Voting begins in church's Christmas tree festival

 

Railway's Santa Specials sold out - but try the Mince Pie trains

* George Jones took this picture showing the crowd getting off the first Santa Special as it returned from Lapland (Carrog) last Saturday.

Llangollen Railway’s Santa Special season has kicked off in fine style. 

Running throughout December weekends, including on Christmas Eve, all services are now completely sold out. 

As a result of the railway's annual appeal for new volunteers healthy numbers have come forward to staff the Santa Specials and make them a success. 

Trains are running to six fully-loaded coaches and are using a steam and diesel locomotive at either end of the train, which takes visitors to Lapland  - usually known as Carrog - whilst Santa visits every passenger with gifts for children during the journey. 

A small Christmas market also awaits visitors on Llangollen station.

All the railway’s stations have been festively decorated with lights and trees, with visitors commenting on how atmospheric the railway feels at this time of year, especially when the lights are wreathed in steam whilst their train waits in the station.   

For those looking for a trip out for some much-needed fresh air and Dee Valley scenery after Christmas indulgence, the railway's Mince Pie Specials will be running on 27th, 28th and 29th of December, with trains departing Llangollen at 11:00, 12:50 and 13:10. There will be no trains on the 30th.

* Tickets can be booked online via the railway's website at https://llangollen-railway.co.uk or purchased on the day. 

Adults will receive a mince pie and festive tipple, with children enjoying a sweet treat and drink.

Latest Citizens Advice column

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice is:

Q: This time of year is always so expensive, with presents to buy and heating bills going up. I’ve seen offers for ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ when I’m doing online shopping. It seems like a good way to spread the cost of some of the things I need to get for my family but how can I make sure I don’t get into debt? 

A: With everything getting more expensive, this is a really difficult time for a lot of people, so it’s  sensible to be thinking about how you can manage. There are lots of things you can do to try and stay in control of your money. 

Before you start spending, work out exactly what money you have coming in and going out each month. Be realistic about what you need for essentials like food and travel. Take a look at the budgeting tool on the Citizens Advice website. This can help you set a budget you can stick to. 

You’ll also be able to find tips on how to reduce your regular living costs, which might be helpful if you’re struggling to keep within your budget. 

While it can be tempting to split payments with schemes like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), you’ll need a plan to pay the money back. If you're using something like that repeatedly, you might be managing for now, but it could also be a sign that it's unaffordable in the long run. Keep a record of how much you owe in total. 

Always make sure you understand what you’re signing up for, how you’ll make the repayments and what will happen if you can’t pay on time. It’s important to check the returns process for both the retailer and credit provider. Paying through BNPL may also affect the cost of postage returns if you’ve ordered online. The riskiest thing about it is that you’re not guaranteed to be protected if something goes wrong. For example, you can’t go to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you have a complaint. 

If you find yourself turning to credit cards, your overdraft, or store cards for your spending, keep track of what you owe. You should prioritise paying your rent or mortgage, plus energy bills and Council Tax first, because not paying these has the most serious consequences. On the Citizens Advice website, you can find information on what bills to prioritise and how to manage debts. There’s also information on the support available for paying these and other bills. 

If, like many during this crisis, you find you can't afford to reduce your debts after paying your priority bills and essentials, seek advice as soon as possible. If you need specific support or don’t feel able to manage your situation alone, call our debt helpline: 0800 240 4420.

St Collen's Christmas fayre is this Saturday

St Collen's Church, Llangollen has its Christmas fayre this coming Saturday December 10, from 11am-2pm.

To be held in the church and the adjacent community hall, it will feature cakes, a bottle stall, new items, crafts, hand-knitted items, table decorations, tombola and auctions.

The raffle has a first prize of £100 and many more.

Refreshments include burgers and drinks.

All are welcome.

Town council comes to rescue over vandalised Pengwern tree lights

* Let there be light: the Pengwern Christmas tree with its new set 

handed over to Deborah Halligan by town clerk Gareth Thomas.

The sad story of Pengwern's wrecked Christmas tree lights has had a happy ending - thanks to Llangollen Town Council.

llanblogger revealed yesterday how the lights were destroyed by vandals just a day after being officially switched on during a special event last Friday at which the Silver Band played and people gathered around the tree to sing carols.

Someone who helped put them in place said: "It was particularly dispiriting as I had spent most of Friday putting the tree up, rewiring the electrics and putting the lights on, only for it to be wrecked the following evening." 

But after hearing about the vandal attack, the town council sprang to the rescue and town clerk Gareth Thomas was out in Pengwern yesterday afternoon to fix a new set of lights in place.

He said: "The council was happy to help in the community's hour of need and supply a fresh set of lights which we had in stock."

Deborah Halligan, new chair of the Friends of Pengwern group, said: "Someone called me to say the lights had been vandalised, which was terrible to hear after we'd all had such a good time switching them on only the previous evening.

"We are very grateful to Gareth and the town council for supplying a new set of lights as a Christmas tree is nothing without them.

"Pengwern is a very close-knit community and someone has said they will now keep a close eye on the tree."

Packed audience see Ysgol Bryn Collen's colourful Christmas concert

It was standing room only at the Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon when Ysgol Bryn Collen children staged their junior Christmas concert.

The largest ever audience of parents, grandparents and friends ever to pack the venue came to see 100 enthusiastic young elves and Santas present an entertaining programme of acting and singing with a strictly seasonal theme.   

The youngsters, who had been rehearsing for the past month, came fresh from their smash-hit performances at two local elderly people's homes.

Pengwern's wrecked Christmas tree lights could be replaced

* The Christmas tree left minus the lights.

Just a day after being officially switched on during a special event last Friday a set of lights on the community Christmas tree at Pengwern were ripped down by vandals.

But already there are signs they could soon be replaced by well-wishers.

One of those who helped set up the lights posted on Facebook on Sunday: "Thanks to everyone who came to the turning on of Pengwern lights on Friday. It was a lovely evening with the Silver Band playing and folks singing carols. Great community spirit.

"Unfortunately, it was also the last night of the lights as the community spirit was not shared when the tree was vandalised around 5pm yesterday.

"It was particularly dispiriting as I had spent most of Friday putting the tree up, rewiring the electrics and putting the lights on, only for it to be wrecked the following evening. 

"We’re hoping to replace them before Christmas."

Someone else posted on Monday: "Pengwern Community Centre organised a very successful Christmas Tree Light Up and activities last Friday. By Saturday night the tree lights had been vandalised and were no longer working. 

"It's so disappointing for the community to have their tree ruined, and it would be right for those involved to replace the lights they broke." 

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “We have been made aware of the damage to the tree and are saddened by it. We would encourage anyone to report incidents of anti-social behaviour at the site to North Wales Police."

It is understood that the community has received a number of offers to replace the broken lights from local business and other organisations.