All donations will make a huge difference to us and with the added bonus of doubled donations we hope local people will join in. The support we’ve received since re-opening has been overwhelming and together we can keep this fantastic community asset open.”

* To help The Splash Community Trust benefit from match funding, visit their Localgiving page on Thursday at: www.localgiving.org/charity/plasmadoc/

For more information about the trust and the work they do, go to: www.plas-madoc.com, email info@plas-madoc.com or call 01978 821600.        

Plaid AM voices concern over bank closures

The Plaid Cymru AM has expressed his fear that north Wales will lose "yet more community banks" following an announcement that Barclays are set to shorten the opening hours of their Llangollen branch from July.

Residents from Llangollen contacted Llyr Gruffydd expressing their concern that the Barclays branch in the town was set to close on Thursdays from July 24, and opening for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays only.

Mr Gruffydd (pictured) contacted Barclays seeking assurances, but was disappointed with the reply.

He said: “We already know that bank lending to businesses falls when banks close, and the fall is significantly more when the last branch closes in a community.

"Llangollen and the area have been hit by the closures of HSBC and NatWest. Barclays argue that cutting opening hours is an attempt to keep a branch open, and I understand that, but the truth is that they cannot guarantee that they will retain a presence there beyond six months.

“While HSBC and NatWest have gone through a significant closure programme, I’m concerned that Barclays will be the next of the big banks to review their presence in our communities across north Wales.

“The Government’s compromise with the British Banking Association which meant that rural communities must have an alternative is flawed and one sided.

"The BBA will argue that their members provide an online alternative, but the truth is that swathes of north Wales do not have access to Broadband or 3G let alone 4G, and Llangollen and the area is a perfect example.

"There is also a great many people, especially the most vulnerable, who continue to depend on the High Street branch. This is why Plaid Cymru have said that we would create a publicly-owned bank.

"It is vitally important that individuals and businesses in all communities have easy access to financial advice and banking services. It’s not just Plaid Cymru campaigning against this - the Federation of Small Businesses and the Farmers’ Union of Wales have raised concerns about this culture of centralisation.”

HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group are all among banks that cut 600 branches between April 2015 to April 2016. 90 per cent of those closures were in areas where the median household income is below the average of £27,600, according to the Office of National Statistics.

Mr Gruffydd has been campaigning for the retention of community banking services since being first elected to the National Assembly in 2011. He has campaigned for communities across north Wales and challenged banking bosses across the sector.