Nominate those who serve the community for an award

The 2020 High Sheriff of Clwyd's Awards nomination process is now underway. 

Organisers say that if you haven't nominated someone special who does great things in Denbighshire there is still time to do so.

The High Sheriff Awards, launched in 2013, recognise outstanding contributions made by individuals or voluntary/community organisations or groups (with a charitable aim) to their respective communities.

The winners will be presented with their awards at an event to be held at Theatre Clwyd in Mold on Friday March 20 next year.

The closing date for the submission of completed nominations is noon on December 13.

You can find nomination forms here and return the completed forms for the attention of Helen Wilkinson, engagement@dvsc.co.uk.

Hundreds pack the town for Christmas Festival

Hundreds came flocking to enjoy Llangollen's annual Christmas Festival which is raising funds for the Wales Air Ambulance and local good causes.

The day began with the traditional big parade from the Pavilion to town and ended with the switching on of the Christmas lights and a fireworks display from the hillside below the castle.

llanblogger was on hand to record some of the day's memorable scenes.

* Sion Corn arrives outside the Town Hall to be greeted by town crier Chem and the Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy.

 * A fireworks display rounded off the festival.

* All the fun of the fair in Market Street.

* A balloon man fascinates youngsters.

* The busy craft fair inside the Town Hall.

* Guitar man Chris Burton sings in Centenary Square.

* A horse rider at the head of the big parade.

* Town crier Chem and friends in the parade.

* Llangollen Silver Band sets the pace for the parade.

* The Mayor joins the parade in a classic car for Llangollen Motor Museum. 

* Santa's little helpers arrive by veteran car.

* Novelty riders in the cavalcade.

* More little helpers. 

* The Cogwarts contingent.

* The huskies trot into town.

* Sion Corn is greeted by the Mayor. 

* Llangollen Operatic's Young 'Uns sing a selection from their new show, The Wizard of Oz, in Centenary Square.

* Children from Ysgol Y Gwernant sing in the square.

* Youngsters from Ysgol Bryn Collen entertain.

* Graham Paton, managing director of Linguassist Ltd, switches on the lights with the Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy (left).

 * The lights go on in Castle Street.
  

* Part of the colourful fireworks display.

Election "chat" in Llanarmon

* Glyn Davies.

* Simon Baynes. 

Glyn Davies, former MP for Montgomeryshire, and Simon Baynes, the Welsh Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Clwyd South, are holding an informal meeting over a drink at the Hand at Llanarmon tomorrow Sunday 1st December at 7pm to "chat about the election and local issues".

They say: "This is not a formal Conservative event but an informal get-together organised by Jonathan Greatorex of the Hand and all are most welcome. Always thought-provoking and amusing, Glyn is not to be missed. And likewise the Hand at Llanarmon itself, one of the hospitality jewels of Clwyd South http://thehandhotel.co.uk/"

Labour leader visits Clwyd South

* Mark Drakeford with Labour candidate Susan Elan Jones.

Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford was in town recently to show his support for Clwyd South candidate Susan Elan Jones.

The First Minister for Wales launched the Welsh Labour manifesto in Wrexham on Monday and then hit the campaign trail in Johnstown.

Mr Drakeford said: "It was great to be in North Wales to launch the Welsh Labour manifesto for the general election and to outline how, with a UK Labour Government, people in this area can benefit from a £10 Living Wage, extra maternity and paternity rights, more investment in our NHS and new jobs through Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution.

“It was also good to go door knocking with Susan afterwards and to talk with people in Johnstown about our ideas. They know how out of touch Boris Johnson and the Tories are.

“Only a vote for Susan Elan Jones and a vote for Welsh Labour in this election can help make Clwyd South the stronger, fairer and more equal place we want it to be.”

Susan Elan Jones said: "It was fantastic to have Mark Drakeford here in Clwyd South. We spent our time going door-to-door meeting residents in Johnstown - a big contrast with the Tories’ stage-managed event.

“Overwhelmingly people spoke about the need for more investment in our communities. As one young woman put it, ‘the Tories don’t understand our local area and what we need’."

"People know I'm the only candidate who can stop the Tories sneaking in here and the only one who can stop Boris Johnson's Hard Right agenda."

Another successful music hall from Collen Players

The Collen Players presented the second in a series of regular music hall shows at the Community Hall yesterday (Friday) evening.

The Christmas special entitled Deck the Halls was enjoyed by a full-house audience.

The cast, including many of those who appeared in the last show in October plus some new additions, offered a selection of traditional songs from the golden era of music hall which had the audience  singing along enthusiastically.

The show was chaired and arranged by the Vicar of Llangollen, Father Lee Taylor, while Owen Roberts once again provided musical accompaniment.

The next music hall show is scheduled for Friday February 21.

Pictures by Jeanette Robinson

* The cast at the end of the show.

* Gethin Davies warms up the audience with a sing-along.

* Father Lee wields the gavel over the proceedings.

* Bethan Mascarenhas (left) and Sue Stokes present a Hole of My Bucket.

* Comedy with a French theme from Mike Connolly.

* Shea Ferron laments a Dear Little Dickie Bird.

* Phil Robinson is Burlington Bertie.

* Esme Sallnow and Father Lee perform a duet.

* Esme goes solo with a daring number.

* A plaintive mood is set by Sue Stokes.

* All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, 

sings Bethan Mascarenhas.

* Phil Robinson winds up with White Christmas.

* The large and appreciative audience sing along.

Programme for Llan Christmas Festival today

Thousands of seasonal revellers are expected to come flocking to Llangollen for the town’s annual Christmas Festival today, Saturday November 30.

Kicking off at 1pm with the famous parade which sees Sion Corn - the Welsh Santa – 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.

This year, the parade begins from the Eistedfodd field and will make its way to the town centre along Abbey Road.

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. 

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

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.” 

2020 holds public meeting on its parking plans

* The controversial issue of parking on Castle Street figured prominently in discussion.   

Members of the Llangollen 2020 group which is aiming to re-shape parking and traffic strategy in the town centre held a public meeting yesterday (Thursday) evening to give people a chance to comment on their latest proposals.

Just over 30 residents and members of the business community went along to the Memorial Hall in Market Street to hear how the group plans to change parking provision in the years ahead.

The meeting was hosted by Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms, who chairs 2020, along with fellow group members County Councillor Melvyn Mile and Town Councillor Tony Baker.

Cllr Timms opened by saying the aim was to have the people of the town as a whole putting new parking ideas to the county council.

“It’s an attempt to solve what has been a problem in Llangollen since at least the 1960s,” he pointed out.

“We could spend the next 60 years falling out over it but that’s not what we want to do.”

2020 recently called for feedback on its parking proposals from people across the town but he said there had been little response from those in the John Street and West Street area, which was why the meeting had been arranged.

Cllr Timms went on to explain that the group was seeking to balance the interests of six different groups including residents, businesses, shoppers and visitors.

One of the most controversial aspects of the 2020 proposals was whether to ban parking along Castle Street, introducing wider pavements and loading bays to serve shops and businesses. There would be disabled parking bays in Oak Street, Bridge Street and Abbey Road.

It was Castle Street parking which caused most discussion at the meeting, some of it heated at times.

The landlord of The Bull pub, for instance, said he saw a problem bringing in beer supplies with the loading bays suggestion, claiming it would present a “serious danger to the public” if it went ahead.

Cllr Timms said the group would note this point.

Cllr Timms was then questioned closely by former town councillor Karen Edwards about exactly how many Castle Street shops and businesses had been asked for their views on the future of parking there.

Cllr Timms replied said that members of his group had “spoken to a few” about it and that Arcadis, the firm of consultants assisting 2020 with its proposals, had also spoken to some of the businesses.

Ms Edwards suggested this was not enough and said she and others had carried out their own extensive survey of Castle Street businesses and found that the majority were against banning parking.

It was suggested from the floor that 2020 goes back and speaks to all traders on Castle Street about the banning of parking and Cllr Timms replied: “We will address these concerns.”

It was at this point that the discussion became a little heated prompting Cllr Timms to make the plea: “Don’t attack us as though we are nasty people. We want the town to be a better place for everyone.”

The discussion then turned to reducing the speed of traffic on Castle, with Cllr Mile saying the Welsh Government intended to impose 20mph limits on all urban areas across the country.

“We would like this to happen on Castle Street but of it doesn’t we will tell the government that we want it done,” he added.

When it came to how residents figure in the 2020 parking proposals, one lady said that although she lives on the A5 she had to seek parking elsewhere in the town as there was none available near her home.

Cllr Mile said the answer to this was the 2020 proposal to designate all streets in a central “zone” for residents’ priority parking with people being asked to buy up to two parking passes - £50 for the first car and £100 for a second.

The parking pass would be valid for parking in all on-road parking areas and all car parks in the town at all times.

When it came to business parking Cllr Timms explained the current county council pass, which was valid all year round, would change and would not be valid in the Market Street and East Street parks on weekends and bank holidays and throughout the busy months of July and August during the school holidays.

To offset this, he said, discussions had been taking place with the headteacher of Ysgol Dinas Bran to use a section of its car park for businesses owners and workers displaced.from the two car parks.

Also under discussion was the idea of visitors to major events at Llangollen Railway being able to park on the eisteddfod land.

The 2020 party was then questioned on funding for their proposals and they replied although they believed amounts may be available from various sources, not all of the necessary cash had been secured.

Cllr Timms has said in the past he estimates the whole package would cost between £2-3 million to implement.

The 2020 proposals in brief: