Vicar plans major celebration of town's patron saint

* The carving of St Collen which will take
 pride of place during the celebration on August 4.

Llangollen vicar Father Lee Taylor is planning a major event in August to celebrate the town's patron saint.

Father Lee has commissioned local artist Christian Lancaster to carve an image of St Collen, whom Llangollen is also named after, and it's the first one ever done of a Welsh saint, he believes.      

The statue will be dedicated and blessed during a service at St John's Church in Abbey Road on Sunday August 4, starting at 10.30am.

The blessing will be followed by a colourful procession through the town up to St Collen's Church for a celebratory mass and refreshments afterwards. 

Father Lee said: "The saint will be carried aloft on a carrier with wreaths of flowers.

"Llangollen Silver Band, a choir and local dignitaries and representatives from the town will join in the procession. It will be an important day for the town."

Saint Collen was a 7th-century monk who is said to have arrived in Llangollen by coracle and founded a church beside the river. 

As there are no other churches in Wales dedicated to St Collen, it is possible that this St Collen may also have connections in both Colan, Cornwall, where Colan Church is dedicated to him, and Langolen in Brittany.

St Collen died on May 21, probably sometime in the early 7th century. He was buried in his chapel. 

For centuries it was known as the 'Old Church' and stood immediately to the west of the present medieval church of St Collen in Llangollen.

Man arrested on suspicion of firearms offences

North Wales Police have just posted on social media ...

Please do not be alarmed if you saw firearms officers in #Llangollen earlier.

A man has been arrested by the canal footpath and is on his way to custody after being arrested on suspicion of firearms offences.

Project aims to knit the wool back into Llan

* Gill Britten, right, and Cath Jones 
at the Gwlangollen spinning wheel.

A new project aims to put the wool back into Llangollen.

Gwlangollen sets out to bring together wool producers and users.

Through the use of traditional craft skills, suitable fleece are processed to produce unique, handmade, soft furnishings and gifts to be sold locally.

The project has achieved this by bringing together fleece producers who are interested in developing the necessary skills to process some of their own fleece, competent crafters who can pass on their skills to others, and volunteers who enjoy learning and making together.

Project spokeswoman Gill Britten said: "Shearing is an animal welfare issue which producers need to comply with. Historically fleece has been sold to the Wool Marketing Board (WMB). 

"In the past, the sale of fleece used to cover the annual farm rent. Today farmers are often receiving less than the cost of shearing and transportation costs to their nearest WMB depot.

"Gwlangollen has a keen awareness of the challenges faced by Welsh hill farmers and small holders, through rural and digital isolation, onerous workloads and often financial hardship." 

She explains that to date the project's research and development has been about:

 The preservation and passing on the heritage craft skills connected with the local woollen industry to the next generation

 Exploring the wider potential of locally produced fleece

 Documenting the history of the woollen industry in Llangollen and its impact on the development of the town

Gill added: "We work closely with Lilly Rose Interiors in Llangollen. Jan markets our goods and ensures they comply with health and safety regulations and quality control. A ready market for our products has already been demonstrated. The project complies with Llangollen Town Council’s Cittaslow principles.

"Our supporters include crafters who are proficient in every aspect of using wool. Most are willing to pass on their skills either on a 1:1 or small group basis.

"Anyone interested, would be most welcome to join a Maker Day drop-in held every Friday from 10am-4pm at Pentredwr Community Centre. 

"Our next free event is our fleece sale and weaving event Saturday June 29, from 1-4pm, at Pentredwr Community Centre.

"It is your opportunity to see weaving demonstrations, or buy some fleece, talk to the producers and crafters. It's also a great networking opportunity and maybe the chance to try something new. Refreshments will be available.

"In order to develop, we are desperate for an affordable workshop, with a small area of outside space somewhere in Llangollen. We are very keen to contribute to the visitor experience of the town. If anyone has a creative suggestion to make, please do contact me on 07871 774651."

Scam letter warning from trading standards

Denbighshire Trading Standards are warning residents to be on their guard after a complaint was received about a Hong Kong Bank letter.

The letter, received through the post addressed directly to the property owner, advised that Bank, ‘CTBC Bank of Hong Kong’, had a client who had passed away leaving a substantial amount of money that they wished to ‘dispose of’ by making the addressee the sole beneficiary, all at the small cost of splitting the money 50/50.

Denbighshire Trading Standards is warning that this is a scam letter on a fishing exercise to try and obtain personal bank details. 

This scam letter has been cropping up from time to time for over 10 years now and in some cases people have replied.

Anyone receiving such a letter is advised not to reply and register the details with Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk  if they have internet access, or contact the Citizens Advice Service on 0345 4040506. People are advised never to give  out bank details to anyone they  don’t know.

New gallery to open on Saturday

* Examples of Karl Young's own work. 

From top, Llangollen under Snow, Corwen Pavilion and Gallt y Wenallt.

* The new gallery in Oak Street which opens this Saturday.

A new art gallery will open in Oak Street, Llangollen on Saturday evening.

It will be launched with an exhibition of paintings by its owner Karl Young which will run from June 22 until July 27. 

The gallery aims to showcase the work of artists from North Wales and the Borders, selling original works and prints.

On Saturday there will be an opening reception from 7-9pm, which will coincide with a similar opening event at nearby Gwalia Ceramics. https://gwaliaceramics.co.uk/

Karl Young said: "It is important for me that the work I exhibit is inspired by a spirit of creativity and not commercialism."

* For more details of the new gallery, go to: https://www.facebook.com/12OakStreetGallery/

International Eisteddfod countdown begins

* Greek dancers go through their paces on Centenary Square last year.

The countdown has begun to the 2019 International Eisteddfod in Llangollen.

The week-long festival line-up features some of the world’s most internationally renowned musicians, including French-Mexican star tenor, Rolando Villazón, salsa, pop and flamenco outfit, Gipsy Kings, and award-winning Celtic music band, Jamie Smith’s MABON.

Music Director of the festival, Edward-Rhys Harry, said: “We are proud that this year’s festival line-up spans genres and generations, crossing the boundaries of age, culture and creed. There really is something for everyone.”

Tickets can be purchased online at www.llangollen.net.

Full evening concert line-up is:

Monday 1st July – Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra

Sponsored by Kronospan

Returning festival favourite and Vice President of the Eisteddfod, Jools Holland, will entertain the Royal Pavilion audience with his legendary Rhythm and Blues Orchestra on Monday 1st July. The jazz, blues and swing showstopper will launch the 2019 concert series with an unforgettable toe-tapping extravaganza of live music.

Tuesday 2nd July - Classical Gala with Rolando Villazón and guests

Sponsored by Pendine Park

One of the music world’s most critically acclaimed tenors, Rolando Villazón will debut his phenomenal voice on the Llangollen stage. Villazón, who is known for his uniquely compelling performances with leading opera houses around the world, will be joined by the magnificent Welsh lyric soprano Rhian Lois for a spectacular evening of operatic greats.

Wednesday 3rd July - Saints and Singers: The Music of Wales

Wales has a world-wide reputation for its choral music, and Wednesday’s evening performance will showcase the Land of Song at its very best, with supreme Welsh vocalists Shân Cothi and Rhodri Prys Jones, accompanied by the British Sinfonietta Orchestra. Audiences will be treated to two rare opportunities: the premiere of a brand new piece for tenor, chorus and orchestra by Dr Edward-Rhys Harry, and the sheer majesty of the incredible cantata ‘Saint Teilo’ by William Mathias CBE. The evening promises to be a tremendously dramatic celebration of traditional music from Wales, bursting with glorious melodies and powerful operatic choruses.

Thursday 4th July - International Celebration with Jamie Smith’s MABON

Sponsored by Denbighshire County Council and Westminster Stone

International competitors from all over the world will come together in a vibrant carnival of cultures to showcase the very best from across the globe, as they weave through the audience with their giant flags in a vivacious display of international unity and friendship.

The evening will commemorate the International Eisteddfod’s unique founding values of sharing music, dance, peace and friendship, with the poignant Peace Message and the annual Rotary Peace Award.

Special guests for the evening, multi-award winning band, Jamie Smith’s MABON, will bring their distinctive self-styled sound to get feet tapping with their interpretation of Celtic traditions, refreshingly combining heritage with their contemporary sound.

Friday 5th July - Gipsy Kings featuring Andre Reyes

Sponsored by Linguassist

Hailing from the south of France, the group will bring their energetic set with infectious Latin rhythms to Llangollen for the very first time. Their music is warm, exuberant and hugely popular with trademark hits such as Bamboleo and Volare.

Audiences will be wowed by a heady concoction of rumba, flamenco and salsa combined with contemporary pop music, perfect for anybody who loves to dance.

Saturday 6th July - Choir of the World

Sponsored by Aldi

In a live televised concert, the festival's competitions will reach their exciting climax on Saturday, with the finest choirs from across the globe battling for the highly sought after Choir of the World 2019 title and the prestigious Pavarotti Trophy. Those taking part in the dance categories will participate in the breath-taking Dance Champions of the World 2019 finals, competing for the coveted Lucille Armstrong Dance Award. The evening will include a very special appearance from Royal Harpist, Catrin Finch.

Sunday 7th July - Llanfest 2019

Scottish indie rockers The Fratellis, best known for their worldwide smash Chelsea Dagger, Mistress Mabel and Whistle for the Choir, will headline Llanfest alongside Merseyside music legends The Coral, with their chart-topping tracks Dreaming of You, Pass it On and In the Morning.

Joining the high energy line-up will be Leeds-based indie icons The Pigeon Detectives, with the likes of This is an Emergency, Take Her Back and I Found Out, as well as pop rock trio Dodgy, with nostalgic nineties hits Staying out for the Summer and Good Enough to open the main stage headliners.

Peugeot's latest load-lugger is a real good looker

 * The 508SW estate from the front. 

... and from the inside. 

Peugeot 508SW launch report by Steve Rogers

With SUV sales still booming is anyone interested in buying an estate car?

Peugeot hope so because it has just launched the 508SW estate and a mighty good looking car it is too. The French company has a strong pedigree with estates, my favourite was the eighties 505 with its third row of seats, a rarity in those days.

Demand for this size of car is shrinking with most of the sales going to the premium sector but Peugeot is banking on a reasonable hit from fleet and company car people and unlike many rivals believe diesel will account for nearly half of SW sales.

This is a strong area for Peugeot with three engine options, a 130bhp 1.5 and 160 or 180bhp 2-litre all will class leading low emissions, while the petrols also score well on emissions at 123g/km and 130g/km respectively for the 1.6 litre 180 and 225bhp outputs.

Petrol engines with the eight speed automatic gearbox have a new feature which switches the engine to freewheel when appropriate which Peugeot reckons reduces fuel consumption by around three per cent. A small amount but it all helps. A petrol plug in hybrid will come later in the year.

The 508 Fastback got huge praise from me for its stunning styling and designer Gilles Vidal has made a pretty good fist of the SW. Mirroring the glamorous rear end of the Fastback was never going to happen but this is still the best looking estate on the market.

Although 508SW does not lead the field on boot space - the cavernous Skoda Superb is the runaway leader - it is plenty big enough for most families and can outgun Ford Mondeo and Mazda6 with 530 litres with the back seats in place. The powered tailgate is good and wide, the boot sill one of the lowest in the class, but the biggest bonus is a flat loading area.

On the subject of space the SWs roofline is a tad higher than the swooping Fastback

so there is more back seat headroom, an area where its sister leaves taller passengers brushing the roof lining.

People with young families will appreciate ISOFIX fitting points on the two outer rear seats.

So what else can we look forward to? Apart from looks and strong engines running costs are predicted to be low helped by best in class trade ins, even better than an Audi A4, according to the experts.

Safety also figures highly and now brings in adaptive cruise control with stop and go function. I find this particularly useful on long stretches of motorway roadworks where cruise control can be set at a given limit letting the car do the rest, slowing and accelerating to order.

Of course the big news with Peugeot is still the futuristic i-Cockpit with its central 10-inch touchscreen and 12.3 inch digital head up display ahead of the driver.

We first saw the i-Cockpit layout at the launch of the switch free 308 when it received praise for its styling and criticism for the touchscreen because of the time it took to complete basic tasks like changing a radio station or adjusting the heating.

Peugeot refined i-Cockpit with piano style push keys which quickened the process and added a real touch of style to the otherwise bear centre console.

Does it totally solve the problem? To a degree but the best solution is a rotary dial behind the gearstick already favoured by several companies and I still prefer separate switches for the heating controls.

As for the cabin it is beautifully trimmed and shows how much Peugeot has done to improve quality and rid itself of the ridiculously outdated notion that quality does not matter. It is time that stigma was well and truly parked because Peugeot has spared no expense in creating plush surroundings.

We got a taste of how 508SW might drive with the Fastback and that was a big step up compared to the old model. SW is not set up to compete with a BMW or Audi but it not a car that shies away from taking on twists and turns.

Steering is quick and accurate while the suspension puts it in the middle ground offering a good compromise between comfort and go fast driving.

The 130bhp 1.5 litre diesel gives the best economy while performance is adequate. Anyone wanting extra oomph needs to sample the 2-litre where the 180bhp option is quite spicy.

Both petrol engines are feisty although noisy when pushed and given Peugeot's strength on this front I am surprised there isn't a lower powered petrol entry option.

The line up is Active, Allure, GT Line and GT with prices ranging from £26,845 for the 130bhp diesel to £38,245 for the range topping GT 180bhp 2-litre diesel. Petrol is not offered until Allure and starts at £31,495.

Key facts

508SW GT Line

£33,245

1.6 petrol Pure Tech; 181bhp

0-62mph 8secs; 140mpg

41.8mpg combined

127g/km 1st year tax £170

Insurance group 30