Company to run open-top bus tours from Llan

* An open-top London Routemaster bus.

A company is planning to run two new vintage bus sightseeing tours in Llangollen over the Easter weekend.

The first tour by Routemaster 4 Hire based in Llay will be to the summit of The Horseshoe Pass where passengers will see stunning views of the Clwydian Range as the bus climbs 1,368 feet along the A542 to the Ponderosa Cafe - the highest point of the pass.

The drive out of Llangollen will reveal spectacular views towards the Llantysilio Mountain range and Marilyn Cyrn-y-Brain.

There will be a stop at the Ponderosa Cafe giving everyone enough time to take in the views and enjoy some refreshments before the journey back down to Llangollen, says the company.

The Horseshoe Pass tours will depart Parade Street in Llangollen daily at 11.45am and 2.45pm.

The second tour will see a scenic drive from Llangollen to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct which carries the Llangollen Canal 126ft over the River Dee.

The aqueduct tour will depart Parade Street in Llangollen daily at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

Ticket prices for each tour are:

Adult £7                                

Children (5-15yrs) £7

Under 5's Free

Seniors (60+)  £5           

Family (2 Adults, 2 Children) £25

All day ticket (per person) £12

You can pre-book tickets by calling the company during office hours on 01978 799909,  or online at viatour.com

A limited number of tickets will also be available on the day, so you can just turn up and hop-on.

Tours will be running every day over the Easter Weekend from April 19-22.

More running dates will be announced soon, says the company.

Blood donation sessions next week

Blood donation sessions will be held at the Pavilion off Abbey Road in Llangollen next Tuesday, January 29, from 2-4pm and also from 5.30-7.30.

Donations are either by appointment or walk-in.  

A spokesperson for the Welsh Blood Service said: "For every unit of blood donated three lives are saved.

"Next week's Llangollen session still has 32 available appointments meaning an additional 96 lives could be saved.

"If you're available, please use the link to book an appointment and come along to donate: http://bit.ly/2FIaCB3"

Young 'Uns Hopelessly Devoted to Grease

* Taken at the 1950s Museum (Cae Dai Trust) in Denbigh, the picture shows the Pink Ladies(plus Patty Simcox)  and T Birds aboard the museum's 1950s pink Cadillac.

Pink Ladies (from front left round to right) Frenchy, Connie Richardson; Sandy,Sophie Roberts; Rizzo, Celyn Orton-Jones, Marty, Maia Molloy; Patty Simcox, Zoe Nicholas and  Jan, Katie Clark.

T Birds (inside Cadillac) Kenickie, Luke Reardon; Danny, Ethan Le-Cheminant; Roger, Aled Morris; Sonny, Will Heath and Doody, James Reardon. Picture by Barrie Potter.

Llangollen Operatic Society's junior section stage their own version of what is possibly the world's favourite musical next month.

To mark the 41st anniversary of Grease, which had its premiere in New York on Valentine's Day in 1972, , the Young 'Uns are putting on the blockbuster fifties-set show at Llangollen Town Hall from February 14-16.

The piece is packed with explosive energy, vibrant pop culture of the era and a host of unforgettable songs such as Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin', Hopelessly Devoted to You and You're the One that I Want.  

And the Young Uns' cast of nearly 50, a number of whom gave a sneak preview of the production during the town's recent Christmas Festival, have been working hard in rehearsals for the past few months to perfect their presentation of the big rock 'n roll party.  

The 'Young 'Uns have been performing shows in Llangollen for the past 28 years.  

Last year's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat led to the group landing an amateur stage "Oscar" from NODA.

Members, aged 16-18, are drawn not only from Llangollen but surrounding areas such as Chirk, Corwen, Glyn Ceidiog and Wrexham. 

Production team for Grease is Pamela Williams (producer), Dee Smith (assistant producer), Jo Lloyd and Robyn Crowley (artistic directors) and Julian Cattley (musical director).

Show times are Thursday February 14, Friday 15th and Saturday 16th at 7.30 pm plus a Saturday matinee at 2pm.

Tickets at £10 and £8 concessions are available from Jades Hair and Beauty, Gwyn Davies the butchers, Llangollen Oggie Shop, by ringing Stella Bond on 01978 86044 or online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety

Christmas quiz raises £637 for cancer charity

The Cancer Research UK Christmas Quiz 2018 raised £637.61 for the charity.

Results were:

= 1^st     Linda Sutton of Upton, Wirral (49 points)

            Nenia Blatsou of Kempston, Beds (49 points)

= 3^rd      The Hindle family of Newport, South Wales (48 points)

            Margaret Shaw of Greasby, Wirral (48 points)

Very close behind came Jane Hurle of Llangollen, Bill Rowe from London, Ben MacDonald (Bristol), Simon Proffitt (Llangollen), Andrew Spencer (Cwmbran), and Gaynor Answer (Milton Keynes). 

Judy Smith of the Llangollen Committee for Cancer Research UK said: "Our heartiest congratulations to all those, and to everyone who took part. As you can see, we have entrants from all over the country.

"We hope you enjoyed the quiz and that you will make sure to get a copy of the 2019 edition, which should, as ever, be published on December 1st."

Council urges residents to take care in wintry spell

With wintry showers predicted over the coming days, Denbighshire County Council is urging people to be take care and to also keep an eye on their elderly relatives, neighbours and friends.

The Met Office today (Tuesday) has a weather warning in store for ice for North Wales, with the potential for wintry showers for the rest of the day.

The cold weather is expected to last until the end of the week when slightly milder weather is predicted. Further cold weather is then predicted for next week.

The council says it is monitoring weather forecasts and gritting teams have been working and are on stand-by to deal with the freezing temperatures.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel, said: “We have teams of staff who work around the clock to monitor the potential for severe weather and will deploy teams to grit the county’s roads whenever the temperatures drop near the freezing point.

“We would urge people to take extra care If they are driving in any snow or icy conditions and to follow any advice issued by the authorities."

Meanwhile, the council is asking the public to keep an eye on the elderly and vulnerable friends, neighbours and relatives.

Councillor Bobby Feeley, Cabinet Lead Member for Health and Well-being, said: “If people have neighbours, friends or relatives that are unwell, they are encouraged to visit, making sure they have everything they need and to offer help with any daily tasks such as shopping. It is also important to check they are eating properly and keeping their property warm.

“You may be their only visitor they so they will appreciate your kindness and consideration.  The severe weather is getting closer and is likely to last over the coming days, so we want to make sure people do not feel vulnerable or isolated.

“Showing care and compassion towards the elderly or vulnerable will really make a difference to their quality of life."

* If you have any concerns about a vulnerable person, please call the Single Point of Access, on  0300 456 1000, or for out of hours, the Emergency Duty Team, on 0345 0533116. 

Information about any weather-related incidents or advice can be found on the Council’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and its website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk

MP meets Minister over nuisance fireworks

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones recently met Business Energy & Industrial Strategy Minister Kelly Tolhurst to discuss the regulation of fireworks.

Ms Jones (pictured) was part of a cross-party delegation of nine Labour, Conservative and SNP MPs who were calling on the Government to change the law. 

Last year Ms Jones led a debate in Parliament on the subject and also took part in another debate before Christmas in which every participating MP called for reform.

Speaking after the meeting, she said: "I love firework displays and I think organised displays are fantastic. However we can't carry on with the current noisy and dangerous free-for-all which seems to happen throughout the year.  

"There have been big public petitions calling for change and I support them wholeheartedly.

"As well as meeting the Minister we also had a good dialogue with civil servants at the Office for Product Safety and Standards who have been asked to look at the regulations."

She added: "I raised concerns about the ridiculously high noise limit of 120 decibels on fireworks and the fact that while there's a limit on when fireworks can be bought, there's absolutely no limit in terms of the days when they can be let off.

"This is a far cry from fireworks being used only on Bonfire Night. The RSPCA has noted this presents a major problem for animals and pet owners. Veterans' groups and others have also raised similar concerns. 

"Then there is the issue that many of us raised about fireworks being let off by people who are committing anti-social behaviour. This is now commonplace in big cities but we've also seen it a bit in our area too.

"Locally, we have fought tooth and nail to protect fire appliances and we must not have fire fighters and appliances, Police and innocent bystanders caught up in these mindless incidents."

Further to her meeting, Ms Jones will also be writing to Welsh Government Ministers. 

Emporium owner in wrangle with council over sign

* Paul Taylor outside his Chapel Emporium with the controversial sign. 

The owner of a Llangollen second-hand business is at odds with council chiefs over exactly where he can display a sign to advertise his business.

Because his Chapel Emporium is located just off a lay-by on Abbey Road and out of sight of the main shopping area in nearby Castle Street, Paul Taylor has painted a small board to draw customers in.

But because this is not easily visible if he puts it right outside his showroom in a converted chapel he has positioned it, with the permission of the owner, outside the nearby newsagents shop.

But he says he has been informed by Denbighshire County Council that he is not allowed to do this and must keep the board directly outside Chapel Emporium.

Paul said: “As we are situated just slightly off the beaten track, a sign to let people know where we are is a massive help getting customers to us.

“Unfortunately,  the council have said if we have our sign outside the newsagent and sandwich bar, it will be removed and taken away.

“Since being told to remove the sign weeks ago our trade has dropped dramatically especially with visitors to the town who don't know where we are.

“After seeking some advice we were told that the council cannot discriminate against just us, they'd have to tell every shop, pub, cafe etc which puts anything outside to remove theirs as well, and not just in Llangollen but the whole of Denbighshire.”

He added: “What harm is a sign? It's a small town and hard enough to run a business and try make a living as it is.

“We also have 10 stall-holders from as far as Liverpool who also rely on customers coming to us, and they can't believe how pathetic this place is with some very silly rules on having a sign out to advertise a local business in its own town.

“We are doing our bit for the environment by saving and re-using old furniture and other things from being skipped and going to landfill .”

A spokesman for Denbighshire County Council said: "An officer from the council's Streetscene department spoke to an employee at the business.

"The signs were placed approximately 50 metres away from the front of the business so contravened the Highways Act. 

"Advice was provided on how they could approach Llangollen Town Council and county councillors to find help on how to attract business.

"Any 'A' boards in the high street placed directly outside a business and which belong to the business are acceptable, as long as they do not cause an obstruction. This applies to all high street businesses."