New object of desire from the Italian romeo

Alfa Romeo Stelvio road test by Steve Rogers

MENTION Alfa Romeo and I go all weak at the knees.

Bit OTT for a grown man I suppose but it is the one car badge that really excites me, and I know all about its colourful history.

I have driven some dodgy Alfas, albeit a couple of decades or more ago, loose trim, awful gearboxes, electrical cock-ups, but it didn't matter. The engines sounded marvellous and the handling was sublime.

My passion for the Italian romeo goes back nearly 50 years when a friend gave me a lift in his Alfasud.

For a youngster whose wheels were a beat up Renault 8, the Alfasud was motoring heaven . The way it danced through bends left me gobsmacked and I wanted one.

It never happened but at least this job has given me nearly 40 years of sampling these Italian beauties. The designers at Alfa have created gorgeous saloons and hatchbacks but penning an SUV is a challenge and a half so can the new Stelvio set hearts racing.

Alfa is virtually last to the SUV ball but clearly wanted to get it just right. It is built on the same platform as the glorious Giulia, the most exciting car I drove last year, and Alfa's engineering supremo Robert Fedeli wanted that saloon's brilliant dynamics mirrored in Stelvio.

That's a big ask, almost an impossible one given the high sided body of an SUV, yet the engineers have made a pretty good fist of it and the designers haven't done a bad job either.

Well, the front definitely looks the business but with the famous shield grille and badge how could they fail to build something stylish around it. The profile is everyday SUV fair but I like the rounded proportions which flow neatly to the tailgate.

So having succeeded on design front does Stelvio come up to scratch on driving dynamics?

It ain't no Giulia that's for sure, but then a BMW X3 is no 3 Series so let's not kid ourselves. Yet this SUV, which is lighter than some key competitors, will hold its own if put to the test on a race track (not that I got the chance but I know it would) thanks to some clever work by Mr Fedeli's team.

The suspension is stiffer than the Giulia because it has to control the inevitable body roll of a car that stands tall, so in the main they have risen to the task.

The downside is you feel every bump and at times the ride can be annoyingly unruly.

There can be no complaints on performance and in this case it comes from the dreaded diesel. I don't get the anti diesel hysteria because the engines are cleaner than ever with lower emissions than petrol engines.

The Stelvio's turbo charged 4-cylinder 2.2 litre is a beast, flying off the start line, and with so much mid range torque it is hard not to keep flooring the fast pedal just to get the thrill, and that's before switching from normal to dynamic setting which heightens the throttle response and weights up the steering.

Stelvio delivers an exciting drive mainly because it is rear wheel drive with all the poise and balance that brings. Four wheel drive only kicks in when the sensors detect slippery conditions.

It all happens through an eight speed automatic but it is tempting to go manual using the oversized steering wheel paddle changes for the hell of it. Great fun.

Some will complain the paddles are so big they cover the stalks, but they are so nice to touch and I only changed gear by mistake once when reaching for the stalk to wash the screen!

It has taken Alfa too long to bring its SUV to the table but the end justifies the means and Stelvio is a match for similar premium offerings from Jaguar, BMW, Audi and such like.

Style, performance, handling, build quality, equipment, safety, they are all there. Alfa has been on a roll for a while with some great cars so Stelvio ought to rack up some decent numbers.

PS: This car is too good to turn your back on so if a diesel Stelvio is a no-no then look out the turbo charged 2-litre petrol. It will prove a very spicey alternative.

Key facts

Stelvio Q4 AWD Super

£38,490

2.2 turbo diesel; 210bhp

0-62mpg 6.6secs; 134mph

58.9mpg combined

127g/km. 1st year tax £205

Insurance group 31 

Eisteddfod offers volunteering opportunities

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has a number of volunteering opportunities on its Grounds Team.

These are for a Field Warden, Bussing Stewards and Communications volunteers.

Field Warden 

The principal role of the Field Warden is to provide immediate help and support to the wide range of people visiting the Eisteddfod.

From helping people to find their way around the site to handling lost property, the Field Wardens are there to help the public enjoy their experience of the Eisteddfod. In addition, in the event of an emergency, the Field Wardens have a responsibility to assist and direct the public to safe areas.

Being sought are people who are happy to help and assist others and interact with the diverse audience attending the Eisteddfod. Most of the time Field Wardens are up and about the site and so the days are broken up into two-hour shifts and you can volunteer onto the rota depending on your availability.

An eisteddfod spokesperson said: "This is a new, exciting and enjoyable role and we are looking to establish a core team of people to take this role forward."

Bussing Stewards 

This role is responsible for stewarding school parties on and off the Eisteddfod field on the Tuesday and Thursday of Eisteddfod week and on additional days if required. It involves meeting and greeting the school parties on the coach park and directing them up and onto the field. On departure, the bussing stewards escort them safely from the field to their coach. Shifts are: 8.15 am to 11 am and 1.15pm to 3.30pm.

Communications Volunteers 

Communications volunteers are a vital part of the Eisteddfod. They provide essential communication support to ensure the smooth running of the event, passing key information across the various committees to keep the music flowing and liaising with the emergency services in the event of minor/ major incidents and accidents.

Commitment varies, but it would be usual for a volunteer to offer around 10 hours over the course of the six-day event, in the form of two-five hour sessions in the Grounds Communications Radio Centre which operates from 8am to around 11pm daily. Training will be provided on the job whilst assisting an experienced communications volunteer.

Typical tasks include:
* Working within the communication protocols to ensure the right people get the right information at the right time.
* Receiving, recording and passing of messages to the relevant person(s). Either via the telephone network or monitoring the two-way radio base station.
* Issuing and logging radio allocations, and maintaining charged battery supplies.

* If you are interested in the above roles or know someone who would be, please complete the volunteer application form here or for more information, contact Mikala Nash on info@llangollen.net

Details announced for Malcolm Twigg's funeral

Details have been announced by his family for the funeral of well-known Llangollen resident Malcolm Twigg who died recently.

It is to take place at 1.30pm next Thursday, February 14, at Pentrebychan Crematorium.

His family have said that any musicians or singers are welcome to bring instruments to the Hand Hotel later that afternoon, from 2pm, should anyone wish to play or sing in memory of Malcolm who was a prominent member of Llangollen Male Voice Choir which was based there.

Church to host St David's Day eisteddfod event

The Eisteddfod is hosting an international themed St David’s Day Event on Friday March 1 at St Collen’s Church to raise money to help fund overseas competitors to the festival. T

The traditional format of the Cymanfa Ganu – the congregational singing of hymns, will be conducted by Leigh Mason of Côr Meibion Froncysyllte, and will have an extra international dimension as well as musical items from Llangollen Silver Band and the James Lambert Singers.

Tickets are available from the Eisteddfod box office by calling 01978 862001, or from the Tourist Information Centre.

Tickets are priced at £5, which includes entry, a programme and a wide range of refreshments.

MP calls for inquiry into offshore helicopter safety

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones (pictured) has backed parliamentary calls for a Government inquiry into offshore helicopter safety.

Speaking at a debate in Parliament, she said: “There are more than 18,000 people in this country who work in the offshore oil and gas industry, on North Sea rigs and so forth.

"This includes people from my home area and most other constituencies across the country. It is vital therefore that helicopter safety is paramount to protect those workers.”

Ms Jones also noted that since 2009, there have been six offshore helicopter accidents around the North Sea which have led to 33 deaths and the need for 65 other people to be rescued.

Volunteers clear vegetation for beside railway tracks

A team of Llangollen Railway volunteers have been busy clearing away vegetation from the sides of the track.

Over recent weekends they've worked on Green Lane Cutting, Pentrefellin and Deeside Halt.

One of the team, Rich Smith, said: "The amount of work that has been achieved is great to see. Deeside Halt will continue to be worked on for the next two weekends.

"It's amazing how a bunch of people from different departments of the railway most of whom have never met can come together to achieve the same goal.

"To make the railway we work so hard to keep running and looking as it should is a thing to behold.

"I'm glad to be a part of it to make the paying public appreciate the views it opens up.

"Well done to Robin for organising the whole thing and working every day on the veg cutting and to the volunteers for turning out to help."

* The pictures, showing the three sites worked on, were taken by volunteers Tom and Robin.

Charlie's cash challenges are inspired by little cousin

* In training: Charlie Reoch.

* Lilly Day, nine.

A bakery worker from Llangollen has been inspired to embark on a series of fund-raising challenges by her nine year old cousin who suffers from a rare life-limiting condition.

Quality assurance manager Charlie Reoch, 25, is kicking off her quest with the Village Bakery Half Marathon in Wrexham which is sponsored by her employers and takes place in Wrexham on Sunday, February 17.

Her brave little cousin, Lilly Day, who lives in Deal, in East Kent, is one of fewer than 30 people in the world who have been diagnosed an uncommon variant of the already rare condition, Ataxia-Telangiectasia or A-T.

It’s a degenerative multi-system disorder that affects the brain, immune system and increases the risk of cancers.

The cruel condition causes increasingly severe disability for which there is no cure or treatment.

Charlie, who joined the Village Bakery nine months ago, is in training for the popular race which will be her first ever half marathon.

It’s  attracting a record number of runners, with more than 2,700 signed up already and just a few places left.

As well as sponsoring the event, this year the Village Bakery is also providing the race headquarters at their new gluten-free bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate.

After the half marathon, Charlie is looking for ideas for more fund-raising physical challenges.

The proceeds will be split equally between the A-T Society and Lilly’s family so they can go on a holiday of a lifetime touring Europe in a camper van.

Charlie said: “It is a very cruel condition and sadly Lilly will die young. She won't make it to her 20s - she'll make it through her teens if we're lucky.

 “Lilly is losing the ability to walk, she can't talk and she can't chew food properly. It's horrible. It gets progressively worse.

“But she'll stay compos mentis mentally, so she'll know what's happening, but her body will fail her.

“She's of an age now where she is starting to understand more. She used to say to her dad ‘Daddy next year when I'm better, can we do this and that?’. They had to sit her down and say ‘this is the best you're going to be’.

"But she's a very positive young girl and she's quite energetic and excited. She's gorgeous. She's cheeky. She's ever so funny. She's full of life, a really happy little girl. She loves playing and baking and doing everything else when she can.

“The fact she has A-AT is terribly sad. It's heart-breaking.

"Half the money I raise will go to the AT Society who fund research into treatment and hopefully a cure. They've given great support and my family during this awful time.

“The rest of the money I would like to give directly to the Day family because, while Lilly can still move and enjoy life, they want to take her on the road trip of a lifetime this summer.

“She's got an older sister, Melissa, and an older brother, Hayden, so they want to go and make memories while they still can.

"Lily is inspiring me to do this now. I don't have a plan for the other challenges but I’d welcome suggestions from people for what they'd like to see me do.

"I used to run about two years ago but this will be my first half marathon. I am in training now, the farthest I have run so far is 8k.

“If it didn't have a time limit I'd be fine but you've got to do it in 2 hours 45 minutes, so  there is just a little bit of pressure then. I need to finish. I hope it will be fine.

Village Bakery managing director Robin Jones said: “I take off my hat to Charlie because this will be her very first half marathon but she’s doing it  for a very good cause.

“This year’s race is shaping up to be the best ever and they have already got a record number of runners taking part.

"”We're now in our 24th year and we hope and pray that the weather is good for us because it's a lovely course.

“Although the race starts and finishes on the industrial estate, the course takes you through some beautiful countryside. It’s going to be fantastic event.”

* Charlie has set up a Just Giving page for anyone who would like to make a donation https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lillys-story and for anybody wanting more information should go to the website of the race organisers  www.cutefruitevents.com