Twenty Club to stage fun play on seasonal theme

* A scene from the Flint Street Nativity to be staged this week.

The Twenty Club Amateur Players of Llangollen are performing The Flint Street Nativity from Thursday-Saturday (November 22-24) at the Town hall this week.

It's an hilarious comedy written by Tim Firth of Calendar Girls fame.

Mizzis Horrocks' class of seven and eight year olds is about to perform their nativity play at Flint Street Junior School for the proud mums and dads - and the occasional social worker.

Squabbles arise when Gabriel wants to play Mary, the Star grumbles he's not a proper star like they have at NASA, Herod won't stop waving to his mum and dad and the subversive Innkeeper is determined to liven up the traditional script. And then the stick insect escapes ...

The children are played by adults, who later play their parents so the set changes accordingly to reflect the difference in scale.

It’s an ideal alternative to the usual Christmas fare with original lyrics set to the tunes of the usual Christmas carols.

It was first performed to critical acclaim at the Liverpool Playhouse.

Director John Clifford said: "The performances promise to be of an excellent standard, as expected from The Twenty Club.”

* Performances begin at 7.30pm each evening and tickets, at £8 and £6 concessions, are available from Courtyard Books, Gwyn Davies butchers, Jenni's or Mair Bowen on 01978 822759, or via Skiddle.com

Poppy volunteers gather for commemorative picture

A large number of the volunteers who lovingly crafted then fixed over 3,000 poppies to the rear wall of Llangollen's Centenary Square to mark the 100th anniversary of the World War One Armistice gathered for a commemorative picture there this morning (Saturday).

It was taken by photographer Alasdair Mackin who runs locally-based Celtic Camera and specialises in everything from family and baby portraits to stag and hen parties.

* For more details, go to: www.celtic-camera.co.uk or info@celtic-camera.co.uk

Free after 3 parking in lead-up to Christmas

* Llangollen's Market Street is amongst those which will be free after 3pm in the run-up to Christmas.

Denbighshire County Council has announced free parking after 3pm every day between November 21^st and December 31^st, to encourage more people to use their high street for shopping in the run up to Christmas and New Year.

This will be available at Llangollen's East Street, Hall Street, Market Street and Mill Street car parks.

In other areas of the county it will be:

Corwen:  Green Lane

Denbigh: Barkers Well Lane,Crown Lane, Factory Ward, Post Office Lane, Vale Street.

Prestatyn: Lower High Street, Post Office, Railway station

Rhuddlan: Parliament Street

Rhyl: Morfa Hall (dsabled bays only), Morley Road, Queen Street, Sky Tower, West Kinmel Street

Ruthin: Crispin Yard, Dog Lane, Market Street, Park Road, Rhos Street, St Peter's Square, Troed y Rhiwl

St Asaph Bowling Green

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel, said:  “The Free After Three parking initiative has been established now for a number of years and complements the on-going #LoveLiveLocal campaign to encourage more people to use our high streets for their festive shopping.

"We are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity as a Council again this year and hope that people will see the benefits of using our town centre car parks and will be return visitors."

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “There are a wealth of independent shops and businesses county-wide that offer a wide range of good and services. With our free parking initiative after 3pm, we hope more people will come into our main towns to see what they have to offer. I’m sure they won’t be disappointed."

County joins campaign aimed at boosting winter tourism

* Llangollen Canal is a top tourist attraction. 

Denbighshire has signed up to a campaign to encourage tourism across North Wales during the winter season.

‘Get Wrapped Up’ targets audiences outside of Wales, particularly Manchester, and promotes the array of adventure, food and drink, accommodation and events on offer across North Wales during the winter months.

The campaign is funded by the Welsh Government Regional Tourism Engagement Fund (RTEF). 

Conwy County Borough Council lead the project and are joined by Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire and Wrexham (North East Wales), Gwynedd Council, and Isle of Anglesey County Council (IACC), to boost tourism interest all year round, working closely with Visit Wales.

This joined-up approach is one of the first of its kind for the region, with all six local authorities coming together to work on one regional campaign for the benefit of the North Wales economy to help bring new visitors at what can be the most challenging time of the year for the tourism industry. 

It will include radio campaigns, social media promotions, travel and trade opportunities for journalists and a range of resources for businesses to use.

There has already been a positive reaction to the campaign from businesses across the region, with many already supporting the campaign. Businesses large and small across North Wales are being urged to get involved to promote their own products and services to a wider audience this winter.

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this project and would encourage as many businesses as possible to get involved in the campaign. Denbighshire has great walks, mountain biking, historic towns, coastal activities, and a variety of events which can all be enjoyed over the winter months.

"Being only an hour away from Manchester and Liverpool, Denbighshire is well positioned as an accessible destination for a relaxing short break in stunning surroundings. Having an all year offer is also key to attracting more people to work in the tourism sector and make a real impact on the economic prosperity of Denbighshire.”

* Follow the campaign for all of the latest events, news and exclusive competitions by searching #DiscoverNorthWales / #DarganfodYGogledd on social media or visit www.northeastwales.wales

Edie set to be a favourite with New Dot audience

* Sheila Hancock stars in Edie to be screened tomorrow by New Dot cinema.

Tickets are selling fast for this Fridays screening of ‘Edie’, a newly released film starring Sheila Hancock, set in the beautiful Scottish mountains.

“Online sales are way-up this month, it looks like we’ll have a really good turnout for this inspiring, feel-good tale of determination,” reports the volunteer-run, pop-up cinema.

Edie is 83 years old. When her controlling husband dies, she realises she has a once-in-a-lifetime chance to achieve an ambition she’d shared with her father - to climb Mount Suilven in Scotland.

She packs an old camping bag, waves goodbye to her disapproving daughter and sets off on

a life-changing adventure.

Llangollen Town Hall will be transformed tomorrow (Friday) into a big-screen cinema with balcony and floor seating, popcorn and a licenced bar.

Tickets for Edie are available at The Llangollen Oggie Shop on Castle Street, online and on the door.

* More details can be found at: www.newdotcinema.org, on Twitter or Facebook.

Charities urged to contact Aldi for free Christmas food

* Ken Skates AM and Susan Elan Jones MP. 

Charities are being urged to contact their local supermarket for a Christmas food donation.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones and AM Ken Skates want to make organisations such as soup kitchens and foodbanks aware of an annual Aldi giveaway which helps local people.

An Aldi spokesman said: “All our UK stores will close from 6pm on Christmas Eve until Thursday December 27 to give our colleagues a well-earned break, so we will be donating unsold fresh food to good causes in the local community. Each of our UK stores will select one charity from their local area.”

Interested parties should contact christmas@aldi.co.uk with their name, charity number (if applicable), a shirt description (eg soup kitchen, foodbank etc), their contact details and, if possible, the postcode of their three nearest Aldi stores.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones said: “It is important to note that only charities who apply via this email address will be eligible. The closing date for applications is Sunday, November 18 and successful applicants will require volunteers and transport to collect the food at 5.30pm on Christmas Eve.”

Ken Skates AM added: “Last year Aldi donated almost 500,000 meals from over 300 participating stores. Hopefully we can help make it even more this year. If you would like any more information, contact Lee Wright on 020 7300 6343 or email lee.wright@bm.com.”

MP threatens government over betting measures

Update:

The maximum bet on fixed-odds betting terminals will be cut from April after the government bowed to pressure.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones has vowed that Theresa May’s Government will be the first to be defeated in a Finance Bill vote for 40 years unless it changes its stance on fixed odds betting terminals.

Ms Jones (pictured), who is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, was one of the first MPs to sign a cross-party backbench amendment to the Finance Bill calling for the maximum stake on the gambling machines to be reduced from £100 to £2 from April 2019.

She said: “This is not about having a light flutter. Fixed Odds Betting Terminals are called the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling because they’re highly addictive machines that are causing people to lose up to £16,000 a day. I’ve questioned Government Ministers about this and made it clear we need to act fast.

“Either the Government supports our amendment and we deal with this problem together or we  - a combination of cross-party backbenchers supported by the Labour Party front-bench - will use our votes in Parliament to defeat the Government. Too many people’s lives are being affected and we can’t wait any longer.”