Railway has talks with top Wales transport boss

* Lee Robinson from Transport for Wales meets Llangollen Railway's Liz McGuinness.

A national transport boss has paid a visit to Llangollen Railway.

Lee Robinson, North Wales Development Director of Transport for Wales, called into the heritage railway to meet its business manager Liz McGuinness and other members of the team based at the station.

He took a ride in a cab to Carrog in locomotive No.31271 and went on to Corwen to see station site progress.

Liz McGuinness said: "We discussed the need to improve public transport arrangements between Ruabon mainline station and Llangollen and we agreed to explore a joint ticketing venture to help visitors arrive by train and bus."

After his visit Mr Robinson said: "At Transport for Wales we are on a journey to transform the transport sector throughout our Wales and Borders network, through implementing our £5 billion investment programme.

“ It’s been great to visit Llangollen, to see the railway first hand and also the ongoing work to complete Corwen station.  

"We understand the social, economic, environmental and cultural benefits of the railway and these improvements will attract more visitors and allow them to leave their car at home to experience a fantastic day out.”

50mph speed cameras go in on the bypass

The installation of average speed cameras to enforce the 50mph limit on a stretch of the A483 began yesterday, according to wrexham.com

* For the full story, see: http://www.wrexham.com/news/installation-work-for-average-speed-cameras-to-enforce-50mph-zones-on-the-a483-bypass-starts-today-171713.html

WI's bra-skets raise £170 to fight breast cancer

* Town crier Chem summons passers-by the the auction of bra-skets.

* Above and below: a couple of successful top bidders.

Town crier Chem acted as auction master when Valley Girls WI members sold off their colourful display of hanging basket bras to the highest bidders this afternoon (Sunday).

As part of their fundraising during the Fringe Festival, they spent last Thursday hanging a collection of the "bra-skets" on a trellis fence outside the Town Hall.

They aim was to remind people of the importance of self-examination when it comes to the crucial early detection of breast cancer and also to raise money to fight the disease.

Today it was time to auction them off and after Chem - kitted out in his new airier kilt - attracted their attention a procession of well-wishers dug deep to buy the baskets for sums of up to £20 apiece.

The unusual auction blossomed into a useful final tally of £170.

Valley Girls spokeswoman Gail Ellson said: “It was mainly intended as a bit of fun to cheer up the town as we did with the Yarn Bomb back in 2016 when we hung knitted items around the town centre. It also ties in with the artistic nature of the Fringe Festival.

“We thought we should also use it for the good of the community and visitors to the town by linking with a Breast Cancer charity Coppafeel https://coppafeel.org/

She added: “There are several health care professionals amongst the Valley Girls whose job involves a lot of health promotion and health education.

“A few of us have links with the Coppafeel charity through one of our colleagues Sandra Smith, who volunteers for Coppafeel.

“Sandra spoke to the Valley Girls back in May and we were all inspired to support the charity.

“The Braskets had health education leaflets attached to them which onlookers weree welcome to take away.

“The leaflets provide user-friendly information on breast self examination, which is essential in aiding the early detection and subsequent treatment of breast cancer.”

Llangollen vicar appears on national TV this morning

* Father Lee Taylor on TV this morning.

Llangollen's vicar this morning made an appearance on a national television show.

The BBC's Sunday Morning Live looks at moral, ethical and religious issues with the help of expert guests.

Father Lee Taylor, vicar of St Collen's, was amongst the interviewees in an an item about the benefits of pubs to modern-day society.

Father Lee, whose family ran pubs back in his native Lancashire and who worked in some of these when he was younger, told the interviewer that they were "great places for engagement, interacting together and associating with others from all walks of life".

He also explained how he had performed a number of beer blessing ceremonies in his professional life, including one in Croydon where he was based before moving to Llangollen late last year.

Father Lee said he had used a very old prayer written in 1615 to perform the blessing and how it had been suggested during this period that beer may be a "salutory remedy for the human race".

"It's all about putting the good things together and celebrating the things that come from God," he added.

Public servants invited to free Glyndwr masterclass

* Dr Sarah Evans and Ken Perry.

People working in public services who want to drive change in communities across the region are being sought for a free evening masterclass run by Wrexham Glyndwr University.

Whether they work in the private, voluntary, community or public sector, participants are being asked to take part in the masterclass which links to new leadership courses being run at Glyndwr.  

The evening will give attendees a feel for some of the subjects covered by the university’s new MA in Public Service Leadership and its Introduction to Systems Leadership Short Course.

Both courses are unique in this country, and has been designed specifically to dovetail with the Welsh Government’s Future Generations Act – a major piece of legislation which is transforming the way that services are being delivered across Wales.

The taster sessions  are designed to help start breaking down barriers and building up networks among the diverse range of people working to improve the region’s communities.

Ken Perry, director of leadership practice Do-Well (UK) Ltd and a visiting industrial fellow at Wrexham Glyndwr University, has had a key role in developing both the MA and the short course.

He said: “Both of the sessions are open to everyone and anyone involved in public service – whether they work in the public, private, or third sectors.

“Anyone who is interested in the wealth and health or our region – and what they can do the help improve it – should get something out of these  courses. We have got avoidable inequality across communities in Wales, and through these taster sessions and the wider courses they feed into we are looking at finding the pioneers who can help to tackle that situation – and to build the kind of networks that are needed to do it.”

Dr Sarah Evans, Lecturer in Business at Glyndwr University and a public sector specialist, is the programme leader for the course. 

She said: “These courses are all about driving change through collaboration – and helping people build the networks they need is vital to securing that change. By coming to this event, people can get a taste of how they can work together on some of the big issues which face our society.”

The taster session – and Glyndwr’s  wider Public Service Leadership courses – are already picking up interest from organisations across Wales. 

Ken added: “We are looking for pioneers – people who are prepared to come in, take the course we have developed, and make it work for them and their situation.

“As well taster sessions,  we also offer a short course and an MA in Public Service Leadership – and we have been talking to fascinating people from across North Wales about taking part in each of them.

“We are talking to people from the NHS, the voluntary sector, housing associations and local authorities and more.”

The free taster session has been designed to tailor with the working day –  and runs from 4.30pm to 7pm.

* For more information and to secure your place, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-service-leadership-masterclass-arweinyddiaeth-gwasanaeth-cyhoeddus-dosbarth-meistr-tickets-63112180230?aff=ebapi

Former councillor keeps pictures of Boris's early fight

* Boris Johnson canvasses in Castle Street during the 1997 General Election.

* The rosettes worn by Conservative supporters in '97.

* The first letter on Daily Telegraph notepaper.

... and side two.

* The letter from the office of the Mayor of London.

... and the letter's flipside.

* Boris Johnson's supporters wait anxiously for the result of the 1997 Clwyd South election.

Former Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has displayed various treasured items he keeps as mementos of the time 22 years when Boris Johnson fought the local Parliamentary seat.

The poll battle came in May 1997 when the man who became Prime Minister yesterday unsuccessfully contested the Clwyd South Seat during the General Election in which Labour won a landslide victory across the country.

He picked up 9,091 votes compared to his Labour opponent Martyn Jones who received a winning total of 22,901.

Stuart Davies acted as Johnson’s press officer and has since kept a number of pictures and souvenirs of the occasion.

These include a couple of Tory blue rosettes worn by supporters during the campaign and two letters sent to him from the candidate.

The first is dated just after the 1997 election and is written on the notepaper of the Daily Telegraph where Johnson was working at the time as a journalist.

In it he says - in at least foreign languages - that the “struggle continues” and the second came in October 2015 after Johnson had won the London Mayoralty for the first time. In it he tells Mr Davies that he fondly recalls visiting Brymo steelworks during the Clwyd South campaign.

There are also two pictures in the collection, one of which shows party supporters gathering round during the count and the other featuring the candidate back in 1997 canvassing from the doorway of a people carrier in Castle Street, Llangollen.

Mr Davies said: “I remember him from the campaign as being something of a man of the people who liked to meet and was able to talk easily to everyone right across society.

“I think that if he’s not able to push through Brexit we’ll see him call an early election and then I reckon he’ll win hands down.

“By the way, there are lots of jokes these days about his modern-day vehicle being messy all the time. Well, it was the same was back in 1997.”

Volvo S60 is a neat piece of Scandi chic

* The Volvo S60 saloon.

* The S60's interior.

Volvo S60 road test by Steve Rogers

THIS is a tail of amazing good fortune or, as my wife said, absolute stupidity.

It all started while loading golf clubs into the boot of the Volvo S60. I needed somewhere to rest my mobile and laid it on the edge of the roof mentally telling myself not to forget it before driving away.

You will have guessed what’s coming. I nipped to the gents and the distraction was enough for me to drive away with said mobile sitting on the roof.

The 15 mile drive home is mainly B roads, uphill, down dale, lots of twists, poor surfaces and the occasional pothole.

At home the mobile is nowhere to be found and then that moment when the head sinks into the hands. I left it on the roof of the car so that is the end of that... but low and behold it is still there.

After the stinging rebuke from my wife I suggested we look at the bigger picture and what it said about the quality of the S60s suspension and its ability to soak up everything thrown at it. My phone really should have ended up in a ditch.

The S60 saloon is Volvo's newest model following on from the V60 estate and shares the Swedish company's current design DNA so models morph into a set shape but who cares if they look great. It has won them loads of awards, not to mention sales which are at an all time high.

The new model is in the early stages with one engine, a four cylinder 2-litre petrol. Note the absence of a diesel, a brave move when rivals like Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz are hanging in there with clean, economical diesels but sales show Volvo buyers are migrating to petrol.

As for the 2-litre it musters 250bhp and in all honesty is plenty quick enough with a decent amount of mid range pick up which is what's really important for stress free overtaking, and all this comes through a smooth eight speed automatic with steering wheel shifter paddles to spice up the drive.

If economy is important in the buying process then S60 is on the back foot against its diesel rivals. Mid thirties to the gallon is the best I could get which is reasonable for a car of this size with this sort of performance but way short of what a similarly powered diesel will return.

Once that hurdle is cleared the rest is an easy sprint to the finish line. S60 is in the zone right across the board but the stand out feature has to be the interior. The minimalist Swedish styling is Scandi chic at its best and along with the quality of materials makes it the pick of the class.

Volvo has taken the bull by the horns and virtually eliminated switches with the main functions selected from a nine-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard. It works on the same principal as a mobile phone or tablet and is able to store masses of information.

I have got used to it driving Volvos over the last few years but still find swiping the screen for everyday tasks a distraction. That said there is the simplest of solutions for a driver who wants to keep his eyes on the road.

Voice control. Change the heating temperature or fan speed, select a radio station, or say a post code for navigation and it happens. Job done, I'm happy. The 12.3in digital display in the driver's binnacle is another bonus especially when using navigation.

It's a great car to drive too, lashings of style and substance, and superbly comfortable seats. R-Design models err towards a sporty drive with stiffer spring settings and selectable drive modes yet passengers are still cushioned against our many poor road surfaces.

As you would expect Volvo provides an abundance of safety features and that includes keeping the car in its lane and emergency braking if the driver's eyes are not focussed on the road or you are too slow to react to an obstacle whether it be a person or vehicle.

There are more S60 model variants on the way including the imminent arrival of the monstrous T8 twin engine with 400bhp. That is going to spice things up a bit!

That said Volvo does not hold the monopoly on the medium saloon sector which is jam packed with excellent models but while the Swede is amongst the best it is not enough to persuade me away from my favourite, the rear wheel drive Alfa Romeo Giulia. In fact if I was going down the Volvo road my pick would be its sister, the V60 estate, same car with more flexibility.

Key facts

S60 R-Design Edition 8sp auto

£37,920

2-litre T5 petrol 250bhp

0-60mph 6.3secs; 145mph

35.3-39.8mpg combined

155g/km. 1st year road tax £530

Boot capacity 442 litres

Insurance group 34