Llangollen Railway has made a last minute cancellation of its steam train services for this weekend.
In an announcement last night operations manager Paul Reynolds said: "The loco will not be running over the weekend as its documentation is incomplete and therefore it cannot run."
The railway has explained that scheduled steam services will be taken over by diesel multiple units.
Steam was due to start running again from today (Friday) until Sunday.
* Paul Edwards and Simon Baynes MP.
Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes met with Paul Edwards at the Cross Foxes in Penycae as he celebrated the completion of his sponsored walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End in aid of Hope House Hospice.
During the course of his walk, Mr Edwards completed on average 25 miles a day dressed as the Marvel character Deadpool in honour of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's takeover of Wrexham AFC.
He had prepared for the solo and unsupported 971-mile hike with a gruelling 24-week training schedule.
And his last epic trek in 2019 from Scotland to Wales, took him to the three peaks of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowden, before arriving home in Penycae.
Mr Edwards, who has been fundraising for various different charities for over 20 years, set a target of raising £10,000 from his walk for Hope House, but he has spectacularly exceeded this figure, raising an amazing £14,000 so far.
Donations can still be made to Paul’s Just Giving page on: www.justgiving/fundraising/paul-edwards1000mileshike.
Paul Edwards said: “I have had some incredible experiences on this challenge, but throughout the journey, the one thing that will forever stay in my memory is the kindness, generosity and support of the British people.
"From the Northernmost tip of the country to the southernmost, I had such a fantastic response from people I met.
"Whether it was to ask me into their homes for a cup of coffee, stopping their cars to offer me a bottle of water and something to eat, stopping to chat about what I was doing or just beeping the horns and waving as they drove by, the people of Britain are amazing and this is reflected in the wonderful amount of money raised so far.”
Simon Baynes MP said: “Having completed many events and challenges for various charities in the past, this was the biggest by far for Paul, who pushed himself to the limit to achieve a fantastic result for Hope House Hospice.
"I would like to join everyone else who has praised Paul for his selfless charity work – which he also self-funds so that every penny raised goes to the hospice. He is a local hero in Penycae and I know that his family, friends and neighbours will all be tremendously proud of what he has achieved. Many congratulations, Paul!”
With the re-opening of Llangollen Railway, work is being carried out on what of the line's most famous landmarks.
Scaffolding has been erected around
the station house at Berwyn which dates from 1865.
A mix of volunteers and a contractor have been tackling the exterior of the mock Tudor building.
With repairs to the roof flashings, efforts are concentrated on the
timberwork to prepare it for painting whilst it has been necessary to replace
some of the outer layers of timber due to weather damage.
Phil Coles, deputy chair of Llangollen Railway Trust, said: "The building restoration project is costing upwards of £5,000 plus the input from volunteer labour and we hope the work will be completed by the end of August.
"The building will then be revealed in all its black and white glory as befits Berwyn which has previously been judged as in the top ten stations in Britain for its dramatic location above the River Dee Gorge."
For the moment the station is the terminus of the interim railcar service from Llangollen and passengers arriving by train are discovering the delights of the location as viewed from the historic chain bridge and route to the Horseshoe Falls.
Denbighshire County Council is congratulating pupils receiving their A/AS Level results.
Cllr Huw
Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s Lead Member for Education, Children's Services
and Public Engagement, said: “On behalf of the Council I would like to
congratulate all Year 12 and 13 learners on their results in this difficult
year.
“The hard work
and dedication pupils have shown over the last year has been amazing to see and
they have been supported in every way by our schools, their staff and parents.
“Seeing how
our schools and communities have pulled together during the coronavirus
pandemic has been fantastic and despite disruptions pupils have continued to
learn and achieve throughout.
“Reaching this
stage has truly been a wonderful team effort, but the pupils themselves have
really gone above and beyond.
“We would like
to wish all our young people the very best for the future.”
* No results have been received from Ysgol Dinas Bran.
Headteacher Mark Hatch told llanblogger: "Unfortunately this year it has been a strange situation. We haven't had a 'results day'. Confirmation of results was sent to students via email. We aren't publishing school results this year due to the situation."
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Education
Minister Jeremy Miles has praised the achievements of students all over Wales
as 2021 A, AS, VQ and Skills Challenge Certificates results are published. |
|
The total
number of A level entries in Wales this year was 35,867, an increase of 14.5%
relative to 2020, reversing the decreasing A level entries since the summer
of 2015, and resulting in an extra 4,500 A levels being awarded to Welsh
learners this year. Results for Wales show that 99.1% of learners achieved A*
- E grades, up from 97.6% in 2019, with an increase at A* with 21.3% of
candidates achieving this grade. This year’s
assessment and qualification process have been different to previous years as
examinations for summer 2021 were cancelled in response to the pandemic. A
new system was designed and delivered by schools and colleges and put trust
in them to draw together a range of assessment evidence on which to determine
a learner’s grade. Jeremy Miles said: “I hope everyone who received their grades today feels immensely proud of their remarkable achievement. “This year has been like no other and you’ve had to make many
sacrifices. You have had to deal with so much disruption to your studies over
the past 18 months, but have shown tremendous resilience and determination to
continue your learning. You have also played an incredibly important role in
keeping your classmates, teachers and communities safe. “While your experiences and the way in which you have been
assessed have been different, the value of these qualifications is not. You
can can be sure that your grades reflect your hard work throughout this year,
and you fully deserve the qualifications you receive. “Our school and college staff have also been tremendous,
working incredibly hard and under a lot of pressure to deliver and mark
learners’ assessments. “The most important thing this year is that learners are able
to progress to the next stage of their education, training or their work
careers. “Best of luck to you all in whatever your future holds.” |
Steam trains are coming back to Llangollen Railway.
Now rapidly recovering from the double blows of pandemic restrictions and its own financial crisis, the heritage line is set to re-introduce its highly popular steam services in a few days time.
On its Facebook page it has posted: "We are pleased to announce that this Friday (13th) will see the return of steam-hauled trains through the Dee Valley, as well as the extension of services to Glyndyfrdwy.
* David Metcalfe, left, and Simon Baynes MP outside the Ebenezer in Cefn Mawr.
Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes visited the Ebenezer Chapel in Cefn Mawr to discuss future plans for the building to lead the economic regeneration of the area.
The Ebenezer was secured for the community at auction on May 25.
The chapel was extensively restored in 2007/8 as a part of the Article 4 Cefn Mawr Conservation Area.
This was part of the preparatory work for UNESCO Inscription of the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site in 2009.
During the visit, Mr Baynes met with David Metcalfe, project leader for the Plas Kynaston Canal (PKC) Group.
They discussed many topics relating to the future success of the Ebenezer and prosperity of the community.
These ranged from storm damage and the B5605 landslide to the prospects of the Trevor Basin Master Plan and how the PKC Group seeks to work with Wrexham Council.
It was stressed that the community needs to be connected to overcome the lack of footfall in Cefn Mawr and the Ebenezer in an area with one of the highest visitor counts in Wales.
Simon Baynes said: “It was a pleasure to meet with David and to see the excellent plans underway to not only regenerate the old Ebenezer Chapel, which is at the centre of our famous Pontcysyllte World Heritage site, but also, the wider development of our local economy in Cefn Mawr.
"The project has my full support and I look forward to checking in and keeping a close eye on how it develops going forward.”
"We have also been on patrol in locations that have experienced a high volume
of visitors recently such as Llangollen and Betws-y-Coed as well as patrolling
in locations known for illegal off--road biking.
"Anti-social driving in Ruthin Town Centre will also continue to be a focus
at weekends.
"What else and where else do you think we can focus our attention at the moment?"
* For details of Neighbourhood Action, go to: https://www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/
