Llangollen Rotary closing after 60 years of service

After 60 years of service to the community the Rotary Club of Llangollen has announced it is to close down next summer.

And the club says it is to disperse its charitable funds to local good causes and organisations.

On its Facebook page the club has posted: "It is with great sadness that we must announce that the Rotary Club of Llangollen will be closing by the end of June 2022 due to a lack of active members to fill critical club officer posts.

"As part of our closure programme we will be holding a funds evening on Monday February 28, 2022 to disperse our charitable funds to local charities, good causes and community organisations.

"If you are a Llangollen charity or community organisation and would like to apply for funds to help with your project or community service delivery then please let the club know by leaving us a message and we will be in touch to explain the process.

"The closing date for initial applications is January 31, 2020 to allow for processing and allocation of a presentation slot on the night."

Comments on social media reflect the degree of sadness about the announcement.

Some of the posts say: "It will be a great loss to the town when you close. How many times have we heard 'We'll ask Rotary to help' You will certainly be missed by The lnner Wheel Club and we thank you for your support and friendship."

"Sad news indeed. Inner Wheel and Rotary have worked together and supported each other over the years. The town will miss them."

"Sad news, lovely people that have done great work in their community for many years. I always enjoyed my visits there."

"Sad to hear this about a hard working Rotary Club."

"A great shame that such a club will be lost to the local community."

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Railway should get the support it needs, says North Wales MS

* Sam Rowlands MS, far left, with members of the trust board and station master Ben Jackson at Berwyn.

A leading opposition Senedd Member says the Welsh Government should ensure Llangollen Railway is not taken for granted and gets the support it needs.

The comment was made by the Welsh Conservatives’ Sam Rowlands, who represents North Wales and chairs the Senedd’s Cross-Party Group on Tourism, during a visit to the heritage attraction yesterday (Monday) afternoon.

He was shown round by members of the seven-strong trust board who rescued the railway from liquidation last March and have since put it firmly back on track.

After taking a trip aboard one of the railway’s vintage diesel trains to Berwyn station and back to Llangollen, Mr Rowlands said: “I was impressed to see the real quality offering for tourists coming into the area and also for locals to embrace.

“I’ve also been impressed by the volunteers I’ve met and the trust board members who have put a whole lot of heart and effort into ensuring the railway continues to function and continues to be a quality offer for anybody in Llangollen and along the whole stretch of the line.

“It’s a beautiful place to come and see, with breath-taking views along the route and I’m really keen to see the railway flourish.”

He added: “The cross-party tourism group I chair is always looking to see how it can speak out for the benefit of tourist attractions and this railway ticks all the boxes in terms of a good offer for tourists and locals alike.

“The group has its next meeting in January and I’ll be sure to share my experiences of coming here and also within the wider Senedd, making sure that these sort of heritage attractions are on people’s radar.

“I saw that if this place hadn’t been able to re-boot we would have seen derelict stations and a derelict line which would have been a tragedy for Llangollen and the surrounding areas, so we have to see that this place isn’t just taken for granted and receives the support it needs.”

The trust board’s vice-chairman Phil Coles explained that as the railway recovers from its financial crisis and the worst effects of the pandemic it was planning to take on four or five additional paid staff over the next few months.

He said: “I think the visit went very well because the more politicians we can talk to and give an understanding of what we’re about, hopefully the more able we’ll be to get grant aid and to fill some of these positions.”

Asked about when the new Corwen station at the end of an extended line was likely to open to the public, Mr Coles said: “We’re hoping that will be in mid to late May. But it’s very much dependant on things like whether we have a bad winter. If we have freezing weather that will set us back.”

And speaking about how the revival of the railway has been progressing, he said: “It’s gone very, very well. The cashflow is ahead of our forecast. In fact, it’s gone so well that at times it’s been difficult to cope, not so much with the amount of passengers but the fact that the business started running away from us before we got everything in place.”

You can still have your say on Llan's People's Plan

* Amongst the many people who visited the public consultation session last week was the area's MP Simon Baynes, pictured here (second from left) with members of Shape My Llangollen.

Volunteers have successfully completed their round of face-to-face comment gathering on Llangollen's People's Plan.

But members of the public can still have their say on Caru Llangollen, which sets out the vision for how our town should develop up until 2026.   

And they have until the closing date of December 31 to do so.

The draft plan is based on what the group Shape My Llangollen was told by the people of the area in a series of pre-pandemic public consultation sessions when they were asked about what they liked or didn't like about the town and how they reckon it could be improved.

These consultation sessions, held at the health centre, outside local superstores as well as in the town square, generated 1,700 separate answers.

And, based on what they were told, the volunteers have produced the final draft plan which contains 90 suggestions for improving Llangollen and its quality of life and work over the next four years. 

Shape My Llangollen is now in the process of putting the People's Plan back to the people for the last time before producing the final version of it.

This will then go before the Town Council, which set them the original task in 2018, for approval and adoption.

From last Wednesday to Saturday members of the team were on hand outside the Town Hall to receive people's comments on Caru Llangollen. 

And scores of people braved the rain and wind to hear an explanation of what the plan could mean for them and the town and how they can comment on its proposals.

But the process doesn't end there because hard copies of the plan are available in the library on Castle Street, which Shape My Llangollen is encouraging people to browse and then log their comments, either in written form or by emailing the Town Clerk at: townclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk

To look through the action plan online - and turn it over page by page - go to: https://pubhtml5.com/gaql/ahfd

Copies of a card reminding people to get involved are also being posted through doors in the town this week.

Phil Robinson, who chairs SML, said: “This final round of public consultation is extremely important as it will be the last chance for people to have their say on this vital and far-reaching vision of the town’s future development.

"This is truly the People's Plan and is something which has never been done before in Llangollen.

"I'd like to thank everyone who took the trouble to stop and speak to our team outside the Town Hall last week, especially as the weather was quite challenging.

"Since the weekend we've had a steady stream of comments on the plan coming in including some useful feedback, which is exactly what we were after.

"I'd now encourage anyone who was unable to meet us last week to take a look at a hard copy of the draft plan in the library and let us have their comments on what it proposes - either by email or in written form - by December 31."    

Aled Jones and Russell Watson headline Llangollen 2022

 

* Aled Jones.

* Russell Watson.

* Anoushka Shankar.

* Manu Delago. 

Star singers Aled Jones and Russell Watson headline at next year's Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod which will see a return to live events following a two-year gap caused by the pandemic.

Organisers say the festival says the 2022 programme is "packed with competitions, concerts and celebrations galore" for its 75^th anniversary, with priority and public booking opening in time for Christmas.

The festival will also feature a new digital hybrid format, allowing competitors to enter and perform on the Llangollen Pavilion stage, regardless of their location around the globe. 

Llangollen’s new executive producer, Camilla King, who joined the organisation in November, said: “It’s an honour to be able to announce the wonderful news that we will return to live music-making in July 2022. 

"In this time of challenges and change, and as we prepare to celebrate our 75^th anniversary, our founding principles of promoting peace through the universal languages of music and dance have rarely felt more important or relevant.”

The 2022 concert programme opens on Thursday July 7 with two of the classical world’s vocal powerhouses, Aled Jones and Russell Watson, who perform together in Llangollen for the first time.

On Friday July 8, Grammy Award winning sitar player Anoushka Shankar teams up with her friend and collaborator Manu Delago and the strings of the Britten Sinfonia for a Llangollen debut.  

The performance includes highlights from Anouska’s catalogue in new orchestral arrangements and works from Manu’s extraordinary percussion oeuvre. 

Details of the 2022 Llanfest headliner and main stage support acts are coming soon, with an emphasis on celebrating homegrown Welsh talent, say organisers.

* Box Office Details (no bookings before December 13):

Priority Booking from 10am Monday 13 December

Public Booking from 10am Monday 20 December

Tickets can be booked online at our website: www.llangollen.net or during phone line opening hours on 01978 862 001.

Full 2022 Listings: 

Thursday July 7 at 7.30pm | £48, £37 | Back In Harmony: Russell Watson and Aled Jones 

Friday July 8 at 8pm |£42, £34, £26 | Anoushka Shankar & Manu Delago In Concert

Saturday July 9 at 7.30pm | £30, £25 | Choir of the World, Dance Champions & Voice of the Future 2022 

Sunday July 10 from 12pm | £28 | Llanfest 

Welsh Government launches Covid safety campaign

The latest phase of the Welsh Government’s Keep Wales Safe campaign which aims to ‘disrupt the transmission’ of Covid-19 is launching today (Monday).

Adverts will run on TV, radio, press, out-of-home, digital and social media channels for the next five weeks to encourage the public to continue to follow the measures put in place to keep all of us safe. 

The campaign focuses on the importance of face masks, vaccinations, testing and self-isolation. Additional campaign messages will also include the importance of ventilation and the use of lateral flow tests before socialising. Campaign materials are also shared with a wide range of partners and stakeholder for use on their own social media channels. 

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “The aim of the latest phase of the Keep Wales Safe campaign is to encourage the people of Wales to continue to take measures to stop the spread of Covid-19 as the virus has not gone away. 

“With the emergence of the Omicron variant, we need to continue to take coronavirus seriously and have put measures in place to protect people’s health and to slow down its spread. 

“We want to thank everyone for helping to keep themselves and their loved ones safe by wearing a face covering in indoor public places, getting testing, self-isolating when positive and getting vaccinated. 

“If we all continue to do what we can, we can look forward to a healthier and brighter new year.” 

The campaign will feature on TV adverts, radio including Spotify, digital posters at shopping centres and bus stops, social media including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap Chat, Twitter, YouTube as well as traditional media advertising. 

The Keep Wales Safe campaign reaches more than 91 per cent of adults in Wales. 

A leaflet will also be sent to 1.4 million homes and will be made available in 35 languages, Easy Read, Braille, large print and BSL.

Every household in Wales to be offered free tree

* Deputy Minister Lee Waters plants a tree.

Every household in Wales will be offered a free tree to plant as part of the Welsh Government’s commitment to tackle climate change, Deputy Minister Lee Waters promised today.

The bold new policy will give people the chance to choose a tree of their own to plant or opt to have a tree planted on their behalf.

Speaking at a visit to a major Coed Cadw woodland creation project in Neath during National Tree Week, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change confirmed the Welsh Government had partnered with the Woodland Trust to deliver the campaign.

The first trees will be available to collect from March, from one of five regional community hubs that will be established. The Welsh Government aims to set up a further 20 hubs across wales by October 2022.

Earlier this year, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change led a deep dive exercise into tree planting and timber, which identified a set of actions the Welsh Government needed to take forward to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change.

The Deputy Minister said: ““Trees are amazing - they save lives by keeping our air clean, they improve people's physical and mental health, they are essential for tackling our nature emergency, improving biodiversity and, of course, in tackling climate change.

“The deep dive made it clear to me that everyone will have a part to play if we are to be successful in tackling climate change and realising our ambitions to create a National Forest for Wales.

“I am therefore pleased to announce we have partnered with the Woodland Trust to deliver a campaign that will provide every household in Wales an opportunity to plant a free tree in Wales.

“This will enable people in Wales to further understand and experience the many benefits that trees can provide, not only to the environment but also to people’s health and wellbeing.”

The Deputy Minister made it clear that everyone in Wales could benefit from the campaign.

“We understand that not all households will be able to plant a tree themselves, but will still be keen to get involved,” he explained.

“That is why we will make an option available to ‘plant a tree for me’, which will allow for people to opt to have a free tree planted on their behalf at locations across Wales via the community hubs and volunteers.

“Instruction and guidance, including the location of community hubs near you and how to claim your tree, will soon be available through various information webpages but also locally on the ground via a network of volunteers in every area.”

Natalie Buttriss, Coed Cadw Director said, "We are delighted to be working with the Welsh Government in this great community tree giveaway to get thousands of native trees in the ground.

“While tree-planting is only one way to help tackle climate change, it is a simple and enjoyable way for every single person in Wales to have the chance to plant a tree and watch it grow.

“This project will be open to all types of people living in Wales and we hope it will inspire many individuals and local community groups to become involved. We want people from all backgrounds to be part of planting the National Forest for Wales.”

The Deputy Minister also revealed that a consultation would launch early in 2022 on plans to create a National Forest for Wales.

Santa Clue-less spotted in Abbey Road

Regular llanblogger contributor Eileen Dart has been out with her camera again, snapping scenes which remind us that Christmas is just around the corner.

This time it's a picture of Santa - or at least his bottom end - stuck down a chimney stack in Abbey Road.

She says: "Seen in Llangollen this morning. Perhaps Santa needs some help."