It's 'Llan or bust' for canal man Phil

* Phil's canal boat Seren.

* Phil Thane at the helm of Seren.

* Phil Thane has plotted the course of his canal journey from Bedfordshire to Llangollen.

A former local town councillor will cast off tomorrow (Tuesday) on a three-week canal boat trip to reach Llangollen in time for next month’s International Eisteddfod.

Phil Thane moved down to Potton in Bedfordshire just over two years ago and has since rebuilt an elderly boat named Seren.

Phil, who is a technical author by trade, is writing a blog on the voyage through the canal system for the Waterways World magazine - and he’s also going to keep llanblogger readers up to date on his progress, which involves 316 miles and 232 locks - each way.

Eisteddfod team learns how to use lifesaving machine

* Jo Davies of Welsh Hearts demonstrates the use of a defibrillator.

* Eisteddfod Friends group chairman Barrie Potter

 tries his hand at CPR on Donald the dummy.

A person suffering a cardiac arrest has a 70% chance of survival if a defibrillator is used on them in the first few minutes after being struck down.

That was the message to a group of volunteers and staff at Llangollen International Eisteddfod as they received their training in the use of this vital piece of lifesaving equipment, an example of which is now available for the use at their Pavilion headquarters.

The defibrillator, housed in bright yellow casing and fixed to the front wall of the building, was recently donated to the eisteddfod by the charity Welsh Hearts.

And on Friday morning around 20 members of the eisteddfod team received expert instruction in its effective use from Welsh Hearts representative Jo Davies, a retired cardiac nurse.

She told them that someone hit by cardiac arrest - where the heart stops pumping blood around the body - has a 70% chance to staying alive if a defibrillator is used on them within four or five minutes.

Ms Davies also explained she had two other messages for someone using one of the electrically-powered and computerised machines for the first time - the huge shock they emit to re-start the heart cannot possibly make a patient any worse off than they are already and a it will not allow somone to be shocked unless they are desperately in need of it.

She went on to demonstrate on a dummy known as Donald the exact process of putting a defibrillator swiftly into action and also the correct way to perform CPR -  cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) the manual application of chest compressions and ventilations - which should also be used alongside it.

Eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies, who was at the training session, said: “We are extremely grateful that Welsh Hearts donated the defibrillator to the festival which welcomes thousands of visitors and competitors each year from across the world.

“I would also like to thank the charity for staging this very instructive training session because as a doctor I realise how important it is for as many people as possible to be aware of how to use this fantastically useful piece of equipment.”

SML's public consultation campaign rounds off in style

*Chris Burton plays on the SML stand in Centenary Square. 

The last in the current series of public consultation exercises by the team of volunteers putting together Llangollen’s contribution to the county council’s next Local Development Plan was held in Centenary Square yesterday (Saturday) and was a big success.

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 contacting groups and individuals to seek their views on any issues which affect or concern them so that they can have an input into the plan.

Over the past month or so the team has been hosting a series of consultation events to introduce themselves to the public and to get their views.

The first of these was held on May 7 at Llangollen Health Centre when throughout the day team members spoke to scores of people to gain their feedback.

The second successful session was held outside the Co-op store in Regent Street on May 13 when, again, SML gained lots of useful responses from shoppers.

The third question-and-answer session was held outside the Home Bargains store, next to Aldi, on May 23 and it was once again a huge hit with those who took part.

To round off the process in style, the final session was held in Centenary Square yesterday.

And scores of people called in at our stand to answer a set of simple questions related to the town’s future.

Just to give the event a party atmosphere there was some great live music from guitar man Chris Burton throughout the day. 

SML chair Phil Robinson said: "We'd were delighted by the response we had from residents and also visitors to the town.

"The four consultation sessions have produced some fantastic answers from the people who were kind enough to spare us a few minutes of their time.

"This feedback will be invaluable in preparing our final report by the autumn and we’ll be back on the road later in the summer to give people the chance to have a look and comment on our findings.

"As far as we know this is the largest and most exhaustive consultation process which has ever taken place in Llangollen.

“The whole consultation process has been a fantastic example of the people of this town having their say on some vital issues and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so far.

"Hot hot topics hve been parking and traffic problems but people have also oned a host of other things to us."

The questions SML is asking are:

1. What makes you happy about Llangollen?

2. What makes you sad about Llangollen?

3. What makes you mad about Llangollen?

4. How would you make Llangollen better?

5. How would you spend £10,000 for Llangollen’s future?

People who were unable to make it to the meet-the-public sessions can fill in one of the question sheets which are available in the Town Hall office.

D-Day 75th anniversary ceremony this morning

* British troops storming ashore in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Llangollen branch of the Royal British Legion is to hold a Remembrance ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the the D-Day landings in Centenary Square this morning (Thursday).

The standards of the branch and the RAFA Club will be on parade from 10.45am and the ceremony will include the sounding of Last Post and Reveille, the traditional two minutes' silence and the laying of wreaths on the 1939-45 memorial.

A short service will be conducted by Father Lee Taylor of St Collen's.

D-Day, on June 6 1944, was when the Allies launched an invasion across the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe from the occupation of Nazi Germany.

New Welsh medium support for Ti a Fi playgroup

* Llinos Davies with the toddlers at Llangollen Ti a Fi.

* The new toys (above and below).

The babies and toddlers at Llangollen Ti a Fi playgroup have welcomed their new support officer, Llinos Davies, from Welsh language organisation Mudiad Meithrin.

Ms Davies has recently joined Mudiad Meithrin, previously enjoying a career as a manager within the library service covering Ruthin and Denbigh.

Playgroup volunteer Jen Sandford said: "Llinos has only just joined us but she's already a big hit with the children and parents who come here. 

"She brings her own craft activities and leads us in traditional Welsh nursery songs and storytime at the end. People are mainly English first language here, but we really want to try and pick up bits of Cymraeg that we can use at home with our little ones."

Llangollen Ti a Fi has also recently benefited from grants towards new toys funded by Cittaslow Llangollen and Mudiad Meithrin. 

New additions include a new play kitchen, a wooden indoor climbing triangle (by Gwynedd-based Triclimb) and ride-on, bouncy animals. The volunteers who run the group made a concerted effort to source toys made from wood and other natural materials where possible, ideally sourced locally.

This long-standing baby and toddler group meets once a week, during term-time, at Glanrafon Chapel's school room on Princess Street, Llangollen LL20 8RD. 

Children are welcome with their parents or carers, from ages 0 - 4 years. Each session runs from 9am - 11am and costs £1.50 per child for those over 6 months (additional children 50p). The first visit is free and includes a healthy snack and tea / coffee for the adults.

* More information can be found on Facebook, @TiAFiLlangollen or get in touch via Messenger: m.me/TiAFiLlangollen , Mudiad Meithrin's website is www.meithrin.cymru

Have your say on the town at Centenary Square tomorrow

* The Shape My Llangollen team outside Home Bargains last week. 

The last in a series of public consultation exercises by the team of volunteers putting together Llangollen’s contribution to the county council’s next Local Development Plan will be held tomorrow (Saturday).

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 contacting groups and individuals to seek their views on any issues which affect or concern them so that they can have an input into the plan.

During May the team has been hosting a series of consultation events to introduce themselves to the public and to get their views.

The first of these was held on May 7 at Llangollen Health Centre when throughout the day team members spoke to scores of people to gain their feedback.

The second successful session was held outside the Co-op store in Regent Street on May 13 when, again, SML gained lots of useful responses from shoppers.

The third question-and-answer session was held outside the Home Bargains store, next to Aldi, on May 23 and it was once again a huge hit with those who took part.

To round off the process in style, the final session will be held in Centenary Square tomorrow from 10am-5pm.

Just to give the event a party atmosphere, there will be live music from local performers Chris Burton and SML member Charlie Jones throughout the day. 

SML chair Phil Robinson said: "We'd be delighted if as many people as possible could come and see us on the square.

"The three consultation sessions we've held so far have produced some fantastic answers from the people who were kind enough to spare us a few minutes of their time.

"This feedback will be invaluable in preparing our final report by the autumn. 

"The whole consultation process is a fantastic example of the people of this town having their say on some vital issues and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so far.

"I can give a hint that the top three hot topics to date have been parking and traffic problems but people might have other things they'd like to mention to us."

The questions SML is asking are:

1. What makes you happy about Llangollen?

2. What makes you sad about Llangollen?

3. What makes you mad about Llangollen?

4. How would you make Llangollen better?

5. How would you spend £10,000 for Llangollen’s future?

People unable to make it to the meet-the-public sessions can fill in one of the question sheets which are available in the Town Hall office.

They can also jot down the answers in a reply to the posting about the health centre session on the Shape My Llangollen Facebook page.

Lean and mean Mazda3 hits the road

* The new Mazda3, front and profile.

Mazda3 launch report by Steve Rogers

It has baffled car makers for decades but Mazda reckons it cracked the age old problem of building a petrol engine with the power and economy of a diesel.

The 2-litre SkyActive-X is being hailed as ground breaking and has the backing of Bath University Professor Jamie Turner, one of the foremost authorities on the combustion engine, who believes Mazda has achieved something he thought impossible.

The key is the use of a highly lean mixture of fuel and air fired by compression rather than a spark plug which is the norm in modern diesel engines. That should improve economy by 20 per cent and give up to 30 per cent more torque which significantly closes the gap on a diesel.

This was the headline news at the launch of the new Mazda3 hatchback, but turned into a bit of a damp squid because the new engine won't arrive until October when the saloon is launched.

That's a blow because the new model's engine range is limited to a revamped 2-litre petrol and 1.8 litre diesel neither of which is good enough to worry the top contenders in the C-sector which is still ruled by Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

That aside this fourth generation Mazda3 can ruffle the feathers of the big two if this new engine lives up to its promise. Jeremy Thomson, the company's UK boss described the new hatchback as a substantial step up so it is clear he also has an eye on the premium sector where Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Audi A3 have a strong following.

The 3 is heading in the right direction with its eye catching styling and up market interior where soft leathers and tactile switches give it that quality feel.

A closer look at the cabin shows it is well laid out with the majority of functions like navigation, phone and radio are housed in an 8.8 inch central display controlled from a decent sized rotary switch behind the gear stick. 

I've always found the Mazda system easy to follow and the same applies here, but it is also good that the heating functions are separate with their own switches. One minor flaw is the lack of lighting for the switches which are set flat in the centre console and difficult to pick out in daylight.

The three dial binnacle could not be more clearly laid out with the larger central speedo computer generated. A head up display for speed, traffic sign recognition, navigation instructions and cruise control completes the picture.

In the back rear legroom is just on par and I can see some passengers finding it a bit dark given the shallow rear windows but that is a penalty of sharp styling. Drivers will find rear vision poor for the same reason but all bar the entry model has a camera so there will be no concerns when reversing.

As with all Mazdas the suspension favours enthusiastic driving; if you want super soft look elsewhere, but for me this is a good compromise.

To the engines. Mazda predicts 85 per cent of sales going to petrol, a monumental turnaround compared to five years ago, but it is a similar story whichever company you look at.

For now the starting point is the familiar 120bhp 2-litre but it has been modified with cylinder deactivation and a mild hybrid electric motor to improve economy. 

Even driven hard on some deserted Scottish roads we still topped 40mpg which proves there is more to come, but it lacks power, mainly in the mid range, so the new engine with 177bhp is needed to satisfy drivers craving performance.

Normally I would be directing readers to the diesel but not this time. I still don't understand why diesel is getting such a bad press but there are a couple of reasons why the current petrol is the better option. 

The difference in economy is only 11mpg in favour of the diesel and given the price at the pumps and a whopping £1,800 premium over the 2-litre petrol it has become a no brainer.

That said there will be a pirce premium for the SkyActiv-X engine so hard decisions will have to be made.

Launching with the new engine would have given extra impetus but this is still a very good car with great looks, quality materials and a full suite of safety features. Prices: Petrol £20,595-£26,795. Diesel £22,395-£27,795.

Key facts

Mazda3 Sport Lux

£22,795

2-litre; 120bhp

0-62mph 10.4secs; 122mph

44.8mpg combined

119g/km. First year road tax £170