Eisteddfod launches new-look festival passes

* Alfie Boe is one of the stars of Eisteddfod 2023.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has released a limited number of exclusive 2023 Festival Passes, following the priority booking period for previous pass holders.

The Eisteddfod says benefits include:

·        The complete, immersive Eisteddfod experience

·        Great value for money

·        Discover incredible new experiences you may not otherwise have tried

·        Access to the best available seats, reserved for Festival Pass holders

·        Join the priority booking list for future years 

For 2023 two types of pass are available - Day Festival Pass and Full Festival Pass.

 

The Day Festival Pass is described as "an affordable way to dip your toes into the Eisteddfod programme."

WED 5 – SAT 8 JULY (£55)

Eisteddfod Maes – Access to the new improved field area, featuring a vibrant programme of bands, dance, talks, workshops, stalls and street food with a focus on Welsh culture, internationalism and the concept of peace in a modern world.

Competitions – A reserved seat in the Pavilion for daytime competitions, an opportunity to see some of the world's best folk, classical and contemporary music and dance, and experience the roots of the Llangollen Eisteddfod.

Refreshments – complimentary tea and coffee.

Discounts –16% off full price entry, no booking fee, 10% off in Eisteddfod shop when spending £5+.

 

Full Festival Pass (£230)

 

As above, plus the best available seats at five distinct, one-off evening concerts in the Pavilion:

Tues 4 July – A musical theatre extravaganza featuring superstar Alfie Boe and Welsh of the West End.

Wed 5 July – A classical choral and orchestral concert, The White Flower, honouring the Eisteddfod's commitment to international peace.

Thurs 6 July – An incredible theatrical experience blending artforms and genres, and celebrating the natural world, by visionary artists Propellor Ensemble.

Fri 7 July – A formidable power-house of top-drawer jazz playersguaranteed to raise the roof withGuy Barker’s Big Band.

Sat 8 July – High-profile competition finals: Choir of the World, Dance Champions & International Voice of the Future.

 

Also available is a car Parking Pass and Sun 9 July day and/or evening ticket.

Full details: www. international-eisteddfod.co.uk/whats-on/season-tickets/ 

* To book a Festival Pass, email: info@llangollen.net or call our box office on: 01978 862 001. Please note that festival passes cannot currently be booked online.

Holy Cross Church special events for Lent

Holy Cross Church in Oak Street, Llangollen has a number of special events coming up.

Starting from February 24 it is hosting a series of Lenten soup kitchens at Holy Cross Rooms each Friday throughout Lent, with the exception of Good Friday, from 12noon-1.30pm.

All are welcome and entrance is through the church or along the alleyway next to the butchers.

All proceeds will go to the Turkey and Syria disaster fund.

World Day of Prayer will be held at Holy Cross Church on Friday March 3.

Again, all are welcome and soup will be served afterwards in the Church Rooms.

Holy Cross members are also taking part in the serving of pancakes at St Collen's Community Hall for Cytun - Churches Together on Tuesday February 21. All are welcome.

SUV or not, CX-30 is 'Mazda's best car'

Mazda CX-30 drive by Steve Rogers

With the best will in the world you would not describe the Mazda CX-30 as an SUV, yet that is what it’s there for.

It took over from CX-3, a proper SUV, but Mazda took a different styling route making the 30 sleek and curvaceous and nothing like its rivals. A risky move? Hardly because it quickly became the company’s best seller, something the CX-3 failed to achieve.

Is the 30 an SUV fraud? It is basically a pumped up Mazda3 hatchback but with a slightly higher driving position. It doesn’t offer the commanding view of some of its rivals and the sloping roof line means passengers have to stoop to avoid banging a head.

But people like it and I think it is Mazda’s best car. That Maz3 connection has its advantages because here we have a car that is a lot of fun to drive which is the Mazda way. Handling and steering precision are spot on for guiding the car through twists and big turns while the six speed gearbox is as slick as they come. The suspension is firm so be prepared to feel a good old thump if you catch a pothole or get caught out by a speed hump.

If the styling is radical then so is the choice of engine. While the opposition have gone for smaller, turbo charged engines Mazda has taken a different route with a non aspirated 2-litre petrol with a kick of its own. The Skyactiv X engine has compression controlled spark ignition that brings on the power sooner than a conventional petrol but still not as quickly as a turbo.

It means more gear changing to get things moving but the response is reasonable and the engine purrs strongly right up to the red line.

What would help is a full hybrid system. Mazda has been slow on this front and it is only now that a hybrid engine is on stream with the new CX-60. The CX-30 has an electric motor which gives a small lift in torque while the key beneficiaries are lower emissions and better economy.

I clocked up nearly 700 miles with an average of 46mpg and got into the mid 50s on long runs which is pretty impressive for a car pumping out 183bhp and a better return than the 120bhp option.

Does it come up to scratch as a medium sized family SUV? More conventional rivals offer a little more boot space and a tad more legroom for back seat passengers so it comes down to individual needs.

Where CX-30 stands out is the build quality and layout of the cabin. Mazda’s mission was to break into the premium sector and achieved it years ago. Here is the perfect example with superb levels of trim across the board. The driver’s binnacle is partially digital and would benefit from going the whole hog as information is a bit scattered but it is largely neat and there is an excellent head up display.

The infotainment centre was upgraded last year and is the most user friendly I have come across and a lot of that is down to Mazda sticking with a rotary controller positioned between the front seats for selecting the menus. Use the 8.8in display as a touchscreen if you like but the little controller is far less fiddly and safer for the driver on the move.

The level of kit across the five model range is generous from entry level and once you reach GT Sport it is pamper time with a long list of goodies including keyless entry, heated front seats, powered driver seat adjustment, power tailgate and a 12 speaker Bose sound system, along with an extensive suite of safety features. The adaptive LED headlights give out a fantastic breadth of light.

Back to the question of whether CX-30 is a SUV fraud. Not really. It loses out on outright space against most rivals and in the end it comes down to whether you prefer style over outright practicality.

Fast Facts

CX-30 GT Sport

£31,415 (starts £24,645)

0-62mph 8.3secs; 127mph

49.6mpg combined

128g/km. 1st road tax £245

Insurance group 20

Boot: 422/1398 litres

Island removed as junction work continues

* The bollard island at the A5/Hill Street has been removed. 

The bollard island at the A5/Hill Street junction has been removed by contractors.

Working on behalf of the county council and the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent, they moved in on January 9 to begin a six-week upgrading programme there.

This will include the creation of three new signalised crossings.

Two of these will be on the A5, one from the front of number 4 Berwyn Street to the side of the Armoury, and the second from the front of M’Eating Point to the front of the Welsh Methodist Chapel.

The third crossing will be on Castle Street, near the A5 junction, running from the side of the chapel to the front of the shop opposite.

The priority of the junction of Hall Street and Hill Street will be amended, with the existing bollard island there being removed. A new uncontrolled crossing will run between the Armoury and the Grapes.

There will be a new stop-line position marked on the A5 in front of the junction.

However, llanblogger recently reported how a concerned resident, after a long study of the issue, was worried that the new-look junction could be dangerous to pedestrians and had expressed their fears to the county council and the Welsh Government.   

The resident, who did't wish to be named, told llanblogger earlier this week: "The Welsh Government has not answered my emails yet. I've stated to them the safety issues and asked if they think the junction is safe with the junction partially blocked at every red light from any vehicle and with no pedestrian refuge island on the uncontrolled crossing. 

"They have asked the CEFNFFYDD (North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent) to answer. CEFNFFYDD have said they are not responsible for the safety issues and not responsible for passing it as safe. 

"In fact, nobody has actually confirmed who is responsible for passing it as safe. CEFNFFYDD say that the Welsh Government are responsible for that. So basically, they keep passing the buck between themselves."

The Welsh Government has already declined to comment. Now llanblogger has asked Denbighshire County Council for a response. 

Skates calls for north Wales road decisions to move away from Cardiff

Clwyd South MS and former Welsh Transport Minister Ken Skates (pictured) has called for all decisions over the region’s roads to be devolved from Cardiff to North Wales. 

In a statement demanding clarity and action from the Welsh Government, Mr Skates said decisions over all roads – major and minor – should be made in the north. 

At present, decisions over whether to improve the A483, A55, A494 and A5 are made in Cardiff. Mr Skates wants those decisions to be made in North Wales – with funding also handed to the north. 

He said: “We need certainty over how transport in North Wales will be improved.I’ve been Minister for Transport and Economy. The two roles are now split, but they are both incredibly demanding. Having that experience, I firmly believe that decisions over roads, buses, rail and active travel are best made at a regional level. It’s time to devolve to the North, beginning with our major roads.” 

Mr Skates also said decisions and funding over rail improvements in North Wales should be devolved to the region from Westminster. 

He added: “At the moment, those decisions and the funding that accompanies them sit with UK Government. At the very least, should we succeed in getting a consequential of HS2 expenditure, then it should allocated fairly to the North on a track mile basis.We need to be in charge of our own transport system here in North Wales. Both Cardiff and London need to hand over the powers and funding to enable us to take charge and deliver for our citizens.” 

Mr Skates welcomed assurances from the Welsh Government that it would not turn its back on the steel, car, aerospace and farming sectors in light of the roads review. 

He said: “These vital sectors contribute more in carbon emissions than transport, but are undergoing revolutionary transitions. We will help them transition at the greatest pace available.”

Young 'Uns make frighteningly good job of The Addams Family

* The memorable dinner scene at the end of act 1.

* Gomez and Morticia take centre stage flanked by Lurch (left) and Uncle Fester.

* Wonderful Wednesday.

Llangollen Operatic Society’s Young ‘Uns have made a frighteningly good job of The Addams Family, a musical tale of the everyday life of a ghoulish American family.

Thanks to its fabulous costumes and chillingly atmospheric setting, the whole scary spectacle they will be staging at Llangollen Town Hall from this Thursday to Saturday takes on a dreamlike – or should that be nightmare? – quality.

Add to this some superb performances pitched, in both acting and singing respects, well above their ages the 27-strong cast from the society’s junior section have created something of a Llangollen masterpiece.  

The Addams Family is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.

The show is based on The Addams Family characters created by Charles Addams and tells the story of a creepy clan with a taste for all things macabre. 

At the head of the family are the frightening Gomez Addams and his haughty wife Morticia, recreated respectively by the highly talented Ethan Le Cheminant – sadly making his final Young ‘Uns appearance before heading off to uni to study maths – and the devilishly divine Heledd Edwards.

Living alongside them in their musty dungeon of a mansion are their children, the teenage girl Wednesday and younger lad Pugsley, both with a wholly unnatural fondness for the darker side.

Katy Clark as Wednesday has a staggeringly good voice capable of waking the dead whenever she lets it rip and Dylan Harrison brings a cooky cuteness to the role of Pugsley.

Other occultist occupants of Chez Addams are Ethan Roberts who, thanks to his ingenious bald wig and capacity for sheer on-stage vitality, makes for a memorable Uncle Fester, and Gracie Broadbent as the Grandma of the family. She brings a hard-edged, hard-bitten American style to the part which at times is shockingly effective.

Helping out around the house is butler Lurch, a man who if he isn’t actually one of the undead one suspects would help them out in a crisis. He’s been perfectly packaged and presented by Sam Gonzalez Jones.

The story centres around the affect meeting a “normal” young man has on Wednesday.

Will the blossoming affair with Lucas, who is well played by Freya Mortimer, turn Wednesday normal too or will she stay the kind of gal who likes nothing better than a bit of crossbow practice in her spare time?

We shall see as the plot develops, introducing as it does a hair-raising visit to the Addams’ place by Lucas’s parents Mal and Alice, skilfully portrayed by Will Robinson and Leri Roberts.

All the principal characters, whose efforts are well supported by a live nine-piece band, are brilliant.

But what takes this production to a whole new level for the Young ‘Uns is the dazzling support they receive from a supporting cast portraying the family’s dead ancestors, some harking back to ancient times.

Their costumes, which are simply gobsmacking, are perfectly toned in with the settings and enhanced by some intelligent lighting. All this can be seen to stunning best effect in the dinner scene at the end of the first act which takes on the look of a classical religious painting.

To be commended for putting all this together in such a stylish way are co-artistic directors Robin Crowley and Jo Lloyd, producer Pamela Williams, assistant producer Dee Smith and musical director Julian Cattley.

You can see the show for yourself at the Town Hall from this Thursday to Saturday. Performances start at 7.30pm except the Saturday matinee which begins at 2pm.    

* Tickets for the Addams Family, which are selling quickly, are available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety and also from Jades, Oggies and the Tourist Information Centre at £12 and £10.

* Maybe an unkind cut for little Pugsley.

* Uncle Fester presents some bald talent.

* The butler Lurches in.

* Grandma instructs Pugsley on her potions.

* The potential in-laws come to call. Lucas is on the right.

* The ancestors get in on the act.

Railway highlights its volunteering opportunities

* Repairing  a 60-year old Class 26 locomotive’s traction motors (above) to dressing up as elves to help Santa for Christmas (below) are some of the volunteering opportunities on offer. 

Llangollen Railway will be launching new volunteer recruitment activities throughout this year.

It will also be hosting an inaugural open day on Saturday February 25 with the aim of showcasing volunteer opportunities across all areas of the railway.

A railway spokesperson said: "We have ambitious plans for 2023, with our brand new station in Corwen opening, a busy schedule of trains to run, a lot of improvement work scheduled on our track and infrastructure, teas, sandwiches and delicious cakes to make and serve, gardens to plant and tidy, stations to paint and popular special events like our Classic Transport weekend to run. 

"We also welcome people who would be interested in supporting the Business, Governance and Board management side of the railway. It’s a challenging but amazing time for us.

The spokesperson added: "Whatever you’re interested in doing, if you can spare any time, we will be taking you up on it.

"Of course, we welcome people with prior experience, transferable skills or specialist technical knowledge, but that is not vital. Enthusiasm, interest and commitment are far more important. 

"No prior knowledge, experience or skills are necessary for getting involved as a volunteer – in fact we actively encourage people to try something new or different from their day job – that’s what volunteering is all about. Whatever you may choose to have a go at, full training is provided, whether you’re looking after our passengers as they arrive or helping to rebuild a 90 year old steam locomotive.

"There really is something for everyone in the volunteering experience – be it front-of-house, back-of-house, somewhere in-between or a bit of everything.

"Many volunteers get involved in several different things - you’re not expected to stick to one job. You may see someone dressed as an elf at Christmas who is then getting stuck in to repairing the track. Whatever you want to try your hand at the only real requirement is to be safe and trained to do it - and be willing to get stuck in."

The railway says places are limited so potential volunteers are being encouraged to register as soon as possible by emailing vlo@llangollen-railway.co.uk or telephoning 01978 860979 during office hours.