Thousands expected for 2018 Christmas Festival

* Last year's Christmas lights switch-on.

* Last year's parade passes the Town Hall.

Thousands of seasonal revellers are expected to come flocking to Llangollen for the town’s annual Christmas Festival on Saturday November 24.

Kicking off at 1pm with the famous parade which sees Sion Corn - the Welsh Santa – being escorted into town over the historic bridge by a colourful cavalcade of entertainers and local groups, the event features children’s fairground rides and games, circus acts, a magician, dancing and face painting.

There will also be a chance for youngsters to visit Sion Corn in his glorious grotto and put in their early requests from what they’d like to see him bring them on Christmas morning. 

During the afternoon visitors can look forward to an eclectic mix of musical entertainment from local groups on two outdoor stages and other on-street entertainment.

The fun-packed day rounds off at 5pm with the ceremonial switching on of Llangollen’s legendary Christmas lights and a firework extravaganza. 

Llangollen Christmas Festival is organised by a group of dedicated community volunteers. It costs over £4,000 to stage each year and is self-funding.

The festival aims to provide a free family-orientated event in the safety of the town centre with surplus funds being donated to Wales Air Ambulance and local community groups.

Over the last couple of years the police have estimated that the spectacular event draws over 2,000 people into town during the course of the afternoon.

For the second year the festival has teamed up with Light Up Local Food, a project aimed at promoting Llangollen-based food and drink producers.

Chairman of the festival committee Austin ‘Chem’ Cheminais, who is also the local town crier and a member of the town council, said: “With the help of the community we manage, each year, to raise just about enough to fund the event and give a little to charity.

“Last year’s festival was particularly successful, in spite of the weather, and the feedback from those attending was very positive.

“The ‘market’ feel to the event provided by Light UP Local Food was particularly commented upon and helped to attract visitors from much further afield.

“Once again we’re expecting a bumper crowd to come along and help us to give a great early start to Christmas.” 

Lifesaving spray "should be carried by our cops"

* North Wales PCC Arfon Jones.

The nasal spray that saved the life of  multi-million selling American pop star Demi Lovato should be carried by every police officer in North Wales, according to the region’s policing boss.

The 25-year-old Grammy-nominated singer and actor, a star of X Factor USA, collapsed after a suspected overdose at her Hollywood home in July and was revived by a paramedic using a naloxone spray.

Now North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has joined the campaign to have all police officers equipped with the spray which is used as an antidote to opiate drug overdoses of substances like heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers.

He said: “In the past delivering an antidote to a heroin overdose involved giving an injection and I can understand the reluctance of police officers to administering what is a medical procedure.

“But naloxone can be given on the scene of a suspected opiate overdose with a simple nasal spray and in a country where there are well over 1,000 deaths a year from this kind of overdose it makes sense.

“Police officers are in the business of helping people and by allowing our officers in North Wales and elsewhere in the UK to carry naloxone sprays we would be saving lives in a country where far too many are lost to overdoses.”

Mr Jones, a former police inspector with North Wales Police, is backing the campaign by Derbyshire PCC Hardyal Dhindsa, the Association of PCC’s Alcohol and Substance Misuse Lead.

Mr Dhindsa said: “The increased threat of super-strength opiates such as Fentanyl and Carfentanyl, which can cause an accidental overdose even for those with a higher opioid resistance, further highlights how providing an effective first response to these overdoses is only going to get more important in the coming years.

“A key tool to preventing these deaths from overdose is the opioid-suppressant naloxone. This drug is used to inhibit the effects of opiates, such as heroin and morphine, and can stop an overdose in its tracks, providing a crucial window for getting medical assistance to the patient.”

Naloxone acts by preventing opiates, which affect the brain’s control of respiration, from slowing or even shutting down breathing, the most common cause of drug-related death.

It can be given with a simple nasal spray and has been listed by the World Health Organisation as an essential medicine and is recommended by health experts at the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs and Public Health England on the basis of the difference it has made and the lives it has saved both at home and abroad.

Arfon Jones added: “One third of all European drug related deaths happen in the UK and many of these are as a result of overdoes of heroin and other opiates and as police officers are often the first on the scene of such cases it makes sense that they should be able to give the simple treatment that can make a life-saving difference.

“Time is critical in these incidents and so police officers need to be given the tools to protect the public.

“Up until three years ago it could only be given by injection but now nasal sprays are available and even if the person concerned hasn’t taken an opiate naloxone won’t have an effect or cause harm.”

Humorist to guest with Llandegla music club

Humorist and performance poet Les Barker (pictured) will appear as guest of Llandegla All Styles Music Club at the Memorial Hall, Llandegla at 8pm on Monday October 15.

The evening's programme also includes singers and musicians. There is a raffle and admission is £5.                      

Hailing from Manchester but now living in Bwlchgwyn as well as touring Britain, Les has also performed in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.

He has published 75 books to date and has released 20 albums. 

A club spokesman said: "Les has a worldwide reputation for leaving his audiences helpless with laughter, from here to the other side of the world

"With doors at 7.30 and a prompt start, at 8pm, we hope to fit in some singers as well, so bring your instruments.

"We're very sorry to report that the guests we had booked for our next event, Fiddlestone, are unable to perform, owing to the hospitalisation of one of their members. 

"We wish him well and hope to host Fiddlestone in the New Year."

Christmas card competition launched by AM and MP

* Ken Skates AM and Susan Elan Jones MP with artist Larrie Beattie from Penycae, who won the 2015 competition for artists of all ages.

Schoolchildren are being asked to show their artistic side and design a Christmas card which will be sent to hundreds of homes.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates and MP Susan Elan Jones are inviting pupils of every infant and primary school in their constituency to enter – and there are prizes to be won.

The winning design will get pride of place on the Labour pair’s official Clwyd South Christmas card and will be sent out to constituents, businesses, schools and voluntary groups.

Ken said: “It might seem a bit early with the summer holidays only just over, but we have to set a deadline of almost six weeks before Christmas to make we have enough time to get our cards printed and posted in time – it’s a big job!
“Whenever we have run this competition the children always enter into the spirit. We’re very grateful to the teachers for encouraging them to take part and for helping them.”

Susan added: “The competition is a fun way for schoolchildren in Clwyd South to learn a little bit about who represents them. A number of local companies have generously offered to sponsor the competition, so there will be prizes and certificates too. 
“We’ve had some wonderful designs in previous years and I’m looking forward to seeing what the children come up with this year.”

* The competition closes on Friday, November 16, and children can ask their teachers or parents/guardians to send their designs to Mr Skates’ constituency office at Unit 22, The Malthouse, Regent Street, Llangollen, LL20 8HS.

Any local companies who would like to co-sponsor the competition and have their logo feature on the card can email ken.skates@assembly.wales

Museum launches its latest art competition

Thai firm stirs up food festival excitement

* Dtoi Harvey will bring her Authentic Thai Cuisine to Llangollen Food Festival.

A Thai food producer which has tripled in size in 11 years is to launch a brand new chicken satay starter to satisfy a growing appetite for its honest cooking.

Authentic Thai Cuisine, based in Llanferres, in Flintshire, will be unveiling the new appetiser at the Llangollen Food Festival which provides a showcase for the company.

The starter has been developed to add to its array of frozen curries, noodle dishes and sauces as part of a plan to encourage customers to make a banquet out of its products.

The business, which was launched by Dtoi Harvey 11 years ago while she was employed as a full-time nursery nurse in Wrexham, currently produces more than 300 curries, 80 noodle dishes and up to 50 side dishes every week which it supplies to farm shops and food outlets across North Wales – three times the amount produced in its first two years.

Its reputation has grown significantly since first exhibiting at the food festival three years ago and the firm now employs seven part-time staff while boasting a growing list of suppliers – the most recent of which is based in Chester.

Owner Dtoi, 57, said a recent grant from Denbighshire County Council had enabled the business to purchase a walk-in freezer and increase its production capacity as well as the shelf life of its dishes. It has also led to the launch of new appetiser dishes including chicken satay.

The mother-of-one is excited about launching the dish at Llangollen Food Festival which she credits as winning her business far and wide.

“The festival has been really important to my business. You have to be known to be a success. Some of my suppliers are based in the middle of a field. They would never have known about my food had it not been for the festival introducing them to me,” said the former language support worker, who has a son, Tom, aged 21.

“It’s so important to get out there and meet people as well as present my cooking. I’m really looking forward to bringing my chicken satay there and presenting it to a wider audience.

“People can now make a banquet out of our products which is really exciting. The idea is that people who are really busy can enjoy themselves and contribute to their dinner party rather than being stuck in the kitchen.

“There seems to be a growing demand for good quality Thai cuisine which can be heated at home. I have people who order meals to take to Scotland or London on holiday or on business which is a great compliment.”

Llangollen Food Festival, which will be held at the iconic Royal International Pavilion Llangollen on October  13 and 14, was founded in 1997 and has gone from strength to strength, annually attracting thousands of food lovers from far and wide.

As a result, 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 every year.

Dtoi, who was born near Bangkok in southern Thailand before moving to the UK 30 years ago, worked as a nursery nurse/language support worker for 15 years, helping foreign children in the area adjust to school life and alleviate language barriers.

It was while helping GCSE home economics pupils in the school kitchens she rediscovered her love of cooking authentic Thai food and the idea for her own food label was born.

To begin with Dtoi, who lives with her husband Graham, an engineer, donated her culinary creations to friends, family and community events to gauge feedback before formally going into business.

Now, 11 years later, she’s swapped the humble setting of her home kitchen for a self-contained unit in the garden and is responsible for seven part-time employees.

What hasn’t changed is the honesty of her cooking which remains preservative and additive-free (some dishes are also gluten, wheat and dairy-free) and emphasises the therapeutic, medicinal properties of the traditional herbs and spices to reflect her Thai culture.

“I’m really excited about launching this new starter at Llangollen Food Festival. I’m really the only person in the business who can talk in-depth about my products and the detailed cooking process so it’s important I’m there.

 “All of my ingredients are helpful emotionally and physically. Turmeric, for example, is a natural antiseptic and helpful for balancing hormones in women and men. Lemon grass as well as shallot and garlic soup is great for settling tummy aches. I understand the properties of the ingredients I use which is why I love coming to festivals and talking about it to my customers.” 

She also uses local producers where possible including J Williams & Co Butchers in Denbigh and fresh vegetables from Mold.

Among her growing list of products is massaman curry, traditional Thai red curry, green curry and yellow curry, vegetable spring rolls and her popular homemade sweet chilli sauce.

Phil Davies, a member of the committee at Llangollen Food Festival, said: "Companies like Authentic Thai Cuisine are what we are all about.

"We're particularly proud that we have been able to provide a shop window for Dtoi’s fantastic culinary talents and that we have helped her company develop and grow.”

* To find out more about Llangollen Food Festival go to: www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Tourism sector event for the county

Businesses have the opportunity to boost their digital skills for free as Google brings Google Digital Garage to Denbighshire in October.

The Denbighshire Tourism Forum and Google Digital Garage takes place on October 10 at the Oriel House, St Asaph.

With a line-up of guest speakers including representatives from Visit Wales presenting on investment opportunities for businesses, Keep Tidy Wales and Surfers Against Sewage sharing their experiences of working towards plastic free status in their towns, it promises to be a key event for those involved in the tourism sector.

Three free Google Digital Garage sessions will be available during the afternoon. ‘Build a Digital Marketing Plan’ gives small businesses an introduction to the main digital marketing channels and how to use them to build a strategy.

‘Know your Business with Data’ will explore how Google Analytics can help uncover trends about customers, including how people use websites to interact with businesses online. Finally, the Social Media Strategy session will explore how to create a social media strategy based on business goals.

The event offers a great opportunity for delegates to network and share experiences, knowledge and ideas.

A variety of information stands will be present including Business Wales, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, SC2, Development Bank Wales, Clwydian Range Tourism Group and many more.

Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: “The Tourism Forum is a great way to meet like-minded people and find out about the latest tourism developments.

“The Google Digital Garage visiting Denbighshire is a great opportunity for businesses, students and people looking to gain new skills and knowledge. It’s a great benefit for local businesses to see how they can reach more customers and increase their business potential.”

Ronan Harris, Google UK & Ireland Managing Director, said: 'In the digital age, a basic understanding of how the online world works is useful and when it comes to business, it’s essential.

"We are delighted to bring the Google Digital Garage to Denbighshire and ensure everyone has access to free digital skills workshops. We hope you'll pop in and get the skills you need to become more confident online, grow your career or business, and maybe even launch the next big idea."

In the last two years, over 200,000 people across the UK have benefitted from Google’s free face-to-face training on digital know-how.

* To book a place at the Denbighshire Tourism Forum and/or Google Digital Garage please visit https://denbighshiretourismforumandgoogledigitalgarage.eventbrite.co.uk