Help shape the future of Llan at the Co-op today

The group of volunteers putting together Llangollen’s contribution to the county council’s next Local Development Plan is holding the second of its three planned meet-the-public events today (Monday).

Shape My Llangollen (SML) was formed last year at the behest of the Town Council to produce a 'place plan' for Llangollen.

The idea is that this plan, when approved and endorsed by the Town Council, will feed into the new emerging Local Development Plan being produced by Denbighshire County Council.

The plan will cover topics such as the natural environment, built environment, economy, and community and is a genuine opportunity for some grassroots democracy.

SML is therefore engaged upon a far-ranging consultation exercise is contacting as many of our local organisations and individuals as possible to seek their views on any issues which affect or concern them so that they may have an input into the plan.

This could be anything from the state of local roads and pavements to the provision of social care and youth facilities, in fact anything which might have an effect on the local community.

During May SML is hosting a series of three consultation events when we’ll be asking members of the public for their views on what’s good and bad about our town and finding out how they think it could be improved.

The first of these was successfully held last Tuesday at Llangollen Health Centre when scores of people took part in the question session.

The second event is today at the Co-op store in Regent Street, from 10am until 1pm and from 2pm until 5pm.

The third is at Home Bargains on Thursday May 23 at the same times.

SML chair Phil Robinson said: "If you have strong opinions about Llangollen and its future shape, we’d love to meet and chat to you, so please come along and see us."

Isherwood slams Labour for "undermining" Brexit

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has hit out at Labour Welsh Government Ministers for their "incessant attempts" to undermine Brexit.

His attack came after he questioned the Brexit Minister over claims that EU elections will in effect be a second referendum.   

Addressing the Counsel General and Brexit Minister Jeremy Miles AM in the Assembly Chamber, Mr Isherwood (pictured) said:  “Last week, Labour's ruling body rejected calls for the Party to commit to a second EU referendum, with some senior Labour figures counselling that the alternative would have forfeited leave-supporting Labour areas, but with others having since quit the Labour Party because of Mr Corbyn's failure to support a second referendum - a situation, may I say, that other Parties may be familiar with also.

“How, therefore, do you respond to those who are saying that the EU elections, which we now know are going ahead on 23 May, will in effect be a second referendum?”

In response, the Minister said: “We will be engaging in these elections, reminding people of the benefits that membership of the European Union has had for Wales. I think the lesson for us here is that we should all, in this place, recognise the value that Wales has derived from membership of the European Union. I think any relationship with the European Union short of that is less good for Wales than membership. I think we will take the opportunity, in the coming weeks, of reminding people of the advantages that we have had as members of the European Union.”

Mr Isherwood added: “Although some 60 per cent of UK Labour constituencies voted to leave, including 59 per cent in Wrexham and 56 per cent in Flintshire, and although the Labour Welsh Government claims to respect the outcome of the referendum, Labour Welsh Government Ministers never cease in their campaign to undermine it. At least Plaid Cymru  are honest about their intention to betray the result of the EU referendum, despite Wales voting to leave the EU."

Pengwern nature project lands top award

* Winners of the tenants awards line up.

A nature project in Llangollen has scooped one of the top honours in the first ever Denbighshire Housing Tenants Awards.

During a ceremony in Rhyl this week Friends of Pengwern won the Community Project of the Year award.

Working with the Nature for Health project, the group have helped improve the local, natural environment. 

Their winning citation says their work has made a real difference in their community, bringing people together to look after their local and natural environment, while encouraging others to take a pride in their area. 

Project activities include dry stone walling, community woodland and willow weaving. The group are now leading on this and working with the Woodland Trust.

A host of tenants from across the county were honoured for their achievements at the inaugural awards arranged by Denbighshire Housing and held at the 1891 restaurant in Rhyl.

Winners in the other seven categories were:

* Communal Garden of the Year award: Trem Y Foel Residents Association, Ruthin.

* Tenant Garden of the Year award: Angela Carrington-Roberts.

* Housing Resident/Community Group of the Year award:  The Marsh Community Association, Rhyl. 

* Denbighshire Housing Customer Service of the Year award: Shirley Rippingale. 

* Tenant of the Year award: Stuart Nield-Siddall of Rhyl.

* Young Tenant of the Year award: Bethan Owen of Rhyl. 

* Denbighshire Housing Award: Gina Jones, chairperson of the Marsh Residents Association.

Jamie Groves, Denbighshire’s Head of Facilities, Assets and Housing, said: “We were honoured to host the first ever award ceremony, to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our tenants. The panel was delighted at the quality of the applications which showed the vast amount of good work going on in communities county-wide.

“There are some great examples here of tenants making great efforts to look after their properties, as well as some exemplar community projects that help improve the life of residents living in their community. Their hard work, commitment, drive  and amazing efforts help the housing team to provide a great service to tenants."

Geoff Davies Lead Officer for Community Housing told the packed audience about the vision for Denbighshire Housing is to invest in council homes and neighbourhoods to the highest standards, working with tenants to agree priorities but recognising that people then make communities great places in which to live.

The evening’s main sponsors were Roger W Jones, Rhyl & Jewson. The other sponsors were Alliance Leisure, Hags,  Liberty Gas,  AICO,  SC2,  G Parry Home Improvements,  Capita One, Greenspace team, Denbighshire Housing, Torus; Sherratt a Howdens.

During the ceremony, there was a performance from Côr Sain y Sir. The choir is made up of Denbighshire County Council staff.

Ground surveys begin for 2020 project

* Pavement markings in connection with the surveys.

Temporary traffic signals will be in place this weekend to allow surveying work to go ahead in connection with the Llangollen 2020 project.

2020 is a group set up by county councillors, Llangollen Town Council, the Chamber of Trade and the Welsh Government to search for solutions to traffic flow and parking in the centre of town.

Information on the project's Facebook page posted earlier this afternoon says: "An update below from Denbighshire Highways regarding surveying work for the Llangollen 2020 project.

"Final plans have not been confirmed but these surveys by DCC Highways will allow for realistic costs to be developed, so a promising step forward. 

"There are still many opportunities for residents to input into and discuss the proposed plans, with the work not likely to be carried out until early 2021."

The post adds: "Please note that in Llangollen we have temporary traffic signals in place on the A5/Market Street junction, A5/Castle Street junction and the A539 Mill Street/Castle Street junctions tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) night from 8pm-6am to carry out utility surveys (GPR). Next week from Tuesday to Thursday the surveys continue on the other streets within the centre during the same hours but not under temporary signals.”

Climate action meeting planned for May 16

Wales' first ever Climate Action meeting will be held on Thursday May 16, at Llangollen Town Hall. 

Organised jointly by Friends of the Earth Llangollen and District and Extinction Rebellion Llangollen, the meeting starts at 7.30pm.

A Climate Action meeting aims to bring together anyone who is worried about the climate crisis to start channelling this energy into building practical solutions. 

They will be happening across the UK in the coming months, say organisers.

A spokesman for Friends of the Earth said: “This is a public meeting, open to anyone who thinks we should be taking action. 

“It doesn't matter if you've been involved with anything like this before - we'd like as wide a range of people there as possible. 

Shogun Sport provides new slant on Chelsea tractor

* The Mitsusbishi Shogun Sport. 

* The interior of the Sport.

Mitsubishi Shogun Sport road test by Steve Rogers

We have been waiting a while, a long while, for something to happen on the Mitsubishi Shogun front and here it is.

But this is not a new Shogun, well not quite. The big SUV, loved by farmers and anyone else needing serious off road capability which could also double as family wheels, is dead and buried, its place taken by Shogun Sport which is back in Britain after an absence of 11 years.

The Sport will do the same job as its big brother but without the boxy looks of the old style Chelsea tractor.

It is a bit shorter than Shogun (about 115mm) but is still a substantial seven seat SUV taking some of its styling cues from the trendy Eclipse Cross and goes up against the likes of Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.

Shogun Sport is completely new, sitting on the L200 chassis but with multi link rear suspension so it does not ride like a pick up. Instead of the old 3.2 litre diesel powering Shogun, the Sport has a more efficient 2.4 litre turbo diesel mated to a new eight speed automatic which will be standard on both trim levels.

How does it measure up against the opposition? 

The last car I drove before Shogun Sport was the Kia Sorento and against the Korean it comes up second in most departments. Even though Shogun benefits from car like suspension it is still a bit too agricultural in its road manners. 

The ride is unsettled on most surfaces and is far too restless on rougher surfaced minor roads. That harsh ride may well be a penalty of Shogun Sport's off road prowess which is second to none in this league.

The Mitsubishi press team had part of a working quarry in Gloucestershire turned into a treacherous off road course and was one of the most, if not the most demanding 4x4 challenges I have undertaking in 30 years. 

We went up and down what looked like impossible gradients, waded through deep water and drove a virtual 'wall of death' to show off the Shogun Sports impressive capabilities.

It has the lot when it comes to off roading, four wheel drive with high and low gearing, a locking rear differential, four terrain control settings - we tackled all bar snow - and a brilliant hill descent system. I would not have risked a Kia Sorento on this escapade!

Inside Shogun Sport pretty much copies Eclipse Cross and is solidly built, no creaks or rattles, although some of the plastics do not feel as up market as the Kia and are some way off the Disco Sport which is hardly surprising given the Land Rover's price tag.

Like the Eclipse there is no built in satellite navigation so it is down to owners linking their smart phones to the command centre and using apps, including Google Maps, for directions. We used it for the launch driving route and apart from the odd late instruction worked pretty well. It is another of those things you have to get used to before being entirely convinced.

Shogun Sport is only offered with a diesel engine which makes total sense for this type of vehicle. The auto box helps keep things smooth but it loses out to Sorento on both performance and economy, and emissions of 227g/km are on the high side.

No one will complain about the room - there is plenty of it even in the third row although a slight rise in the floor causes a knees-up. Entry to the third row is easy as the middle row seats fold completely forward opening a wide entry point.

On balance I would prefer the second row sitting on runners which creates flexibility on legroom. The downside is a tighter squeeze into the back row.

There is loads of carrying capacity in a five seat configuration and a vast area opens up with all back seats flat and will be ideal for transporting surfboards and such like. Later this year Mitsubishi will bring out a commercial model with the back seats stripped out.

Both models, Sport 3 and Sport 4 come in under the important £40k road tax barrier and are well equipped with full leather, eight speed auto gearbox and trailer stability assist on the basic kit list. Another two grand (level 4) brings in luxuries like heated seats, better sound system and a 360 degree camera. There is also a full suite of safety features but it would have been good to have seen some on level three.

There is no doubt Shogun Sport is in the zone with its off road prowess and if that is important then there is no better place to go but if ride comfort is top of the list then Kia Sorento is a better option.

Quick facts

Shogun Sport

2.4 litre turbo diesel; 181bhp

0-62mph 11secs; 112mph

32.8mpg combined

Emissions: 227g/km.

Road tax from year 2 £140

Insurance group 38-43

Prices: £37,775-£39,775

Glam camping coming to Llanfest

Glamping is comings to Llanfest for the first time. 

In partnership with the Red Sky Tent Company, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is offering weekend festival-goers deluxe camping for Llanfest - its one-day music festival taking place on Sunday 7th July.

The Llanfest Boutique Camping Village will be offering deluxe glamping just a short distance from all the action on the festival’s Pavilion site.

Festival Chairman Dr Rhys Davies said: “We’re excited to introduce this new accommodation for visitors that is conveniently located close to the heart of the festival. 

"This is about the offering a whole experience. Llanfest visitors can stay and appreciate our unique event and immerse themselves even more into the beauty and atmosphere of the International Eisteddfod.”

Red Sky Tent Company owner Brendan Fitzpatrick said: “We are delighted to be hosting the first ever boutique glamping village at Llanfest. 

"All of our sumptuous five-metre bell tents are fully furnished with carpets, beds, bedding and village facilities include hot showers, a bar and a café. We want guests to come a day early, relax and spend their evening with us.”

On Saturday July 6, from 2pm, Llanfest Glampers can get in the festival spirit as the Glamping Village hosts a free BBQ party for guests checking-in ahead of Sunday’s music festival. 

Then on Sunday at 2pm, the daytime programme of live music starts before the headliners take to the main stage that evening.

The Llanfest daytime programme presents bands and musicians from across Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales on the six outside stages: The Globe Stage, The World Stage, The Amphitheatre Stage, Acoustic Sessions in The Food Court, The Llan Jam and Rewind DJ Area.

An outside stage highlight sees the The Cavern Club takeover The Amphitheatre Stage. 

 Liverpool’s world-famous music club was a real hit with festival-goers at last year’s Llanfest, The Tony Skeggs band will take a musical journey from The Beatles to the Arctic Monkeys and much more in between. 

Richard Batty returns with his acoustic show and the day will be held together by Jonny Parry who will also perform an acoustic set.

The Globe Stage features rock, vocal-harmony-infused indie-pop, the ultimate brit pop experience and classic ska and ska’d up classics like you’ve never heard from artists including Sawbones (Liverpool/Manchester), Kidsmoke (Wrexham), Marblehead Johnson (Llangollen) and Skaburst (Telford).

The World Stage includes melodic riff based alternative rock, rock, pop, indie whilst introducing a lot of classics but also throwing a few surprises and hidden gems into the sets from The Montagues (North Wales), Seprona (Liverpool), Before the Storm (Wrexham) and The Droogs (Wrexham)

Llan Jam acoustic sessions presents 50’s 60’s and 70’s classic covers of soul, rock and pop including background love songs, classic covers, to party tunes from Misschief (Cheshire) Fay and Deon, Inkonsoulable, Gareth Heesom (all North West). Including a super mash up of all artists singing together.

Acoustic Sessions in The Food Court presents rock and pop, indie blues, country, folk roots, covers and self-penned songs from Lucy Mayhew (Wirral), The GOGS (Wrexham), Dave Grasshopper (Llangollen) and Jude Lane (North Wales). Then, in the Rewind DJ Area, Dave Boss will be playing indie pop, Ska, and rock classics throughout the day.

The festival ends with this year’s already announced Llanfest headliners - British rock bands The Fratellis and The Coral, who are joined on the bill by Platinum selling, indie-rockers, Pigeon Detectives, and 90s power pop rock trio, Dodgy.

For the opportunity to sleep in style at Llanfest’s first glamping village, guests can book at redskytentco.org/llanfest/  (tent prices start from £80).

For the full Llanfest music festival programme or to book tickets visit llangollen.net (Festival Tickets from £39).