Love blossoms at Llangollen Motorcycle Festival

Shrewsbury couple Jim and Amanda Ankers will be special guests at the Llangollen Motorcycle Festival on August 5 and 6 to celebrate their marriage after Jim’s surprise proposal in the middle of LlanBikeFest in 2015.

Amanda explained: “I was in front of the festival stage when I turned around to find Jim on one knee with a ring. We had talked briefly about getting married before, but this was a complete surprise!”

* Jim and Amanda Ankers on their wedding day.

Amanda accepted immediately and the couple were married on Llangollen Railway Station in June last year, with the reception being held on the train to Corwen.

Amanda added: “We missed LlanBikeFest last year because we were on honeymoon in Portugal so we can’t wait to be back this year and relive happy memories.”

It was motorcycles which brought the couple together in the first place.

HGV driver Jim, 57, who rides a Suzuki GSX1400, responded to a post on Facebook from cleaner Amanda, 48, which said she had bought a new helmet but had nobody to ride with.

They started chatting, went on a blind date and hit it off really well, Amanda said.

* 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.

'Voice of an angel' singer to compete at Eisteddfod

* Sheena Miranda.

A care practitioner with a "voice of an angel" who wowed opera star Sir Bryn Terfel will take centre stage at a global event.

Sheena Miranda, 29, who works for the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham, will be competing in the open folk category at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Back in 2003 she won in the weekly finals and landed 50,000 Peso prize – around £850 – in a televised show called Search for a Star in her native Philippines.

According to Sheena, she turned down the offer of a recording contract to study marketing at University Of St La Salle in Bacolod city.

She now works at Bodlondeb, Pendine Park's centre of excellence for dementia care where the arts play a central role in the enrichment programme to improve the quality of life for residents and staff alike.

Sheena earned rapturous applause when sang for Sir Bryn and his partner, the former royal harpist, Hannah Stone, when they visited Pendine Park.

Coincidentally, Sir Bryn will also be starring at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in a production of Puccini's classic opera, Tosca, which is being sponsored by arts loving Pendine Park.

On the Thursday of Eisteddfod week Pendine Park and Sir Bryn will be teaming up again as sponsors of the Voice of the Future Competition to find the world's best young singers when the finalists will be competing for the Pendine Trophy and a cheque for £6,000.

Sheena was "thrilled and very excited" she found out she had been accepted to compete at the festival which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

She said: “I was amazed when I received the notification that I had been accepted. I’m still deciding what to sing in the competition itself but I sang a modern country folk song, ‘Wake Me Up’ which I performed acapella.

“I applied on line and really didn’t think I’d be accepted but I’m absolutely delighted and so excited to have the chance to perform at such an amazing event.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for me and I hope to get through the preliminary round so I can perform in the final.”

“To sing on the main stage would be amazing. Sir Bryn Terfel visited Pendine Park and I sang for him, he was fantastic and to think I might get to sing on the same stage he performs on would be a dream come true.”

Sheena added: “I enjoy working at Bodlondeb and singing for residents when I can. I enjoy my care work at Bodlondeb and we have a great team. Singing gives me a lot of pleasure.”
According to Bodlondeb manager Ann Chapman, Sheena really does have the "voice of an angel."

She said: “She sings beautifully and residents really enjoy listening to her. She won our Bodlondeb's Got Talent competition and I know how much she enjoyed performing in the Chirk pantomime.

“To have successfully auditioned for the International Music Eisteddfod is just amazing. I know she will do really well and I hope she wins the Open Folk title.

“Sheena is very popular with Bodlondeb residents, relatives and her work colleagues. She is a very important member of our hard-working team.

”The golden thread running through everything we do is our award-winning enrichment programme which put the arts right at the centre of how we improve the quality of life for our residents and also the staff looking after them."

Sheena warmed up for the Eisteddfod with an appearance at the Women’s Festival of Music and Art which was held in Llangollen last weekend.

The aim of the event at Llangollen Town Hall was to provide an opportunity for women to showcase their talents as well as raising money for good causes, including Stop the Traffik, which aims to put an end to human trafficking.

Sheena said: “I was asked to perform at the Women’s Festival of Music and Art after I appeared as Rapunzel in an amateur pantomime at Chirk in February.

“I just enjoy performing and singing so I agreed straight away.

“I wanted to do a little bit to help raise funds that will help in the fight against it. No human being deserves to be abused or trafficked.

“The event was also supporting the Halo Project which aims to stop forced marriages honour killing or abuse and in aid of Llangollen Silver Hut Band.

"I felt empowered as a woman because I realise that I wasn't only singing for myself or entertaining people but am contributing to the charity and to the society.  I would like to thank everyone in production who made this happen for me."

Ysgol Dinas Bran lands top business award

* Dinas Bran winners: The Odyssey Soaps team of Joe Richardson, Llio Roberts,

Bethan Rowley and Joe Bel.

Team members Grace Broadbent and Barra Liddy were unable

to attend the final as they had an exam on the day.

Pupils from Llangollen’s Ysgol Dinâs Bran won an award at the Young Enterprise Wales final in Cardiff on June 15.

The students entered the competition after a series of business courses run by the Young Enterprise charity, with funding provided by Denbighshire County Council for sessions at five schools in the county.

Ysgol Dinâs Bran’s team Odyssey Soaps, made up of six pupils aged 16 and 17, won the best interview at a trade stand award showcasing their hand-made vegan soap.

The courses help students set up their own companies and run them for an academic year, under the guidance of business mentors.

They were funded by Denbighshire through its Economic and Community Ambition Programme which aims to support local businesses and ensure the county has a skilled workforce equipped to benefit from jobs and opportunities that arise.

Ysgol Dinâs Bran teacher Rachel Allen, said: “I am immensely proud of the whole team. Running a business is hard work at the best of times, but the students have fitted it in between revising for and sitting exams, too.

“The team was commended on their professionalism and business knowledge, as well as on their creativity and infectious enthusiasm.”

Selwyn Griffith, North Wales’ Young Enterprise manager, said: “I want to congratulate Ysgol Dinâs Bran and Pengwern College for their success at the Wales final. The sessions provide a great platform for students to develop skills such as teamwork, resilience and to interact with their local business community.

“I would like to thank Denbighshire County Council for providing the funding to deliver these courses in the county.”

Classic road vehicles to gather this weekend

* Classic vehicles will line up on the show ground at Glyndyfrwdy.

The annual gathering of classic road vehicles will be held at Glyndyfrdwy station on Saturday and Sunday.

Thirty preserved buses have been invited to the show, with an open topper providing the ever popular seaside style of transport.

Examples of the former Crosville company's buses, as introduced for the rail replacement service when the Ruabon to Barmouth line closed in 1965, will recall the road scene on the A5 50 years ago.

Private owners of over 150 vintage cars have been invited to show off their pride joys and sixty motorcycles are expected as the British Motorcycle Preservation Society has chosen the venue to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

With a selection of classic lorries and fire engines joining the line up, there will be something for everyone to be nostalgic about.

An intensive timetable of steam, diesel and heritage railcars will provide a near half-hourly train service between Llangollen and Corwen and offers the traditional journey option to access to the half-way station at Glyndyfrdwy. 

A classic bus service will running between Glyndyfrdwy and Corwen (10am to 5pm), along with a vintage vehicle display at Glyndyfrdwy.

How loss of cash machines can hit communities

In the wake of local bank closures, Llangollen people may be interested in a story on the BBC website which highlights claims that as a result of being left without ATM cash dispensers communities in Wales could die.

* For the full story, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-40315134

Knighthood was one of Sir Bryn's proudest moments

* Sir Bryn Terfel on song.

Sir Bryn Terfel has described how being knighted by the Queen was one of the proudest days of his life - along with the birth of his first daughter.

The globally renowned bass baritone was speaking ahead of his appearance at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod where he'll be starring in a special production of the classic opera Tosca on Tuesday, July 4.

He revealed he even persuaded Buckingham Palace to give him an extra ticket so that his three sons and his fiancee Hannah Stone could all attend the ceremony.

According to Sir Bryn, returning to one of his favourite venues to perform one of his favourite roles, the unscrupulous police chief Baron Scarpia in Tosca, was the "icing on the cake in what has been an amazing year".

He said: “It’s been such a roller coaster since I turned 50, so much has happened and it’s been wonderful, I’m a very lucky man.

“Going to Buckingham palace to be knighted by Her Majesty the Queen was just wonderful.

To be in the company of so many tremendous public servants, sports stars and entertainers who were also being honoured that day, was humbling and just such a proud, proud day.

“It was one of the proudest days of my life if I’m honest. It’s something that’s not supposed to happen to a lad from Pant Glas, Caernarfonshire.

“I received a letter from the Palace and three guest invitations. I called the palace and asked if it was at all possible I could have four invitations so I could take my three sons and Hannah and thankfully they agreed without hesitation. It was such a fabulous day.

“Then of course Hannah gave birth to Lili in May which was so special. And to bring her to Vienna where I’m currently performing is magical. I just love having Hannah and Lili with me.”

Sir Bryn says he can't wait to perform with two other world-class opera stars, soprano Kristine Opolais and tenor Kristian Benedikt in the operatic tale of love, lust and intrigue.

The concert is being sponsored by the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park, whose owners, Mario and Gill Kreft, are close friends.

Later in the week on Thursday, July 6, Sir Bryn and Pendine Park will be joining forces again as sponsors of the Voice of the Future Competition to find the world's best young singers when the finalists will be competing for the Pendine Trophy and a cheque for £6,000.

Sir Bryn said: “I always enjoy the Llangollen International Music Festival. It’s always a favourite festival and I’m always delighted to be asked to perform on that wonderful Llangollen stage.

“Tosca, as many other Eisteddfod past concerts, is sponsored by Pendine Park and Mario and Gill have become close friends over the years, they are incredible human beings and deserve huge credit for the work they do supporting the arts.

“I’ve visited their care homes both at Wrexham and Caernarfon and they are wonderful places where music and the arts are used to help and support residents. I know there will be dementia workshops taking place on the field at Llangollen which is fantastic.”

He added: "I want the Llangollen audience to also appreciate the young Welsh singers in the cast, baritone Steffan Lloyd Owen, who plays the jailer, and tenor, Elgan Llŷr Thomas, who plays Spoletta.

"I know the role of the Shepherd Boy is going to be played by 11-year-old, Joseph Elwy Jones. I’m really looking forward to hearing him sing.

“He sounds an incredible young man having overcome some ill health in the past and I’m delighted we can still unearth such amazing talent in North Wales.

“Having the opportunity to hear these young Welsh singers developing their careers on the Llangollen stage is something not to be missed and I always enjoy working alongside the conductor, Gareth Jones and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. It’s going to be an amazing evening.

“The Llangollen International Musical Festival audience has a wonderful treat in store. I’m certainly really looking forward to what will be a wonderful evening.”

Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said: “Sir Bryn Terfel is the best of the best and to have him appear at Llangollen once again is the perfect way for to celebrate the 70th anniversary of this amazing festival where Wales meets the world.

"We're also delighted to be teaming up with the Sir Bryn Terfel Foundation to support the International Voice of the Future because we are passionate about nurturing young talent.

"The arts in general and music in particular are the golden threads running through everything we do at Pendine Park because of how they help enrich the lives of not only our residents but our staff too.

"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, is thrilled Sir Bryn Terfel is once again gracing the festival’s stage.

He said: “This is my final Eisteddfod as music director as I’m standing down after six years in the role and to have a concert performance of Tosca starring Sir Bryn and soprano Kristine Opolais is going to be the highlight of what will be an emotional week for me.

“The cast that has been put together for this concert performance is spectacular and this is going to be an evening of music and performance not to be missed.

“It will be a concert that in years to come people will be proud to boast they were there to witness, that’s how good I think this concert performance will be. It’s certainly an evening I’d recommend to anyone who loves good music and amazing voices.”

* For tickets, please visit www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Plas Newydd’s events for July

Sara and Eleanor – The Ladies' Play

19^th July    18.00 – 21.00   Performed at 19.00

In the Grounds of Plas Newydd this play specially written two years ago for the town’s fringe festival was performed in 2015 to great acclaim and provides a fascinating and thoughtful insight into the lives of the famous Ladies of Llangollen. The one hour drama penned by Wrexham playwright Peter Read explores the exact nature of the ladies' relationship.  This is an opportunity to see/see again this beautiful interpretation of the Ladies’ life.  Bring a picnic/rugs/chairs and enjoy a wonderful evening.

Dee Valley Myths & Legends Art Competition

Sunday 16^th July   All Day

Last day to hand in your piece of artwork or photo.

Thursday 20^th July    14.00

Presentation of prizes to winners and an opportunity to see the art exhibition and the winning entries in Y Caban.

Poetry Reading by Jan Wallis

Sunday 23rd July  in Tearooms Courtyard    15.00 -16.00

As part of Llangollen Fringe Jan and friends will be reading poetry inspired by the Dell at Plas Newydd and the Ladies' poem engraved by the Font. 

The Great Victorian Dinosaur Hunt

Thursday 27^th July    10.00-11.30

Back by popular demand, join us on a journey to discover creatures from the dawn of time….maybe even the mighty T.Rex!  The quest will take the audience to a mysterious lost valley, encountering various wild animals and dinosaurs along the way - learning about the creatures they see, as well as having fun.  The creatures are very realistic puppets.  Suitable for Primary age children.  Booking essential.

* For more details call Plas Newydd on 01978 862843.