New Insignia holds its own against premium crowd

* The Vauxhall Insignia GSi Grand Sport.

Vauxhall Insignia GSi Grand Sport road test by Steve Rogers

The first words to come from my wife after driving the Vauxhall Insignia were 'how much does this car cost'?

All but £39,000 says I. 'What! she says with the irritated tone of Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess in TV's Downton Abbey. 'It hasn't got a reversing camera'.

The conversation descends into 'of course it has' - 'no it hasn't' verbiage before I go out to check and find she is right. This is a very strange omission given the Grand Sport's price tag. It will be in the options list but what is more useful, a heated steering wheel or a rear camera?

Camera aside this is one swanky Insignia now with Grand Sport added to its title to signify hatchback, and what a difference from its predecessor. 

British designer Mark Adams has taken full advantage of Insignia's new platform to give it a sleek coupe silhouette. The car is not that much longer but an extended wheelbase and shorter overhangs gives it real presence, and more importantly Adams has managed to sort out Insignia's snout which was its least attractive feature.

With slimmer headlights and a lowered grille, that protrudes rather than inclines, Insignia has turned into a very attractive car even capable of taking a pop at some of its premium brethren.

Looks alone won't do it but a lot of work has gone into improve the handling, comfort and cabin space. Rear legroom was an area where the old car fell down but the extended wheelbase has enabled the designers to find more inches and although it still can't match Skoda Superb there is no longer cause for complaint.

The all wheel drive GSi is the latest and most expensive model in the range, powered by a 2-litre biturbo diesel mated to an eight speed automatic box. Apart from the rear camera it has just about everything you could ask for.

A crystal clear head up display, brilliant 32 lens LED headlights, navigation, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats, wireless charging for mobile phone shows Vauxhall has not skimped on kit and that is just a snapshot of an extensive spec list.

The GSi is more for the enthusiast but it is no VXR and there will be no performance tuned model for Insignia. But stiffer suspension, beefed up steering and a moderately powerful biturbo at least gives it a sporting edge.

Vauxhall has introduced torque vectoring for the all wheel drive system, others have been using it for a while and it is more sophisticated sending torque to the outer rear wheel during cornering and sort of steadies the ship. The bottom line is more confidence in cornering particularly in the wet.

A big effort has been made to make the cabin a more pleasant place with soft touch materials and very stylish sports seats in the GSi which give great side support. There is a good flow to the dashboard with a central 8in touchscreen for navigation, phone etc, although heating and radio control switches are separate and easy to use. Voice control can sort out most functions if you want to keep your eyes on the road.

The head up display is one of the best I have seen and the driver can toggle between a variety of functions. One day this will be a standard feature on all cars and the sooner the better.

Even though it's diesel the GSi will not be that cheap to run. The long term trip computer showed it had averaged 35mpg over nearly a 1000 miles and the best I could do was 36mpg which is in line with the official figure. And the first year's road tax is a whopping £1,280.

People might be opting for SUVs and crossovers but Insignia is an important car for Vauxhall and its new owners PSA. 

The Peugeot is a worthy rival but is not as roomy and will never sell as well in the UK as a Vauxhall which will be snapped up by the fleet suppliers because it is good value for money.

But please Vauxhall, fit a rear camera as standard on the GSi, if only to shut my wife up! And while you are at it, the automatic handbrake needs a hold function.

Key facts

Insignia GSi Grand Sport 4x4

£38,520

2-litre BiTurbo; 206bhp

0-62mph 7.4secs; 145mph

36.2-39.2mpg combined

184g/km. 1st year road tax £1280

Boot: 490 litres

Insurance group 28

Youngsters launch eco-friendly products at food festival

* Arianna Harkin, Coleg Cambria ILS lecturer Helen Young, and Mark Poland show off their Scrabble-inspired coasters.

A group of young entrepreneurs are launching a new range of eco-friendly products at Llangollen Food Festival later this month.

The students from the Northop campus of Coleg Cambria will be selling fruit bowls made from vinyl LP records, herbs planted in empty food cans and coasters made from Scrabble tiles at the festival on Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20.

The team, who have additional learning needs, won a competition organised by the festival for students on Independent Living Skills (ILS) to win a stall at the popular annual event, along with a cash prize of £50.

ILS tutor and lecturer Helen Young says the group will sell products made during their ILS workskills, crafts and enterprise sessions.

She said: “We are making coasters from Scrabble tiles, fruit bowls from vinyl LP records and miniature herb pots for the kitchen using empty food tins.

“These products are useful, practical and will raise environmental awareness as some material will be up-cycled.

“Our USP (unique selling point) is that these products have been made by learners with additional needs. The products have motivated learners to use skills linked to the world of work.

“This means each and every item has been created and uniquely crafted from start to finish and each finished item can be viewed as a real achievement for the individual learner who made it."

She added: “All the learners have already succeeded as producing these products is a huge achievement for them. Our three products are practical, useful and on trend.

“Our ideas for our products will make money, as the records have been donated for free so all monies from sales will be profit. The price of the coasters will cover production costs and make a small profit.

“We will use the £50 prize to purchase the materials we need to make the coasters as well as buying the seeds we need to make out herb pots.”

Helen hopes company bosses will see the potential of her ILS students and realise they are employable.

She said: “Too many employers seem to believe that ILS students can’t do a job and that they are basically unemployable. It’s our mission here at Coleg Cambria to show that our students are employable and are capable.

“We can and will use Llangollen Food Festival as a platform to demonstrate that our students can come up with good ideas and produce goods that are desirable as those sold by independent traders. I’d love to see some of our learners go onto form their own businesses, why not?”

ILS student Mark Poland, 22, of Mold, says the ideas they have come up with for their three products are amazing.

He said: “I’m looking forward to the food festival. I’ve worked with Helen before on enterprise stalls and really enjoyed it. I’m really looking forward to making the coasters, it’s a good idea but they are quite hard to make.”

Ariana Harkin, 16, of Afonwen, who has just started at her studies at Coleg Cambria,  said: “Coleg Cambria is very different to school. I was at Mold Alun High School and I’ve only just started at the college.

“Making the fruit bowls will be good. We need to heat the records in an oven and then when they are soft making them into a bowl shape.”

Former Buckley Elfed High School pupil Mia Hughes, 16, added: “I’m really looking forward to getting involved and making the coasters. We need to stick them all together using a hot glue gun.”

Holywell student Jake Davies, 19, and fellow student Rosie Parry, 16, of Buckley say they are both looking forward to making the herb pots.

Jake said: “I like doing practical things it’s better than writing and stuff like that. I enjoy making things and seeing how they come out.”

Rosie added: “It’s really good to start with an empty tin can and a few seeds make something useful. I’m really looking forward to everything.”

Lydia Whiting, 19, of Chester and Henry Hibert-Jones, 20, of Port Sunlight but say they are looking forward to making fruit bowls out of vinyl LP’s.

“Henry said: “It’s important to balance the LP on a mug in the oven, it won’t work if you lay them flat. It’s going to be quite good to see the end product.”

Lydia added: “I like doing practical things and making things that are useful. The food festival will be really good.”

According to Llangollen Food Festival committee member Phil Davies,  the event is the perfect platform for Coleg Cambria’s ILS students to exhibit and sell their products.

He said: “I’m delighted they won our competition and I look forward to seeing their finished products which I’m sure will prove popular with festival visitors.

“It’s important Llangollen Food Festival welcomes groups such as Coleg Cambria’s ILS students to exhibit their products alongside our other exhibitors.

“We want to give these students the opportunity to shine and to show they are not only perfectly capable of coming up with great ideas but that they can produce quality products too.”

* For more information about the Llangollen Food Festival please visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

Ysgol Y Gwernant gets glowing report

Staff, pupils, and the governing body at Ysgol Gymraeg Y Gwernant are celebrating after receiving a glowing report following a recent inspection by a team of inspectors from Estyn, the statutory inspectorate for education and training in Wales. 

The report rates the primary school as being ‘excellent’ for Wellbeing and Attitudes to Learning; Care, Support and Guidance; and Leadership and Management.

It report says that: “The school is an extremely caring and friendly community that promotes the importance of pupils’ excellent behaviour very successfully. 

"A strong element of provision is the way in which all staff commit highly effectively to ensuring pupils’ wellbeing, including their mental and physical health. Provision for all of the school’s councils contributes exceptionally well towards the familial, caring and inclusive ethos. 

"As a result, nearly all pupils feel safe, take pride in their school and show very positive attitudes towards their learning. The school provides a wide range of procedures that promote this excellently."

Chair of governors Professor Jethro Newton said: "As is evident, these outcomes are impressive and are a testimony to the excellent leadership of the headteacher, Mrs Bethan Jones, to the outstanding work of the teaching and support staff, and to the achievement and behaviour of pupils."

Amongst the strengths highlighted by the inspectors are the school’s "very strong" Welsh ethos and the use made by pupils of the Welsh language. 

The report describes Ysgol Y Gwernant as a “happy, caring, and inclusive community”, and praises the “excellent pupil behaviour” and “strong attitudes to learning” of pupils, along with the “dedicated and enthusiastic staff”.

Professor Newton added: “The report provides a very reassuring picture of the high-quality teaching and learning environment at our school, and the high-quality educational and pastoral experience from which all pupils are able to benefit."

Ysgol Y Gwernant was represented by headteacher Bethan Jones and senior teacher Diane Davies at the Estyn Excellence Awards ceremony held in Cardiff on October 11.

* The full report, (both Welsh and English versions), can be accessed on the Estyn website at:

https://www.estyn.gov.wales/provider/ysgol-gymraeg-y-gwernant-welsh-medium-primary

Police boss gives guarded welcome to extra bobbies

* Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

The announcement by Home Secretary Priti Patel of 62 new police officers for North Wales has been given a guarded welcome by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

The increase comes as part of a package of 6,000 new PCs which was made public today as part of a plan to put 20,000 new officers on the beat over thee next three years.

Arfon Jones said: “Any increase in police numbers is to be welcomed especially if it is paid for via an increase in the Central Police Grant thus reducing the burden on already hard up local taxpayers.

“It should also be remembered that the cost of 62 officers is a fraction of the £31 million that North Wales Police have lost since 2010.

“It’s also worth making the point that here in North Wales we have done our best to redress the balance of those cuts by recruiting more than 62 police officers in the last two years.

“I also hope to see the Force rebuilding the resilience of its roads policing unit with some of these additional resources.

“But it remains unclear from today’s announcement whether rural forces are receiving our proper entitlement compared to the larger urban forces - I suspect not.”

Earlier Home Secretary Patel told the National Policing Board, involving representatives of frontline officers and police leaders: “The public are clear they want to see more police officers on their streets, whether they live in the city or the countryside.

“This is the people’s priority and it is exactly what the Government is delivering.

“Every single police force in England and Wales will be able to recruit additional officers this year to help keep all of our communities safer.”

She said that all officers recruited as part of the 20,000 uplift will be additional to those hired to fill existing vacancies.

Mr Jones, a former Police Inspector himself, said that since his election in 2016 had managed to increase staffing by North Wales Police in the face of a series of real terms cuts in its budget.

This had amounted to £31 million over ten years and he added: “My Police and Crime Plan aims to reduce threat, risk and harm by identifying the most vulnerable people in society. I will do everything in my power to protect them.

"Crime is evolving and as a police force we have to change to deal with new threats like modern slavery, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation, as well as the massive increase in cybercrime.

“We are facing new and increasing challenges so the force must evolve and adapt and despite the Government’s swingeing cuts of recent years, we have continued to invest in our frontline so that North Wales continues to be one of the safest places in the UK to live, work and visit.”

Pengwern's new lifesaving machine goes live

* The new Pengwern defibrillator.

* The official handover takes place outside the 

community centre wit Tomos Hughes of Achub Calon Y Dyffryn and Cllr Grindley.

* Children are shown how to bake their own bread.

The Pengwern area's new defibrillator went live at the Community Centre yesterday morning (Saturday).

The installation of the lifesaving piece of equipment was made possible by a large donation of £1,200 from the Rotary Cub of Llangollen,

Llangollen firefighters also raised money by doing a car wash, Llangollen Pantomime Group chipped in with £200 and a private donation helped hit the target.

Tomos Hughes from Achub Calon Y Dyffryn worked with the fundraising group and joined them yesterday to arrange for the machine to go live.

There will be training arranged for residents and children to learn basic first aid and how a defibrillator works in the near future.

The committee and supporters of The Friends of Pengwern arranged refreshments for everyone there.

Sheena Grindley, a town councillor and spokesperson for the fundraisers, said: "This was a wonderful community effort and a huge thank you to all involved.

"We also arranged for the children to make bread around the fire and they also enjoyed toasted marshmallows and a guided tour of the fire engine courtesy of our local firefighters.

"It's great to have this lifesaving facility in the middle of the largest estate in Llangollen."

Coffee man brews up new blend for food festival

* Coffee man Tim Parry is heading for Llangollen.

A speciality coffee maker who started off roasting coffee beans over a camp stove in his shed is celebrating his sixth anniversary by brewing up a luxurious blend in honour of a top food festival.

Barman turned barista Tim Parry is now producing in one afternoon what he previously made in one week and has moved into an industrial unit in Rhyl.

He originally launched his business, Mug Run Coffee, in December 2013 - and credits top 10 UK food festival Llangollen Food Festival for getting his name on the map.

As a thank you to the festival, he is concocting a new limited-edition blend for this year’s event which will be exclusively available to visitors to the popular food festival.

The event will be held at the international pavilion at Llangollen on Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20 and has now been hailed by the Daily Telegraph and the Independent as one of the Top 10 food festivals in the UK.

Although Tim is busy perfecting the final recipe, he has promised to deliver a tantalisingly tasty combination that is a fitting tribute to the Llangollen area.

Welsh-speaking Tim is relishing the chance to return to Llangollen to mingle with fellow food producers and customers again and use his mother tongue.

“The festival really is a great place to be,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Prestatyn.

“I’ve been coming along for five years now. There are lots of Welsh speakers and it brings lots of local traders together.

“I’ve always had a really positive experience meeting new people there and it’s nice to see the same ones returning every year. It really has helped introduce people to my brand and grow.”

Originally, Tim worked in the hospitality industry, mainly in pubs and bars in Rhyl. But coffee has always been a passion and he continues to have aspirations of owing his own café or shop one day.

When he launched his business in 2014, Tim was working for an agency taking on factory work. Coffee roasting started off as an experiment until he realised the quality of what he was roasting was actually good enough to be sold.

“I’d roast the beans off a camping stove in the shed and pack them in the house,” he said.

“I did a lot of research to find biodegradable, compostable packaging. At that time, there wasn’t too much of it about. When I found the right packaging, I saw some labels which I could print myself and it all came together.”

Tim bought a shed in his back garden and transformed it into a coffee roasting unit.

“Originally, I sold at local craft markets and small events. I was surprised how well it took off. To go from craft markets to quite large events was really something. It was quite a leap forward for me,” he said.

“We’re now selling a lot more. What I used to produce in one week I now produce in an afternoon. It’s going quite well.”

Tim has now moved production to an industrial unit at Morfa Clwyd, Marsh Road, Rhyl, which has freed up some valuable space at home. He has also purchased a pre-loved propane roaster that he has converted to natural gas which has increased his output and aligns with his environmental values to reuse where possible. Tim hopes one day to design and build his own wood-fired roaster to become exclusively off-grid.

He has also discovered a speciality coffee bean importer on the south coast which has enabled him to offer his customers ethically-soured, exotic flavours that are otherwise unavailable.

Tim now offers six speciality blends; Ethiopia, Honduras, East Timor, Sumatra, Rwanda and Honduras Decaf and supplies a growing number of cafes, restaurants and shops in North Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire.

“It’s nice to do a job I love, it doesn’t feel like work,” he said.

The UK has seen a rise in artisan micro-roasters with around 200 now in the UK. As the appetite for good coffee has grown so too has the possibilities for new and exciting flavours.

“At the time I started there was only a few speciality coffee importers,” explained Tim.

“Coffee has changed a lot in the last five or six years. People are becoming more knowledgeable about coffee and understanding the different flavours. It’s like fine wine. 

Some wines have gooseberries or raspberries – the flavours are already locked in there – you have to know how to bring them out and when coffee is brewed correctly all the flavours should come out.

“Coffee has to be well-balanced and not particularly acidic or bitter. You’re trying to get the balance right where all the flavours engage with each other. If you don’t get it right, the flavours fight against each other and it doesn’t make for a pleasant cup of coffee. You have to try different ratios and see what works together.

“My customers like the flavours and the way the beans have been roasted. All the coffees have a very distinctive flavour. It’s nice to see customers trying it and realising how good coffee can actually be with all these unique flavours.”

The name ‘Mug Run Coffee’ was originally coined when Tim contemplated establishing a coffee van. The reaction from friends and family was so positive, Tim decided to stick with it.

He now works five days a week for the business, either in production or selling at local farmer’s markets and stalls, and is expanding at a comfortable pace.

“It’s growing at a steady rate. I have a few restaurants, shops and cafes on-board in Rhyl and across North Wales,” he said.

“I also have some in Cheshire and Shropshire. There have been people from Scotland and the south east and all over who’ve bought my coffee. It’s going well.”

Llangollen Food Festival committee member Phil Davies is looking forward to sampling the festival’s honorary brew.

He said: “It is wonderful to hear success stories from local producers who continue to benefit from the festival exposure. Llangollen really is a fantastic launchpad for new and existing businesses and celebrates the hidden culinary wonders this part of the world has to offer.”

* For more information about the Llangollen Food Festival please visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com

New Dot launches autumn film programme tonight

* A scene from Woman at War.

New Dot Cinema launches its Autumn programme tonight (Friday) with the brilliant Woman at War. 

It was the standout winner among audiences at preview screenings for community cinemas this past Spring and we’re delighted to bring it to the Town Hall.

To all appearances, Halla has a blissful life cycling through the streets of Reykjavik from choir practice to yoga classes (and vice versa). But she has a secret life as a lone environmental activist known as “The woman of the mountain”, waging a one-woman-war on the encroaching industry that threatens the stunning highland landscape around the city. 

As she plans her boldest operation yet, she gets the unexpected news that her application to adopt a child has been approved and she has to choose between her environmental crusade and fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother. Woman at War is funny, moving, dramatic and quirky. 

Tickets are available online via Skiddle or from the Llangollen Oggie Shop and Fine Foods (formerly Baileys) in Castle Street.

Also in our Autumn programme are:

October 25^th: The Sisters Brothers – In 19^th century America, an infamous duo of sibling assassins are hired to find (and kill) a gold prospector who says he can find gold with a miraculous chemical formula. It’s all Western, part-comedy, part-thriller.

*November 15^th: Capernaum – A stunning, deeply moving film about a child’s attempts to survive in the brutal streets of Beirut. After a series of disastrous events, 12-year old Zain sues his parents for giving him life. As his case moves through the courts Zain thinks back to the events that have brought him to this dramatic turn.

*November 29^th: Earth – This is something of a coup for New Dot Cinema because, as far as we can tell, after its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this past Spring, it hasn’t yet been shown in cinemas outside film festivals. 

Several billion tons of earth are moved annually by humans - with shovels, excavators or dynamite. Director Nikolaus Geyrhalter observes people in mines, quarries, large construction sites in a constant struggle to transform the planet.

December 13^th – The Christmas Film. New Dot will announce the festive feature shortly but, as last year, it will be free entry with a charity donation. 

New Dot will post details on its Facebook page and website shortly. For this night only they'll also be screening the film slightly earlier at 7pm to make it easier for a younger audience to come along. Details to follow.

* Some posters have an incorrect screening date for our November films. These are the correct dates. 

* More information on all the films can be found at the website newdotcinema.org or the Facebook page.