What's on in July at Pengwern Community Hub

 July's what's on guide for the Pengwern Community Hub is:

Roadworks alert for Bridge Street

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Bridge Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 30 June - 04 July   Roadworks, Delays unlikely   Traffic management: Traffic control (give & take)   Description: Bbox Renew 25mm add Meter Job in Footway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )   Works location: OUTSIDE 14-18   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Hafren Dyfrdwy.   Responsibility for works: Hafren Dyfrdwy   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000013403260

Skates backs idea for official trial of compulsory voting

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates (pictured) has urged the Welsh Government to explore further ways to "strengthen our democracy" by driving up the number of people who vote. 

Ahead of a debate on a civic duty to vote in the Senedd today (Wednesday) he backed comments by Plaid Cymru MS Adam Price and asked whether the Welsh Government would consider a trial into whether "compulsory participation" would increase engagement in elections. 

During First Minister’s Questions yesterday Mr Price said that 26 nations had introduced a civic duty to vote where the percentage of voting was consistently over 90%, adding: “If Wales could emulate that level of participation, it would transform our democracy.”

Mr Skates said: “Can I first of all thank Adam Price for the important question that he tabled and say that I agree with him entirely on the points that he raised in relation to the civic duty to vote.

“First Minister, I also welcome the great progress that Welsh Government is making in strengthening our democracy, particularly by giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote. 

"This is in stark contrast to what’s happening across the border, with the UK Tories making it more difficult for people to vote. Indeed, around 14,000 people were refused the right to vote at recent English local elections. That is surely wrong, and it’s down to new methods of proving your identity.”

Mr Skates said he believed that introducing a civic duty to vote "could lead to mass participation like we’ve never seen before" and asked whether the Welsh Government had considered a pilot scheme.

The First Minister said: “We are committed to reducing the democratic deficit in Wales by reforming electoral administration, widening access to elections and encouraging participation in our democracy. In my opinion, before introducing a formal civic duty, the people of Wales would need to support that change through the manifesto process.

“I thank Ken Skates for those further points. He’s absolutely right that the policy of this Government is to encourage participation rather than to embark on a policy of voter suppression.

“We’ve seen the results from the English local elections, where thousands of people who wished to vote were denied because of measures that I think Jacob Rees-Mogg described as a simple attempt at gerrymandering. Well, it always was that, and that was firmly exposed by the Minister who was responsible for those measures while he was in office.”

Mr Drakeford added: “There’ll be a further opportunity for Members to discuss it again at greater length tomorrow, and the idea of a trial or a pilot is something that I think is worth looking at. 

"If you were to have a change of this scale, you would want some local as well as international evidence to draw on, and I hope that that idea will be further developed in tomorrow afternoon’s debate.”

Eisteddfod back with a bang - and flower power

* Blooming marvellous: Jane Williams, chair of the Eisteddfod Floral Committee, with Mair Thornton, secretary,  and Michelle Williams, vice-chair. Picture by Mandy Jones Photography.     

  

* The famous Parade of Nations takes place on the Thursday. Picture by Barrie Potter.

The town is buzzing with excitement as final preparations get underway for the return of our iconic international festival in all its glory.

It will be the first full length Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod since before the Covid pandemic and the Parade of Nations is also coming back with a colourful cavalcade of competitors through the streets.

The event was cancelled in 2020, went online in 2021 and there was a much reduced live festival last year.

But after an absence of four years things are back to normal and thousands of singers and dancers from around the planet will be heading for the Dee Valley where it’s said that “Wales meets the world”.

An extension has once again been added to the famous international pavilion to increase capacity to 4,000 seats in the canvas-covered auditorium.

Also back will be the spectacular floral display at the front of the pavilion stage, lovingly created by a band of dedicated volunteer flower growers and arrangers.

Meanwhile, the town itself has been festooned with bunting and an expert abseiler has placed a giant banner high above Llangollen railway station.

Llangollen Eisteddfod was founded in 1947 in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Organisers say it’s more important and relevant than ever as a force for good to foster peace and harmony between nations.

It all gets underway on Tuesday, July 4, and the competitions and concerts continue until Sunday, July 9.

Each day features a full programme of competitions in the pavilion and a line-up of stalls and exhibitions on the field along with the competitors from around the world, many in colourful dress while three open-air stages run a stream of live performances.

Entertainment on the outside site includes workshops, talks, international showcases, outdoor theatre performances, circus skills, sound bath sessions, yoga, belly dancing, beginner’s Welsh and salsa.

The Globe Stage will feature music acts spanning folk, jazz, world and indie.

There will also be an international flavour to the cuisine available in the new Globe Food Court.

It will be a special occasion for Eisteddfod Executive Producer Camilla King who took up her role last year but will this time preside over the event in its full, traditional format.

She said: “This is definitely our first all bells and whistles event since 2019 and I hope that people who have been in the past and really loved the event will enjoy that experience this year.

“We’re delighted that the spectacularly colourful Parade of Nations will be happening once again this year with support from Everbright Hotels.

“We will be encouraging our competitors to get involved with doing impromptu pop-ups on the Maes and interacting with the public attending the event.

“There is going to be so much going on with bands playing, a dedicated kids’ area and three performance stages, including the Globe Stage for a wide variety of music, as well at the Globe Food Court which celebrates the cuisines of eight different countries.

“There’s also the Amphitheatre showcasing our international performers and the Dome for acoustic music, talks, panel sessions and readings while elsewhere there will be free workshops in floral art, sound bath sessions, yoga, belly dancing, beginner’s Welsh, salsa and much more.

“It all takes place on a self-contained site which is safe and secure and just an easy walk into Llangollen and with secure dedicated festival car parking nearby for just £5 a day.”

The magnificent display of flowers cascading across the front of the stage is the work of volunteers on the Floral Committee whose team grow their own, buy from Liverpool Market and even occasionally beg blooms from attractive gardens in the town.

Floral Committee Chair Jane Williams said: “The theme this year is a country garden but often we don’t really know how it’s going to look until we’ve seen how the stage is set up.

“We use a lot of ironwork for the structure which has to hold the flowers in place and we have shelving and plastic containers of water and even dustbins with water for really tall plants like delphiniums which can be six to eight feet high.

“You never really know what you have until you get there – this year the foxgloves are quite ahead of time, but you just have to work with what you get and we’re grateful for donors like Chirk Castle who have been very kind this year and many others who have given flowers.”

Over the years the festival has grown into one of Europe’s premier music and dance events.

It has attracted cultural icons like Dylan Thomas who visited for the BBC 70 years ago and whose famous radio broadcast about the Eisteddfod is being recreated to mark its 70^th anniversary.

A reading from actor, writer and director Celyn Jones will be the centrepiece of a mini programme of events to celebrate Thomas’s 15-minute masterpiece on the BBC’s Home Service – tragically he was to die just a few months later in New York.

That same year the late Queen Elizabeth also attended the Eisteddfod shortly after her Coronation while two years later the late great Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, began his international career at Llangollen as a member of a choir from Modena.

The week’s highlights include a concert starring Alfie Boe and musical theatre supergroup Welsh of the West End on the first night of the Eisteddfod on Tuesday, July 4.

Wednesday will see The White Flower: Into The Light, a concert of remembrance for the fallen of Sarajevo and Ukraine, featuring the NEW Sinfonia orchestra with soloists from Bosnia, Wales and Ukraine, with the centrepiece formed by Karl Jenkin’s much loved work, The Armed Man.

The popular procession of international participants and celebration of peace takes place on Thursday, followed by Flight, a new mixed-media dance, music and theatre work by visionary artists Propellor Ensemble, inspired by migratory patterns in nature and humanity.

On the Friday night Guy Barker’s Big Band will take the stage with Strictly Come Dancing singer Tommy Blaize.

Saturday features the blue riband event, the Choir of the World competition for the coveted Pavarotti Trophy, and also Dance Champions and the Pendine International Voice of the Future 2023.

There is a new look to the final day of the Eisteddfod on Sunday with an all new live final which sees rising vocal stars battle it out to claim the title Voice of Musical Theatre, and Cân i Llan, a new song-writing competition for unsigned acts aged 14-22, providing a platform for emerging voices in contemporary popular music.

Camilla added: “The bridge spanning the River Dee in the centre of town is officially one of the Seven Wonders of Wales and Llangollen Eisteddfod should be acclaimed as the Eighth Wonder. I can’t wait.”

Wrexham Council announces contract awarded for Newbridge Road

Wrexham Council have said they are “pleased” to announce that the procurement phase for Newbridge Road project has now successfully come to a close, according to a story in Wrexham.com this afternoon (Monday). ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The stretch of road between Newbridge and Cefn Mawr has been closed since January 2021, when heavy downpours caused part of it to collapse down an embankment during Storm Christoph. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

* For the full story, see: Wrexham Council announce Newbridge repair contract awarded to Jones Bros Ltd - Wrexham.com

The big SUV with a surprisingly frugal thirst

Mazda CX-60 drive by Steve Rogers

It was a balmy Sunday afternoon for a 150- mile drive through rural Mid Wales. 

Lots of steep climbs, sharp bends, the sort of roads that don’t give great economy, certainly not in a big SUV with a 3.3 litre straight six diesel under the bonnet.

I drove the CX-60 diesel at the launch earlier this year and wanted to find out if the official economy figures would be as good in real time driving. 

The journey was nothing out of the ordinary but the Mazda was. I reset the economy and watched the numbers go up and up, and by the time I pulled on to my drive the digital readout showed 57.6mpg. That is insane.

It is helped by an eight-speed automatic gearbox, standard across the range, with well chosen ratios and needing just under 1,500rpm to cruise at 60mph.

I covered nearly 800 miles in the next six days, 300 miles with a fully laden four-berth caravan in tow. Driven solo the CX-60 spent more time in the fifties than the forties, but it was the fuel consumption while towing that raised my eyebrows.

Unless you tow 29.8mpg will mean nothing but let me assure you that is beyond impressive. I would have been satisfied with around 24mpg from a powerful all wheel drive SUV, the sort of return I got from a 3-litre Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Mazda has taken diesel emissions and economy to another level with an engine equally significant as the Ford 1-litre EcoBoost, a three-time International Engine of the Year winner.

That said the motoring press, me included, was shocked when Mazda launched this engine when the UK had turned its back on diesel, and at a time when it was 20p a litre dearer than petrol.

Mazda’s UK boss Jeremy Thomson said the majority of sales would be for the petrol hybrid and plug-in hybrid models with the diesel intended to meet the needs of customers who want an efficient, long distance driving car with great towing capacity.

He was right on that score as CX-60 has a towing capacity of 2500kg so it can pull the heaviest of twin axle caravans with ease, with the option of all wheel drive.

Not that CX-60 is just about its engine. This is a sophisticated large family SUV, bigger than rivals like Audi Q5 and Volvo XC 60, and with a starting price of £43,010 is competitive given its generous spec list.

As with all Mazdas you can rely on a sporty chassis and for a big vehicle this handles well, not quite as well planted as the Q5 but sharper than the Volvo, if that is important. The key message is that it does not give way to comfort coping well with potholes and poorer road surfaces of which there are so many.

Inside has the premium feel we have come to expect with high quality materials and a smart layout. The new digital binnacle is a traditional speedo, rev counter configuration but does not give a great deal of additional information like most rivals.

The updated central infotainment centre has a larger touchscreen but can still be operated by the rotary controller between the front seats and is the simplest system I have come across with clear, easy to find menus and sub menus, while the heating controls are neatly laid out physical buttons.

My all wheel drive Homura sits in the middle of a three model range and has a classy finish.

It comes with powered front seats, ventilated and heated, powered steering wheel adjustment, rear camera, auto dipping LED headlights, head up display, powered tailgate and a lot more, but if that is not enough then the convenience and driver assistance pack for £1,900 throws in the likes of 360 degree camera, wireless charging, and additional safety systems. That would be tempting.

I was struggling to fault CX-60 until I got into the back and while it is not tight, legroom is below par for such a big vehicle. That said I appreciated the floor space with the seats down and was able to load two adult bicycles.

Forty odd grand is a lot of money but if this is the size car you need then it becomes an everyday vehicle because it is a big car with small car economy. I would always expect to be averaging high forties to 50mpg with the knowledge that there is more to come on a longer journey.

Fast facts

CX-60 Homura AWD

£48,380 (£52.030 tested)

3.3 litre diesel; 250bhp

0-62 7.4secs; 138mph

53.3mpg combined

138g/km. 1st tax £285

Insurance group 38

Boot: 570-1726 litres

Towing: 2500kg

Railway's classic transport weekend gets into gear

* Above and below: The line-up of vintage tractors and buses from previous shows.

* A busy timetable of steam, diesel and railcar trains will operate on the railway.

Over 300 vintage and classic cars, buses and other vehicles will be on display at Glyndyfrdwy Station on the Llangollen & Corwen Railway this weekend, July 1 and 2, as the much-loved Classic Transport Weekend takes place.

A busy timetable of steam, diesel and railcar trains will operate on the railway, centred around the  village station of Glyndyfrdwy, where a large vintage vehicle rally is to be held in a large field right next to the station. 

All trains are now running to the new station at Corwen, which opened on June 2^nd.  A free vintage bus service will also operate between Corwen and Glyndyfrdwy, allowing visitors to follow trains from the adjacent A5 road and take in the views of the stunning Dee Valley AONB.

The event has again been organised by two of the railway’s younger volunteers, Tim Hines and George Walker, who are both under 30 years old. 

Tim said: "Last year George and I had our first go at running this event and put a lot of hours in to make it happen. As well as volunteering at the railway, George and I are also both owners of vintage buses, which we’ve restored and take to shows. 

"Last year’s event was such a great success that we couldn’t really do anything other than say yes when we were asked if we could do it again.

"We now have over 300 vehicles booked to attend the rally at Glyndyfrdwy station across the weekend. We will use two of our neighbouring farmer’s fields to fit them all in and provide a car park. Our neighbour has always been extremely supportive of the event – especially the vintage tractor display."

Husband and wife stationmaster team at Glyndyfrdwy, Paul and Wendy Bailey, said: “We always look forward to welcoming so many visitors to our station, which is usually a very quiet and beautifully-restored country station with fascinating links to the local slate industry, some of which you can still see. 

"Our tearoom and brand new Porters station bar will be open all weekend to refresh both exhibitors and visitors. It’s a great opportunity to see our country station at its busiest, with a wonderful parade of classic cars, motorbikes and buses all making their away across the traditional, gated level crossing between the station and signal box. 

"There’s also a lovely village picnic field and playground right next to the station where you can watch the cars, trains, wildlife and see if you can spot the old loading wharf, where slates produced at the Deeside Slab and Moelfferna quarries up in the Berwyn mountains above the village were brought down on a narrow gauge railway and trans-shipped into standard gauge wagons for onward transport around the world."

* Tickets for the event are available in advance from the railway’s website or on the day from station ticket offices. 

Parking for visitors is also available at the Glyndyfrdwy rally priced at £5 for the day or £8 including a reduced price programme. The railway’s website also has an event information page: https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/classic-transport-weekend/