Go-slower Volvo gets the electrical buzz

* The Volvo S60.

* The Volvo XC40.

Volvo launch news by Steve Rogers

Volvo is on a mission to make driving safer and cleaner.

The buzz word at Volvo is electric. It is already the first manufacturer to offer plug in hybrid versions on its entire seven model range and new UK managing director Kristian Elvefors told me the company's target is for half its sales to be fully electric by 2025.

On the safety front the top speed of all its cars will be limited to 112mph from next year. Most Volvos are in the 130-140-mph bracket with some capped at 155mph. Elvefors said they want to send a 'strong signal about the dangers of speeding'.

Given our 70mph speed limit that should not worry drivers and the cars will still have the same acceleration. 

In the case of the new S60 T8 60mph comes up in under five seconds but the Swedish company is still hell bent on safety and the latest innovation is for sensors to alert the driver to any lack of concentration and even bring the car to a stop in the most extreme case.

The rise of Volvo has been phenomenal from an insignificant player in the premium sector to one that is ruffling the feathers of the establishment, very much like Audi which rose from nowhere in the nineties to leader of the premium pack before the dieselgate scandal spoilt the party.

The Swedish company has seen five years of continued growth selling more than 50,000 cars last year and this year is looking like another record in the UK with sales up 27 per cent in a market that is still on the slide.

Electrification of its models is leading the charge with new hybrid engines for the XC90 being rolled out across the range. There will be plug-in hybrid versions for S60 and V60 with the XC40 debuting as the first fully electric Volvo next year.

As for the cars Volvo has created some of the most stylish and luxurious models in the premium sector and has the likes of Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Audi wondering what is coming next.

The XC90 is as plush as a Range Rover but with a greater wow factor thanks to the minimalist design and delicate Swedish textures. The dashboard is dominated by the vertical tablet style multi media centre which I still find a real handful to work out.

Drivers need to learn the ins and outs of this system otherwise it can be a big distraction while driving. I stay away from it when underway preferring voice control for everyday functions like selecting a radio station, changing the heating settings, although that job is pretty easy, or asking for sat-nav guidance.

Even though Volvo has a huge commitment to safety it can still spice things up and the place to find that is behind the wheel of the new S60. This is the first Volvo to really challenge the red hot BMW, Mercedes and Audi models setting up the Polestar performance division.

The Polestar tuned S60 will be here soon but in the meantime the all wheel drive T8 plug-in hybrid is hardly short on excitement. With 390bhp on tap - 303bhp from 2-litre petrol and 87bhp from the electric motor - the T8 can hit 62mph in 4.6 seconds, only two tenths of a second behind the Polestar tuned S60.

Because it is hybrid emissions are just 39g/km and driven very sensibly can achieve anything between 122 to 176mpg. The price tag is a hefty £49,805 but a 205bhp T5 version brings S60 closer to the masses at £37,935.

If S60 was my drive of the day my car of the day was the more modest XC40, Volvo's newest and smallest SUV. This has an entry level three-cylinder 1.5 litre petrol engine which has been upgraded to 163bhp, a lot of power for a small engine and like all modern three-cylinder engines it is refined with a punchy response at very low revs.

Like the rest of the range it is packed with safety features, has the standard 9 inch tablet style touchscreen, and comes with a choice of diesel, petrol and petrol hybrid engines.

Key facts

XC 40 R-Design 8sp auto

£34,365 (starts £28,965)

1.5 litre 3ycl; 163bhp

0-60mph 9.1secs; 124mph

35.8-39.2mpg

147g/km. 1st yr tax £210

Boot: 460-1336 litres

Llan group enjoys music hall trip to Leeds

 * Above and below: members of the Llangollen group outside the theatre in Leeds. 

A party of around 50 people from Llangollen journeyed over to Leeds yesterday (Saturday) to see a performance of the Old Time Music Hall at the famous City Varieties Theatre, starring former Coronation Street star Sherrie Hewson.

Many of the party got into the spirit of things by donning Victorian-era fancy dress.

The trip, which went down very well, was arranged and led by Llangollen vicar Father Lee Taylor who is a keen music hall fan.

Invite goes out to Cittaslow Sunday

From 11-3pm on September 29 representatives of the many social, cultural and community groups in Llangollen will be hosting stalls on Centenary Square as part of Cittaslow Sunday.

They will be sharing what they do, how they do it and suggesting ways to help and opportunities to get involved. 

There will also be food, drinks entertainment and activities

Llangollen is exceptional for the high number and wide range of community groups it has: nearly 100 groups were captured in the Llangollen Community Photobook published by Simon Collinge and Andrew Gale in 2013. 

On Cittaslow Sunday, the Cittaslow Committee of Llangollen Town Council, aim to recognise and celebrate how much the work of all these groups contribute to the social, physical and cultural fabric of our town. 

Daily, weekly, monthly and annually these (largely volunteer) groups organise and offer support for individuals and groups of all ages and in some cases provide life-saving services.

There are groups that help maintain and develop the very fabric of our town. The rich and diverse cultural environment that helps define Llangollen is also largely the result of the hard work of volunteers who attract art, culture, sport and music to the town.

Cittaslow Sunday is celebrated each year by Cittaslow towns around the world. 

Llangollen became a designated Cittaslow town in 2013 after a substantial effort from a large group of councillors and local volunteers to secure the designation, joining the network of 252 other Cittaslow towns globally. 

Cittaslow promotes a way of life for market towns that is environmentally sustainable and supportive of local community groups and businesses. Its themes are about:

·        Encouraging community connections

·        Supporting local products (arts & agriculture)

·        Creating human-friendly infrastructure

·        Protecting and conserving the environment

·        Using technology wisely, and

·        Promoting hospitality (‘slow travel’)

Other initiatives the Cittaslow Committee are currently working on include:

·       * Developing a website for community groups to share information on activities, events and meetings including a shared community calendar

·       * Improving the Community Newsletter

·       * Participatory budgeting – small grants programme for community groups

·       * Supporting information sharing between groups and with the Town Council through regular events and a monthly “open to ideas forum” with the Cittaslow Committee (6pm, second Wednesday of each month)

All town organisations and groups are welcome to host a stall and should have received an invitation to do so. To register your interest in a stall, please contact Councillor Austin Cheminais at chemshouts@yahoo.co.uk or cllrcheminais@llangollentowncounci.gov.uk

* For more information, look at Facebook www.facebook.com/CittaslowLlangollen

Hospice launches new heart failure service

 * The launch of the new service by Nightingale House Hospice. 

A new permanent hospice service for patients with advanced heart failure and palliative care needs has been launched in Wrexham. 

It will give patients with the condition improved access to managing their care in a planned and coordinated way, enabling them to live their best life possible.

Nightingale House Hospice on Chester Road has been able to launch the service following recruitment of a heart failure nurse specialist. 

The post was developed following a pilot project which was made possible through a £40,000 grant from the St James’s Place Charitable Foundation, administered by Hospice UK. 

BCU Health Board made further resources possible during the length of the project to complete the project aims. The project evaluation identified a need for patients with heart failure to have better palliative care for their condition.

A total of 26% of patient deaths are heart failure related in the UK compared to 27% for cancer patients, yet only 4% percent of heart failure patients are cared for by a hospice and palliative care team compared to 70% of cancer patients.

During the pilot project (November 2017-May 2019) some heart failure patients said they were frightened and shocked to be given an appointment at Nightingale House Hospice due to the misconception that it is only for people with cancer. 

The new clinic enables patients to be assessed by a specialist heart failure nurse linked with palliative care, to give advice including practical and emotional concerns of living with heart failure; this might be years before death.

Dr Jenny Welstand, Hospice Heart Failure Nurse Specialist, said: “Palliative symptoms are often under-estimated and inadequately addressed, mainly because patients can often look much better than they feel. The service allows us to assess patients in clinic and via telephone, not only to manage their symptoms and medication alongside the heart failure team, but also to support them with concerns and problems they identify as important to them. Importantly we also support families who often shoulder the burden of care and the emotional issues this brings.

“We received significant feedback from our patients who were adamant they wanted to live their lives in the best way possible and feel supported. As our joint pilot project progressed the word ‘hospice’ became less of a fear as the benefits of the service developed.

“Hospice-enabled care has transformed the care our local Heart Failure Team can offer and invigorated our hospice team. Both teams know we still have so much to learn, but we want to carry on doing this together.”

Here are some of the things heart failure patients told the team when they were initially referred for an assessment at Nightingale House Hospice on Chester Road, Wrexham:

“It frightened me when the hospice was mentioned, I thought I had cancer.”

“I’ve never really been ill before and thought that when the hospice was mentioned, I only had a few weeks left to live.”

The new collaborative service now available at Nightingale House Hospice, delivered by the Heart Failure Nurse and specialist palliative care team, combines a unique blend of knowledge and experience to improve care for patients.

Sue Glover’s late husband Paul had stage four kidney cancer and needed to have a replacement heart valve. But in March 2018 Paul had a severe reaction to his cancer medication which severely damaged the pumping ability of his heart, meaning he developed heart failure.

“We came to see Jenny here at Nightingale House where we chatted, and she explained lots of things to Paul.  She helped support him to tap into other resources that meant he could stay at home for as long as possible. Sadly, Paul passed away in hospital due to complications but to see this project now become a permanent service for those experiencing heart failure is just fantastic.”

Karl Benn, Head of Grants, Hospice UK, said: “Hospices are not just about cancer, it’s about the whole issue of how we approach death and dying.

“Patients diagnosed with heart failure in the Nightingale House catchment area will now be able to access a service that will mean they, together with their families and carers can learn to cope with their life limiting illness and adjust to the challenges that brings.

“Some of the projects we fund don’t continue so it is fantastic to see real success here. It’s encouraging to know the funding provided through St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation will continue to have an impact well beyond the life of the grant.”

Medwyn Edwards, of Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management, Wrexham, is the local representative for St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation. He said: “We are delighted to have been able to give this grant funding via Hospice UK to support the Heart Failure Project at Nightingale House and enable them to develop an innovative and effective support service that help improve the the quality of life for people with life limiting illnesses and improve their end of life care.”

llanblogger takes a short break

llanblogger is now taking a short break and will be back by the weekend

Profiles of Llan town councillor candidates

Now with profile of third candidate, Gillian Robertson at foot of story

An election for the vacancy on Llangollen Town Council created by the recent resignation of Karen Edwards will be held on Thursday, October 3.

Three candidates are standing - John Palmer, Paul Keddie and Gillian Roberston.

John Palmer and Paul Keddie have responded to a request from llanblogger to supply a profile of themselves based on their election leaflets for the benefit of voters, and here they are:

Vote Paul Keddie

Independent

Thursday, 3^rd October

ü  An actively contributing member of the community

ü  Committed to Llangollen, having a strong and proactive approach

ü  An open-minded person with no partisan political agenda

I aim to...

ü  Maintain the charm and appeal of our Town

ü  Strive for improved traffic management and make our Town safe

ü  Promote Llangollen for tourism and events, we really are a gem!

ü  Improve communications to and from the Town Council

I am very proud of our town and will do everything I possibly can to make it even better… for everyone.     

I welcome innovation with an active hands-on approach, but never lose focus on preserving our heritage.  Our Town is important, you are important.

Contact: 07949 418257, or email: paul@llangollenfringe.co.uk

Male voice choir concert at RAFA Club