Vicar gives his blessing to railway's real ale event

Local vicar Father Lee Taylor, above, this evening performed a traditional beer blessing ceremony at the official opening of the beer festival which will run throughout Llangollen Railway's 1960s Weekend.

It's the second time Father Lee has blessed the ale in the town - the last occasion was when he performed a similar ceremony on a real ale train earlier this year.

Helping him with the opening of the festival, below, was town crier Chem Cheminias - wearing his new kilt - who bellowed a hearty welcome to drinkers.

* The duo will be together again on Sunday morning when they play key roles in a procession through the town, from St John's to St Collen's Churches, to celebrate the town's patron saint, St Collen.

Horseshoe Pass closed after collision

UPDATE ...

News sources are reporting this afternoon that the Horseshoe Pass has been closed after a biker was involved in a collision with a sheep.

North Wales Police have said the collision happened about a quarter of a mile up the road from the Ponderosa Cafe.

Leaderlive reported at around 3.20pm: 

"A person has been taken to hospital after an air ambulance was called to a road traffic collision on the Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen.

A single vehicle ambulance and air ambulance responded to the incident - landing on the car park of the Ponderosa Café - that took place at about 12.30pm, the ambulance service said."

See the story at: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/17809977.air-ambulance-lands-ponderosa-cafe-horshoe-pass/

The Daily Post had reported at 14.44: "The road has been cleaned and reopened following the collision earlier today. It is understood the casualty did not have life-threatening injuries."

LlanBikeFest back for a fifth year

LlanBikeFest - Llangollen Motorcycle Festival - will be back for a fifth year this weekend.

Below is a timetable of events for the two days ...

Free caravan weight and safety checks on offer

Residents in Denbighshire who own caravans or campervans are urged to take advantage of free weight checks and safety advice – to make sure they stay on the right side of the law.

Officers of Denbighshire Trading Standards, Conwy Trading Standards and North Wales Police Community Safety section are offering free “Check Your Vehicle’s Weight” sessions at the Weighbridge on the A525 between Rhuddlan and St Asaph on Friday August 2, between 12 noon and 4pm.

People don’t need to make an appointment, they can simply pop along between the listed times on the dates mentioned and find out if their vehicles are within the legal weights. Whilst there people can chat about the security of your caravan/ van with an Officer of North Wales Police Community Safety Team.

The weighbridge can be found on the Rhuddlan to St Asaph A525 road, approximately ¾ of a mile from Rhuddlan, located in the layby. There will be signs indicating the weighbridge is in operation.

New council team aims to help homeless

A new team to assist homeless people with high and complex needs has been launched across Denbighshire and Conwy.

The Housing First pilot aims to ensure people are settled as quickly as possible into their own home and are provided with the support they need, at their own pace, and for as long as they need it, to sustain their tenancy.

There is an emerging evidence base to show this innovative approach has the potential to deliver a sustainable exit from homelessness, improve health and well-being and enable social integration.

This approach is being supported and funded by the Welsh Government, with the team working with Denbighshire County Council and Conwy County Borough Council.

Cllr Bobby Feeley, Denbighshire County Council’s lead member for Well-being and Independence, said: “I’m pleased we will be operating the Housing First pilot to provide additional support to those residents who are experiencing long-term homelessness.”

Skates praises local Nature for Health scheme

* Ken Skates AM with volunteers, Denbighshire Countryside Services staff, local councillors and schoolchildren.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates praised a local initiative aimed at encouraging exercise to tackle mental and physical health problems.

Nature for Health, created by Denbighshire Countryside Services and the council's housing team, aims to develop the concept of social prescribing, where healthcare professionals can refer patients to take part in exercise and activities to alleviate a range of health issues.

Mr Skates said: “I was pleased to attend and speak at the launch of Nature for Health in Llangollen – it’s a fantastic scheme. The activities bring people and communities together and encourage residents to take pride in their green spaces, which we’re incredibly lucky to have an abundance of locally. We’ve got the best outdoor gym in Wales on our doorstep!

He added: “Projects like this are vital and are a fantastic way to improve mental and physical wellbeing.”

Nature for Health is an 18-month pilot scheme improving access to nature in Denbighshire, with indications showing public engagement continues to increase since its launch.

Denbighshire Council Access and Recreation Officer Hannah Arndt said activities act as an ice-breaker for those who can find social situations difficult. 

Volunteers can also learn skills such as dry stone walling and practical conservation.

Weekly sessions take place in Llangollen, Corwen, Prestatyn and Rhyl. For more information call the Llangollen office on 01824 712774 or the Rhyl office on 01824 708313.

Citroen Aircross is superb at flattening the bumps

* Above and below, the Citroen Aircross.

Citroen C5 Aircross road test by Steve Rogers

DID you know there are 42,000 speed bumps on roads around the country?

Citroen found out as part of a survey on speed bumps and pot holes and reckons the new suspension on its C5 Aircross and C4 Cactus does rather a good job of cushioning the jolting effect.

As luck would have it I was testing C5 Aircross at the same time the survey was released and can tell you Citroen's claims about its progressive hydraulic cushion suspension are no idle boast.

Speed bumps have done wonders in slowing traffic but some, particularly the rubber squares have to be taken very slowly. One residential street in Wrexham is known by locals as the Himalayas because of its towering speed bumps.

It is a road I often use and C5 Aircross was by far the best at absorbing the humps. I gave it another test near to my village where there are three potholes in a line and again Aircross passed the test with flying colours.

Of course Citroen has a proud history here. The wonderful DS of 1955 was the first to use hydraulics for the suspension while 20 years later the sleek CX set another milestone with its hydro-pneumatic self levelling suspension. 

Driving was more like floating but there was a downside for our family. My two young sons couldn't go 10 miles in a CX without feeling sick because of the motion of the car.

No such worries in the Aircross which is both super comfortable and surprisingly stable. This is a high sided SUV so a degree of body roll goes with the territory but as long as you don't push too hard through bends everything stays on an even keel.

Citroen has also come up with a seat design which is setting new standards so throw this into the mix and you have one very comfortable motor.

And it does not stop there, the slightly quirky styling gives the car personality and an identity of its own. It is a little more boxy than the hordes of rivals which bring more benefits. The cabin is very roomy and flexible. The individual back seats are on runners increasing the luggage area if necessary and when they are down provide a flat floor, long enough for a couple of adults to sleep!

Up front we have the signature space age dashboard with an central eight inch central touchscreen controlling just about every function. Not a favourite of mine as I prefer a rotary controller which is less of a distraction when driving.

Individual functions can be quickly selected from a touch pad strip under the screen but it is overly sensitive and easy to accidentally change the screen while moving your hand away. Voice control is an option but not as effective as other cars I have been driving.

The driver also has a changeable 12 inch screen in the binnacle which makes life easy when following navigation instructions.

People are still dubious about Citroen, and French cars in general, but a look inside C5 Aircross should park that myth. The company upped its game a long time ago and the materials and build quality exceed many rivals.

The spec sheet is long as is the list of safety features. Check out the brilliant 360 deg camera. However there is always room for improvement like a hold function on the electronic parking brake and fabric lining for the boot walls.

Citroen has one of the strongest line ups of petrol and diesel engines and my 2-litre diesel was smooth, efficient and punchy. With 400Nm of torque you should never be caught short when overtaking while there are smiles per mile with mid forties to the gallon a given. On a long run I topped 50mpg.

Outstanding is not a word I bandy about but it fits the bill here. There are any number of very good SUVs out there but C5 Aircross goes that extra mile on space and flexibility and has arguably the most comfortable ride of any of its rivals.

It is 100 years since Andre Citroen founded his car company. He was an innovator who always pushed the boundaries and would be pretty pleased with the way his company is continuing that tradition.

Key facts

C5 Aircross Flair 8sp auto

£30,330

2-litre diesel; 174bhp

0-62mph 8.6secs; 131mph

126g/km. 1st year road tax £170

Insurance group 25