Schools investment on the cards

Schools in Llangollen could benefit from a £52million investment programme.

Plans to improve facilities at Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh; Ysgol Bryn Collen and Ysgol Gwernant, Llangollen; Denbigh High School and Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn are included in the second phase of the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme.

Under the first phase a £90million investment saw a new school built for Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa, a new faith school in Rhyl, Christ the Word Catholic School, a new joint site for Rhos Street School and Ysgol Pen Barras in Ruthin as well as a new schools at Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Ysgol Carreg Emlyn in Clocaenog.

A seven-classroom extension and refurbishment at Bodnant Community School, Prestatyn, a three-classroom extension and refurbishment at Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy, Cynwyd and an extension and refurbishment of Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph were also included in this phase.

A proposal business case for the second phase of the programme, funded by the Welsh Government and Denbighshire County Council, will be discussed at the Council’s Cabinet meeting on September 22nd.  If approved the green light will be given to these projects which will see options for development at these schools progressed and business cases developed to seek the funding for individual projects. 

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “Supporting young people is a priority for the Council under our Corporate Plan and during the first phase of the programme more than £90 million has been invested in Denbighshire’s schools benefiting more than 3,500 pupils.

“As well as the benefit to young people, the investment of £90m also impacted on the local economy with a strong emphasis placed on local procurement which saw five of the eight projects led by North Wales firms and work secured for many local contractors.

“The second phase of the programme is set to see further investment in Denbigh and Llangollen which will benefit even more pupils in the county. This investment will be targeted to ensure we address the condition of our school buildings and improve the pupils’ learning environment.

“The Council has also been lobbying the Welsh Government for additional funding to enable investment at Ysgol Dinas Bran, Llangollen, St Brigid’s Denbigh and the primary sector in Rhyl as part of the second phase of the programme.”

New Audi flagship still has that old Vorsprungdurchtechnik

* The new Audi Q8.

Audi Q8 road test by Steve Rogers

Audi had one thing in mind for the Q8: Make it the best premium SUV money can buy.

And the flagship of the Q family makes quite a statement with design lines a little more adventurous than we are used to. 

Compared to not so pretty Q7 the Q8, with its restyled in your face grille, frameless doors and sloping coupe roofline, is really quite attractive.

Flagship or not the Q8 is 66mm shorter than Q7 although there is no shortage of space inside. With the split rear seat backs folded two could happily bed down for the night while there is oodles of room for long legged passengers in very comfortable seats. 

That dipping roofline rules out a third row but the job of hauling seven people is the province of Q7.

Make no mistake a lot of thought has gone into this car and that becomes evident once inside. 

It is a bit like taking your seats in a top class theatre and waiting for the curtain to rise on a star studded show. In this case the main event is the virtual cockpit, a full width screen in the driver's binnacle and two central screens, 10.2in up top for the car's main functions, navigation, telephone, Bluetooth and stuff you are never likely to use, with the lower 8.6in screen for the everyday functions of heating, radio and the like.

It looks like touchscreen but requires a gentle press on the function which gives a satisfying tick to let you know the job has been done. Trust me, this is clever stuff.

Not only is it the most technologically advanced set up I have come across it looks fantastic and although intimidating takes little time to work out. The star turn has to be the ability to use a finger to write the navigation address on to the face of the lower screen. That is so cool.

I did not try inputting Llanfair PG full out but most of the time the town, street, postcode is predicted and can be selected from a list to complete the operation. Voice control was not so effective but can work if you have the patience.

For the first time I have had an Audi not loaded with 10 grands worth of extras and that's because the top Vorsprung model gives you just about everything in one package so sit back and enjoy the luxury of fine leather, exquisite trim and finish and such niceties as air conditioned front seats, powered steering wheel adjustment and gobsmackingly clever Matrix LED lights that dance around like a ballet company. 

There is much more along with a list of safety features as long as your arm.

Air suspension is a given on cars at this level and the Audi is again bang on the money. There are several settings but just go for comfort and feel how the Q8 can stifle the jarring affect of potholes, poor surfaces and even speed humps.

I used Q8 to tow my caravan - I can think of cheaper and equally capable tow cars - but my goodness did it do the job. The combination of the air suspension and torque from the 3-litre turbo diesel make this a mighty towcar - it could pull two of my vans, and the slick eight speed auto box is a stress free match. It was also surprisingly fuel efficient returning 27mpg over 160 miles with my wife behind the wheel and 24mpg with me. No sarcy comments please.

Some of this fuel efficiency will be down to the 48 volt mild hybrid technology which allows the engine to coast without any throttle. Driving solo the Q8 hit 40mpg which is seriously good for a car of its size and weight.

I've been banging the petrol drum with the last few cars I have tested but from what I have just experienced my recommendation would be diesel because of the engine's refinement, performance and economy.

So is Q8 now the best premium SUV on the market? In some ways it is. It is a technological tour de force and ahead of everyone, and I have always said no one can trim a car like Audi excepting the super luxury motors of course. It does not handle as sharply as a Porsche Cayenne, but does that matter when the majority of its life will be cruising in the fast lane?

Can it topple Range Rover Velar from the top of the pile? Well for me the Velar still looks the part but that's about all. Such difficult choices!

Need to know

Q8 50 Vorsprung quattro

£84,375

3-litre TDI; 286bhp

0-62mph 6.3secs; 152mph

32.8mpg combined

228g/km. 1st yr tax £2175 then £145

Boot 605 to 1755 litres

Conservation work resumes on Old Lock Up

* Sue Hargreaves, chair of the Armoury Conservation Trust. 

* The renovated interior of the building. 

* The doorway.

* ... and the door knocker.

Conservation work has resumed on Llangollen's historic Old Lock Up building after being halted by lockdown.

In the last update given to llanblogger at the beginning of this year by the Armoury Conservation Trust which is undertaking the work, the team had just discovered a hidden original stone wall.

Now a trust spokesperson says: "Needless to say, progress has been hindered, and indeed came to a complete standstill, due to the pandemic.   

"However, with restrictions easing in recent months, we've welcomed the return of our team of top tradesmen.

"Stu Morris and son Brad have returned to repoint the stone wall with suitable lime mortar, entirely replace the wooden floorboards,  and insert a new partition wall, as well as fixing and replacing several doors.

"Jason Pryde has rerouted gas pipes, Les Davies has resited electrics, and Roger Morison has done an incredible job of oiling the new wooden floor, stripping and repainting historic doors, iron and woodwork, painting the shop in custom colours and fitting ironwork to our doors.

"Whilst there is still work to be done in the coming weeks, the progress is astonishing.

"The Armoury Conservation Trust is delighted to be bringing this important historic building back into use, and we look forward to our upcoming annual meeting to decide how best to share the space with Llangollen's residents."

Council chief quizzed over broken canal railings

* Karen Edwards's picture of the broken railings.

A council chief has been questioned about the safety of broken railings on the canal bridge near to Llangollen wharf.

Contacting Judith Greenhalgh, chief executive of Denbighshire County Council (DCC), late last month former town councillor Karen Edwards wrote: “I would like to draw your attention to the damaged railings on the canal wharf bridge. 

Supplying pictures of the damage, she added: “This damage occurred at least three years ago. It begs the question as to why this hasn’t been fixed and I would like to know what DCC intend to do about it.

“To be honest, we’re all getting pretty fed up with the lackadaisical approach being taken by DCC in this town and it’s high time DCC officers stepped up to the mark and stopped taking this town for granted as a ‘cash cow’ for DCC coffers.”  

Ms Greenhalgh responded: “As this relates to the parapet railing of the bridge I can confirm that the area was inspected by the Senior Engineer in the Structures team and he is of the view that the fence is still fit for purpose and is therefore a low priority in terms of repairs.

“Unfortunately the railing does get caught quite regularly by buses travelling up to the school but to rectify the alignment so that damage won’t occur is unfeasible.

“We do monitor the situation carefully and should any further damage occur then the position will of course be re-assessed.”

Ms Edwards wrote back to the chief executive saying she was “perplexed” by the response.

She told Ms Greenhalgh: “School buses do not use this route. The children attending Dinas Bran school walk to the Pavillion car park where the coaches are parked . I’m somewhat surprised you don’t seem to be aware of that.

“Coaches do however take tourists up Wharf Hill to Llangollen Wharf where visitors enjoy the canal boat trips.

“ Whilst I’m not a structural engineer, the photographs I provided clearly show that the metal railings are no longer securely fixed to the stone parapet base. When was this last inspected?

“Surely you are placing your council at risk of a negligence claim for failure to protect the safety of users of a public highway, both pedestrians, including the plethora of visitors and residents  that regularly walk that way to access the public footpath that leads up to Castell Dinas Bran, not to mention the school children and drivers of vehicles .

“The pedestrian access to the canal is also below that bridge, so what happens if a vehicle goes through those damaged unsecured railings and crashes onto the path below?

“Regardless of the safety aspects, which are paramount, the damaged railings look an absolute mess rather like the ones on the A539 also reported recently and damaged months ago.

“Bearing in mind that Llangollen is an important inland tourist destination set in the picturesque landscape of the World Heritage Site and AONB , this needs urgent attention  to deal with their damaged appearance.”

Historic roof at St Collen's goes under investigation

* One of the experts examines the ancient roof

at St Collen's Church.

A team of experts has been drafted in to help investigate the historic roof at St Collen’s Church in Llangollen.

Vicar, Father Lee Taylor has put together a task force to lead a new project to reorder the building to make it a more adaptable space for the community and also more engaging and accessible for visitors. 

The most striking part of the building is the 15th century carved oak hammer beam roof which is thought to have links with the monks at Valle Crucis Abbey. 

Father Lee said: “A previous St Collen’s guide book boasts that this is what we got in Wales while Michelangelo was working in Rome. It is believed to be the finest example of medieval Welsh craftsmanship. 

“We want to get a more accurate dating of the roof and interpretation of all the carved figures on it. We are also planning to install a new lighting scheme that would highlight and enhance all the carved images on the roof.” 

He added: “I have been in touch with the Royal Commission on the ancient and historic Monuments of Wales and am delighted that they want to work with us. 

“One of their senior investigators, Richard Suggett, an expert in architectural history, and his colleague chief executive Christopher Catling, visited St Collen’s recently to assess the roof as to its suitability for tree-ring dating which may provide an exact date for the roof.  

“The result of this would be a visitors interpretation board placed at the back of church. 

“One fascinating story depicted on the roof is of the man who drank too much ale. 

“Often, medieval woodcarvers would embrace the humour of the secular world by portraying stories that would be cyclical. 

“In this particular three-part story, the man is shown firstly rolling beer barrels, secondly drinking the contents from one of the barrels and, thirdly, fully immersing himself in the barrel so not to let any go to waste.”

Town Council still aims to light up the town for Christmas

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

In the wake of the cancellation of this year's Llangollen Christmas Festival due to the coronavirus threat the town council has confirmed that the festive lights will still be lit up.   

Town Clerk Gareth Thomas said: “The Christmas illuminations have always been the responsibility of Llangollen Town Council alone, and whilst it has been an integral part of the Christmas Festival the switching on of the lights is not dependent on this year’s event taking place. 

"I have spoken to the contractors engaged to undertake the works and they have advised me that they are able to do so whilst maintaining safe social distancing. 

"Therefore, the illuminations will be installed during October with a view to them being switched on as early as possible to try and provide some much needed Christmas cheer over the winter months. 

"Clearly this year’s switch-on will be a much simpler affair because of the restrictions on outdoor gatherings, but consideration is being given to some form of modest event."

The Town Clerk also reported that other aspects of the Town Council’s activities are slowly returning following the restrictions caused by the pandemic. 

Members of the public can now arrange an appointment to visit the council offices on Tuesdays and Wednesdays where a socially-distanced meeting space has been set up in the Council Chamber.

At present regulations governing community centres do not allow meetings of local authorities to be held indoors and therefore Town Council meetings will continue to be undertaken remotely until the regulations allow face to face meetings.

However, other changes to these regulations do allow for exercise in gatherings of no more than 30 people in community buildings.

Therefore, the Town Council are, this Tuesday, considering the reopening of the Town Hall on October 1 to facilitate this and considerable effort has gone into making the building Covid secure.

The Town Clerk said that during lockdown the council's Facilities Officer, Charlie Jones, assisted by volunteers, has been busy decorating the vestibule, booking hall and the first floor landings of the Town Hall. 

Charlie said: “It was appropriate to make use of the fact that the Town Hall has been closed to start repainting and renovating a number of public spaces. 

"I am indebted to the help of volunteers particularly Charles Harris and Chris Stone who have helped with this work and have allowed the Town Council to keep cost down during this difficult period when closure has resulted in a loss of income. 

"It has also not been easy with the limitations of social distancing, but the end results of all our efforts has been rewarding. 

"It is very pleasing that this work has been done in time to, hopefully, receive dance classes back to the Town Hall next month.”

Designated landscapes to receive £7.2m government funding boost

Projects to improve access to the countryside and boost the sustainability of Designated Landscapes are to receive funding of £7.2m, Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn announced today.

£4.7m has been awarded to National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) to be invested in green infrastructure such as electric vehicles, retrofitting existing buildings with energy efficiency measures, and restoring peatland and woodlands.

A further £1.76m has been awarded to local councils to improve Wales’s network of footpaths and bridleways, making them easier to use and more accessible to all. 

This is in response to people rediscovering local footpaths and trails as part of their daily exercise during the recent Covid lockdown. 

£337,000 has also been awarded to 11 projects to improve recreational access to water and £309,000 to community orchards and allotments to support community growing projects.

The Deputy Minister made the announcement during a visit to Moel Famau in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB which will benefit from £180,000 from this programme to ease traffic congestion, carry out remedial work to address erosion to paths and surrounding land and reduce light pollution. 

An additional £54,000 is also allocated to Denbighshire County Council for important upgrades to its network of footpaths and bridleways.

Hannah Blythyn said: “Our National Parks and AONBs cover a quarter of Wales and are hugely important in helping tackle the loss of biodiversity and climate change.

“While our Designated Landscapes are very special to the people of Wales and attract millions visitors each year, access to local green spaces proved just as important during lockdown and this funding demonstrates that we greatly value our local footpaths and other rights of way.

“Following easing of the lockdown, many of our most popular countryside sites have faced significant pressures from large numbers of visitors. While most have visited responsibly, there have been high-profile cases of illegal parking, littering and unregulated camping which have caused damage to our fragile landscapes. This funding has therefore included projects that mitigate the negative environmental effects of tourism such as erosion, littering and pollution.

 “As lockdown has eased, the need to invest in a safe, high quality visitor experience for an increasing number of visitors has been highlighted. This, along with the need to make a contribution to tackling climate change, is a major challenge for our Designated Landscapes.

“This funding will support our National Parks and other bodies to address these challenges and to ensure everyone can continue to enjoy our countryside for years to come.”

Councillor Tony Thomas, Denbighshire's Cabinet Lead Member for Housing and Communities, who is also the Chair of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Advisory Committee, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and were equally as delighted to receive funding announced for AONBs and national parks.

“The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB has always proved popular with visitors and residents, with the stunning scenery, magnificent hillsides and historic towns and villages a magnet for thousands of visitors each year.

“Inevitably with increasing numbers of visitors, we do experience some traffic congestion in our most popular scenic attractions and the sheer volume of people venturing into the hills also have an impact on the quality of footpaths over time.  This funding will be used towards projects that will help address these issues and protect our landscape for generations to come."