Chance to get an inside look at Glyndwr University

* The Gallery, a new facility at the university.

* Vice Chancellor Maria Hinfelaar. 

An exclusive opportunity to see the elite Colliers Park football training facility is among the experiences on offer at Wrexham Glyndwr University’s next open day.

The event takes place on Saturday, August 17 and transport will be available from Glyndwr’s main Plas Coch campus in Wrexham to take interested students on the behind-the-scenes tour.

During the tour, sports academics at the university will be on hand to show visitors around the newly-redeveloped site, which is operated by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), in partnership with Wrexham Glyndwr University.

The tour will be held at 11.30am (with transport leaving Plas Coch at 11.15am.) It will also feature a session looking at body composition and an overview of the sports programmes on offer at Wrexham Glyndwr University.

The new facilities at Colliers Park are among the latest upgrades students at Glyndwr can expect to see, with series of recently-opened social learning spaces and upgraded teaching rooms and lecture theatres on show which have been completed under the university’s ongoing Campus 2025 estates renewal strategy. 

In one of the recently opened spaces, The Gallery, prospective students and their family will get the chance to chat with Glyndwr’s Vice Chancellor Maria Hinfelaar face-to-face over coffee. The session, at 10.30am, is designed to offer the chance to ask questions about the university, its courses and what it’s like to study at Glyndwr in an informal manner.

There are also a host of other, subject-specific talks, demonstrations and activities on hand throughout the day.

Wrexham Glyndŵr University Admissions Manager, Andy Phillips, said: “We’ve got lots of activities and talks taking place this open day, including ‘Criminology: Your Route into Public Services,’ ‘Psychology Café – the Psychology of Love Island,’ ‘Stop & Search Knife Crime,’ an interactive physiotherapy session - and much more.

“There’s also the chance to get your hands of some of the amazing high-tech equipment our academics and students use in a PlaySpace arena – with an opportunity to explore everything from Virtual Reality headsets to 3D printing, ethical hacking and the internet of things. ”

The August open day is designed to give prospective 2019 entry students a taste of what it's like to study at Glyndwr, to let them learn more about the wide variety of degree programmes available and to show them what each of Glyndwr’s campuses has to offer -  as well as being giving them the chance to meet with course staff and current students.

The university has a wide range of courses available at foundation, undergraduate and post graduate level, many of which can also be studied part-time. More than half of current Wrexham Glyndwr students study part-time and includes a wide-variety of age groups.

A number of the university’s supporting services will also be on hand on the day to speak to prospective students, including the award-winning careers team - whose work supporting students has been recognised with a national accolade from AGCAS (the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service.)

There is also the opportunity to speak to the admissions team about course entry requirements and the application process, and the student funding and money advice team for information on funding and fees.

The open day runs from 10am – 2pm with last entry at 1pm. You can drop in throughout the day but don’t forget to check the list of talks and events so you don’t miss something that’s important to you. 

* For more information or to book to attend the Open Day visit: wgu.ac.uk/openday.

Llangollen has county's highest earning car park

* Llangollen's Market Street car park.

A car park in Llangollen is the top earner for Denbighshire County Council.

The Daily Post put in Freedom of Information requests to local authorities across north Wales to discover exactly how much their car parks made in fees during 2018/19. The total was £4.3 million.

And the reply from Denbighshire showed that Martket Street in Llangollen was its highest earner, bringing in £137,244.03 during the period.

Two other car parks in the town also made it into the county’s top ten.

East Street came in at number eight by notching up £42,723 and the tally for Mill Street was just a little less at £41,036 which brought it in at number 10.

Denbighshire’s full top ten is:

Market Street, Llangollen £137,244.03
Rhyl Promenade £108,677.23
Sky Tower, Rhyl £65,078.84
Nova, Rhyl £61,507.72
Factory Ward, Denbigh £54,818.91
Market Street, Ruthin £47,489.88
Morley Road, Rhyl £43,891.30
East Street, Llangollen £42,723.93
Underground, Rhyl £42,224.55
Mill Street, Llangollen £41,036.60

* See the full story at: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/parking-cash-cows-netted-north-16733201

Oak Street Gallery to host John Peacock exhibition

* John Peacock's work entitled Marigolds.

Artist John Peacock is to stage an exhibition at the Oak Street Gallery in Llangollen.

His medium is stitched collage, with the use of fabrics, stained and oiled brown paper, colour papers and newspaper.

His work is often enhanced with coloured inks, dye, paint and/or bleach. 

Much of his inspiration comes from the countryside, particularly trees and woodlands. Antique embroidery and patchwork, Oriental carpets and rugs often influence the colour pallet used in his work.

There will be an opening event on the evening of Saturday August 17, from 7pm to 9pm.

The exhibition will run from August 18 until September 14, and the gallery will be open Wednesday – Sunday, 10am-4pm.

 * Orchard by John Peacock. 

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.