Inner Wheel's "inspiring" guest speaker

* Rosemarie Williams addresses Inner Wheel members.

* Catrin Morris presents Mrs Williams 

with a cheque for the charity.

On Monday evening Llangollen Inner Wheel were privileged to have as their guest speaker Mrs Rosemarie Williams from Advance Brighter Futures in Wrexham. 

She gave an animated account of the work of the charity in supporting people with a wide spectrum of mental health problems. 

Their aim is to help people acknowledge their problem and to learn to cope with it and lead a full and active life. 

Her talk was truly inspiring. 

Catrin Morris presented Mrs Williams with a cheque for the charity to help with their work in the community.

Blackadder: a cunning plan which actually works

* Mat Oswald-Haggett (Blackadder), Richard Mascarenhas (Baldrick) and Tracey Kempster-Jones (Bob).

* John Clifford (Lord Melchett), Naomi Riley (Lady Farrow), Emily Swindley (Queenie) 

and Heather Wolfson (Nursie). 

* Nick Hawe (Lord Percy) and Mat Oswald-Haggett (Blackadder).

Llanblogger was given a sneak preview of Blackadder, the hilarious comedy which The Twenty Club brings to the Town Hall stage from tomorrow (Thursday) until Saturday

Members of Llangollen drama group The Twenty Club had a cunning plan to present three episodes of Blackadder in one performance charged with all the atmosphere and rollicking humour as the classic TV comedy penned by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton.

And, unlike most of the schemes hatched by Lord Blackadder’s intellectually challenged servant Baldrick, this one actually works, and works extremely well.

With every aspect of the production – setting, costumes, acting and direction - the attention to detail is simply stunning.

Charging ahead in the similarity stakes is Mat Oswald-Haggett as Blackadder – a man who looks, sounds and delivers his lines uncannily like the role’s famous originator, Rowan Atkinson. Where the club was lucky enough to find him, goodness knows but it seems to have a knack of finding precisely the right people for the leading comedy roles.

Apart from the obvious physical likeness, there in all its malevolent glory with Mat is the sardonic wit, the sarcasm and the lip-curling cruelty towards anyone whom he considers to be his inferior, particularly the long-suffering Baldrick.

Playing that down-trodden and malodorous side-kick with great skill is old Twenty Club hand Richard Mascarenhas – nobody can do things with a turnip quite like this guy.

The rest of the usual Blackadder suspects also line up to do incredible justice to their roles in this terrific triptych focusing on him in his Elizabethan incarnation.

Queenie is every bit as childish and petulant as we remember her from the telly thanks to a well observed performance by Emily Swindley while Nick Hawe is deliciously dopey as Lord Percy, Blackadder’s cousin.

Trying to emulate an actor who has become a national treasure partly for his portrayal of Lord Melchett, the queen’s snarling henchman, can’t be easy. But John Clifford takes on the role made famous by the great Stephen Fry with his usual all-round competence and confidence.

And Heather Wolfson, another Twenty Club regular, is just brilliant as Nursie, the woman always at hand to nanny Her Majesty.

We see this team shine in the episodes entitled Head – about Blackadder’s disastrous stint as Lord High Executioner; Bells which sees him fall oddly in love with young manservant who is actually a girl; and Beer about a booze-up he undertakes for a bet and which also lands him in heaps of trouble.

Each one is totally faithful to the way it was presented on the box and brings in some more excellent characterisations, such as those from Tracey Kempster-Jones as the gender-swap manservant Bob (Kate), David Connolly as her grasping father and also Lord Whiteadder, Howell Griffiths as Dr Leech, the doctor, Joe Clifford as the wonderfully over-the-top Flashheart and Sue Griffiths as the Wisewoman and Lady Whiteadder.

The costumes and impeccable and the setting and scenery are nothing short of brilliant and an absolute credit to the backstage crew headed up by producer Sian Glynne-Jones.

Also in line for honours is director Chrissie Ashworth who says in her programme notes that rehearsals were often difficult as both cast and crew were laughing so much. So it’s little wonder therefore that it does exactly the same to the audience.
Oh, and watch out for an unexpected touch from a usually purely dramatic group as the curtain falls.

Blackadder is on from Thursday-Saturday November 7-9 at 7.30pm with a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday. Tickets: 01978 822759, Courtyard Books, Gwyn Davies Butchers, Jenni’s Llangollen, 

hhttps://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Llangollen/Llangollen-Town-Hall/Blackadder-II-Beer-Bells--Head/13651656/. There’s also more information on the Twenty Club website, www.twentyclub.co.uk

L200 is a mud-plugger with a touch of class

* The new Mitsubishi L200. 

Mitsubishi L200 road test by Steve Rogers

Pick-ups need to be a lot more than mud slingers grinding out a living on farms and building sites.

That used to be the case until the company car brigade realised there was a lot of money to be saved in income tax and the manufacturers duly obliged piling in luxuries and making the pick-up less of a bone shaker. 

And that pulled in the lifestylers who need space for surf boards and snowboards along with genuine off road ability to tackle sand and snow.

So we have a whole new breed of pick-ups which can muscle their way around building sites and tow horse boxes, or cruise to the coast.

Proof of the upsurge in their popularity is as plain as day. The diehards like Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu and Ford have been joined by Volkswagen, Fiat and even Mercedes-Benz who will provide the ultimate in double cab pick up luxury...as long as you have a healthy bank account.

The arrival of the plush Mercedes X-Class made everyone sit up and take notice and Mitsubishi reacted with a big make over for its popular L200. It has been a favourite around the world since its launch in 1978 but Series 6 pushes the boundardies further than ever.

First up is the bold new face, customers wanted something a bit more jazzy, so they obliged with the new 'Dynamic Shield' design which fronts the Outlander and Shogun Sport, and it works here giving L200 head turning street cred. The restyled wafer thin LED headlights have been raised and the bonnet angle changed to give the driver a better view.

With a much broader audience in mind the designers set about the cabin which is now more like with comfortable seats and better quality facings for the dashboard. That is well laid out with numerous digital readouts sitting in the centre of the binnacle but missing a digital speedo.

That needs to be sorted given that the speedometer increments are set for Europe. This is important for the UK with the growth of 30mph limits often policed by camera vans. A head up display would be even better.

Although the L200s underpinnings are basically unchanged - Mitsubishi is sticking with leaf spring rear suspension rather than multi link - there have been revisions to the suspension damping and this has made a positive impact on ride comfort and road noise.

I drove over every bump I could find and found a noticeable improvement in the way driver and passengers are cushioned against our numerous road blemishes. On good surfaces L200 is a comfortable cruiser and not troubled too much by road or wind noise.

There is decent performance from a new 2.2 litre diesel, replacing the 2.4 litre which would never pass the stricter emissions legislation. Its strongest suit is torque which is a healthy 400Nm and vital for carting big loads and towing.

To tempt people away from SUVs the L200 is generously equipped, particularly the Barbarian X, a new range topping model, which provides just about everything to be found in a decent car, so expect heated front seats, auto dipping headlights, auto washers, quality carpets, LED cabin lighting and such like along with a full suite of safety aids.

If farmers and builders are worried the L200 has gone soft as it woos a whole new audience they can rest easy. Lower down the chain there is still plenty on offer but more importantly this is still a rugged off roader with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes and a class leading 1080kg payload.

Pick ups have gone from bone shakers to cool cruisers and Mitsubishi had to react if L200 is to retain its place as one of the best. I have always measured pick ups against the excellent Nissan Navara but Series 6 matches that on all fronts.

The bottom line for me is that I could live with an L200. It might be a pick-up but it is a very civilised pick-up.

Key facts

L200 Barbarian X

£32,200 (range starts £21,515)

2.2 litre turbo diesel; 150bhp

106mph

36.2mpg combined

206g/km. 1st year tax £1,815

Insurance groups 37-42

Police warn over quad bike thefts

The Rural Crime Team are warning quad bike owners to check on their security following a recent spate of thefts of 4 x 4 machines from rural areas in Denbighshire.

Since Wednesday October 20th a total of 7 quad bikes have been stolen, mainly from farm locations, with the most recent one having been stolen overnight from the Brenig area.

Rural Crime Team manager, Rob Taylor said “We are seeing a surge of quad bike thefts by organised criminals who are determined to get past locks and security devices to take the machines. This is a trend that is being replicated throughout Wales.”

The recent thefts have occurred in areas of Ruthin, Cyffylliog, St Asaph and Llangollen and have mainly occurred during the hours of darkness where criminals are loading them into waiting transport, such as vans or similar.

Mr Taylor added: “Criminals will usually visit the area before the thefts by making an excuse to be on a farm, such as asking for directions. We remind owners to up their security measures and to report registration numbers of cold callers’ vehicles to their farms every time to the police on 101. We will follow up the call and it will help us to trace the offenders”.

Quad bike thefts are now a national police rural policing priority.

Sion Corn gets ready for his Christmas Festival appearance

* Sion Corn tries his first trip down a chimney in Llangollen after his summer break. 

With Christmas just around the corner Sion Corn – the Welsh Santa – reckoned it was time to start practising for his busiest night of the year.

So when he dropped in to Llangollen to discuss his appearance at the town’s Christmas Festival this year he took the opportunity to scramble over a roof to the nearest chimney and take a dive down it.

“With so many chimneys to negotiate on a single night I obviously have to keep in trim and being in Llangollen to discuss their festival gave me the perfect opportunity for a little practice routine,” said the grand old man.

“I’m glad to say it went very well and I didn’t get stuck halfway down which is always a possibility if you’ve put on a few extra pounds over the summer.” 

He added: “I’ll be coming back to Llangollen shortly to practice my arrival at the festival and I’ve come up with a couple of real show-stoppers.”

Thousands of seasonal revellers are expected to come flocking to Llangollen for the annual Christmas Festival on Saturday November 30.

Kicking off at 1pm with the famous parade which sees Sion Corn being escorted into town over the historic bridge by a colourful cavalcade of entertainers and local groups, the event features children’s fairground rides, food stalls, choirs, craft stalls, circus acts and face painting.

There will also be a chance for youngsters to visit Sion Corn in his glorious grotto and put in their early requests from what they’d like to see him bring them on Christmas morning. 

During the afternoon visitors can look forward to an eclectic mix of musical entertainment from local groups on two outdoor stages and other on-street entertainment.

The fun-packed day rounds off at 5pm with the ceremonial switching on of Llangollen’s legendary Christmas lights and a firework extravaganza. 

Llangollen Christmas Festival is organised by a group of dedicated community volunteers. It costs over £4,000 to stage each year and is self-funding.

The festival aims to provide a free family-orientated event in the safety of the town centre with surplus funds being donated to Wales Air Ambulance and local community groups.

Over the last couple of years the police have estimated that the spectacular event draws over 2,000 people into town during the course of the afternoon.

For the third year the festival has teamed up with Light Up Local Food, a project aimed at promoting Llangollen-based food and drink producers.

Chairman of the festival committee Austin ‘Chem’ Cheminais, who is also the local town crier and a member of the town council, said: “With the help of the community we manage, each year, to raise just about enough to fund the event and give a little to charity.

“Last year’s festival was particularly successful thanks to the good weather and the feedback from those attending was very positive.

“The ‘market’ feel to the event provided by Light UP Local Food was particularly commented upon and helped to attract visitors from much further afield.

“Once again we’re expecting a bumper crowd to come along and help us to give a great early start to Christmas.” 

Festival organisers have also arranged for free parking throughout the day at local car parks.

Crooks’ cash used to beat drugs barons

* North Wales PCC Arfon Jones and Sacha Hatchett ( Assistant Chief Constable) promoting launch of Your Community Your Choice at Colwyn Bay police HQ.

Cash seized from crooks will be used to help children and young people escape the clutches of County Lines gangs exploiting them to sell drugs in communities across North Wales.

Tackling serious and organised crime will be a priority for the special £40,000 fund set up by North Wales and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones with the support of North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Crime Trust (PACT).

Half the money will be contributed by the commissioner with the rest coming from a pot of cash confiscated from criminals via the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The aim of the Your Community Your Choice scheme is to recycle the ill-gotten gains of villains for positive purposes.

As a result, two community groups in each county in North Wales will receive up to £2,500 each whilst there will be two £5,000 grants available for organisations working across three or more counties in North Wales.

The window for groups to submit applications opens for a four week period on November 11, with the winners being chosen by a public vote.

Commissioner Jones, a former police inspector, said: “The focus of this year’s Your Community Your Choice fund is to counter the threat to our communities coming from drug gangs from the urban areas, using or exploiting young people to deal drugs in our communities.

“The aim is to build up resilience in communities to resist this threat, and to resist organised crime groups infiltrating our towns and villages and exploiting and coercing vulnerable young people to deal in drugs. Essentially, we are talking about the scourge of the County Lines gangs.

“North Wales Police has taken great steps in addressing the County Lines issue, and identifying those responsible, and actually taking the gangs out. We’ve had some great successes in taking organised crime groups.

“But our communities need to play their part in reporting this to Crime Stoppers who can be contacted anonymously by ringing 0800 555 111.

“What better way than using the proceeds of crime than helping communities build resilience amongst their own young people.

“There is an element of poetic justice in using money obtained through crime to address the problem of crime in our communities.

“Addressing County Lines is one of the major priorities in my Police and Crime Plan so it all fits together. Reducing the criminal exploitation of young people is the umbrella priority in my plan and County Lines is at the centre of that.”

It was a sentiment endorsed by Assistant Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett.

She said: “These awards are important because they involve the community and the communities decide where the money can best be spent.

“A lot of what we fund is aimed at providing something for young people to get involved with in their spare time rather than being tempted to commit crime or indulge in anti-social behaviour.

“We want to support communities so they are able to take responsibility for their own areas.

“Smaller community groups like them can do a great deal to make communities safer, reduce crime and reduce re-offending, It also sends a good message to the communities because it shows we are listening to them.

“The aim is to build up resilience in communities across North Wales to help vulnerable people combat things like County Lines.

“I think criminality sometimes cannot grow in areas where the community will not allow it to do so.

“I get particular satisfaction that part of the funding comes from the proceeds of crime, so that money is taken out of the pockets of criminals and their ill-gotten gains by the courts and is put back into community initiatives.

“It’s turning bad money into good and it’s making a real difference because it is local people who recognise and understand their local issues and how to solve them.

“This is a really positive aspect of the scheme and it helps bring us closer to those communities.”

PACT manager Dave Evans added: “The scheme has been tremendously successful over the years and I welcome the symbolism and synergy between accessing the ill-gotten gains of criminal activity in North Wales and redistributing it to communities in North Wales to support projects which will have a beneficial impact on the local population.

“The aims of the Your Community, Your Choice scheme support the objectives of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s plan so it creates a potent strategy to enhance the well-being of towns and villages across north Wales.”

“Applicants have to be a properly constituted community group or a registered charity and the main criterion is that the project helps to support the Police and Crime Plan by delivering safer neighbourhoods.

“It gives us the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of community groups and also importantly gives out local neighbourhood policing teams the opportunity to engage with those groups and support them with their projects.

“I would recommend that applicants considering a bid liaise with their local neighbourhood policing team to discuss it and make sure it is as comprehensive as possible.”

* The opening date for applications is November 11 and they must be returned by e-mail to yourcommunityyourchoice@nthwales.pnn.police.uk by 5pm on the closing date of December 6. For more information go to the North Wales Police website www.north-wales.police.uk or the commissioner’s website www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk or ring 01745 588516.

Museum to hold viewing of art contest entries

Llangollen Museum has a launch evening for its annual art competition this Wednesday from 6.30-8.30pm.

It will be a chance to enjoy a glass of wine or juice and nibbles, while viewing all of the entries in this year's competition.

Judges are town councillors Bob Lube and Sheena Grindley along with local artist Dory.

Prizes will be presented by Deputy Mayor Issy Richards.

Competition organiser Janet Wakefield said: "All are welcome with a particular invitation to all the children who will be exhibiting and their parents.

"The competition theme was to depict a song or piece of music. We have had some brilliant and innovative entries. Do come along and share the evening with us.

"All the children who entered and are there on the evening will receive a small something by way of a thank you for the effort they put into their work.

"Main winners of the children's classes will be notified through school."