Bus company asked to pick up "stranded" passengers

Community leaders have called on a bus company to pick up ‘stranded’ passengers in rural Wrexham.

Assembly Member Ken Skates (pictured) has written to Coastline Taxis urging the firm to address the shortage of pick-up points in Garth, between Ruabon and Llangollen.

The X5 Wrexham-Corwen service stops in Ruabon, Llangollen and Glyndyfrdwy, but the chairman of Llangollen Rural Community Council says many older passengers in Garth are not able to make it to the two bus stops on the A539.

Cllr Darrell Wright said: “The X5 service stops at two places on its way through, both of which are on the main road and are a long way for a lot of people to walk to. We have a high proportion of older people in Garth and a lot of steep hills, and many of them simply can’t manage it. They’re stranded unless something changes.”

Mr Skates, AM for Clwyd South, said the Welsh Labour Government had recently announced funding of £25m to help support vital bus services across Wales.

The Bus Services Support Grant (BSSG) is allocated annually to local councils by a formula that reflects their populations and their rural or urban characteristics.

The £25m grant will be shared between the 22 local authorities and will allow each to subsidise bus and community transport within their areas.

Mr Skates said: “Local bus services continue to be the foundation of our public transport system, so I ‘m incredibly proud that the Welsh Labour Government has been able to maintain the Bus Services Support Grant at the same level over the last five years.

“The National Transport Finance Plan says that local authorities should match the funding committed by the Welsh Government, so it is now up to Wrexham Council to ensure they are providing equivalent funding – as other councils have – to help support vital bus services in all parts of the county borough.”

The majority of bus services across Wales are run by commercial operators. When services are not adequately provided, it is for each local authority to determine which services to subsidise, using their own budgets and money from the Welsh Government.

Easter Monday snow for Llan

Llangollen awoke this morning to its third bout of snow in the past few months.

There was a light covering across the whole town although the roads have stayed snow free.

The forecast is for the snow to change to rain which will last throughout the day. Temperatures should reach around 11C, it is predicted.

Happy Easter (and April 1) from llanblogger

Another first for Llangollen ...

Llanblogger understands that a feasibility study is being proposed to provide a bank of self-drive mobility scooters for use by visitors and residents to travel around the town.

* Sat nav guided mobility scooters could whiz visitors around the town.

The scooters would be sat nav contolled and preloaded with optional tours around the town’s attractions and to specific locations such as Plas Newydd,  The Wharf  or a particular shop.    

They would be coin operated and fully controlled by a location tracking system.

The main scooter bank and charging point would be in Market Street car park with some other satellite drop off and charging points strategically located around the town.

Spokesperson for the group  David Davies said this would be another marketing first for Llangollen and a strong attraction for the less agile visitors to explore and take full advantage of what the town has to offer, increasing  the visitor experience and  trade opportunities for local businesses.

Eisteddfod's latest update ...

Llangollen Eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies has sent the festival's latest update covering March ... 

The recent launch of our Llanfest line-up means that the concert strand for 2018 is now complete and we are looking forward immensely to this finale to the week on Sunday 8th July when Toploader, The Hoosiers and Kaiser Chiefs will take to the stage. 

Indie pop legends Kaiser Chiefs will headline in what will be one of the first opportunities in 2018 for fans in this region to see the band live.

The five-piece band from Leeds are best known for songs including Oh My God, I Predict a Riot and Ruby (you won’t be able to get this song out of your head for days!)

Kaiser Chiefs (pictured below) will be joined on the bill by renowned pop rock band, The Hoosiers known for chart-toppers Worried About Ray and Goodbye Mr. A., and nineties icons Toploader best known for their cover of Dancing In the Moonlight.

We’re delighted that local firm Knights Construction Group are sponsoring Llanfest this year and I look forward to developing a long term partnership with Matt and his team.

It’s so important that the Eisteddfod is grounded in the local community and that we work together to promote Llangollen. 

Tickets are priced at £70 (seated) and £55 (standing) and are now available online at www.llangollen.net or via the box office on 01978 862 001.

We would recommend that you buy early to get the best seats. I’ve already booked mine, but admittedly I did have to ‘You Tube’ some of the support acts to see what their music was like!

But that’s exactly what the Eisteddfod is all about, introducing you to new music that you wouldn’t necessarily listen to usually. So if you haven’t already heard of some of the artists, go look them up and I’m sure you’ll recognise some of their hits.

Llanfest will follow the same format as last year with music on three outside performance areas starting at 2pm before the headline acts in the main pavilion.

Details of the full outside stage programme will be released soon but I predict a riot of popular music throughout the afternoon! It promises to be a great memorable day out.

Llanfest was introduced to spread this message to a wider audience, by bringing new and more contemporary music genres to the festival, while still remaining true to its traditional values. I am thrilled that the Eisteddfod week will end on such a high note. Where else would you see such a varied mix of performers in just six days, and right on your doorstep!

Alfie Boe, Calan, Van Morrison, Red Priest and our own Music Director Vicky Yannoula will all entertain us as part of the concert strand together with instrumentalists, soloists, choirs and dancers from all across the globe. There truly is something for everyone. Do visit the website www.llangollen.net for more details.

Watch out for further announcements about the full outside stage line-up, the field activities and our outreach performances in the town. 

If you are interested in volunteering this year we would like to hear from you. There is a volunteer registration on the website or contact the office on 01978 862000. 

Happy Easter!
Dr Rhys Davies,
Eisteddfod Chairman

Trip of a lifetime for Dinas Bran's Bethany

* Bethany Pierce is South American bound.

A student from Ysgol Dinas Brân in Llangollen is counting down the months until she can take part in a pioneering visit to Patagonia, arranged by the Urdd.

Bethany Pierce, 17, from Corwen, applied to join the trip and was invited for an assessment at Glan Llyn near Bala.

This involved an interview, group work, a video clip and a team building exercise.

She was then one of only 25 students from across Wales to be invited to attend the trip in October.

Bethany said: “I’m so excited about going, if a little apprehensive as I suffer from homesickness, but this is too good an opportunity to miss and I will conquer the homesickness. 

"My local community have really been supportive as l need to raise £2,500.  

"My Uncle is doing a sponsored weight loss, I have set up a Bonus Ball and lots of cake sales."

She added: "I’d heard about the trip and decided to give it a go. Everyone says this is such a worthwhile project and it will certainly open my eyes to the culture and Welsh language traditions amongst families in Patagonia.

“During the visit I will be attending schools and visiting Welsh communities, getting to know families and getting involved in volunteering. This will be an experience of a lifetime.

“I can’t wait!”

Elizabeth's two big band successes

Elizabeth Mwale, a young euphonium player with Llangollen Silver Band, has successfully auditioned for a position with the National Youth Brass Band of Wales (NYBBW).

Elizabeth, 15, (pictured) has also been invited to join the summer course led by Philip Harper, music director and conductor of the world’s number one brass band, the Cory.

During the course Elizabeth will receive tuition from international euphonium soloist and Cory player Glyn Williams.

Following the course, the NYBBW will play a series of concerts across Wales.

One of the guest soloists for the concerts will be former NYBBW player Daniel Thomas who is now
principle euphonium player with the famous Black Dyke Band.

A spokesperson for Llangollen Silver Band said: "Elizabeth will certainly find herself playing alongside and being tutored by some of the world’s finest brass players. We congratulate her on her well-deserved success."