New campaign will celebrate best in local produce

* The Launch of Taste North East Wales at Llangollen’s Horseshoe Falls with, from left, Pip Gale, of Gales Wine Bar, in Llangollen, rafters from SAS Outdoors, Robyn Lovelock, Donna Hughes, Cadwyn Clwyd; Janet Monshin Dallolio, Joe Bickerton, Wrexham County Borough Council; Emma Cornes and Jane Clough. Picture: Mandy Jones.

Taste, a 40-day fiesta of food-filled experiences, will this autumn celebrate the fantastic range of produce available from the north east corner of Wales.

Taste North East Wales will run through September, October and into November with 30 events showcasing ways for visitors and local residents to savour the region’s rich culinary tradition.

So if tastes run to black-tie catered rafting on the River Dee at Llangollen, afternoon tea in a prime ministerial library at Hawarden in Flintshire or a costumed medieval feast at Wrexham museum they and many others can be catered for.

The programme is backed by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd along with the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley AONB and the Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham local authorities.

The money is from a pot of almost £8 million of funding administered by Corwen-based Cadwyn Clwyd from the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. It is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government as part of a six-year plan to revitalise rural communities and their economies.

Taste North East Wales is being supported by Cadwyn Clwyd for its first two years but is then intended to become an annual and self-sustaining event which will include dining experiences, production tours, demonstrations, tastings, workshops and masterclasses and also incorporate the established food festivals at Llangollen, Mold and Wrexham. 

Emma Cornes, the campaign's co-ordinator, said: “What we are doing is showcasing this whole area through the medium of its fabulous food.

“We have put together a programme of unique food-based experiences and we want as many people as possible to explore, experience and eat the best of what North East Wales has to offer.

“If you want to go rafting, work in a community garden, attend a medieval banquet, visit an egg farm or go foraging you can do it and experience the unique flavours of the area through each opportunity.”

Pip Gale, of Gales Wine Bar in Llangollen, is part of the Ravenous Rafting experience which will include canapes made from locally sourced ingredients ahead of a white water trip down the River Dee followed by Sunday lunch at Gales, again profiling key local ingredients.

He said: “We live in an amazing place with amazing food and we are now working together to put North East Wales on the food map.

“The produce from this area is particularly good. Everyone knows the lamb is fantastic but we have so many other food producers making lots of lovely products that deserve to be better known, from craft beers and ciders to chocolate, honey and ice cream.”

* For more information on Taste North East Wales, go to: www.tastenortheastwales.org

Friends of Pengwern are going stargazing

Friends of Pengwern is hosting a stargazing session next Tuesday evening.

Spokesperson Emma Davies said: "Come and join us to gaze at the night sky and spot some meteorites and shooting stars.

"We will be walking up to the meadow so please wear suitable footwear, bring a torch and maybe bring a blanket and a flask."

She added: "This is part of the ongoing Nature for Health project, with many more events coming soon.

"The project is a collaboration between Denbighshire Countryside Service - Gwasanaeth Cefn Gwlad Sir Ddinbych and Denbighshire Housing Services."

The session takes place on Tuesday August 13, from 9-11pm, and those interested in taking part are asked to meet at Pengwern Community Centre, LL20 8BB.

Rescue team called to incident near Llangollen

NEWSAR - North East Wales Search and Rescue - have given details of an incident they were called to in the Llangollen area early this morning (Friday).

On their website they says: "North Wales Police called the team in the early hours of this morning after a couple got into difficulty walking near Llangollen. 

"The incident site was not completely clear so, in cooperation with the casualty group, we used some phone technology to get a precise location.

"We were then able to direct Police Officers to the site while we started team members moving to assist. Shortly afterwards the group was located by Police Officers and assisted to safety and we stood down. "

More details about town council by-election

A by-election will be held for one member to represent the vacant seat on Llangollen Town Council following the resignation of Cllr Karen Edwards.

Any person wishing to stand as a candidate at the by-election should contact the Returning Officer at Denbighshire County Council on 01824 706114 (email elections@denbighshire.gov.uk) to obtain nomination papers.

Completed nomination papers must be presented in person to the Returning Officer or her Deputy at County Hall, Ruthin by 4pm Friday, 6 September 2019.

Should the election be contested it will take place on Thursday, 3 October 2019 with polling taking place at the Council Chamber at Llangollen Town Hall. 

Medieval re-enactment at Valle Crucis this weekend

As part of the Kids' History Festival organised by CADW,  the Prince's Retinue will be in residence at Valle Crucis Abbey transporting visitors back in time with a range of exciting living history displays tomorrow and Sunday.

Vicar recruits task force to help preserve historic St Collen's

* St Collen's parish church should become more of a tourist
attraction/experience, believes the vicar. 

Llangollen’s go-ahead vicar is putting together a special task force to help preserve a vital part of the town’s heritage.

Father Lee Taylor (pictured below) has made an appeal for volunteers from Llangollen to form a steering group to make the historic parish church of St Collen’s more of a tourist attraction or experience.

Father Lee, who took over at the church late last year and has since introduced a number of new ideas, said: “I am hoping that the group will bring together a diverse group of people - of all faiths or none - who have experience in grant applications, tourism, history, architecture, electrical work and so on.

“They will work on fundraising, making bids to Heritage Lottery and other charities. 

“I am looking for people to contribute their time, not money. There are no other expectations.

“It is really voluntary work – not necessarily for the church – but for preserving a crucial part of history for this town.

“Our carved oak ceiling is one of the wonders of Wales. It dates back to 1450, before Michelangelo began work on painting the Sistine Chapel. It has many intricate figures and characters that tell fascinating stories.” 

Father Lee, who recently organised a colourful parade through the town and service of dedication to St Collen as patron saint and the man the town is named after, added: “Our hope is to get a better lighting system that brings out all these details, bringing the stories to life and giving a real impact on all who come through our doors.

“We are a dynamic, bustling town here In Llangollen - a tourist destination for people from all over the world who come here to experience the steam railway, the canal and aqueduct, the many festivals, the abbey and castle ruins, the famous walking routes and of course the International Eisteddfod. 

“I believe that the church should always reflect the community in which it is placed.

“As part of a tourist town, St Collen's needs to play its role in engaging with those who delight in history and architecture.”

* Anyone interested in joining Father Lee’s steering group can email him at: frleetaylor@hotmail.co.uk 

Audi plays numbers game with its new A1 Sportback

* The new Audi A1 Sportback, outside and in.

Audi A1 Sportback road test by Steve Rogers

They are playing a new numbers game at Audi and it got a friend very excited.

He was admiring my A1 Sportback and noticed 35 in front of TFSI on the tailgate. He could hardly contain himself thinking the little A1 had a 3.5 litre under the bonnet. A reasonable assumption.

I could have led him on offering a very fast spin but decided to burst his bubble revealing the Sportback was powered by a modest 1.5 litre petrol.

So what is the numbering all about? Not sure anyone will be interested but I will explain anyway. In the near future we will be switching from horse power to kilowatts to denote power output. It is because electric cars, of which there will be many, have outputs expressed in kilowatts so Audi are preparing the ground.

Audi has come up with a numbering system ranging from 30 to 55. The 35 on my 1.5 litre Sportback tells us it has 110-120kw or 150-163bhp. Glad to have cleared the air with that one!

If my friend was intrigued by the numbering he nearly fell over when I revealed the price. All but £29,000.

Yes this is a load of money for a supermini - you could buy four Dacia Sanderos and still have a grand to spare - but the Dacia is bargain basement while the A1 is premier league so you get almost the same quality and specification of a £70,000 A8 but in a much smaller car.

Sort of takes the pain out of downsizing. Interestingly hardly anyone goes for a basic model, customers packing the car to the roofline with the many extras on offer.

Probably best to distinguish Sportback from A1 which is a two or four door hatchback while this one is more of an estate car and is roomier than you might think. It is also prettier than the lacklustre A1 taking its styling from the trendier Q2 SUV.

And on the subject of SUVs Audi is about to add the citycarver to the Sportback range. More of a baby SUV it is blinged up with fatter wheel arches, new sills in a contrasting colour, stainless steel finish and raised ride height.

Regardless of the cost A1 Sportback is an appealing motor, great to drive, a comfortable four seater, five at a pinch, with a decent sized boot. It took a set of golf clubs which is always a good test.

All A1 models drive well but the S Line tested here is more for the enthusiast, the firmer suspension encouraging the driver to push because it drives as if it is on rails.

Inside is what you expect from Audi - classy. The trim is largely top grade with plenty of leather, and while the dashboard isn't eye catching it is functional with a 10 inch touchscreen controlling most functions. Significantly the heating controls are separate, operated by switches which is far less distracting for the driver. If only all cars were the same.

The driver's binnacle is changeable, just as it is in larger Audi models, so you can select full width Google mapping when using the navigation.

Earlier I described the 1.5 litre engine as modest which it is compared to the fictional 3.5 litre but in reality this is a tremendous performer for its size. It fairly buzzes along with good throttle response at low revs and never shouts and screams near the limit. Gear ratios are well chosen as well.

Performance aside the engine's greatest asset is economy - it shuts down two of its four cylinders to save petrol. Over 500 odd miles it never fell below 45mpg and on a four up 100 mile Sunday stroll the Sportback returned 60.4mpg. That is just brilliant.

The Sportback's heady price is always going to raise eyebrows but customers are happy to pay whatever it takes to spec up the car. If your budget is tight then look elsewhere but if you want a small car without compromise then look no further.

Key facts

A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S-Line

£24,805/£28,800 tested (starts £17,570)

1.5 litre; 147bhp

0-62mph 7.7secs; 137mph

44.8-45.6mpg combined

120g/km. 1st year road tax £170

Insurance group 26

Boot: 335 litres