New film celebrates World Heritage Site

* A scene from the new film showing the aqueduct.

A film showcasing the beauty of an eleven-mile stretch of the Dee Valley near Llangollen has been unveiled.

The film shows the day in the life of the World Heritage Site (WHS) from dawn until dusk. 

It was recently premiered at the WHS UK Annual Conference in Llangollen and highlights the magnificent structures, landscape and activities which can be enjoyed throughout the day.

There are also three shorter films currently in commission themed around '11 miles of engineering marvels’, '11 miles of picturesque landscape’ and '11 miles of the great outdoors’. 

They will highlight structures, landscapes or activity referred to in each title and due for release in the near future.

All of the films, funded by Visit Wales, are part of the celebrations for the 10 year anniversary of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal receiving World Heritage Status.

The main purpose of the commission is to highlight the outstanding natural landscape, engineering and modern-day function as a tourist destination.

Each film features the entire eleven miles as it awakens in the morning until the sun sets in the evening, demonstrating some of the activities that people of all ages can enjoy and experience. 

It coincides with the final week of the hugely popular luminaire spectacle of iconic structures, putting Thomas Telford’s famous aqueduct at the centre of the celebrations. It ends this Sunday, October 27.

Wrexham County Borough Council’s Regeneration Manager Allan Forrest presented the films to the conference and said it had been well received, highlighting another important landmark in the promotion of the visitor attractions that welcome thousands of tourists and locals each year.

He said: “We are fortunate to have a stretch of waterways that begin at Gledrid Bridge in Shropshire, England to the Horseshoe Falls in Denbighshire. Over the past ten years we have continued to push the boundaries of how we can continually attract tourists to the area and this has only been possible through private and public funding.  

“There are exciting plans ahead and our new Management Plan will be announced shortly as we continue to develop our vision for a masterplan for the Trevor Basin Area.”

Adnan Saif, from the charity, Canal and River Trust, said: “This film shows really showcases the beauty of the Llangollen Canal and why it’s such a fantastic place to visit throughout the year.

“Research shows that being next to water makes you feel happier and healthier and with 11 miles of the World Heritage Site to visit there is something for esveryone to enjoy. Whether you want to explore our 200-year-old heritage, spot the local wildlife, explore the canal on the water, or simply going for a leisurely stroll.  Whatever your reason, a visit to the Llangollen Canal, is a day well spent for the whole family.”

The luminaire runs until this Sunday, 27 October 2019 from 7.30pm - 9.30pm.

* To see the films, go to: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cp6hqjlhcqtll7h/AACU3kHOCbJwQLKOHCIHpR14a?dl=0

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in helping to stage this fantastic event. The luminaire was a chance to showcase Denbighshire and all it has to offer. It was a stunning way to mark the 10th anniversary of gaining World Heritage status and was an amazing spectacle for visitors and residents alike. I am pleased it was such a success.”

Llan campaigners joined Final Say march in London

* Welsh campaigners gather before the march.

* The march through London.

Campaigners from Llangollen were among the one million people estimated to have taken part in the People’s Vote Together For the Final Say march through central London last Saturday.

Protestors travelled from all over the UK by car, bus and train to take part in the march. 

Of the 172 organised coaches, 17 of them – a full 10% - were organised by Welsh grassroots groups across Wales, including Denbighshire whose party the Llangollen group joined.  

Many thousands of others travelled by train and hundreds of Britons living in other European countries and across the world flew back to the UK to demonstrate their support for a People’s Vote.

The Welsh groups held a rally with singing and speeches before the start of the main march through London. Many of those taking part were from areas of the Wales which had voted leave in the 2016 Referendum, including Wrexham.

Those taking part included several generations of the same families, war veterans and pensioners in their 90s.

"Aled", chairman of Denbighshire For Europe, said: “ It was great to see all people from Wales and North Wales and even Denbighshire. 

"It was good to see people from all regions within the Denbighshire area showing support to the MPS that support our case that a second referendum (People’s Vote) is the only way forward. 

"The public deserves to have the chance to vote against the deal and a option to remain if they do not like the deal, also having the right to change their minds as well."

He added: "It was good to see coaches sold out picking people up from Llangollen and Corwen and all regions in Denbighshire that feel the same, that we should have a People’s Vote on the final deal with truths and facts on leave the deal against the the option to remain if people now want to remain in the EU."

At the rally in Parliament Square, "Silas" from North Wales for Europe spoke on behalf of grassroots campaigners in Wales.

He said: “Three years ago, very few politicians would listen to our calls for a People’s Vote, but they’re listening now. We don’t have the media presence that Brexiteers have, so we must use our numbers and get out and talk to people. 

"Most people are reasonable, they’re not hard leavers or remainers, they just want the best future for their children and grandchildren. We are sharing our positive vision for the future with them.”

Campaign leaders say that since the march, hundreds of thousands of people have signed a letter to "the powerful" as part of a new campaign, demanding that the people are given the final say on Brexit in a referendum.

Before the final Brexit deadline of October 31 the letter will be delivered to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the European Parliament to other European Heads of Government.

Speed warning medic needs help with his dog

* Joel Whitaker and his dog Ralph.

A medic who warned bikers visiting Llangollen of the dangers of speeding has issued a plea for help with looking after his pet dog when he moves to the area himself.

Back in the summer Joel Whitaker put out a heartfelt plea to bikers on Facebook after seeing a number of them almost have head-on collisions as they rode on the Horseshoe Pass.  

He said at the time: “I make no apologies for this rant but I say it because I, as a medic, am fed up of having to scrape motorcyclists off the road and tell family members that turn up on scene that their loved ones are dead.”

Joel also told llanblogger: “I am based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire but moving to Llan shortly and have family up here. Historically from the area: I’m a descendant of Billy Meredith.”

Now he’s been back on Facebook to ask for help with looking after his dog when he moves to north Wales.

And he says that if he gets no assistance he won’t be able to come to Llangollen.

He says: “Some of you may remember that I was looking to move up to Llan earlier in the year. This is still my plan however I have hit a bit of bother.

“I am in the ambulance service and my station is down in Buckinghamshire. I work generally four shifts on then four off.

“I need to find someone that would be willing to have my dog Ralph for my four days on duty. He is a Smooth Collie, three years old who is very loving and a joy to have around.

“He is an assistance dog as I have Tourettes/Autism but I am not allowed to take him to work or I’d have him with me down there too! This is the only thing stopping me moving. Any help would be greatly appreciated!”

* You can contact Joel on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/joel.whitaker.144?fref=hovercard&hc_location=none&__tn__=%2CdC-R-R

Businesses contribute £540 for 80-plus steel poppies

*Karen Edwards, left, and Deputy Town Mayor Cllr Issy Richards with the display of new metal poppies in Llangollen’s Centenary Square.   

Fundraisers have been on a special mission to raise over £500 to pay for enough metal poppies to cover every name on Llangollen’s two war memorials in time for this year’s Remembrance Day service.

Former town councillor Karen Edwards persuaded three businesses from the area to donate a total of £540 to buy 117 of the Royal British Legion poppies, which is enough to represent every name inscribed on the First and Second World War memorials in the town’s Centenary Square.

With the help of Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr Issy Richards, Karen has spent for the past week carefully arranging the red and black steel flowers in the banking behind the memorials.

They will all be unveiled for the first time on Sunday morning when a large group of bikers visit the square as part of a marathon ride around north Wales to mark the official launch of this year’s annual Poppy Appeal.

Karen said: “With the generous donations from Fouzis cafe bar, Linguassist Translation and Interpretation Services, Lily Rose Interiors, Witzend Gallery and Cornerstones B&B we have managed to raise enough cash to cover the cost of one poppy for every person named on our two memorials and I thank each of them for the kind assistance with this project.

“We will now keep the poppies and set them up in the square in time for each Remembrance Day.”

Just before 11am on Sunday around 40 bikers will gather in the square for the traditional Service of Remembrance which will launch the 2019 Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

They are beginning their 180-mile ride in Wrexham and, after calling at Llangollen and other towns along the way, will end up in Llandudno.

The service, at which the local Legion branch will parade standards, will include the sounding of Last Post and Reveille and the observation of the minute’s silence at 11am. It will be led by the Vicar of Llangollen, Father Lee Taylor.

Megan sees line of her poem go up in lights

* The Chirk tunnel frontage where Megan's poetic words are projected.

* Megan's full poem.

A youngster from Llangollen has had an extract from a poem she wrote projected on to the front of an iconic canal bridge as part of a luminaire celebration.

Megan Mascarenhas, 11, and a pupil at Ysgol Dinas Bran, entered the poetry competition organised by  Gandŵr Cymru,  the Canal & River Trust in Wales, earlier this year to mark ten years since the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal was inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

The theme of the competition was ‘Go with the Flow’ and young entrants aged between five and 11 years were asked to take inspiration from visits to the canal and it's surrounding natural beauty.

A line from Megan’s poem will be projected on to the Chirk Tunnel frontage, a Grade II Scheduled Monument, from today (Wednesday).

Poetry competition organiser Lynda Slater from the Canal & River Trust said: “We were very impressed with Megan’s competition entry. We wanted youngsters to create a poem that would inspire others and show how being next to water makes them feel and why our canals are so special to them. 

"Megan demonstrated this in her poem and we are delighted that she was the overall winner and that we are able to light up a line from her poem on the Chirk Tunnel frontage during this special event.”

Megan was delighted to receive the news and said: “I’m excited to see part of my poem up in lights. It’s a real honour and I enjoyed taking part as I love living so close to the canal and visiting when I can with my family.”

The luminaire event runs until this Sunday as a celebration of Thomas Telford’s breathtaking nineteenth century Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at Trevor Basin being given the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2009.

Each site is unique and is either graded, a scheduled monument or both and is lit up by expert lighting company Enlightened of Bristol for two hours each evening from 7.30pm - 9.30pm.

The sites lit up are:

Aqueduct, Chirk (Grade II Scheduled Monument)

Viaduct, Chirk (Grade II)

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Trevor (Grade I Scheduled Monument)

Dinas Bran Castle, Llangollen (Scheduled Monument)

Horseshoe Falls, Llangollen (Grade II)

Chirk Tunnel Frontage

Due to the popularity of the Luminaire visitors are reminded to avoid traffic congestion and avoid stopping on nearby lanes. They are kindly requested to use designated car parks in the vicinity of each of the sites (which aren't stewarded):

PONTCYSYLLTE: Acrefair Football Club, Gate Rd LL20 7RH
CHIRK: Glyn Wylfa, LL14 5BS

DINAS BRAN: Llangollen Town Centre, car parks

HORSESHOE FALLS: LL208BN

MP says more about her Brexit stance

On her own website yesterday Clwyd South Labour Mp Susan Elan Jones WROTE AN ARtICLE  further clarifying her position on the current Brexit debate. She has given permission for it to be reproduced by llanblogger ...

JOHNSON'S 'CAMOUFLAGED' NO DEAL BREXIT 

Ex-Tory Chancellor Philip Hammond has described Boris Johnson’s proposals as a “heavily camouflaged No Deal” Brexit – and I think most of us who have read the details have come to the same view.

The hard right of the Tory Party who refused to back Theresa May’s deal are now almost unanimously in favour. Suspicious? We should be. Tory right-winger John Baron MP let the cat out of the bag at the weekend, saying: “Boris Johnson has torn up that backstop, which means that if the trade talks are not successful… up to December 2020 – that’s how long they could take, then we could leave on no-deal terms.”

Unlike Theresa May, Boris Johnson refuses to publish an economic impact assessment of his plans. That’s not because Johnson has suddenly gone shy, it’s because he’s got a good idea of what an assessment would say.

His proposals have been opposed by farmers, like the ones I met near Corwen on Friday, who know the lack of EU market access and the flooding of our market with inferior produce will mean the end for many Welsh farms. They’re opposed by the TUC who represent millions of workers because of what would happen to employment rights. They’re opposed by Make UK, the body representing business people in manufacturing and engineering, who are against a transition deal, which stretches to just 14 months, and the lack of commitments to maintaining the closest possible trading relationship with the EU. And they’re even opposed by the Tory Party’s former political partners in the DUP as they would create a border in the Irish Sea and lead to the breakup of the UK.

As MP for Clwyd South, I have kept to my word. I’ve also been prepared to compromise, voting for some things even when they weren’t my preferred option. I voted to trigger Article 50 as I said I would and I voted for a Customs Union. And, as I said in the Wrexham.com online hustings before the 2017 General Election, “if the deal is rubbish, I won’t vote for it”.

But what’s quite clear now is that Boris Johnson’s Government isn’t prepared to compromise at all. They are pushing a hard Right, English nationalist agenda that would devastate workers’ rights and communities like ours. And Johnson and his gang are so extreme they’ve shown they’ll get rid of any elected Tory MP – like Antoinette Sandbach just across the border and ex-Attorney General Dominic Grieve – who stands up to their extremism.

What is being offered now was not offered by any campaign – Leave or Remain – in 2016.

If Boris Johnson genuinely believes his proposals are good for the UK, he should have the guts to put them directly to the people. If he does,

I will vote for a confirmatory referendum where the British people get to choose between Johnson and the status quo.

Susan Elan Jones MP (21/10/19)

County to discuss waste collection changes

A series of recycling initiatives aimed at helping communities across Denbighshire gear up for significant changes in waste and recycling collections in 2021 will be outlined to members of Denbighshire’s scrutiny meeting this week.

In December 2018, Cabinet approved significant changes to the system for collecting household residual waste and recycling and for the introduction of segregated kerbside weekly recycling service and four weekly refuse collection. The key focus is on putting plans in place to introduce the new services in 2021.

The council is also working with partners to find alternative solutions for those households who find managing their waste more challenging, as the Council recognises that one size does not fit all. Projects that will be introduced over the next two years include:

• A food waste recycling initiative
• Launch of an eco schools awards and working directly with schools
• Purchase of new kerbside recycling vehicles
• Roll out of gull proof recycling sacks in West Rhyl
• Staggered roll out of new communal bin facilities
• Fortnight free opt-in kerbside recycling service for nappies and incontinence pads,
• Recruitment drive for additional workforce
• New larger black bins offered to residents
• New Trollibocs delivered to homes over 12 week period, and blue bins recovered

Plans have also been drawn up for a waste and recycling transfer station on the Colomendy Industrial Estate, Denbigh.   

This site would replace existing services at our Ruthin and Kinmel Park depots and allow the Council to separate and bundle recycling on location, rather than transferring it to a site in Flintshire.   

Pre-planning consultation begins in late October and subject to planning permission, it is hoped that work will begin on site in early Summer 2020, ready for use in September 2021.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways,Environmental Impact,Waste and Sustainable Travel, said: “We want to work with communities over the coming months to make sure they know about the changes that are coming their way between now and the main roll-out in 2021.   

"There is more focus than ever on councils across Wales improving their recycling rates, with the expectancy that the rates will be set even higher in the coming years and we want to be ready for those changes.

“The introduction of the new services will help the county improve its recycling rates and improve the quality and value of the recycling we collect. In the meantime we want to work with residents to encourage more recycling as quickly as possible .  

"We will be doing this through a range of initiatives, publicity around how people can recycle and speaking directly with communities through roadshows, drop-in sessions and social media coverage, to name but a few initiatives.

“By working together, we can ensure that the changes in 2021 are introduced as seamless as possible and that people will feel empowered to recycle more."