Surprise guest drops into Old Vicarage Christmas bash

* Santa hands out presents to youngsters enjoying their Christmas party at The Old Vicarage. 

The newly-formed mums and toddlers group based at The Old Vicarage care home in Llangollen held its Christmas party this morning.

And a special guest turned up with a sackful of presents for the young members.

Santa made a surprise appearance to the delight of the youngsters crowded into one of the lounges at the home.

They had already been entertained by the puppets of Fiona Collins, who hosts storytelling sessions for the group and became the National Eisteddfod's Welsh Learner of the Year in August.

Bethan Mascarenhas took over The Old Vicarage late last year and has since embarked on an ambitious series of initiatives to help keep elderly residents active and feel part of the daily life of the town.

And most of the activities she has in mind are aimed at encouraging them to mix with much younger people, like the mums and toddlers group.

Bethan plans more inter-generational events such as nursery rhyme and singing sessions.

She also has in mind enabling her residents to return to their former hobbies and passions and to use any specialist knowledge they might have.

She explained: “One of our men is a keen gardener and wants to involve local children in things like planting bulbs for next spring. We also have former teachers living with us who could help younger children with their reading."

The Old Vicarage recently received a visit from Older Person's Commissioner for Wales Heléna Herklots who was impressed by what she saw.

* For more details about The Old Vicarage, call: 01978 861866.

* ... and more presents come from Santa.

* Residents look on as Fiona Collins entertains with her puppets.

* Christmas fun for the young and not-so-young.

Planning for community Christmas lunch goes ahead

Organiser Mike Connolly says on Facebook: "If you know of anyone who might appreciate an invite to the Community Lunch on Christmas Day, please pm on here or give Val or I a call on the mobile number on the poster. Also can you let anyone local who isn't on facebook know about the lunch."  

Project aims to record eisteddfod's rich history

* Archivist Liz Parfitt (centre) with members from the Archive Volunteer Team.

As part of the Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod’s initiative to preserve precious memories of the festival for future generations to enjoy, the organisation has expanded its archive team.

The festival is launching its new project, ‘Archiving the Past’ to build on the momentum of the popular Memories stand which was a pop-up archive unit where festival goers were encouraged to share the memories of the eisteddfod since its first event in 1947.

The new archiving scheme has received the backing of Heritage Lottery Fund, which donated £19,000 to project. 

This support has enabled the eisteddfod to set plans in place to modernise the archives by digitalising the wealth of material collected over the years. 

The new push to gather footage, images and documents of the festival aim to make accessing the archives simple and easy to ensure everyone can retrieve eisteddfod history.

The festival’s new archivist Liz Parfitt has been working closely with volunteers on a 12-month project to catalogue and digitalise existing historical records and documents. 

Liz said: “I’m excited to have this opportunity to help the International Eisteddfod move its archival project forward with the digitisation of material and the development of a new archive website. Look out for more information on our progress in 2020."

Latest advice column

The latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice concentrates on the topical subject of parcel delivery ... 

Q: I bought my mum a Christmas present from an online store. I paid extra for next day delivery but it hasn't arrived. I tried to contact the delivery company but wasn't able to speak with anyone. The online store has said my parcel is with the delivery company and should arrive soon.  If it doesn't arrive soon, I won't be able to send it to Spain in time for Christmas. What can I do?

A: You paid for next day delivery so your goods should be delivered on the agreed date.

Because you bought something from a business to be delivered to you, it’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered.

As the seller used a courier, they should chase the courier to find out what’s happened to your order - it’s not your responsibility.

If you want the item:

Under the Consumer Rights Act, you can ask the seller to deliver the item again if the item wasn’t delivered by the agreed date.

Other steps to take if you want the item could be:

●     Cancel your original order and reorder it again from the same or a new online store

●     Check if a local store stocks the item(s)

●     Keep trying to contact the delivery company via tracking tools/phone/email

If you want to cancel your order:

You can cancel and ask for your money back because you haven't received your goods on the agreed date. Tell the seller that what has happened to your order is "a breach of contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015" - as the delivery date was essential and they didn’t meet it.

You can find useful template letters and your rights on the Citizens Advice website.

Alternatively you can call 03454 040506, or 03454 040505 for a Welsh-speaking adviser. It’s open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and provides advice on consumer issues.

County welcomes government cash settlement

Denbighshire County Council has welcomed the draft budget settlement announced yesterday (Monday) by the Welsh Government, describing it as “better than expected” and is one of the highest increases seen in Denbighshire since 2007/08.

The council is currently reviewing its budget for the next financial year and proposals to identify efficiencies across the authority are currently being considered.  

The authority has said there will be no compulsory redundancies for April 2020.

This week's government announcement suggests that Denbighshire’s budget will increase by £6.2 million in cash terms, an increase of 4.3%.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance, said: “This settlement is definitely better than expected, but as we have pressures that amount to £11 million then we must still find savings in order to achieve a balanced budget.  

"These pressures include, for example, continued pressure on social services, education, school transport, waste services and pay increases.

“The council, like every other authority across the country, has been through stringent budget setting processes over recent years and some difficult decisions have needed to be made.

“We have previously made a firm commitment to Denbighshire residents to try and protect services that the public value and expect as much as possible. The council has a strong track record of doing this and we have tried to lead by example by being as efficient and effective as possible, reducing our budgets and making savings through not replacing some posts and identifying better ways of working or stopping some things altogether.

“Councillors will continue to scrutinise the budget over the coming weeks.

“However, this is one of the highest increases in settlement we have seen for some time and we will continue to host discussions with Welsh Government to provide a more sustainable footing for local authority finances in the future."

New businesses give Llan a pre-Christmas present

* At Oak Street Gallery are, from left, gallery owner Karl Young, Lilla Kieiwan of Occasions, Robert Davies of RUN Ragged and Roslynne Lumsden of Shop Around The Corner. Picture by Mandy Jones.

Llangollen has been given a big pre-Christmas boost with the opening of six new businesses.

Among the newly-arrived retailers is former weapons expert Robert Davies who worked on the fight scenes in blockbuster films like Gladiator and Braveheart.

While high streets in other parts of the UK are struggling, Llangollen is bucking the national trend with its combination of attractions and a vibrant and varied independent retail sector.

Between them the five new shops and an art gallery have created more than 20 new jobs.

The news has delighted the organisers of Denbighshire County Council’s #LoveLiveLocal campaign which  is encouraging people to do their Christmas shopping locally.

Even the quieter areas of the town like Oak Street now have their own communities of local independents – the Oak Street Gallery and Shop Around The Corner have opened in recent months to join greengrocer Dee Valley Produce with its array of fruit and veg and Gwalia Ceramics.

In nearby Castle Street ex-film man Robert Davies has launched his new shop, RUN Ragged – it stands for Retro, Used and New.

His stock ranges from 1920’s trousers to 1980s cufflinks with brand new top hats thrown in and he also gives space to a local leatherworker and an artisan maker of carved walking sticks.

Robert said: “Llangollen is lucky in not having major out-of-town retailers so it has plenty of small independents and there is a lot going on here, lots of things to do and all in easy walking distance.

“Because there are so many independents it’s not the same as other high streets where you see the same big names everywhere.

“I used to be in Wrexham and I have been pleasantly surprised at the difference. There are lots of people who visit who were brought here as children and now they bring their parents back and their own children as well and there’s something here for all of them.”

Karl Young opened the Oak Street Gallery this summer and he said: “I’d never done this before although I had done pop-ups but it’s been a lot of fun.

“We exhibit a number of artists and this month we are exclusively local, all from within ten miles of Llangollen.

“I’m an oil and landscape painter myself but we have other painters, a couple of wood-turners with beautiful hand-turned bowls, prints and hand-made cards.

“Coming here takes you a bit off the beaten track, it’s about exploring the town and finding something you like and I hope that entertains you even if you don’t buy anything but if you do you know it’s unique.”

Just up the street is Shop Around The Corner with its array of jewellery, locally-made items and gifts, an off-shoot of the hugely popular Shop In The Clouds at the top of the Horseshoe Pass and owner Roslynne Lumsden said: “We’ve been up there for over 30 years and I used to have a shop selling doll’s house furniture in Llangollen and I’ve always regretted not having it any more.

“This came up for lease and I just thought we had a great town around us and here we are up and running and once people know we’re here they find us easily – Oak Street is doing so well now that we have more people than cars down here.”

Elsewhere in Castle Street there have been more openings, with Occasions offering hand-made chocolates as well as soya wax candles, artisan bath soaps and lotions and Welsh cards, and Sweet Daisy with its sticky cakes and puddings.

As part of the Christmas #LoveLiveLocal campaign, Denbighshire County Council will be posting a video to highlight what the county has to offer and the campaign will encourage people to support local independent businesses by using the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to share good experiences they’ve had as well as promote products and services locally they have ‘loved’.

The campaign is aimed at persuading people in Denbighshire to shop local this Christmas to give the county’s high street traders a boost in the run up to the festive season.

They reckon that if a third of the county’s 30,000 households spend half their Christmas cash with their local retailers instead of buying online or travelling to the bigger shopping centres it could boost the county’s economy by 2.5 million.

Llangollen is a template for how small towns can operate successfully and retain bustling high streets with such varied offers as SAS Outdoors which provides activities from foraging to river bugs and gorge walking as well as restaurants, cafes, delicatessens and pubs.

Retail guru Helen Hodgkinson, from Dyserth, a former fashion retailer and college lecturer who has worked closely with businesses in Denbighshire points to where the town is getting things right.

She said: “There’s a great offer here in Llangollen, lots of unusual, quirky, specialist independent shops offering great products and people do want to buy something that’s a bit different, something with a story behind it, but you can’t just expect them to turn up, you’ve got to get them interested.”

* For more information go to https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/business/business-support-and-advice/love-live-local-caru-busnesau-lleol.aspx and businesses and customers can get involved by including #LoveLiveLocal in their tweets on Twitter and joining the #LoveLiveLocal group on Facebook.

Mazda CX-30 is ready to take on all contenders

* Mazda's new CX-30 SUV.

Mazda CX-30 launch by Steve Rogers

Meet the CX-30 a car that could be called Great Expectations.

If everything goes to plan this will be Mazda's biggest seller here and probably across Europe as well.

So a lot is riding on the new model but first let's sort out what it is and why it is called CX-30.

This is Mazda's third SUV and slots in between CX-3 and CX-5 so maybe CX-4? Logical, but that name is already used on a model selling just in China but in a perverse way CX-30 does make sense.

It sits on the Mazda3 platform and is more a pumped up hatchback than full blown SUV. Face on the cars all look the same but that is no bad thing because Mazda has the best looking range of cars on the market. The company's Kodo design philosophy of sleek and bold has come up trumps again and if anything the CX-30's profile is little softer than its SUV siblings.

The new model rounds off a busy year for Mazda which has found it tough like all around but product activity has kept its nose above water so there will be an increase in sales this year with the private sector showing the biggest rise.

Heading into the new year CX-30 will be leading the charge and is expected to take over from Mazda3 hatchback as the company's traditional best seller. And we would be fools to argue because the great British public has made it quite clear they prefer higher riding cars that drive like the popular hatchback of old.

Has Mazda muddied its own waters with yet another crossover style car? Not really, the 120mm shorter and three grand cheaper CX-3 is a full blown compact SUV and will suit those who don't have a big family and older folk with gammy hips and stiff joints who struggle to heave themselves out of a car that sits no more than a foot off the ground.

CX-30 does more of the same and will cater for a larger family because it has more rear legroom, good sized boot and extra width which is only a smidgen less than the big CX-5. It also has all bases covered with an all wheel drive option.

This is a petrol-only model but that should not be a surprise either because diesel sales are tumbling and Mazda has seen one of the biggest drop offs. The company thinks it has the answer to the economy conundrum with a clever petrol engine that has revolutionary spark controlled compression ignition.

Without drilling into the complicated technical details the upshot is economy and performance close to a diesel, they say, and commendably low emissions, and that is fact.

There are two petrol engines but unfortunately only one has the Skyactiv-X ignition technology. I drove both at the launch and while the 120bhp version is smooth and refined it is woefully lacking in punch so there is a lot of gear changing.

The 180bhp version is a completely different kettle of fish and has the X factor on performance with smooth, crisp response at low revs and a rather thrilling tendency to enjoy being taken to the rev limit without so much as a squeal for submission.

Just how good it is on economy will be revealed in a couple of weeks after I have road tested the engine properly in a Mazda3.

Like all Mazdas CX-30 is reaping the benefits in an upgrade in quality and while the company hasn't quite reached its goal of matching the premium teams it can fairly say it is leading the rest of the pack. There is a good feeling of quality and style as soon as you get into this car.

Equipment level is good, too, with some exceptional standard features. The driver's head-up display projects speed, speed limits and navigation instructions, radar cruise control applies apply full on braking in an emergency, and cross traffic alert could avoid reversing out of a blind parking space into a passing car. That is just a snapshot, there is plenty more.

Who is CX-30 up against? Uncle Tom Cobbley and all sums it up, the opposition is vast and some of it mighty - Seat Ateca, Volkswagen T Roc, Toyota C-HR, Vauxhall Grandland X, and the list goes on.

But CX-30 is good enough to take them all on.... and win.

Model range: 5. Price range: £22,895-£33,495.

Key facts

CX-30 SE-L Lux

£24,195

2.0 petrol; 120bhp

0-62mph 10.6secs; 116mph

45.6mpg combined

116g/km. 1st year tax £170

Insurance group 16

Boot 430 litres