Food supply operation is stood down

* A llanblogger picture of the mountain fire at its height last weekend.

The team of dedicated volunteers who have been delivering vital supplies to crews battling the mountain fire above Llangollen have now called off the big operation.

The drivers, who came from across the community, had eight days of intense activity delivering fresh sandwiches and drinks to the parched firefighters around Llantysilio and the Horseshoe Pass.

At the height of the operation they were doing three drops a day with supplies donated by a host of local businesses.

One of the organisers, Cat Meade from Wingetts estate agents in Castle Street, also started an online appeal to buy supplies which raised over £1,500.  

Cat has said that now the fire has at last been brought under control the food-lift has ceased.

She said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported the firefighters and teams on the Horseshoe Pass over the last two weeks, no further donations or funds are required.

“A huge thank you to every individual and business from all over that have supported, a great community and neighbouring spirit which has brought us all together .. amazing people!

“I have a few bits of drinks and snacks left which will be donated to Llangollen food bank.”

A spokesman for the fire and rescue service added: "Thanks again to all those who have supported our firefighters whilst we attended this incident."

* Cat Meade at Wingetts (left) with fellow appeal organiser Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor, Issy Richards. 

Councillor 'delighted' with success of live 2020 session

* Town Councillor Robyn Lovelock (left) and County Councillor Graham Timms during the live Facebook session.

A Llangollen councillor says she is delighted with the reaction to a live Facebook session held earlier this week to gauge public opinion to a scheme aimed at streamlining the town centre’s traffic system.

The Llangollen 2020 Project, which is backed by both town and county councils, Cadwyn Clwyd and the Welsh Government, sets out to create a vibrant town centre that better meets the needs of residents, visitors and businesses.

Ideas it is looking at include creating a more pedestrian-friendly area, an improved network of parking options and improved signage on the approach to and within the town centre.

A team of consultants has been tasked to support the initiative and they ran a fact-finding session outside the Town Hall recently during which members of the public attached post-it notes with their ideas for traffic improvements to a large map of the town centre.

Town Councillor Robyn Lovelock and one of the area’s county councillors, Graham Timms, who are both supporting the project, took to Facebook for a 50-minute live session on Tuesday evening, inviting comments about 2020 from the public.

Cllr Lovelock said: “I’m delighted the clip has been viewed by so many people - over 1,200 - and that it appears to have been appreciated as a way of engaging residents in the process and decisions that will need to be made. “It was the first public Facebook live session for Graham and I so we were pleased that there were no major technical issues - and I was happy that my nerves didn’t get in the way too much!” She added:  “We hope this is the first of several conversations about the Llangollen 2020 project, with future sessions possibly discussing the findings from the consultants, the options they propose, and the economic impact study as all of these are published. “For now, we just want to get as much input into this ideas stage as possible and really encourage those residents and visitors who haven’t yet completed the online survey to do so.” Cllr Lovelock said today (Friday) was the last day for people to complete the online 2020 survey, which has so far received over 300 responses. They can do so at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Llangollen2020 The Welsh link is: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Llangollen2020Cymraeg

Preferred candidate for police chief announced

 *  Carl Foulkes is in line for the top job with North Wales Police.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has announced his preferred candidate as the region’s new Chief Constable.

Gulf War veteran Carl Foulkes’ appointment is subject to confirmation by the North Wales Police and Crime Panel, which will take place on September 10.

Mr Jones has informed the Police and Crime Panel about his choice which follows a rigorous two-day interview process.

Mr Foulkes, 47, who hails originally from Caergwrle, near Wrexham,  is currently the Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police.

He started his policing career with British Transport Police in 1993, having previously served in the Royal Navy and seeing active service in the first Gulf War.

After spending 10 years working for British Transport Police in London, serving in a variety of local policing and support roles, he was promoted to the rank of acting Chief Inspector.

In 2003, he joined West Midlands Police as a Detective Chief Inspector in Walsall.  He moved into the Criminal Investigation Department prior to becoming Operations Superintendent in Birmingham.

In 2008, he was promoted to the position of Solihull Commander and two years later he assumed command of Force Intelligence, before moving on to head Force CID, the largest single department in the Force.   As head of Force CID, he managed the force’s response to serious organised crime, homicide and acquisitive crime.

He has national portfolio responsibility for Assisting Offender Debriefing under SOCPA, Open Source Investigations and UK Protected Persons Service (UKPPS).

Mr Foulkes is married with a teenage son and enjoys outdoor pursuits including running, walking and cycling. 

In 2012 he represented Great Britain at the World Duathlon Championships in France and he often runs and cycles run and cycle in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Mr Foulkes said: “I am proud and privileged to have been chosen as the preferred candidate to serve the people of North Wales.  

“I look forward to meeting the Police and Crime Panel at my confirmation hearing and subject to their approval of my appointment,  I very much look forward to leading such a dedicated and hard-working force.”

The commissioner said: "I am delighted to name Carl Foulkes as my preferred candidate for North Wales’ new Chief Constable.

“His experience, enthusiasm and commitment was clear from the interview process and I am pleased to be able to put his name forward to the Police and Crime Panel.

“I will not be making any further comment until the Panel have had the opportunity to review the appointment at a confirmation hearing.”

The job was advertised after Mark Polin revealed he was retiring after nine years as chief constable.

Until a new chief constable starts, the current Deputy Chief Constable, Gareth Pritchard, will become the Temporary Chief Constable in the interim and Richard Debicki who will be the Temporary  Deputy Chief Constable, while Neill Anderson will step up as the Temporary Assistant Chief Constable.

Horseshoe Pass is now open

The Horseshoe is now open. There are traffic lights in operation between the layby at the top of the Pass and the quarry.

Iconic Welsh beer heads back to Llan food festival

* Wrexham Lager Managing Director Mark Roberts with Donna Hughes, of Cadwyn Clwyd at the brewery in Wrexham.

An iconic Welsh beer that made a remarkable comeback is celebrating after landing its biggest ever export orders with major deals in China and France.

Wrexham Lager was served on the ill-fated Titanic which sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic on its maiden voyage.

The brewery itself sank in 2002 but the famous beverage was resurrected in 2011 and now it’s going from strength to strength.

The company credits Llangollen Food Festival for helping to introduce its lager to a new audience.

They will be making a triumphant return to the annual festival this autumn in the picturesque Dee Valley town after securing the two international contracts which will catapult its award-winning bottled lager to global success once again.

China is currently the world’s largest market for lager, overtaking both Germany and the US, and the Wrexham-based firm hopes foreign interest in the brand will lead to new jobs for local people.

The new export orders were placed by leading wholesalers and come on the back of international business networking events organised by the Welsh Government which showcased the best of Welsh produce. 

Office manager Nic Gaffey said: “The French contract is with a wholesaler which supplies more than 3,000 supermarkets and deli shops. It’s a big order for us and hopefully once the bottles go out they’ll be well-received and the supplier will look to re-order in bigger volumes. We’re hoping for a four-six week turnaround.

“It’s a similar story in Hong Kong where the wholesaler has a licence to distribute alcoholic drink across China.

“The bottles will be sold across China in high-end specialist drink shops selling premium spirits and lager.
“There's a very strong market for high-end lager and spirits in China and from there we’re hoping to get more orders.”

To toast its success, Wrexham Lager will be bringing its purpose-built formal bar to Llangollen Food Festival and will serve a variety of soft drinks, spirits as well as Wrexham lager in draught and bottles and will accompany the firm’s usual demonstration trailer.

The vehicle was imported from Germany and modified over a number of weeks to create the perfect setting for a pint.

The firm will also be selling its popular gift packs to give customers something to take home from the day for relatives and friends.

This year Llangollen Food Festival will be held on October 13 and 14, with thousands of food lovers expected from far and wide.

It’s been named as one of the Top 10 food festivals in the UK by the Independent and Daily Telegraph newspapers, pumping almost £400,000 into the local economy

Nic added: “We’ve been coming to the festival for six years now and really look forward to it. People go along every year and expect to see us - we’ve really become a firm fixture at this event.

“Now we’re increasing interest in Wrexham Lager farther afield which is really exciting. Our first export orders represent a significant expansion and both are firsts for us. We’re definitely getting our name out there with the bigger brands which enjoy a world market.

“There are only five of us here at the moment but our bottles are on the same platform as the likes of Budweiser and Fosters which is great to see for both Wrexham and North Wales.

“We’re already looking for an additional member of staff and as orders increase there could be the potential for additional delivery drivers and others to work on the brewery side which is all good for the local economy.”

Wrexham Lager was first brewed in 1882 by German immigrants and was the first chilled beer in the UK.

The brewery was resurrected in 2011 by the Roberts family and Ian Dale, the former head brewer at Wrexham Lager, and production of the historic tipple was revived. The firm now supplies hundreds of pubs across North Wales, the North West and beyond.

Llangollen Food Festival committee members Donna Hughes and Phil Davies are looking forward to helping the brewery celebrate at this year’s event.

Donna said: “We are thrilled that Wrexham Lager is doing so well and has landed these two major export orders.

“It is a source of great satisfaction to us that the festival has been able to play a part in helping to revive this famous brew which is made using the original recipe.”

It was a sentiment echoed by Phil who added: “Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality products like Wrexham Lager.

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of the local economy."

* For more information about Llangollen Food Festival go to www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

A483 closed following accident

Breaking news ...

The Leader has just posted on online story saying that the A483 is closed following a accident between a tractor and a lorry.

The affected area is between junction two and three of the A483 between Ruabon and Rhostyllen.

For the full story, see: http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/16391670.long-delays-as-hgv-and-tractor-collide-on-a483-at-ruabon/

Eisteddfod confirms departure of music director

* Vicky Yannoula, the eisteddfod's departing Music Director.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has confirmed that its Music Director is leaving after just one year with the festival.

Last September Vicky Yannoula, who is of Greek origin, took over from Eilir Owen Griffiths who stepped down after six years in the high-profile role following the 2017 eisteddfod.

A portfolio musician with international experience, Ms Yannoula joined the eisteddfod after holding successful positions with organisations such as Trinity College London, Middlesex University and the Drake Calleja Trust.

This year she masterminded successful evening concerts by Alfie Boe and Van Morrison in addition to overseeing the festival’s range of musical competitions.

In a statement sent to llanblogger this afternoon, the eisteddfod says: “We can confirm that Vicky Yannoula’s tenure as our Music Director has now ended.

“We would like to thank Vicky for her energy and enthusiasm and for bringing a refreshing change of artistic emphasis to the Eisteddfod.

“The artistic success of the 2018 Eisteddfod has highlighted the skills and talents of the staff and volunteers that support our organisation and moving forward we will be looking into developing the Music Director role into a more strategic leadership position. This review will ensure that we continue to grow and develop our offering.

“We’re looking forward to announcing our latest developments and will keep our community up to date with this news.

“Once again, we’d like to thank everyone involved in delivering a fantastic festival this year and are delighted with the positive feedback received from the majority of visitors, performers and volunteers involved in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.”

Ms Yannoula was the eisteddfod’s eighth Music Director. 

Since moving from Corfu to London in 1995 to study at the Royal College of Music, her list of accomplishments has made her a notable pianist on stages around the world and seen her collaborate with a wealth of international artists.

She has also had experience as a tutor, recording artist, manager and an entrepreneur.