Roadworks alert for Vicarage Road

The following local roadworks alert has come from one.network:

Vicarage Road 18 August — 20 August   Delays unlikely - Traffic control (give & take)   Works description: Boundary box Install 25mm Job in Footway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )...   Works location: OUTSIDE PROPERTY KNOWN AS BRYN HELYG...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Hafren Dyfrdwy.   Responsibility for works: Hafren Dyfrdwy   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000060404335

Roadworks alert for local trunk routes

Forthcoming roadworks on the nearby Newbridge and Chirk bypasses and the A5 are highlighted in a story on Leaderlive. 

* For the full story, see: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/19511970.upcoming-roadworks-need-aware-wrexham/

Air ambulance flies into Pengwern Vale

A llanblogger reader sent in this picture of the air ambulance which flew into Pengwern Vale earlier this afternoon where a mountain biking event was taking place.

It is understand the helicopter may not have been needed and that a casualty was eventually taken away in a road ambulance.

llanblogger is currently trying to get further details. 

  

 

St Collen's hosts its annual summer fayre

St Collen's Church had its annual summer fayre this afternoon.

Stalls, including home-made cakes and bric-a-brac, were set up in the church while burgers and other refreshments were available in the nearby community hall.

There was also a raffle with a host of prizes. 

Skates welcomes funding for Llangollen Railway

* Ken Skates MS, left, meets Mark Drakeford on a visit to town.

Member of the Senedd Ken Skates has thanked the Welsh Government for helping get Llangollen Railway back on track.  

The comments came after a recent visit to the popular tourist attraction by Deputy Minister Dawn Bowden and the news that further major funding from the Welsh Government had been confirmed.  

Mr Skates, MS for Clwyd South, said: “Llangollen Railway is of huge importance locally and attracts visitors from far and wide. It has had unparalleled support from the Welsh Labour Government over the years and I’m delighted and proud that they have once again stepped in with crucial funding. 

“The Trust was given a grant of £147,860 last year and I know there was a lot of clamour locally for even more funding when the railway ran into problems earlier this year.” 

Mr Skates added: “Prior to the Senedd elections in May, while visiting Llangollen, First Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh Government would work with local people to help get the railway back up and running if re-elected, so I had every confidence that would be borne out. I would like to thank the First Minister and the Deputy Minister Dawn Bowden for delivering for Llangollen.”  

Shortly after the election, Mr Skates says he made formal representations to the Welsh Government calling for more funding for Llangollen Railway. 

Last month, it was announced a further £143,290 grant had been rubber-stamped to help with running services and restarting operations – taking the financial package to more than £291,000 in the last 12 months alone.  

In the Deputy Minister’s response to Mr Skates, she said: “Thank you for your letter of May 24 regarding support for the Llangollen Railway. Like you, I recognise the important role of the Llangollen Railway as a key tourist attraction and as a precious piece of regional heritage. I was lucky enough to visit the railway last month when I visited north Wales.  

“Last year the Llangollen Railway Trust received a grant of £147,860 from the first round of the Cultural Recovery Fund to support its operations. 

"In the months following the sad announcement that the PLC arm had been placed into administration, officials in Cadw and Visit Wales have maintained contact with the Trustees, receiving updates regarding the progress of their plans to retake full control of the railway and restart operations.  

“On the advice of my officials, the Trustees submitted a request to Welsh Government for support from the second round of the Cultural Recovery Fund. I am pleased to say that having received confirmation from the Trust regarding their progress towards restructuring and restarting operations, we were recently able to issue a grant offer to Llangollen Railway Trust Ltd of £143,290.  

“This money will help the Trust to restart and operate trains during the summer and to help them get themselves on a sound financial footing to manage through the winter. I commend the Board of Trustees for continuing to work so hard to stabilise the organisation and wish them luck with their efforts to restart operations and secure the future of the railway.”

Police make arrest for public order offence in town

Local police have highlighted how they are maintaining public order in Llangollen.

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Rich Evans says in a message put out earlier today (Friday) on the new Community Alert network: "We will continue to act robustly against people who engage in disorderly and abusive behaviour in our towns. 

"Last evening a female was arrested for a Public Order offence in Llangollen for being abusive to one of our Police Community Support Officers."

North Wales Community Alert is a free messaging service for people who live, work and visit North Wales.

Registration is completely free, quick and simple. 

North Wales Community Alert also gives you an opportunity to provide feedback to your local neighbourhood police team on the issues that matter most to you.

* For more information and to register for the North Wales Community Alert

New Kia Sorento PHEV punches above its weight

Kia Sorento PHEV drive by Steve Rogers

Meet the Kia Sorento, a big SUV with an even bigger story to tell.

It has been around for 18 years often trying to overcome SUV badge snobbery but version four has smashed it with more style, more quality, more engines, more technology, more space, more everything. Oh, and more money with the entry plug-in hybrid a salty £45, 655 while the range topper is an eye popping £54,000 give or take a few hundred quid.

But is it a bargain for the big bucks?

Built on a new platform Sorento is spacious and can even rub shoulders with SUV royalty like the Land Rover Discovery and Volvo XC90. It has seven seats, not many of those around, and yes, it is a genuine seven seater with the third row able to house a couple of adults.

Even though it is four wheel drive the floor is fairly flat and not compromised by the usual transmission hump so there is no problem fitting three chunky adults across the middle row. Sorento is a little wider than the previous model, and there is a smidgen more head room. With the third row folded the boot is huge, big enough for four large suitcases, apparently, so there is obvious appeal for big families. Drop all the seats, using levers in the side walls and two people could sleep in it, it is that deep and wide.

And third row passengers are well catered for with heating controls and a USB port in each side wall. In fact there are two more cleverly built in to the backs of the front seats and another three more up front.

Entry level 2 does not get on board navigation but you can use an app from an Android Auto or Apple Carplay mobile to get directions on to the car's touchscreen. The only drawback, and it's a silly one, is that the phone, and therefore navigation directions, cannot be paired on the move. I know we are hell bent on safety but why is it necessary to stop a passenger performing the operation.

Apart from navigation and keyless entry the PHEV entry Sorento has just about everything you need and a bit more which is good for those stretching to the top of the budget.

Quality has been improved with upgraded finishes while the only areas still covered in hard plastic are the boot walls although it is easier to clean so maybe it is not such a bad idea.

Dashboard layout is a conventional affair with a clear digital driver's display and an eight inch touchscreen for audio, phone and driver aids, but good old fashioned switches for the heating controls. I am an old fella so this is my kind of dashboard although Sorento does not have the wow factor of the futuristic Peugeot 5008, but I did like the rotary gear selector.

 The sharpness of the reversing camera tells you the graphics could be better and probably are another grade up where the screen is 10.25 inches.

Performance from the turbo charged 1.6 petrol is strong and gets a hefty boost in horse power and torque from the electric motor. A 50-70mph dash takes 5.7 seconds which is impressive for such a big car.

Electric range is 35 miles, I managed a 26 mile cross country round trip and still had electric miles left so not that far off the mark. A full charge from my Podpoint wallbox took three and a half hours.

Anyone wanting to haul a caravan or horsebox is going to be disappointed with the PHEVs paltry 1500kg towing limit but unlike some key rivals Sorento still has a diesel which can pull up to 2500kg. It is also £4k cheaper than the plug-in.

Which car do you choose? Space is the key and how much you need for your family. Both the Skoda Kodiaq and Peugeot 5008 are much cheaper, offer seven seats and are better to drive along twisting roads but neither can match the Sorento's living room space or offer a plug-in hybrid.

Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V plug-ins are similarly priced but also fall short of the Kia's space package.

Kia has put down a marker with Sorento which punches above its weight and is even a plausible alternative to more expensive big guns like Discovery or Volvo XC 90. It doesn't have the ultimate quality and finish of the premium SUVs but is not that far away any more.

Fast facts

Sorento 2 PHEV AWD

£46,655

1.6 litre 6sp auto; 261bhp

0-60mph 8.4secs; 119mph

176mpg electric combined

41mpg petrol only

Electric range 35 miles

38g/km. VED zero

Boot 809 litres

Insurance group 33