Local opportunity to take part in seed gathering season

Green-fingered enthusiasts are being given the opportunity to grow their knowledge of seeds in Llangollen later this month.

Denbighshire County Council’s biodiversity team is opening up their annual seed gathering work to those interested in making a difference for their own local environment.

Currently it is the Seed Gathering Season campaign, organised by the Tree Council to inspire people with the right permission to gather seeds, fruits and nuts and grow the trees of the future.

The council has arranged a number of seed collecting days which will see seeds gathered and grown at the St Asaph based Tree Nursery as part of the continuing work to improve local biodiversity in Denbighshire.

Once grown the trees will be planted at Denbighshire woodland sites to maintain and improve species richness across the county.

The seed collecting days are set to take place at various woodland and estates across the county which will enable collection from veteran and ancient trees and some uncommon species not regularly found.

On some of the sites the team will also be joined by local countryside rangers who will be able to help people learn more about the area and the past environmental history.

The seed gathering days include:

1. Weds 5th            Oct       Coed Collfryn
2. Weds 11th         Oct        Loggerheads
3. Weds 19th         Oct        Chirk
4. Weds 26th         Oct        Dinas Bran
5. Weds 2nd           Nov       Coed Collfryn
6. Weds 9th            Nov      Big Wood (Mold)
7. Weds 16th         Nov       Erddig
8. Weds 24rd         Nov       Coed Pwllgwyn
9. Weds 30th         Nov       Loggerheads

Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “ We have had some fantastic volunteers helping us so far with our biodiversity work and I would really encourage anyone with an interest in growing trees or wanting to learn more to take up this opportunity.”

* Anyone interested can email biodiversity@denbighshire.gov.uk  for more information and to secure a place.

Stunning new film highlights case for change at St Collen's

* A drone camera aerial shot of St Collen's place at the heart of the town featured in the film.   

Stunning aerial shots of St Collen's Church and the surrounding town of Llangollen feature in a new film just premiered on Youtube.

It was commissioned by the team leading the scheme to adapt the historic place of worship to meet the needs of the 21^st century and who invite people to get involved.

The Genesis Project had a professional film-maker create the short video in which priest-in-charge Father Lee Taylor warns how St Collen's - dating back to the 7^th century - could share the same fate as places of worship across Britain which have been forced to close, unless it makes a number of changes to create a more “flexible and inclusive” building for community use.

* Father Lee Taylor outlines the case for changes to the church. 

The project team is currently putting together an application for a substantial amount of Heritage Lottery cash to pay for the adaptions.

To a background of ecclesiastical music and interspersed with shots of the church plus stunning aerial sequences filmed with a drone camera, Father Lee stands in front of the altar and says: “The church dates back to the seventh century when Collen came here and parts of it are at least 13^th century.

“It has got some amazing architectural features such as the medieval hammerbeam roof and the legendary Ladies of Llangollen’s tomb in the churchyard.

* The magnificent medieval hammerbeam roof.

“But we have to move forward in order to meet the social and spiritual needs of the 21^st century and to do that we need to make some very big changes.

“Over the decades the Church generally has seen a downward trajectory in attendances and this has meant that a number of churches in Wales and in England have had to close.

“We don’t want that to happen here at St Collen’s, so what we propose to do is make a few alterations to the fabric of the building, taking away pews to make a space for a stage platform which will enable us to host more plays, concerts and school nativities and bring in more sections of the community.

“There is also a desperate need for toilet facilities and better heating and lighting to generally allow the building to have more flexibility and inclusivity, allowing people to feel part of this building when they visit.”

* An aerial shot of the tomb of the Ladies of Llangollen in the churchyard.

He adds: “The church has always been the focal point of the community and is always here to serve the needs of the community.

“We very much want our community in Llangollen to get involved with the Genesis Project. We’d love to hear from you – tell us what you think about it, whether you’d like to get involved.

“We very much want to see all organisations and groups coming into this building - which is your building – and using and using it to its full potential capacity.”

* Anyone wanting to find out more about the project or to become involved with it is asked to email the project team at: genesisteam1300@gmail.com

* The film can be viewed on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/7HFpmclaElI

 

MS wants to see police officers 'fully focus' on their job

North Wales MS Sam Rowlands wants to see police officers being able to fully focus on their jobs.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Minister for Local Government, asked what efforts had been made to allow police officers to focus on reducing crime and anti-social behaviour. 

He said: “One of the best ways of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour is ensuring that our hard-working police officers and PCSOs are able to fully focus their time and efforts on their very clear areas of responsibility. 

“Back in July, I raised the issue that police forces are facing across Wales at the moment, often being distracted from their clear priorities and focus. Police officers to have to deal with work that usually sits in other public service areas, such as in health or in social services. 

“Minister, you stated that many of these issues are being raised through the policing partnership board whilst working with policing colleagues. 

“In light of this, I was wondering whether you have an update on what efforts are being made to reduce police time having to focus on non-policing issues to enable them and allow them to focus on reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.” 

Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt agreed that PCSOs play a crucial role in promoting community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour and acting as ears and eyes on the ground for police forces. 

However, she added it was also about local relationships and so many of those are with local authorities, with social services, housing, youth workers, et cetera, as well as with health colleagues. It is very inter-related in terms of tackling crime. 

Mr Rowlands responded: “While I appreciate that the police do have to work closely with other organisations I still feel there is not enough being done to take away those pressures. 

“This increase has seen police officers dealing with defibrillators, tied up in A&E for hours on end, at times, waiting for those they may have arrested to be seen, along with assisting with mental health issues. 

“I am concerned about our police forces being taken away from their traditional work of solving crime and dealing with anti-social behaviour.”   

Council's reminder over free school meals for reception classes

Reception pupils in Denbighshire schools have started to receive universal free school meals since the start of the new term and parents/guardians currently not taking advantage of the scheme are urged to consider doing so. 

Following receipt of £859,000 from Welsh Government to support the roll out of Universal Primary free school meals across Denbighshire, works have taken place to increase the capacity of the authority’s Primary school kitchens. Work commenced before the start of the Summer holidays at 13 sites across the county. 

In December 2021 Welsh Government (WG) announced plans to offer free meals to all Primary school pupils. WG later announced a phased delivery approach to be implemented from 1st September 2022 to September 2024 and reception aged pupils have now started to receive the meals in Denbighshire schools. 

Councillor Gill German, Lead member for Education Children and Families said, “Delivery of Universal Free School Meals to all Primary pupils is a top priority for the Authority. This project has been a significant challenge with tight timescales, and I am delighted to see excellent cross service working by council teams and outstanding support from local suppliers, contractors and Welsh Government to introduce the programme. 

“There are parents and guardians out there that are not taking advantage of the Universal Primary Free School Meals offer and I would encourage everyone to consider whether they would like their child in reception year to receive the offer. There is no application process – it is simply the case of your child letting their class teacher know."

The council says the next phase of the works will focus on ensuring that all Primary schools are able to deliver to Year 1 and 2 by Easter 2023.

Author who wrote mead success story to guest at Llan Food Festival

 

* Tony  Cornish will spotlighting his Stone Circle Mead at Llangollen Food Festival on October 15. 

A former North Wales author who has written his own success story by becoming a key producer of the ancient drink of mead will make a guest appearance at this year’s Llangollen Food Festival.

Tony Cornish, who used to specialise in penning historical books, was fascinated by the many mentions the honey-based tipple receives in the Mabinogion, the legendary collection of stories detailing life in 12^th century Britain.

He recalls being so inspired by them that he immediately bought a bottle from the local supermarket and this led him to start up his own mead-making business which has since gone from strength to strength.

Tony is among an array of food and drink producers and experts from across North Wales and beyond who will be appearing at the one-day Llangollen festival on Saturday October 15 when he will offer visitors a chance to try his range of lovingly produced mead.

He said: “It was in 1990 that I first developed the ambition of making my own mead after reading the stories about its popularity centuries ago.

“I did lots of preparation and research and began fermenting my mead in demijohns at the place where I then lived in Llangollen a couple of years later.

“Unfortunately, I had to take quite a long time off through ill-health but I re-established the business in 2018 and moved into a purpose-designed meadery in Wrexham.”

From there 60-year-old Tony operates the burgeoning Stone Circle Mead with the help of his wife Beth and has the capacity to produce up to 750 bottles of mead a day using mainly hand-operated machinery.

Many of the super-fresh ingredients he goes foraging for around the local countryside in places such as the Panorama near Llangollen which he particularly favours for the edible gorse flower growing there.     

A range of fantastic Stone Circle flavours includes Old Sarum Apple, Litha Rhubarb, Mabon Plum & Damson, Yule Spiced and Stánhenge – named after the famous stone circle - which he supplies to major customers such as the National Trust and Portmeirion Village.

When his business was hit by the pandemic a couple of years back he was thrown a financial lifeline by the Welsh Government’s Covid Recovery Fund through which he was able to join the SMART Recovery project run by Aberystwyth University.

Its AberInnovation laboratory facilities have enabled him to become involved in a fascinating project researching the health-giving properties of the honey on which mead is based.

While Tony has previously only visited Llangollen Food Festival as a visitor he is well aware of its high reputation within the foodie community and he says he can’t wait to be a first-time exhibitor.

“It’s the perfect place to showcase my mead and to give people who come from such a wide area of the UK the chance to sample it,” he explained.

“Most people’s experience of mead seems to come from the stuff they tasted at a medieval banquet back in the 1980s when they found it much too sweet for their liking, so they should really try mine which is much different.” 

This year’s Food Festival will be coming from a variety of venues in the centre of Llangollen and is open to the public from 10am-5pm.

An array of around 40 stand-holders are waiting to display their products - ranging from the best in home-grown Welsh artisan delicacies to Bolivian street food - at the Town Hall, in the main entrance to Llangollen Steam Railway and at Gales Wine Bar, where Tony will have his mead stand.

There will also be some exciting hands-on workshops on offer, including local experts giving the kids – and adults too – the chance to test their skills at decorating cupcakes or creating a clay masterpiece on a real potter’s wheel.

Gales Wine Bar will be playing host to a mini beer festival in its garden area and throughout the day there will be dishes on show from top local chefs.

After the main daytime event, people are invited back to the Town Hall from 6pm to challenge their senses with a special one-off tasting event from the experts of Wales’ own Penderyn Whisky for which there will be a charge of £15 a head.     

During the day there will be a selection of live outdoor entertainment in Llangollen’s centrepiece Centenary Square, including selections from Corwen ladies’ choir and local bands.  

* For more details about Llangollen Food Festival, check out:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/llangollenfoodfest

Instagram: @LlangollenFoodFestival

Contact Stone Circle Mead on: 07939 338028. 

Theatre to stage Bertie Wooster farce

* A scene from rehearsals for Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense.

Audiences are being guaranteed an "absolutely spiffing time" at the latest production from Wrexham’s Grove Park Theatre. 

Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, by the Goodale Brothers, was written in 2013 using the beloved PG Wodehouse characters. 

This update of 1938’s The Code of the Woosters sees hapless toff Bertie Wooster recounting a “perfectly frightful weekend” spent trying to pinch a collectable antique on behalf of his ferocious Aunt Dahlia with the help of his unflappable butler, Jeeves. 

Bertie finds his path to success blocked at every turn by frightful fascists, drippy damsels and a newt-obsessed pal named Gussie. 

The twist is that all 11 characters are played by just three actors in a series of increasingly frantic exchanges. 

Director Lisa Ford says: “Perfect Nonsense is such a fun production, a witty script, well loved characters and the charm of the Charleston era. My directorial debut with Grove Park has been 'all round top hole, chaps!'” 

Run entirely by volunteers both on stage and off, Grove Park Theatre is finally able to present Jeeves & Wooster, which was originally scheduled as part of its 2020-21 season but was cancelled as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. 

Matthew Richards is Bertie Wooster while Stephen Giles and Tim Williams play everybody else from Jeeves to femme fatale Stephanie “Stiffy” Byng. 

The play won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and its West End cast included Matthew Macfadyen, Stephen Mangan and Robert Webb. 

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is on at Grove Park Theatre from October 25-29.

MP says happy 100th birthday to Mary at Cwrt Glan Y Gamlas

* Simon Baynes MP hands some flowers and a congratulatory note to Mary Trenant.  

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes went along to Cwrt Glan Y Gamlas in Llangollen yesterday (Friday) to wish a happy 100th birthday to one of its residents, Mary Trenant.

Fellow tenants of the Abbey Road flats helped Mary to celebrate her century last month by toasting her in champagne at a specially-arranged party in her honour.

And the visit from the MP, also fixed up by her friends, came as the icing on the birthday cake, of which there were a few served at a new celebration in the residents' lounge.

Mary was born in Bangor in September 1922, the second of her parents' four children.

During the Second World War she enlisted in the Women's Land Army, working on a farm in the Menai Bridge area Anglesey. It was there she met her future husband Harry.  

After the war the couple lived mainly in the north east of England at towns including Middlesbrough and Darlington. Harry eventually rose to become chief valuer for the region.

For a number of years the couple bred Welsh terriers and showed some of them at Crufts.

Because of the death of Elizabeth II Mary wasn't able to get the traditional message from the Queen. However, she still hopes to receive a few words of congratulation on achieving her century from the new King Charles III.      

Mr Baynes handed Mary a bouquet of flowers and a note from himself wishing her a very happy birthday.