Local MP explains why he backed Prime Minister in confidence vote

Clwyd South’s Welsh Conservative MP Simon Baynes (pictured) has explained why he supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson in yesterday’s crucial confidence vote.

Mr Johnson won the backing of a majority of Tory MPs in last night’s ballot which commentators see as a significant revolt against his leadership.

 

The PM won 59% of the vote, meaning he is now immune from a Conservative leadership challenge for a year.

 

In all, 211 Tory MPs voted they had confidence in the PM's leadership while 148 voted against him.

 

Mr Johnson has described his confidence vote win as "decisive".

 

The result sees the prime minister remain in office, but critics said the scale of the rebellion against him showed his authority had been weakened, with some calling on him to resign.

 

Mr Baynes said in a statement this afternoon (Tuesday): "I voted for the Prime Minister in yesterday’s confidence vote. 

"He was democratically elected in the 2019 general election with a majority of 80.

"He has got the big decisions right on vaccines, supporting people through the Covid crisis, delivering on Brexit which the majority of people supported in the referendum and the 2019 general election, leading international support for Ukraine and delivering the lowest level of unemployment since 1974."

Llangollen's Nic organises well-being retreat

* Nic Wagstaff of Inspire-Rewire and creator of the first Me-Time Festival in Chester.

* Festival-goers around the campfire.

The first well-being retreat with a festival vibe is being held in Chester later this month, and its Llangollen founder is on a mission to get people to "take time, to make time".

Mum-of-one Nic Wagstaff knows the importance of taking time out from a hectic schedule, working full-time and looking after a young family. 

She has experienced burn-out and fatigue and now teaches others how to avoid the anxiety that she went through restoring her energy levels and focus.  

Nic is best known for teaching wellness entrepreneurs how to run their own retreats, as well as running her own successful well-being business Inspire-Rewire, including organising retreats and mini-morning retreats in Chester and around north Wales. 

She was inspired to create the Me Time Festival – taking place on Sunday, June 26 at Cheshire View, Christleton, Chester, from 10am-6pm - to allow attendees to press pause on their busy lives and take time out for themselves. 

Nic said: “It struck me that we are all so busy running our lives we often forget to take time out for ourselves. This is very much a recurring theme for women so I came up with the idea for the Me Time Festival.  

"I wanted to create something that would press pause on the noise and busyness in their lives and offer a one day retreat with a festival vibe combined, to dip in and out of activities to explore what works for them.

“Once you arrive and step into the festival, the day becomes your own adventure. For some of those attending it will be the first time they’ve experienced anything like this.  

“There is a chance to dedicate an entire day to yourself exploring new interests or just shutting out the noise to reconnect with the best version of you.” 

Each area of the festival has been carefully thought through for ambience and featured areas for talks, workshops, classes, therapies and outdoor chill, with the flexibility to bring your own picnic or afternoon tea platter, and enjoy and ‘just be’ on the meadow overlooking the rolling hills of Cheshire. 

Nic has handpicked all the local exhibitors and experts herself to ensure there will be something for everyone to explore, chill or maybe expand their horizons.    

People who attend can take their pick from a wide range of activities or activities like Tai Chi, Yoga, sound healing and massage. 

Expert speakers and practitioners will be giving insights into gut health, hormones, hypnotherapy, CBT, energy healing, self-sabotage, motivation and more, or connect deeper, interactive smaller discussion sessions. Plus there’s a chance to indulge in a little retail therapy with natural products, art and other lovely gifts for yourself or others. 

* Tickets for the Me Time Festival* are currently available at www.inspire-rewire.com/metimefestival

Prices are £80 (without afternoon tea) or £95 (including afternoon tea)

*An early bird offer is available quoting METIME2022 until Friday, June 10, offering a 10% discount.

Line-up so far for Llangollen Fringe's 25th anniversary year

* Ebony Steel Band are among the acts appearing at the 25th Fringe Festival.

Llangollen Fringe  Festival will this year celebrate its 25^th  anniversary with a bumper edition from July 22-30 which organisers say promises to be the biggest so far

Headlining acts announced include: ROGER ENO – a renowned composer, pianist and pioneer of ‘ambient music’.

He has recorded and released many albums of his work, including ‘Rattle That Lock’, with DAVID GILMOUR (PINK FLOYD), the acclaimed ‘APOLLO’ in 1983 a collaboration with his brother BRIAN ENO as well as 2020’s ‘Mixing Colours’, the duo’s striking collaboration, released in 2020. 

For the Fringe Festival, Eno will perform music from these works and his most recent solo album ‘The Turning Year’

Joining him at the festival are THE TURBANS, with members from Turkey, Bulgaria, Israel, Iran, Greece and England who bind together music from ‘manywhere’ and whom BBC 6 Music’s MARK RADCLIFFE described as “really a force of nature”.

Also appearing are rocking supergroup WARMDUSCHER, who bring together members of bands such as: FAT WHITE FAMILY and INSECURE MANY and have been selling out venues across the UK and Europe with their incendiary live show. 

Rounding off the week  are the genre-bending and supercharged Scottish trad trio TALISK on Friday July 29and London’s EBONY STEEL BAND on Saturday 30, the legendary Steel Drum ensemble perform their much-loved album PAN MACHINE, an interpretation of the classic KRAFTWERK album ‘Man Machine’ in its entirety, which includes seminal hits such as ‘The Model’ and ‘The Robots”

There is also a welcome return for stand-up comedy – with ‘THE CHASE’ star PAUL SINHA headlining the opening night of the festival, as well as new venues being incorporated into the official festival line up with Gales Wine Bar, The Bridge End Hotel and the Three Eagles Restaurant hosting live events throughout the week.

Organisers say more events to celebrate the 25^th year are still to be added.

Tickets for all headline shows are on sale now, as well as festival passes. Priced at just £75 the festival pass allows access to all of the main events across the nine days so is great value for money.

* Festival tickets and dates and times for all concerts and events are available from www.llangollenfringe.co.uk or by calling the Fringe box office:  0800 1455 779

Cheers! Railway's real ale trains are back after three-year break

Fans of brilliant beer are looking forward to the return of the Llangollen Railway’s popular Real Ale Trains this weekend after a three-year absence. 

The pandemic and last year’s financial troubles have prevented such an event from taking place since autumn 2019. 

The Welsh Phoenix /Ffenics Cymraeg will be running all day on Saturday June 11, with three3 daytime trips and two in the evening, leaving Llangollen at 6 and 8pm.

The bar will be based in an historic British Railways former travelling cinema carriage, which was restored and converted into a bar back in 2014. 

Visitors can enjoy a pint of draft craft ale or a glass of wine whilst enjoying the breathtaking scenery of the Dee Valley. 

* The railway's function coach will host the real ale trains.

The bar will be stocked with four local beers from Porthmadog-based Purple Moose and Stonehouse Brewery from Oswestry. 

The train will be hauled by a 1959-built Class 26 diesel locomotive No 5310. 

Volunteer organisers Iain Ross and Terry Pickthall can both usually be found at work on different parts of the railway, with Iain a steam and diesel locomotive driver and fitter. 

Terry is also a diesel locomotive driver and acts as the railway’s press officer. 

He said: “Iain and I thought it was high-time we helped resurrect our very successful Real Ale Trains and are looking forward to serving people a pint or two. 

"We managed our 1960’s weekend real ale festivals for many years with great success, but have not run a bar on a moving train before. 

"We’re both getting some practice in at pouring beer into a gently swaying pint glass, as we all know spillage of fine ale is a heinous crime."

Iain said: “We’ve all worked very hard through some very tough times to get the railway back on its feet and can now start to try and bring back some of the great events that we all took for granted, like our Real Ale Train and Classic Transport Weekend, which will take place on July 2 and 3." 

Tickets for the trains are available from the railway’s website and ideally need to be purchased in advance for the evening trains or from Llangollen station booking office during the day, which will be open on Saturday 11^th between 10am and 3pm.

Evening tickets cost £25, which includes two return trips on the train, a commemorative Llangollen Railway pint glass and a pint of draft beer of your choice (or glass of wine).  A full day ticket is available for £40.

Town Hall tea dance brings jubilee celebrations to a lively conclusion

* Julie Thomas's zumba group in action on the dance floor. 

* Dancers present a lively jive.

* A sequence dance in full flow.

Llangollen's official two-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations were brought to a fitting end with a tea dance held in the Town Hall this afternoon (Sunday).

Brilliantly organised by town hall facilities officer Charlie Jones, the free event saw a series of colourful and lively demonstration routines performed by three local dance groups.

A team of volunteers served a delicious afternoon tea consisting of sandwiches, cakes and scones with jam and cream on tables set with china teacups and saucers, white cloths and proper napkins evocative of the 1950s when the Queen came to the throne.

* People chat over afternoon tea at the meticulously laid out tables.

Roadworks alert for Regent Street

 

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Regent Street, Llangollen 07 June - 09 June   Delays likely - Traffic control (two-way signals)   Description: MJ QUINN TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING WORK - TO REPLACE FRAME AND COVER   Works location: S/0 INN REGENT STREET JUNC OF CHURCH 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 Openreach.   Responsibility for works: Openreach   Current status: Planned work about to start   Works reference: BC006MQONSAWN0POWD5L0P4T

Llangollen celebrates Queen's Platinum Jubilee in style

* Market Street was closed to traffic to allow stalls and entertainment.

Llangollen has been celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in style today (Saturday).

The first of a two-day package of special events saw Market Street closed to traffic to allow an open-air market to be held with a variety of charity and community stalls.

Organised by Town Council staff and a group of former councillors, this attracted a large number of visitors to see performers including singer Chris Burton and Llangollen Silver Band while youngsters enjoyed a Punch and Judy show.

A second live entertainment programme saw a variety of acts take the stage set up in Centenary Square, with acts including Alfie Thomas, Leonie-Anne Kirkby, the Melodic Mondays and Shea Ferron who also compered.

Throughout the morning the Town Hall was the setting for a Jubilee Market run by members of Llangollen Inner Wheel.

This included plenty of stalls and home-made refreshments.

At 11am St Collen's marked the jubilee with a special Service of Thanksgiving led by Father Lee Taylor.

The Jubilee celebration continues tomorrow (Sunday) with a Vintage Tea Party and Dance from 2-6pm in the Town Hall.

This is billed as an afternoon of 1950s vintage film and dancing with three local dance teachers. Tea is served at 3.30pm and entry to the event is free.   

* Due to the adverse weather forecast it has been decided to use the fallback plan for the Churches Together Openair Service tomorrow Sunday June 5th. The joint service to celebrate Pentecost as well as the Jubilee will now be held at 11am in the Methodist Church in Princess St. All are very welcome to attend. There will be activities for children and refreshments will be served afterwards.

* Town crier Austin Cheminais teaches youngsters how to bellow out a good 'Oyez!' 

* Llangollen Inner Wheel hosted a busy jubilee fair in the Town Hall (above and below).

* Father Lee Taylor with the choir during the St Collen's thanksgiving service.

* Llangollen branch chairman Phil Stroud carries the Royal British Legion standard during the church service.

 * Alfie Thomas takes the stage in Centenary Square.

* Leonie-Anne Kirby sings in the square.

* The Melodic Mndays. 

* Shea Ferron entertains on the stage in the square. 

* Chris Burton plays and sings in Market Street. 

* Llangollen Silver Band were popular with the crowd in Market Street.

* Youngsters enjoy the Punch and Judy show in Market Street.

 * Some of the stalls lining a bustling Market Street.