Stunning images feature in Pavilion art exhibition

* Punk Notes by Des Jones.

Over 60 striking images feature in the latest exhibition at the Pavilion by Llangollen Artists.

A total of seven artists with a hugely varied range of styles are taking part in the free-to-view show which lasts until June 14.

Amongst the exhibits by Des Jones are a couple of pictures executed in printers ink of musicians, the most notable of which to some will be the one entitled Punk Notes which depicts a guitarist in an all-action pose.

An appropriately haunting image of an Old Ghost House is part of the eclectic display by Carys Haf  Roberts. There’s a definite otherworldliness to this atmospheric mixed media offering which leaves one wondering exactly where the house is located.

Raising the mood significantly is the adjacent work of  Philip Charles Parker, all are brilliantly observed and vividly coloured, none more so than the jocular oil on canvas creation entitled Won’t You Pour Me a Cuban Breeze, Gretchan?   

Outstanding colours coupled with draughtsman-like precision also abound in the pictures of Jenny Saltmarsh. A good example of her style and a real eye-catcher is the study of motorbike race ace Joey Dunlop scorching around the track.

Landscapes but far from traditional ones feature in the thoughtful work of Richard Buxton, including the acrylic on canvas piece Landscape With Ravens. Its presentation is simple but extremely effective.

Tellingly evocative of the subject is the oil rendering Ready, one of the collection displayed by Louise Edwards, which shows a First World War soldier posing with his mates for a picture presumably ready to go “over the top”. On his face is a gritty smile perhaps because he’s aware what his fate might be.

A particularly stunning landscape of Dinas Bran Castle and the hills surrounding it is one of the memorable offerings from photographic artist Simon Collinge.             

* Old Ghost House by Carys Haf Roberts. 

* Won't You Pour Me a Cuban Breeze, Gretchen by Philip Charles Parker.

* Joey Dunlop by Jenny Saltmarsh. 

* Landscape With Ravens by Richard Buxton.

* Ready by Louise Edwards.

* A photographic study of Castell Dinas Bran area by Simon Collinge.

Convoy heads through Glyndyfrdwy

llanblogger reader George Jones took this picture of the latest windmill farm load leaving the Tollgate lay-by on Tuesday.

He says two base units formed the police-escorted convoy through to Llidiart y Parc lay-by with eastbound A5 traffic being held back to allow movement through Glyndyfrdwy.

This is an on-going operation until July 31.

Meantime, he says the Ruabon roundabout four-way traffic lights and A539 is a route to avoid as work proceeds in connection with a new superstore on land near the junction.

Llan's Oggie Shop enjoys real taste of success

* Llangollen Oggie Shop owner Ross Anderson with local suppliers oggie baker Pauline Jones, left, and Lorraine Hughes, of Megan’s Kitchen.

It’s oggie, oggie, oggie for a former financial services specialist who has swapped the world of insurance for sausage rolls and pastries – by running a pie shop and delicatessen.

And the big seller for Ross Anderson and his wife Tracey, who are celebrating five years at the Llangollen Oggie Shop and Deli on the town’s High Street, is the traditional Welsh delicacy that’s believed to outdate the Cornish pasty.

They can sell hundreds in a day at the height of the summer season when tourists flock to the town.

Since opening Ross, from Llangollen, has seen the business almost double its turnover and he bases its success on a commitment to local produce and the oggie, made by local baker Pauline Jones, is just one example.

Legend has it the oggie was first served to the 12th century builders of St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire – 600 years before the pasty appeared – but Ross gets his fresh every day from Pauline.

He said: “I was a financial services broker for 20 years but it was very stressful and I fancied a change and when this opportunity came up I took it and it’s been very positive.

“Ironically my very first job was in the food sector - as a fish fryer at Harry Ramsden’s in Manchester and I stayed there for two years and Tracey’s parents had kept a couple of pubs in Llangollen, The Grapes and the Prince of Wales.

“It’s been a good move to open the Oggie Shop but it has been a learning curve as well.

“Our shop was originally an open market site underneath the town hall assembly rooms when they were built in 1867, becoming a shop in 1885 and since then it’s been a grocer’s so we’re continuing a tradition and from the start we’ve decided to stock as much local produce as possible.

“As well as Pauline’s oggies we have other pies and pastries while the Welsh cakes and bara brith are made across the road at Megan’s Kitchen as well as other pastries and pies and we stock other Denbighshire products such as Chilly Cow ice cream from the Vale of Clwyd.”

The Llangollen Oggie Shop’s commitment to locally-sourced products has worked well for them and is the kind of unique shopping offer that has seen them featured in Denbighshire County Council’s #lovelivelocal campaign which promotes the lively and high quality food and drink offer on the county’s high streets.

This is being featured on a series of videos on social media in the run-up to Easter as the campaign highlights what the county has to offer shoppers and encourages people to support local independent businesses by using the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to share good experiences they’ve had as well as promote products and services locally they have ‘loved’.

Ross now employs Tracey and one other full-time staffer along with four part-timers and he said: “In the quiet months we can run the shop with just a couple of us but we scale up in the summer and basically we will stay open as long as there are people about.

“I had never really thought about being in the food business but I came across the fact that the shop, known as Bailey’s Delicatessen, was for sale in a commercial agency and I knew it and felt it had a lot of potential and the location was really good.

“Food is a happy business and I wanted to get the shop attached to the town and the community and establish it as a Llangollen entity. I’m a big believer in presenting yourself well and we aim to establish a rapport with the customer so that they return.

“The five years have just passed so quickly and we have doubled turnover. On a good day in the summer we can take 30 times more than we might on a rotten January day but in the recent spell of warm February weather we took a record amount for an off-season weekend due to such a high level of visitors to the town.

“It can mean some long days but I do feel I’m still in the honeymoon stage - even after five years it hasn’t worn off yet.

“We do get lots of local customers and we do try and look after them and we gets lots of outdoor sports enthusiasts because Llangollen is something of a mecca for them.

“And we’re always on the look out for new products sourced locally and luckily there seen to be more and more becoming available and we believe it’s great for visitors to experience a taste of the area they are visiting and maybe take some home with them as well.

“Llangollen is a great and thriving place for a food and drink business. We hold a celebrated Food festival every October at the international pavilion site, which is currently listed in The Telegraph’s top 10 UK food events.

“I can be found there running around organising the music stages over that weekend.

“The town itself boasts real quality restaurant offerings showcasing local produce, like The Corn Mill and The Three Eagles. And alongside ourselves we have great specialist food shops promoting local produce like Porters Delicatessen, Zingiber and The Phoenix.”

* Denbighshire County Council’s #LoveLiveLocal 2019 campaign to promote the county’s rich and varied food and drink offer uses the hashtag #LoveLiveLocal across all social networking platforms to encourage shoppers to visit its towns.

* For more on #lovelivelocal go to as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

No record breaker but a beautiful handler

* The ToyotaYaris.

Toyota Yaris road test by Steve Rogers

If we are to believe what we hear nearly all of us will be driving hybrid or electric within 10 years.

Volvo is really going for it saying every new car from 2019 will be electrified.

The numbers of hybrid and electric cars has certainly shifted up a gear in the last 12 months with just about every manufacturer offering something in the alternative fuel line.

Toyota was one of the pioneers and has several hybrids in its line up but do they really come up with the goods on economy?

It depends on whether your driving needs match those of a hybrid car, there is such a thing as a hybrid driver. Let's looks at a couple of examples. 

The Toyota driver who delivered the Yaris hybrid had a traffic free early morning 180 mile motorway dash and managed 36.4mpg - it said so on the dashboard computer. The clear message is if you spend your time charging along motorways don't buy a hybrid.

Example two: I took the Yaris on a 12 mile drive made up of four miles down hill, seven miles on dual carriageway doing about 55mph and a mile in a 30mph zone powered purely by the electric motor. Result: 89.8mpg, and I am sure I could have cracked 90mpg if I had gone another few hundred yards on electric power.

That shows what is possible but will be a rare event. What you can expect from the Yaris hybrid if its journeys are in and around town, A roads, or sticking to around 60mph on motorways is pretty impressive if my 62.4mpg after a week and nearly 500 miles is anything to go by. The official average is 78.5mpg which will be a bit of a stretch.

From a safety point of view my driving style was calmer and more considerate because I wanted to exploit the hybrid potential so I tried to keep the needle in the green zone, the place to be for the big economy numbers. So there was no harsh braking or flooring it from the traffic lights, although should the need arise Yaris is no slouch up to 40mph thanks to the CVT auto gearbox.

So what of Yaris? The little hatchback has been around for yonks and has a reputation as a car for, lets say, the older community. My wife's niece, who is in her forty somethings, asked for advice before changing her car and almost had a dicky fit when Yaris was suggested among the sensible options.

"I don't want one of those, that's the sort of car mum would drive," was her response. Mum, by the way, is 71 and drives a Honda Jazz, another car her daughter would not consider. She bought a Citroen DS 3 which I concede is the coolest of all the small cool cars, and, as it happens, is also my wife's favourite small car and she is 68!

Yaris sits in a host of good superminis and although its looks have improved down the years, is not eye candy in the same way as a Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza, Nissan Micra etc, etc, etc.

Nevertheless it does have a five year warranty, and in hybrid form has genuine economy credentials so running costs should be low. 

Yaris does not break any records on interior space but is still adequate and is well equipped - automatic dipping headlights and such like - and so it should be for £20 grand.

It rides a little on the hard side, not uncommon in small cars, and has a too much road noise, but it handles beautifully and would have been a good buy for my wife's niece but you know how stubborn young women can be...

Fast facts

Yaris Excel Hybrid

1329cc 4-cyl VVT-i; 73bhp

59bhp electric motor

0-62mph 11.8seccs; 103mph

78.5mpg combined

Emissions: 82/gkm

First year road tax £100

Insurance group 8

£19,620

Test car: £20,785 with sat nav and metallic paint

Spring fair at Plas Newydd this Saturday

The team on Our Picturesque Landscape Project (OPL) have been busy over the winter planning events to engage the local communities with the stunning locations on their doorsteps.

This Saturday, April 13, from 12 noon to 3pm, they will hold an official launch at the Spring Fair at Plas Newydd in Llangollen.

The fair promises an afternoon of activities, including have-a-go at wool felting, discover the story of wool and meet the sheep. 

There will also be an opportunity to try the new self-guided discovery trails round the grounds and join a guided walk and talk about the future plans to restore the Dell back to its former glory as it was in the romantic period when the Ladies of Llangollen lived at Plas Newydd. 

The new season for the house and revamped tearoom is now in full swing.

Since the 1700’s people have been on inspirational journeys through the Dee Valley, across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, along Telford’s A5, the Llangollen Railway and the River Dee. 

They came to enjoy and engage with the unique landscape and many felt compelled to recall this stunning landscape in art. 

Through a wide range of events and community activities, the OPL project aims to engage local people to follow in the footsteps of the artists of the past and to engage in artistic activities themselves to celebrate this beautiful and unique landscape. 

The team also hopes to encourage people to discover and learn about their heritage and habitats, the modern day pressures these face and how we can protect and manage them for the future.

For more details about the OPL project or if you are part of a community group based along the Dee Valley between Corwen and Chirk and would be interested in participating in the project through art or outdoor activities, then contact our.picturesque.landscape@denbighshire.gov.uk or by phone on 01824 706163.

Fringe headliners announced

* Electric Swing Circus.

Llangollen Fringe have just announced the acts that will headline the 23^rd edition of the town festival, which organisers say is the biggest yet by far.

The acts announced are: EMMANUEL JAL – a former boy soldier in Sudan.

Jal has triumphed against adversity to become a leading proponent of a crossover style of afrobeat and hip hop having worked with and performed alongside such names as Lauren Hill and Alicia Keys.

He is well known across Africa and North America, but his Fringe concert will be one of his very first in Europe.

* Robyn Hitchcock.

Joining Jal at the festival are:

* Psychedelic singer and songwriter ROBYN HITCHCOCK, whom ROLLING STONE magazine describe as “A gifted Melodist, Welsh and Bretton singing LLEUWEN and band. 

* Adventurer and film maker BRUCE PARRY, best known for his BBC TV series TRIBE will appear live in conversation and will also screen his latest film TAWAI.

There is also a return for festival favourites the DUB PISTOLS and a debut performance for Glastonbury festival regulars ELECTRIC SWING CIRCUS.

* Lleuwen. 

All this plus STAND UP COMEDY, the return of BAND FOR A DAY, a SKA themed STEAM TRAIN ride and Musical CANAL BOAT trips, along with many other fringe events.

Llangollen Fringe Festival will take place from July 19-27. 

Tickets for all headline shows are on sale now as well as Festival passes priced at £70. These allow access to all of the main events across the 10 days.

Festival tickets and dates and times for all concerts and events are available from www.llangollenfringe.co.uk or by calling the Fringe box office:  0800 1455 779.

Elderly warned over smooth-talking conmen

* Matthew Hazelwood, Modern Slavery Case worker; Elin Davies, Senior Victim Health Worker; Emma Davies Williams, Mental Health and Wellbeing caseworker; Jessica Rees; Wales Hate Crime Manager;, Sioned Jacobsen, Operations  Manager; Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner; Ann Griffith, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.

The boss of a centre that supports crime victims from across North Wales has warned elderly people to be on their guard against fraudsters after her 87-year-old grandfather fell prey to a smooth-talking conman.

Sioned Jacobsen, the Operations Manager at the North Wales Victim Help Centre, revealed they’re seeing a big increase in the number of fraud cases involving victims aged 70 or over being targeted over the phone or online.

In recent weeks they have been providing support to one victim who was conned out of £140,000 of their life-savings.

Ms Jacobsen was horrified to discover that her much-loved Taid had been duped by fraudsters who persuaded him to give them his bank details.

She said: “They contacted him and said that the telegraph pole outside needed repairing, otherwise his phone would be cut off so he gave his bank details and PIN over the phone.

“They didn’t take any money because he contacted my mum straight away and said he thought he’d done something stupid, so she phoned the bank on his behalf.

“But he said they were so believable and assured him it was absolutely fine to give them his PIN number and his card details over the phone.

“It’s horrible. It just goes to show it can happen to absolutely anyone. My Taid would like to think he is quite clued up and he is quite with it, but he felt awful and embarrassed by it.”

Ms Jacobsen was speaking at the official launch of two videos made to highlight the help available to victims of crime.

The North Wales Victim Help Centre, which his based in St Asaph, is funded by the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

It has 12 members of staff including caseworkers who specialise in modern day slavery, mental health and hate crime.

They are supplemented by a network of trained volunteer helpers located across the region.

Demand for the centre’s services has increased every year since it was established in 2015 and last year they made contact with 34,500 victims.

Most are referred to them by the police and other agencies but victims are also encouraged to call he centre themselves if they need expert support and guidance.

Ms Jacobsen added:  “We’ve had a record amount of self-referrals in the last quarter from people who don’t want to report to the police and from other agencies who want to directly refer to us.

“There is a big growth in the number of fraud cases involving older people being referred to us. Normally the victims are aged 70 or over.

“We’ve had victims take support when they’ve lost 70, 80, 90 thousand pounds and last week someone who was defrauded out of around £140,000.

“It’s particularly despicable that these fraudsters target older people because they are generally more vulnerable to this type of crime.

“Very often the victims feel ashamed so one of the things the staff is trying to do is tell them it’s not their fault and that they shouldn’t feel embarrassed about it.

“These people who are committing the crimes are clever, they know who to target, so it’s just a case of reassuring them really that they haven’t done anything wrong, and it’s not their fault. The con artists are very credible, very plausible, that’s the trouble.

“The key message to victims is that they should get in touch because help and support is available.

“We can support victims of crime, no matter what the crime is, no matter how long ago it happened and whether it’s been reported or not.

“If they feel like they’ve been victimised in any way then they should please contact us.”

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said: “I am very concerned about the increase in the number of fraud cases and the suffering it’s causing to people.

“I would like to see a dedicated economic crime unit being set up in North Wales to investigate these crimes and this is a conversation I need to  have with the force.

“I think every force in the country could do more but it’s not something the police can solve on their own.

“We also need to educate people to educate themselves as well as catching the perpetrators.

“The big banks do a lot of anti-fraud work but I think the regional managers in Wales could and should be doing more to fund either victim support officers or fraud investigators.

“I think the work they do nationally should be spread out regionally, especially in areas were bank branches are disappearing left, right and centre leaving rural communities and the people living in them quite vulnerable.”

* To find out more about the North Wales Victim Support Centre please visit www.victimhelpcentrenorthwales.org.uk