Railway's Heritage Railcar Gala coming soon

Llangollen Railway's Heritage Railcar gala will take place in over the weekend of October 8 and 9.

A railway spokesperson said: "Our railcar group really have been amazing this year, working well over 100 operating days, an awesome achievement for an all-volunteer team operating trains in some cases older than 60 years. 

"They are celebrating their achievements this year with this nice event that includes a Saturday evening 'landcruise' trip to Carrog and back, complete with a hotpot supper. 

"Provided the weather is on-side, the event is a great way to see the evening autumnal splendour of the valley."

The spokesperson added: "Our Ride the Rocket firework train tickets for November 5 sold out in record time but we also have decided to cancel our Halloween train on the previous weekend to try and reduce the pressure on our small teams of volunteers who deliver special events.

"Santa special tickets also continue to sell well and the Austerity steam locomotive is also proving popular. It is due to be in steam on both September 24 and 25 and then October 1 and 2."

New Rotary Cub collects unused bras for a good cause

* Llangollen Co-op's Emma Lloyd, Naomi Hughes and Mandy Hughes with the Bra Bank.

* The Nisa team of Ceri Rowland and David Gough.

The new Vale of Llangollen Rotary Club has taken on the task of collecting old and unwanted bras as one of its environmental and international projects.

It also supports one of the UK Breast Cancer charities.

At the Co-Op and Nisa (Stans) in Llangollen, you will find the pink Against Breast Cancer Bra Banks bin where the bras can be deposited.

The club says it doesn't matter what condition the bra is in but they still want it to be laundered.

This initiative also keeps valuable textiles out of landfill, helps support Against Breast Cancer and helps families in Africa.

When you drop a bra in one of our Bra Banks, ill-fitting or unloved bras will be whisked away to start a new life on the other side of the world.

Here they are used to help small businesses for African women to support their families by selling the bras in the markets in places such as Togo, Ghana and Kenya. 

A club spokesperson said: "Bras are impossibly expensive to make and buy in places like Africa. One of the unexpected gains of the initiative is that now these bras are affordable in town markets, more women are wearing bras and sexual assault has gone down.

"Many of the bras are resalable as they are. Some are taken apart by the African women and remade as cottage industries. The ones that are not reusable in any way are broken down and recycled as cotton waste and metal. Everyone is a winner."

Against Breast Cancer have teamed up with a UK recycling company who help small businesses in Africa.

The recycling company are donating £700 to cancer research for every tonne of bras collected, that's only 9,000 bras.

Vale of Llangollen Rotary is ready to welcome individuals and couples of 18-plus from the local community who want to be “people of action”. 

Members normally meet face-to-face at Liberty Tavern in Market Street, Llangollen on Monday evenings at 7.30pm. Alternatively, people can join the meeting via a Zoom connection.

* For more information on what Rotary has to offer contact Mike Lade on 07803 038858, valeofllangollenrotary@gmail.com or see www.valeofllangollenrotary.com

Railway used to film scenes for ground-breaking Welsh opera

* One of the railway's loco crew, Matthew Davies, took this picture on Tuesday night of filming taking place on the station.     

Llangollen Railway is being used to film scenes for the first ever Welsh-speaking opera to be screened on British TV.

Over the past couple of days S4C and Channel 4 have been filming for the period-themed Un Nos Ola Leuad (One Moonlit Night) which is based on a novel by Caradog Prichard.

Set at the end of World War One, it touches on the themes of poverty and mental health. 

It is based on the author’s childhood experiences of taking his mother to the local asylum from where she was never to return and continues to be powerfully relevant today.

The score will be composed by Gareth Glyn and performed by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra and the cast is a combination of established Welsh opera stars and new, up-and-coming talent.

A spokesman for the heritage railway said: "We are delighted that the Llangollen Railway has been chosen for such a significant milestone in Welsh literature, art and music. 

"Filming has taken place at several locations around the railway, including the iconic Llangollen station, and involved our visiting steam locomotive No 68067, which will be staying with us until the end of the year and working public trains over the next two weekends."

It is understood that a production base has been set up at the nearby Eisteddfod field where, yesterday, actors could be seen near the pavilion in period costume and a large number of vehicles, including a large trailer, were parked.

* More information about the opera can be found at: https://nation.cymru/culture/s4c-and-channel-4-commission-first-ever-welsh-language-opera-to-be-broadcast-on-uk-tv/

Pupils asked to post a message to create a better future

Denbighshire pupils are being asked to post a message through time to help create a better future.

Young people have to imagine we have moved ahead to 2050. Each are asked to send a postcard back to their younger selves to explain how climate change is potentially impacting on their lives.

Those taking part are encouraged to imagine what has been done over the years to help the environment and reduce climate change, the impact of new technology on people and the environment, how animals are surviving in the future and the effects of the weather.

Denbighshire County Council declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency in 2019 and committed to seeking to become a Net Carbon Zero and Ecologically Positive Council by 2030.

Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Pupils across Denbighshire have a really good understanding of how climate change is impacting on their lives. They have great ideas and carry out a lot of good work themselves to try and support tackling climate change.

“We want to open the floor to them through this competition to really listen to how they view climate change and help us learn more about what we can do working together.”

“We are asking every pupil taking part to imagine what they would say to their younger self or a relative for them to take action now and change their behaviour for the good of our environment.”

Schools taking part will be provided with a postcard template to use.

The winning pupils and schools will be revealed on December 12.

Winners will have the chance to read their own postcard to Elected Members of Denbighshire County Council, help their school receive a talk from the County Council's Biodiversity Team and a collection of plug plants to help create or improve a wildflower area and a selection of environmental books for the school.

The competition is also supported by the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) zero carbon Britain. CAT is an educational charity dedicated to researching and communicating positive solutions for environmental change.

* For information on the competition is available here -  https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/education-and-schools/schools-competition-postcards-from-the-future.aspx

Council urges residents to apply for Cost of Living schemes

Denbighshire County Council is working through applications for the Cost of Living Discretionary Fund and the main Cost of Living Scheme on behalf of Welsh Government.

Already a total of 4312 payments worth £495,195 have been made for the Cost of Living Discretionary Fund to qualifying residents in Band E who pay by Direct Debit.

An application form for more qualifying residents will be available from September 21 for this fund and will stay open until March 31, 2023.

For the main Cost of Living Scheme, a total of 27,014 of £150 payments have been made to qualifying residents, totalling to a value of £4,052,100.

The main Cost of Living scheme closes on the September 30, 2022 and a large number of qualifying residents have still not applied, so the council is urging those to complete an application form as soon as possible to ensure they receive their payment.

Councillor Gwyneth Ellis, lead member for finance, performance and strategic assets said “The council is working very hard to process these payments as supporting our residents is a key priority in the current economic climate.”

“We want to urge all those eligible for support and have still not applied, to do so. Those who are unsure whether they are eligible should use the council website to check requirements before it is too late.”

* For further details about the two schemes available please visit the Council’s website via - www.denbighshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living

'Moving performance' of man's life journey comes to Community Hall

* Phil Okwedy will speak at St Collen's Community Hall on September 30. 

Cardiff-born dual-heritage storyteller Phil Okwedy has created a moving performance about his life journey, based on a collection of letters from his father to his mother.  

And he will present to an audience at St Collen's Community Hall on Friday, September 30, at 7.30pm.

Phil was brought up in foster care and never lived with either of his parents.  He only found the letters after both his parents had died. Phil’s father came to Wales from Nigeria.

This performance piece, The Gods are All Here, skilfully weaves myth, song, folktales and legends of the African diaspora with Phil’s personal story, uncovering his experiences of growing up as a child of dual heritage in Wales during the 1960s and 70s.

Phil said: "In sharing this show, my intention is that it resonates with other people, with their individual family stories, but also with the audience as a whole, because it is by working together that we ensure that equality, justice and freedom are experienced by all. 

"It is important to me to bring this work to Llangollen, which prides itself on being ‘Where Wales welcomes the world’ because of the International Music Eisteddfod held here every year since 1947."  

Tree expert to give illustrated talk at Glanrafon

Professor Julian Evans will be returning to Llangollen to give the second in his series of illustrated presentations entitled God’s Trees on Saturday September 24 at Glanrafon Chapel in Princess Street, Llangollen. 

Professor Evans is a forest scientist and author of God’s Trees – trees, forests and wood in the Bible. 

He is a Commissioner of the Forestry Commission (England), a past president of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and has published numerous books and scientific papers.

The illustrated talk will begin at 5pm and will last for approximately 45 minutes.

Contact coedclwyd@gmail.com for further details, or to book a place.

Copies of God’s Trees will be available for purchase.