Firefighter James is driven through town on his final journey

* James's funeral cortege, escorted by a fire engine, makes its way along Castle Street and on to Mill Street.  

* The fire engine escort heads for the bridge.

* A group of people wait on the corner to pay their respects to James.

Fellow firefighters from Llangollen escorted one of their colleagues who died last month on his "final shout" earlier this lunchtime (Friday).  

James Rush passed away with malignant melanoma at the age of 39 in August leaving a wife and young daughter.

And the family chose a route for the funeral cortege which started from the fire station and went along the A5 and Castle Street where people could pay their respects to him as a Llangollen-based fire engine, manned by his friends, accompanied him on his last journey to Pentrebychan. 

James had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2020, having previously had a malignant mole removed in 2013, after which he had been given the all-clear. 

* James Rush with daughter Jess, now aged two-and-a-half.

He regularly checked his skin and monitored his moles, but as the melanoma had spread to his lymph nodes and organs, it was a persistent cough that led to the diagnosis.

His wife Jen said: “James’ latest scan had been clear and we were cautiously looking forward to the future and what we hoped might have been a few cancer-free years. 

"The discovery that the melanoma had spread to his brain and the speed at which it took his life – just 10 weeks from the brain scan - has been a shock for us all, and is a reminder of just how deadly the disease is.

"He trained to drive the engine, which he loved, and Ben Lloyd, the watch manager, said he had a real impact on the people he met during his time in the service."

Susanna Daniels, CEO of Melanoma Focus, a charity which James supported, said: “We are hugely saddened by the tragic loss of our friend and supporter, James Rush.

"James designed our fantastic melanoma awareness posters for our 2022 national campaign which featured in service stations across the UK. He also helped us shape our updated patient information explaining melanoma and various treatment options. 

"We will always be hugely grateful and endeavour to continue to raise awareness and fund research to improve the lives of people with melanoma.”

* Donations to Melanoma Focus in lieu of flowers are welcomed by the family and friends of James. You can pay tribute and make a donation online here: Tribute to James Rush, 1983 - 2022 (muchloved.com)

Llangollen Railway facing shortage of volunteers

Despite facing a shortage of volunteers Llangollen Railway still managed to steam to success over the past month.

Figures show that passenger numbers for September are running at over 60% of what was budgeted. 

But, in common with other similar heritage attractions, the railway is short of people to devote their time and energies to helping them operate.

And last weekend, for the first time this season, it was forced to a cancel a train because of a lack of crew. 

Spokesperson Terry Pickthall explained: "Like many other heritage railways, we make no secret of being short of volunteers, especially mid-week. 

"We also recognise we need to work harder to look after and retain existing volunteers as well as attracting new ones. Our Santa trains need more and urgent support. 

"No prior experience is necessary, just a love of Christmas, working with people and ideally liking a bit of Christmas dressing up, whether it’s as the Great Man himself, an elf or even just a bit of tinsel around your hat and helping show people to their seats. 

"If busy crowds aren’t your thing then there’s loads of other things to do. Our beautiful stations at Llangollen and along the line need decorating for Christmas. They are also crying out for more TLC - painting, gardening or even a bit of DIY and building work. We provide full training for whatever you choose to get involved with too."

Terry added: "We have an excellent Volunteer Liaison Team ready to support anyone wanting to give working with us a try. Interested folk can visit https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/volunteering/ and should also keep a look out for one of Volunteer Recruitment days, which we will be running next season."

Terry added: "Despite these challenges, we have had a very successful season. Passenger numbers for September so far are over 60% what we budgeted. We managed to run a very successful diesel weekend earlier this month too, with three trains in use. 

"Next weekend (October 8 and 9) sees our very popular Heritage Railcar Weekend, which includes an evening train and hotpot supper. Tickets for our November “Ride the Rocket” firework train also sold out in record time. 

"Last Friday was the first time all season that we’ve had to a cancel a train because we were short of crew. This is no mean feat given how much midweek running we have done."

Police appeal to help find missing teenager

* Missing: Ellis Clegg.

Cheshire Police have put out an appeal to help find a vulnerable 16-year-old with links to Llangollen.

Ellis Clegg was reported missing on Wednesday August 17 after last being seen around 1.30pm at Lime Street Station in Liverpool City Centre. 

He is said to have links to the Runcorn area of Cheshire, the Llangollen area of North Wales, Newton-Le-Willows in Merseyside and Grimsby in Humberside.

Police say they are becoming increasingly concerned for his welfare.

He is described as a white male, around 5ft 8in tall, of slim build, with brown eyes and brown hair.

When last seen he was wearing a black t-shirt, black trousers and a dark blue hooded coat.

Chief Inspector Andrew Blizard said: “Sadly we know that Ellis does often go missing, but it’s important to remember that he’s just a child and is extremely vulnerable.

“As the days go by without us locating Ellis we are becoming ever more concerned that he may come to harm.

“We would urge everyone to think about how they would feel if their family member was missing for so long - please help us to find him. We just want to make sure he is safe as I’m sure you would too.”

* Anyone who has seen Ellis or knows of his whereabouts is asked to contact Cheshire Constabulary online or by calling 101 and quoting IML 1344925.

History talk at Llangollen Museum tomorrow

The following event is at Llangollen Museum, tomorrow (Friday) September 30, at 7.30pm.

Entrance of £3 on the door includes tea/coffee. 

Castle Street business creates extra job with new shop

* The new shop next door to ProAdventure in Castle Street.

* The interior of the new shop.

Owners of a Llangollen clothing and outdoor equipment shop reckon they now offer the largest selection of a top brand in two regions - and have opened extra premises to house it.

Its new shop next door to ProAdventure in Castle Street has also allowed the business to create another job.

Paramo is a British brand, which is Fairtrade, PFC free and popular with walkers, mountaineers and mountain rescue teams across the UK.

And ProAdventure's Pete and Lesley Carol believe they now offer the biggest Paramo Waterproof selection in North East Wales and the Marches.

They said: "We have more than doubled our Paramo clothing range and provided it with its own shop next door to our main Llangollen shop.

"The new shop has also enabled us to create another local job, paid at the Real Living Wage rate.

"Paramo use a pump liner, rather than a membrane of forever chemicals. The DWR, durable water repellency is PFC. Paramo waterproofs are fully repairable and just last and last."

The couple added: “We have been proud to sell Paramo clothing for many years, an effective clothing system for the Walker and Mountaineer in UK conditions. All our staff use and appreciate Paramo clothing in their adventures.

"We take time to make sure your new boots fit you before leaving our shop, checking your foot size and matching it to your boots and making sure the fit is right for you.

"We stock standard and wide fit boots and shoes from Meindl of Germany, Oboz from Bozeman Ohio and Grisport of Italy, along with insoles from Superfeet and Grangers, Socks from UK Brands Bridgedale and Horizon plus footwear care from Oboz, Nikwax, Grangers and Meindl. All Oboz boots come with a Free care kit while stocks last."

* See ProAdventure – Ethics and the Environment at: https://www.proadventure.co.uk/pages/environment-and-ethics/

Stalls on offer at this year's Christmas Festival

Llangollen Christmas Festival Committee has sent out the message below: 

Free tourism forum planned for October 5

* Llangollen Canal is a key tourism feature of the county.

Businesses are being invited to a free tourism forum this October. 

The Denbighshire Tourism Forum takes place on Wednesday, October 5 at the Oriel House, St Asaph, from 10.30am-1.30pm. 

The forum provides an opportunity for delegates to hear about the latest developments and meet other like-minded businesses and share experiences. 

Keynote speaker is Graham Boase, who will be providing a chief executive’s view of tourism in Denbighshire County Council. 

He will be followed by Tom Barham, Chief Officer of Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council, who will be discussing the recruitment and retention of volunteers. 

The third and final speaker is Anna Taylor, owner of Chilly Cow ice cream, who will be telling the story of this family business and how it’s gone from strength to strength since it established in 2014. 

Ian Lebbon, Chair of Denbighshire Destination Management Partnership, said: “The forum is a great platform for everyone in the sector to get together and share their knowledge, ideas and plans to ensure sustained future tourism growth. It’s not only for tourism businesses, it’s a good opportunity for students and anyone with an interest in tourism to hear from industry experts.” 

Tourism plays a vital part in Denbighshire’s economy, with a total economic impact in 2021 of over £432 million, and over 4 million visits made to the county.

* A variety of information stands will be present including Clwydian Range & Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Business Wales, North Wales Tourism, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Working Denbighshire. Book your free Tourism Forum place here -  https://denbighshiretourismforumoct2022.eventbrite.co.uk