Try Llan Country Market for a Christmas bargain

* Country Market members Vicky Lucas, left, and Marion Williams at a stall loaded with Christmas goodies. 

Llangollen Country Market members have been celebrating the lead-up to Christmas in their usual manner.

They have been very busy creating seasonal goodies for all.

The members invite people to come in out of the cold, have a drink and stock up on the unique hand-made gifts, cards, wreaths, jams and chutneys and tasty cakes and pastries.

The market is open on Friday mornings, from 9.45am-12.45pm, in the Town Hall until Friday December 14 when it closes until Friday March 1 for its annual break.

Members say: "We wish a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our customers. Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda."

Play is a great way to start Christmas with a laugh

* The cast of The Flint Street Nativity.

Kids say the darndest things.

And a lot of the things they come out with accurately reflect what their parents say and do.

That's the main premise of the play The Flint Street Nativity currently being staged by the Twenty Club at Llangollen Town Hall.

And an unholy piece of hilarity it turns into.

The plot is that grown-ups play a bunch of kids at Flint Street primary school - located somewhere near Llan in this instance but actually in Liverpool as originally imaged by author Tim Firth - as they perform their annual nativity.

We see them first at rehearsal where we hear them inserting into their own childish conversations the phrases they’ve picked up at home from listening to their sometimes dysfunctional parents.

Quite a bit of this stuff  is malicious but is used innocently by the children as weapons in their own little feuds with other members of the group.

This produces some delicious comedy such as when the Angel Gabriel, marvellously played by Twenty Club favourite Sue Griffiths, wills Hannah Edwards’s superb Virgin Mary to fall sick so that at the last minute she can take over that role herself.

There’s much more of this stuff and the laugh factor steps up significantly when the actual nativity performance gets underway.

Another memorable scenario stems from Mary and Joseph’s weary arrival at the inn to be greeted by Si Kneale deftly portraying a far-from-genial mine host. I won’t divulge what happens but don’t forget to look out for it.   

Another stand-out performance comes from Nicola Holmwood as the Shepherd. She’s extremely believable as a little girl, right down to the perfectly-timed twitches, and delivers some real comedic gems.

James Broderick is sheer magic to watch and listen to as the Ass, so called because he spends most of the action wearing a big cardboard donkey head. However, that doesn’t prevent him perfectly delivering some of the play’s funniest moments.

Other neat performances come from Lizzie Clifford as Wise Gold – one of the Three Kings – Kevin Williams who gives a new twist to the Star of Bethlehem, Eiri Jones as The Angel, Joe Clifford as the Narrator, Gareth Edwards as Herod and Joseph and Rowena Owen as Wise Frankincense – just listen to how she delivers her character’s name with the lisp she puts on.  

Why the various kids say the things they do become clearer when the actors appear as their respective parents in the final scene.

The play, which you can still catch this and tomorrow evening (Friday and Saturday, when it helps round off the town’s Christmas Festival) at 7.30pm, is a credit to John Clifford in his first directorial role and is a cracker of a way to start Christmas.

* 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

Christmas Festival entertainments programme unveiled

Here's the action-packed entertainments programme for this Saturday's Llangollen Christmas Festival:

Centenary Square Entertainment

Compere: Chris Burton

12.50-1.30: Chris Burton, acoustic 60s and 70s

1.30-2.00: Llangollen Silver Band

2.00-2.20: Young ‘Uns

2.25-2.50: Ysgol Bryn Collen


2.55-3.20: Ysgol Y Gwernant

3.25-3.45: Pantomime Group

3.50-4.05: Cylch Meithrin

4.05-4.45: Chris Burton and Friends

5.00: Announcements about switch-on of lights and firework display

Market Street Stage

Compere: Barrie Roberts

1.15-1.45: Madalene Kirby

2.00-2.20: Jay Gatling magician

2.30-3.00: Chef Brian Mellor cookery demonstration

3.05-3.35: Melodics Choir

3.40-4.00: Creak n Twist balloon modelling

4.00-4.30: Chef Brian Mellor cookery demonstration

Old Sweet Shop

1.30-2.00: Fiona Collins storyteller

2.05-2.25: Creak n Twist balloon modelling

2.30-3.00: Fiona Collins storyteller

3.05-3.25: Jay Gatling magician

3.30-4.00: Fiona Collins storyteller

Tourist Information Centre steps

1.45-2.10: Harley the Clown

3.15-3.40: Harley the Clown

Also in various locations around the town centre

Jay Gatling magician, Harley the Clown, Fiona Collins storyteller, Creak n Twist balloon modelling 

Old Vicarage care home is under new management

* Richard and Bethan Mascarenhas with Barclays business manager Philip Cawley. 

Siblings Bethan and Richard Mascarenhas acquired The Old Vicarage Care Home in Llangollen.

The investment will allow the retention of local jobs and peace of mind for the existing residents and their families.

The continuity of the service from one local family to the other has been warmly welcomed by former owners David and Joan Morris.

Richard and Bethan attended Ysgol Dinas Bran and universities in London and have both returned to an active family and community life in Llangollen.

It is their wish to stay involved in the industry and they are both committed to being involved in the positive movements for nursing and social care on a national level, and are representatives of the Care Forum Wales.

Bethan said: “Richard and I were raised in the care sector and have a deep-rooted understanding of the individual needs of residents and a well-established link to the local community.

"Demand for quality care is rising across the region and there are pressures across the sector for future placements, so our joint investment is vital to help meet the region’s projected care needs.

"By really understanding the care sector, Barclays has been able to provide debt finance to support the business. Bethan and Richard have a real passion for quality care and have spent their lives growing up and working alongside their parents in their family run care home at Abbey Dingle since 1988.

“We operate as an extended family, providing dedicated residential care to the very highest standards. With 17 beds we are big enough to make a difference but small enough to deliver individual tailored care.

"Most people when asked don’t wish to live in a residential home but when someone chooses to stay with us, we consider that to be a personal accolade and an opportunity for us to do everything to make that stay as happy and enjoyable as possible, with a dedicated and supportive care that specifically meets individual needs.

"The best thing about running your own small care home is the empowerment  to make timely local decisions to improve services for our residents. Satisfaction from happy residents and family members makes all our efforts worthwhile."

She added: "I have real concerns over the UK’s social care strategy and the pressures on the acute sectors of the NHS. Care homes nationally are increasingly under pressure to meet changing regulations and care standards, which is why all sectors must embrace these challenges, investing and improving the standards of care.”

Barclays bank helped arrange the deal and business manager Philip Cawley said: “Barclays is committed to using our industry expertise within the healthcare sector to support such community investments, which are vital to a prosperous economy." 

A special tree planting in the walled garden at the Old Vicarage will be held to pay tribute to Adrian Roberts of Barclays, a popular and well known local bank manager, who passed away before the acquisition went through, and was succeeded by Philip Cawley who stepped in and saw the deal through to completion.

Christmas concert at the Pavilion

Sion Corn tries a canal boat to reach Christmas Festival

* Sion Corn is hauled into Llangollen Wharf by his team of faithful elves.  

Sion Corn has been looking for the fastest way he can reach Llangollen to star in the town’s famous Christmas Festival this Saturday.

The Denbighshire tourist town is famed for celebrating various modes of transport like river, road, canal and steam train.

So the grand old man – he’s known as Santa Claus in English – has been giving them all a try to see which will get him there as quickly as possible so he can spend more time joining in the fun with the thousands of seasonal merrymakers who are expected to come flocking in to the big event on the afternoon of Saturday November 24.  

Latest to be given the Sion Corn transport test was a narrow boat operated from Llangollen Wharf and used more usually to provide visitors with memorable horse-drawn trips on the stunning Llangollen Canal.

Sion Corn jumped aboard and was hauled along on a test voyage by his team of three intrepid elves.

After tying up back at the wharf, he pronounced himself well satisfied with the trim craft.

He said: “It might only travel at a few miles per hour but coming into town by canal could help me bypass all the traffic on the road on what’s sure to be a busy day.

“The only problem was that my elves got a bit puffed out taking the place of the horse which normally pulls the boat – and I’ll have to bear that in mind because you have to think of elf and safety these days!”

Thousands of seasonal revellers are expected to come flocking to Llangollen for the Christmas Festival on Saturday.

Kicking off at 1pm with the famous parade which sees Sion Corn 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 for 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.”

Police boss says he's been gagged on Brexit "chaos"

* North Wales PCC Arfon Jones.

A police chief has hit out after being “gagged” to try and stop him from warning people in North Wales about the threat to law and order caused by the Brexit chaos.

The region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, says the National Police and Crime Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has issued what amounts to a gagging order to the country’s 41 police and crime commissioners.

The latest information from the National Police Chiefs Council and APCC about policing contingency arrangements for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit are marked ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ and a warning that they are not to be shared more widely.

Mr Jones, a former police Inspector, said: “I believe that if there is anything that increases the risk of security issues then the public deserve and need to know.

“Unfortunately the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners are very much like the Home Office in that they like to try and put a security classification on this information.

“In my view it amounts to a gagging order but we have been elected and we are under an obligation to tell people what’s going on in terms of crime and policing.

“It is certain that whatever is put in place of our existing arrangements with the rest of Europe will be slower, more cumbersome and more bureaucratic and while I don’t think this will come as a huge surprise to anyone it does bear repeating.

“It’s one reason I would support the call by Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts for a People’s Vote on Brexit now that we know more about the effects it will have.”

Mr Jones’s North Wales region includes the UK’s second biggest roll-on/roll-off ferry port in Holyhead which deals with huge movements of people and goods with the Republic of Ireland.

He fears that security there could be seriously compromised by a hard Brexit which would mean that after March 29 next year the UK could be frozen out of up to 32 of the shared services currently used to target criminals across Europe.

Among them are ECRIS, the European Criminal Record Information Service used 539 million times by British police last year, Europol, the European Union law enforcement agency, and the European Arrest Warrant.

Mr Jones said he intends to ask for the publication of planning documents agreed by the National Police Chiefs' Council on mitigating the effects of a no-deal Brexit and a report on the visit of Lord Willy Bach, the Labour peer and Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, to Brussels to discuss future policing concerns with European Union officials.

The NPCC has set up a 50-person unit to determine how to replace current European policing systems and another team is looking at the pressures on policing a hard Brexit might create.

Mr Jones added: “When we speak to Europeans about Brexit they are very worried because the UK is a big player in terms of European policing and if we crash out of Europe we will crash out of its safeguards against organised crime and terrorism.

“All these important tools we currently use for security and policing are now at risk and could soon be denied to our police forces and the public deserve to know what is being done to replace them.

“Brexit risks putting the UK and North Wales in jeopardy. Our co-operation with the rest of Europe is used to help North Wales Police guard against terrorism, serious organised crime including modern slavery and human and drugs trafficking.

“A hard Brexit will mean starting from scratch, negotiating individually with each country and using instruments that we currently use for countries outside the EU and that will mean extradition will be slower and more difficult, and criminals will evade justice and will find it easier to operate in the UK.”