Tidy Town Team remakes part of Centenary Square

Members of Llangollen Tidy Town Team, pictured, have undertaken a remake of the corner garden area of Centenary Square. 

The area had deteriorated with people walking over the plants, dogs being allowed to foul the area, the growth of persistent weeds and cigarette ends being dropped.

On behalf of Llangollen Town Council and with the expert guidance of Chris Morris, some plants were repositioned, the area dug out, levelled, lined and filled with some 2.5 tonnes of local slate by members of the team who are all volunteers.

Two local roadworks alerts

 

The following local roadworks alerts have come from one.network:

Hill Street 13 September — 31 March   Delays unlikely - Some carriageway incursion   Works description: 13/09/21-31/03/21/Jayne Valentine/Junction Realignment Scheme 18412...   Works location: Hill Street   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 Denbighshire County Council.   Responsibility for works: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: QR015S000000001774   Market Street 13 September — 17 September   Delays unlikely - No carriageway incursion   Works description: The excavation and reinstatement of the footway for the connection of electrical supply to Street Fu...   Works location: Column 2, In Car Park By Public Toilets...   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 Denbighshire County Council.   Responsibility for works: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: QR30100039998

llanblogger takes a short break

llanblogger is now taking a short break and will be back in a few days

Collen Players back live for their latest hit music hall show

* The Collen Players take their curtain call at the end of the show. 

Pictures by Jeanette Robinson

* Father Lee Taylor in the chair.

* Neil Barrett and David Lyne as Barbara and Joyce.

 * Phil Robinson as Champagne Charlie.

* Magician Paul Edwards - the Welsh Wizard.

* Susan Stokes - Danny Boy.

* Gethin Davies - Have Some Madeira M'Dear.

* Mike Connolly on the Road to Mandalay.

* Louise Cielecki closes the show.

After a gap of many months due to the pandemic The Collen Players were back in front of a live audience last night for their latest music hall and variety show in the Community Hall.

In the chair as usual was St Collen's vicar Father Lee Taylor - a devout fan of traditional Victorian music hall - introducing the evening's packed programme which featured a host of talented entertainers.

Following his opening breezy bout of patter and comedy songs first up came a favourite of Players audiences Susan Stokes with the catchy K-K-K Katy and a moving Danny Boy.

They've done a similar routine for previous Collen shows and there was another warm welcome for the double-act Neil Barrett and Dave Lyne doing their hilarious skit on gossips Barbara and Joyce.

Phil Robinson then took to the authentically-dressed stage to present the music hall staples Champagne Charlie and The Spaniard Who Blighted My Life.

During the interval a well-enjoyed buffet meal was served for the audience prepared by Fabiano Silva.

In the second half of the show Father Lee resumed the chair to present a rousing musical medley of golden oldies including Tulips from Amsterdam, Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer, Loch Lomond and Let’s Go Fly a Kite.

For something a little different there was Paul Edwards presenting some amazingly cunning magic tricks in his guise as The Welsh Wizard.

Staying in lighter mood Gethin Davies followed with the ditty Have Some Madeira M’dear and The Spanish Guitar, both accompanied on the piano by his wife Eulanwy.

Mike Connolly's powerful and well-received contributions were Keep the Home Fires Burning and The Road to Mandalay before Barrett and Lyne returned to take an hilarious peek at George and Leonard, husbands of Barbara and Joyce.

Louise Cielecki rounded off in fine style with a couple of big-hearted show numbers, Little Girls from Annie and I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables.

All that was left was for the chairman to lead the entire cast in a rousing chorus of one of the best-known of all music halls songs, Down at the Old Bull and Bush.

Locals encouraged to use valley sightseeing bus

* The bus stops at the Ponderosa on the Horseshoe Pass.

* Another stop at the Wenffrwd pocket park just outside Llangollen.

Llangollen people are being encouraged to try a trip aboard a bus service which is spending the summer touring some of Dee Valley's key beauty spots. 

The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus service is a circular route which runs every Saturday until October 2021.

It links Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, PlasNewydd Historic House and the Horseshoe Pass.

The service aims to enable people to visit these key locations without the need of a car and reduce the need for parking spaces, making it easier for those without their own vehicle to access these places, and helping to reduce congestion at some of the busiest sites in the Dee Valley.  

The service also provides both visitors and local residents the opportunity to explore the wider area.

The service has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales, and delivered in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Our Picturesque Landscape project, a landscape partnership scheme which is working to conserve and improve access to the inspiring landscapes of the Dee Valley and Pontcysllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site.

The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus Service, number 199, operates Saturdays only until October 30. 

* For the full timetable and ticket prices for the Picturesque Bus service , see Denbighshire bus timetable webpage or pick up a leaflet from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre.

Kate Thomson, Partnership Officer for the Our Picturesque Landscape project, said: “This project was due to launch in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic, so we are really pleased that this service was able to run in 2021 and hopefully for many years to come.  

"By working in partnership with Denbighshire County Council, we have been able to ensure that the service complements existing public transport provision.  

"Connecting to bus timetables from Corwen and Wrexham makes the Picturesque Bus service the ideal option for planning walks in the area.  

"We are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Walesfor making this service possible, and hope it will go on to be a great success and a real legacy for the Our Picturesque Landscape project.”

Business is booming for Llangollen hotel after pandemic

* The Wild Pheasant is welcoming more brides than ever before, it says. 

* The spa is now open again following the pandemic.

A Llangollen hotel is reporting record business in the wake of the pandemic. 

The Wild Pheasant on the A5 stayed open throughout the Covid-19 crisis to accommodate key workers and is now rapidly getting back to normal. 

Fresh from its caring role The Wild Pheasant is once again welcoming the more usual kind of guest to its 47 bedrooms, restaurant and spa and the weddings side of the operation is booming. 

It was back in 2016 that the hotel was acquired by the Evenbright company which in its stable of hotels also numbers Rossett Hall, two in Lake District, Stonecross Manor and The George, as well a new one in Llandudno. 

Wild Pheasant guest accommodation includes standard double/twin rooms, executive king rooms, the Dinas Bran & Berwyn Suite and the Dee Valley Penthouse with private hot tub on the balcony. 

When it comes to dining there’s the Courtyard Restaurant and The Glasshouse with the Glanrafon Suite catering specifically for weddings.

 

A hotel spokesperson said: “The Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa has always been a popular choice for weddings in North Wales.

 

“Our Glanafon Suite is ideal for weddings up to 100 people and boasts its own private bar area.

 

“In 2020 we were awarded the title of best countryside wedding venue regionally and nationally That was a fantastic achievement for all the team, which includes over 40 full and part-time staff.”

 

Following the pandemic the hotel’s Llangollen Spa is now open for access to its hydrotherapy pool and treatments.

 

The hotel says the sauna and steam room will be open at a later date once it is felt safe to do so.

 

A spokesperson said: “The Wild Pheasant and its team are delighted to welcome people back after the easing of Covid restrictions, although we remained open throughout to accommodate key workers. 

“The recent pandemic took the world of hospitality from one extreme to the other. But since the easing of lockdown restrictions all Everbright Hotels have enjoyed incredible levels of business and it seems as though the trend is set to continue. 

“Both The Wild Pheasant and Rossett Hall have seen levels across every area of their business exceed any previous record. 

“By the end of the year each hotel will have welcomed more brides and grooms than ever before, having rescheduled some weddings as many as three times during the pandemic. 

“The two hotels have also experienced unprecedented numbers of leisure guests coming into the area for their holidays and short breaks. 

“Restaurant and bars have been constantly busy with many passers-by and locals calling in to eat and drink. This has resulted in record numbers of enquiries from the local community already getting in early with their Christmas bookings.”

Politicians call for Universal Credit increase to go ahead

North Wales politicians are calling on the UK Government to abandon plans to halt increases to Universal Credit after it emerged their constituencies would be among the hardest hit in Wales. 

Ken Skates and Lesley Griffiths have urged MPs to ‘show some humility’ and fight for their constituents by opposing Westminster’s plans to withdraw a proposed £20-a-week rise in payments – equivalent to £1,040 a year – from October 6.   

Both Members of the Senedd say they have received emails and telephone calls from ‘extremely anxious’ constituents about the UK Government’s plans, but as benefits are not devolved to Wales it is incumbent on Members of Parliament to vote against the cut.   

“We continue to hear daily soundbites from the Tories at Westminster about ‘levelling up’, which all sound pretty hollow when they’re complicit in plunging low-income families into further financial problems,” said Mr Skates, Member of the Senedd for Clwyd South.   

“I would implore Members of Parliament to stand up and be counted. People have long memories and they won’t forget it if their MP supports the Tory Government taking this much-needed money away from them. It’s time for them to show some humility.”  

Figures recently published by the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation revealed that all but four Welsh constituencies will see over a third of working-age families with children hit by the cut – including all six won by the Tories from Labour at the 2019 General Election.   

In Clwyd South, which includes Llangollen, 42% will be affected, it says.  

Ms Griffiths, Member of the Senedd for Wrexham, said: “In just a few weeks, the UK Government will impose the largest reduction to the basic rate of social security since World War Two. It’s impossible to over-state how hard this will hit local families, and it’s heart-breaking.   

“As we cautiously emerge on the other side of the pandemic, governments should be aiding social and economic recovery, but the statistics prove significantly reducing the support offered by Universal Credit will have a detrimental effect on many Wrexham residents.”  

It is estimated that 22% of all working-age families in Wales will see a £1,040-a-year cut to their incomes from October 6. A huge 42% of families with children in Wales will be affected.   

Across the UK, more than a third (38%) of those who will see their income reduced are in employment – while one in six (16%) are under 25.   

The Welsh Labour Government, along with the UK's other devolved administrations, has written to the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, Thérèse Coffey, expressing ‘grave concerns regarding upcoming plans to withdraw support to the poorest in our society’.