Cat and team aim to get generator for earthquake zone

Llangollen community champion Cat Meade has launched another appeal to help the people whose lives have been devastated by the recent massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

She and her support team are asking local businesses to donate a voucher or gift of their choice for them to run a raffle with all funds going to @uareuk who are aiming to purchase a generator for Syria.

Cat, who is based at Wingetts estate agents in Castle Street, said: "It will be used to assist humanitarian and relief efforts.

"The charity Hope and Aid have the right people on the ground there to ensure it reaches the area needed.

"We also have a donation box at Wingetts should anyone wish to donate."

Cat, who has been collecting other supplies for earthquake victims for the past couple of weeks, added: "We are also still taking clothes, such as men's and ladies new underwear, and blankets. We also need nappies/wipes, toiletries, Flash torches and batteries.

"Our collection will go on until February 24 and donations can be dropped off at Wingetts."

Skates goes out and about with local PCSO

 

* PCSO Karl Joseph with Ken Skates MS in Riverside Park.

Member of the Senedd Ken Skates praised the ‘vital’ link between Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and residents after meeting Llangollen’s Karl Joseph. 

The Clwyd South MS took a walk around the town with Karl recently to discuss local issues. 

Mr Skates said: “It was great to catch up with Karl and find out about what’s been happening locally. We discussed several areas of concern and a number of issues police have acted upon recently following crucial information from the community.” 

He added: “PCSOs provide a vital link between local communities and police forces, and it was really interesting to have a walk around the town with him and visit local businesses.” 

Mr Skates also said he had written to Denbighshire Council to raise constituents’ concerns over the condition of the old brewery building overlooking the A5 opposite Riverside Park. 

In 2021 the Welsh Government announced an extra £3.7m for more PCSOs across Wales, bringing the total funded by Welsh Ministers to 600. 

PCSO Karl said: “It was a pleasure to spend some time with Ken, and the fact that he has taken the issues on board shows that he actually cares about them.” 

Latest roadworks alerts from county council

Latest roadworks bulletin from Denbighshire County Council is:

A539 MILL STREET 27/02/2023 01/03/2023 NMWTRA LLANGOLLEN Goleuadau Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights 21:00 - 06:00  

A539 Chapel Street CHAPEL STREET 09/01/2023 17/02/2023 Gwaith Gwelliant/ Improvement Works DCC WORKS UNIT LLANGOLLEN Un Ffordd/ One Way

OUTSIDE NUMBER 2, QUINTA BIRCH HILL 20/02/2023 22/02/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

O/S TOWER FARM COTTAGE TOWER ROAD 14/02/2023 16/02/2023 Gwaith Nwy / Gas Works WALES & WEST (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

MILL ST CAR PARK MILL STREET 24/02/2023 24/02/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works MORRISON UTILITY  LLANGOLLEN Goleuadau Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights

A539 Wrth / Nr GLASFRYN ABBEY ROAD 20/02/2023 22/02/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY LLANGOLLEN

A542 Wrth / Nr Haulwen ABBEY ROAD 02/03/2023 02/03/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works LLANGOLLEN

NEAR TRACK LEADING TO PEN Y BRYN FARM, BRYN DETHOL ROAD FROM A5 TO MAE BRYN DETHOL ROAD FROM A5 TO MAESMAWR ROAD 01/03/2023 01/03/2023 Adnewyddu Polyn / Renew Pole MJ QUINN (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Outside 5 CHURCH STREET 20/02/2023 22/02/2023 Gwaith Trydanol / Electrical Works QUARTZELEC (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Former Llangollen Railway Footpath A539 LLANGOLLEN ROAD 23/02/2023 23/02/2023 Torri Coed / Tree Cutting KTL CONTRACTING LTD LLANGOLLEN

From Dee Cottage to Bishop's Walk MILL STREET 03/03/2023 05/03/2023 Torri Coed / Tree Cutting SHIFT TRAFFIC EVENTS LTD. LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

A539 OUTSIDE 6 GREENFIELD 27/02/2023 27/02/2023 Adferiad/ Reinstatement O'CONNOR UTILITIES (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure 

Family fun sessions planned for half term

Details have been announced of February Half Term Family Play sessions.  

Previously these sessions have been titled Let’s Play Out and have ran at Pengwern Schools Field or Llangollen Youth Centre field, but for February Half Term will be running at Llangollen Leisure Centre.   

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