Police appeal after grafitti appears in town centre

* Llangollen's Riverside Park.

Police are seeking information about graffiti which they say has appeared in parts of Llangollen.

In a message on the North Wales Police Community Alerts system, officer Geraint Jones says: "Dee Valley Neighbourhood Policing (NPT) are appealing for information following an increase in graffiti around Llangollen town and by the riverside park. 

“A distinct signature that is appearing is the word 'bizz'.

“If anyone has any information please contact 101 quoting reference B098814.”

Local roadworks alerts from the county council

Denbighshire County Council has notified the following local roadworks: 

JUNCTION OF DINBREN ROAD TO JUNCTION OF MILL STREET, WHARF HILL WHARF HILL 15/08/2022 19/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN Temp Traffic Lights.

JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET ABBEY ROAD 08/08/2022 16/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN (DCC) Stop Go.

TOWER ROAD TOWER ROAD 08/08/2022 16/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN (DCC) Stop Go.

AROSFA CRESCENT AROSFA CRESCENT 06/08/2022 10/08/2022 Resurfacing DCC WORKS UNIT Road Closure.

 JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET TO OPPOSITE JUNCTION OF BISHOPS WALK MILL STREET 15/08/2022 19/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN Temp Traffic Lights.

A539 JUNCTION OF CHAPEL STREET TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, HALL STREET HALL STREET 30/08/2022 02/09/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

Near Bryn Howel Hotel A539 LLANGOLLEN ROAD 08/09/2022 10/09/2022 BT Works SUNBELT RENTALS (DCC) Temp Traffic Lights.

Tyn y Celyn Drive Llangollen TYN Y CELYN DRIVE 06/08/2022 10/08/2022 Resurfacing DCC WORKS UNIT Road Closure.

JUNCTION OF DINBREN ROAD TO JUNCTION OF MILL STREET, WHARF HILL WHARF HILL 08/08/2022 10/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

JUNCTION OF ABBEY ROAD TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, CASTLE STREET CASTLE STREET 15/08/2022 19/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

A539 JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, MARKET STREET MARKET STREET 30/08/2022 02/09/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, MARKET STREET MARKET STREET 22/08/2022 24/08/2022 BT Works.

OPPOSITE JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET TO, OPPOSITE JUNCTION OF BISHOPS WA MILL STREET 08/08/2022 10/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET TO ADJACENT WESTOE, ABBEY ROAD ABBEY ROAD 15/08/2022 19/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN  Temp Traffic Lights.

A542 JUNCTION REGENT STREET TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, HALL STREET HALL STREET 22/08/2022 24/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

OPPOSITE JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET, TO ADJACENT WESTOE, ABBEY ROAD ABBEY ROAD 08/08/2022 10/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN.

A542 JUNCTION OF ABBEY ROAD TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, CASTLE STREET CASTLE STREET 08/08/2022 10/08/2022 BT Works MJ QUINN  Temp Traffic Lights.

St Collen's hosts its sunshine summer fair

St Collen's held its annual summer fair in the church grounds this afternoon.

The successful event featured stalls selling a range of hand-made goods out in the sunshine and inside the building and there was also a raffle with an array of prizes.

Refreshments were served in the nearby Community Hall.

Fire station crew thanked for helping rescue family's dog

* Ryan and his mum along with Tilli the dog meet the crew at Llangollen Fire Station.

A Llangollen family visited Llangollen Fire Station this week to thank crew members for their part in the rescue of their pet dog Tilli last month.

Watch Manager Ben Lloyd took to the station's own Facebook page to explain: "Tilli had been missing for three days during the heatwave last month, but was spotted by Ryan, a local lad, as he drove by - he saw the dog stuck and struggling in the retaining wire that holds the rockface back on the side of the road.

"As a coincidence, Ryan is also the nephew of our Crew Manager, Gareth.

"Ryan shouted to his mum - 'Mum, there’s a dog caught on the fence up there and there’s no one with him!'

"Ryan's mum remembered seeing a Facebook post about a missing dog, and by looking at the post they realised that the dog in trouble was Tilli.

"Ryan and his mum returned to where the dog was stuck, and contacted the dog's owner. By chance we happened to be passing when returning from a call - they flagged us down and we helped release Tilli, who was generally OK but dehydrated.

"We're happy to report that Tilli is doing fine and suffering from no ill effects from her ordeal!" 

Hilux is the Mr Dependable off-roader

Toyota Hilux pick-up drive by Steve Rogers

The pick-up market has been turned upside down with some big names pulling out rather than face stiff cash penalties for not meeting new government emissions regulations.

Before the goal posts were shifted some unlikely companies were clamouring to join the low tax benefits for business and company car people who saw the pick-up as a juicy alternative to an SUV.

Mercedes-Benz teamed up with Nissan, Fiat with Mitsubishi but all four have departed, along with Volkswagen Amorak, leaving Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Ssangyong Musso and Isuzu D-Max to meet the demand.

Toyota Hilux is an off road giant - it won the Dakar rally in 2019 - but has gone out of its way to tempt families out of their comfort zone. And here it is, the new Hilux Invincible X, a rugged 4x4 with all the luxury frills of an upmarket SUV. Well nearly all.

Why would a family with three grown up kids choose a pick-up over an SUV? It comes down to space because the four door double cab comfortably fits five and there is a pick up deck which will take a mountain of luggage and can be covered to the roofline. And it will tow the largest twin axle caravan or even a fifth wheeler.

Hilux has had a facelift with a new grille and lights design while suspension tweaks have made it more compliant on tarmac. It has worked to an extent but not quite to the level of the Ranger Raptor with its multilink rear suspension. Toyota favours rear leaf springing which is better suited for harsher off road challenges which is what Hilux is really all about.

It is not that Hilux is uncomfortable over poor road surfaces but the ride can be a tad choppy although we found it more settled with the caravan in tow.

For a family the cabin is a pleasant space with nearly all the creature comforts of a large SUV so settle into leather seats, quality carpet, dual zone air conditioning, all round one touch electric windows, Smartphone connectivity through Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, while up front the seats are heated, powered for the driver who will also like the 360 degree view camera which is useful for parking a long vehicle like Hilux.

My only gripe concerns definition on the 8in touchscreen which is not the best, and at times barely readable because of sun glare.

Performance from the new 2.8 litre turbo diesel with its 500Nm or torque is stronger than the 2.4 litre and once passed the inevitable diesel engine rattle settles into a comfortable rhythm. Selecting economy puts a small dent in performance but should reward you with around 30mpg. We didn’t need the full power setting for towing and came away with just under 25mpg which is a good return and no worse than the last three petrol and diesel SUVs I have driven with caravan in tow.

On the other side of the coin Hilux is the Mr Dependable off roader, capable of going anywhere and doing anything. It is packed with everything needed for the sternest of tasks whether it is traversing rocky slopes, wading through streams or using its hill descent technology to get down the steepest and most slippery drops.

If it came in bright green it would no doubt be nicknamed the Incredible Hulk.

The Jack of all trades Hilux comes with multiple variations - single cab, extra with occasional rear seats, or a four door double which is the most popular.

Switching from SUV to a double cab pick-up is a bit of a stretch for everyday use because you are paying for a heap of off road technology which will never be used, and you loose out on economy not to mention the initial £2,015 road tax charge.

That said if you have a hefty twin axle caravan this is the bees knees for towing.

A big plus for the tradesman or farmer is a 10 year warranty provided you use a Toyota dealer for servicing and repairs.

Fast Facts

Hilux Invincible X Double cab

£45,985 (starts £27,628)

2.8 litre TD 6sp auto; 201bhp

0-62mph 10.7secs; 109mph

29.7mpg combined

248g/km. 1st tax £2,015

Towing capacity 3500kg

Payload 1025kg

Insurance group 45

Bells will ring out to mark chapel's 250th anniversary

* Trevor Chapel is celebrating its 250th anniversary.

* The inscription above the entrance porch recording the consecration.

This Sunday afternoon all eight bells at St Collen's will ring out to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the consecration of Trevor Chapel as a church. 

It was originally built as a private chapel for the Lloyd family of Trevor Hall in the early 18th century and was consecrated on August 8, 1772. 

It is now one of the churches in the Llangollen Group of Anglican Churches and still holds regular Sunday morning services.

The bellringers will be ringing a quarter peal, which consists of a minimum of 1,260 changes with no repetition, which should take about 50 minutes.

A service of choral evensong is being held at the chapel at 5pm. 

Operatic to present Calendar Girls later this month

* The Calendar Girls and helpers. Picture by Gem Photography.

Llangollen Operatic Society are making a welcome return to the stage after a three-year pandemic gap later this month.

And the production they have chosen is a cheeky little number that will see the main cast members not being too much of a burden to the costume department. 

Because from August 31 until September 3 they are presenting the musical Calendar Girls at Llangollen Town Hall. 

In April 1999, the real-life ladies of the Rylstone and District Women's Institute in Yorkshire produced a cheeky nude calendar to raise money for a hospital that had cared for one of their husbands before he died of cancer.

They could hardly have known that their story was going to be the female Full Monty.

The Operatic grabbed the rights for it back in 2020 thinking it would be a great smaller cast summer show.

But, according to Tracey Jones who is co-producing with husband Mike, it has turned into something much bigger.

She said: "Because of Covid, it's been three years since our last adult production.

"Calendar Girls is an emotional roller coaster show based on the true Calendar Girl story that has also been depicted on film starring Julie Walters, Helen Mirren and many more top British actors. 

"The musical version was adapted and written by Tim Firth with music by Gary Barlow.

"Our show is directed by Nia Pickering, with artistic assistance from Sarah Marshall and musical direction by Elen Mair Roberts."

Tracey added: "The cast comprises old and new faces and our six calendar girls are played by Russ Latham, Tessa Orton Jones, Sue ONeil, Louisa Jones, Amie Harrison and Rachel Dobson.

"They are supported by more fabulous talent including Robin Crowley, Neil Barrett and Jim Allen as the ladies' other halves.

"Then we have our amazing younger cast joining us from the Operatic's junior section, the Young 'Uns, who are playing the ladies' offspring - Celyn Orton-Jones, Ethan Le-Cheminant and Aled Morris.

"The story focuses on the passing of Annie's husband John, being played by Tessa's real-life husband Simon Orton Jones, so it's a real family affair.

"None of this can happen without the ensemble, stage crew, technicians, and members of the society together with great support from local businesses.

"We hope to see local audience support back at great Town Hall when we open."

* For ticket details, go to: www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety