The Vale of Llangollen Rotary Club's next community speaker event will be taking place at St Collen's Community Hall on Wednesday August 16 and will feature the town's Food Share group.
Running from 7.30-8pm, it is a free social event where you can meet others from the community and learn more about this important initiative and how it operates in Llangollen.
Skoda Karoq drive by Steve Rogers
Decisions, decisions, decisions, and if it concerns
choosing a family SUV then you are in for a hard time.
Why? Because there are around 20 to choose from and
they are all good. Make that very good.
But I am going to take a punt on the Skoda Karoq making the top three for a lot of buyers.
Yes a Skoda, once the butt of all jokes so much so that Skoda joined in the fun happy to take the mickey out of themselves in some brilliant TV adverts. That is ancient history although there are still people of a certain age who will not give the badge garage space, like my neighbour’s wife.
He has come to like them having looked at many on my
drive down the years but got short shrift from his wife when he suggested taking
a look around a Skoda showroom.
So what is it that makes Karoq so appealing? For me it
is a well thought out family SUV, making good use of space and packed with
thoughtful odds and sods. Simple things like elasticated straps in door bins
and boot wall pockets to stop things rolling around, sliding hooks for shopping
bags and the like, a reversible boot mat, rubber one side, carpet the other,
chilled glovebox, ice scraper in the fuel filler cap and, of course, the now
famous umbrella secreted under the passenger seat.
Children, and no doubt adults, will appreciate the
mobile phone holder that slots into the front seat head rests along with the
flip up trays in the seat backs, all part of the company’s Simply Clever
philosophy. Rivals could take a leaf out of that book.
It is no surprise that Karoq is the third best seller
in the range, or that SUVs account for 50 per cent of Skoda sales. Yet it is
not a car that stands out. It’s not bad looking but nowhere near as eye
catching as a Peugeot 3008 or the latest Kia Sportage. Inside is pretty
ordinary as well although everything flows seemlessly and now has high end tech
and infotainment upgrades in this second generation model.
The line up is simple, just three models SE Drive,
tested here, SE L and Sportline with a choice of two diesel and three petrol
engines. Some will think the three cylinder one litre engine too small for a
car this size, well think again.
It is no flyer but has a satisfying amount of pull at
low revs so you are not dropping a gear for every overtake, and it scoots along
sweetly at motorway speed. Small three cylinder engines have been the stars of
the 21st century surprising everyone with their performance and economy and
Karoq’s tiddler is a another fine example.
It is no class leader on economy but mid forties should be a ball park for most drivers. I managed 47mpg over 450 miles of mixed driving with a best of 48mpg on a 120 mile round trip. It would do a lot better with hybrid power, look what it does for Toyota and Honda hybrids, but Skoda has no plans to go down that road. If Karoq has an Achilles heel that is it.
The entry SE Drive has a reasonable amount of equipment with a fast response touchscreen for radio, navigation and other bits of car info, LED headlights, front parking sensors (go up a level for a rear camera) electronic parking brake, and pleasing physical buttons for heating controls.
It has a speed limiter and cruise control, but working
out how to use it took a bit more time than usual.
There good adult size space all round and at SEL level
the back seats can be removed providing even more carrying space although Karoq
is up there with the best for boot space even with the seats in place.
A hybrid engine option would certainly widen the
Karoq’s appeal but it still stays in my top three for a family SUV.
Fast facts
Karoq SE Drive
£27,470
1.0 litre TSI 109bhp
0-62mph 11.3secs; 118mph
46-48mpg combined
132g/km. 1st tax £255
Boot: 521-1630 litres
Insurance group 10
* From left, Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam, Simon Baynes MP and Cllr Will Martin.
Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has met with two new councillors from his constituency.
Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam was co-opted on to Llangollen Town Council in June, making him one of the youngest councillors in Denbighshire.
Since becoming a councillor he has been assigned to the council's Climate, Ecology and Cittaslow Committee.
He is one of 11 members of the council, which meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the Council Chambers in Llangollen.
Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam said: “I would like to thank Mr Baynes for taking the time to meet with me. I am determined to serve the people of Llangollen where I live and delivering for them.”
Further details of Llangollen Town Council can be found on its website at: https://llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk/
Mr Baynes also met Cllr Will Martin who was co-opted on to Brymbo Community Council on July 6, making him one of the youngest elected officials within Wrexham County Borough.
Cllr Will Martin said: “It is an honour to be able to represent my community of Brymbo on our Community Council.
"Going forward, my main priorities will be to focus on ensuring the development in Brymbo is completed and that the people of the village have their voice heard.”
Brymbo Community Council represents the Brymbo, Bwlchgwyn and Tanyfron communities and is comprised of 11 members in total.
They meet once per month on Tuesdays, with the dates of their meetings available on their website: https://www.brymbo.org/
Mr Baynes said: “It was a pleasure to meet with two of our newest councillors and learn about their ambitious plans for their local communities.
"Both Damon and Will are two of the youngest councillors in Denbighshire and Wrexham respectively and it is great to see young people coming forward to serve their communities. I look forward to working with them.”
.png) Large community and religious WhatsApp groups are being targeted by scammers who infiltrate them to try and deceive their members into sending them money. The warning has come from North Wales Community Alert who say that since January of this year, 268 people have reported falling victim to this scam. The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending, or claiming, to be a member of the group. This is done in order to gain the individual’s trust, and often the
scammer will use a false profile picture and/or display name, so at first
glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group. The fraudster will then call the victim and say they are sending a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members. The scammer then asks the victim to share this passcode with
them so they can be “registered” for the video call. What’s really happening
is that the scammer is asking for a registration code to register the
victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device where they then “port” their
WhatsApp profile over. Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to access their account. The scammer will then message other members of the
group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, asking them to
transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help. Oliver Shaw, Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said: “WhatsApp continues to be a popular platform for community and religious groups, but sadly also for fraudsters. Here, the scammers rely on the goodwill of group members and their intrinsic desire to help others in distress. “We urge people always to be wary when receiving contact via WhatsApp or
other messaging platforms. This is particularly the case when being asked to
provide account information – despite the fact that you may recognise the
individual’s profile picture and / or name. “Never share your account information with anyone, and if you think it’s
a fraudulent approach, report the message and block the sender within
WhatsApp. To make your account more secure, we advise setting up two-step
verification to provide an extra layer of protection. This makes it
increasingly more difficult for fraudsters to gain access to somebody else’s
WhatsApp account." Analysis of Action Fraud reports indicate that victims targeted by this scam are often part of large WhatsApp community, alumni and academic, work groups, and religious groups (such as church or prayer groups). What can you do to avoid being a victim?· Never share
your account’s two-factor authentication (2FA) code (that’s the six digit
code you receive via SMS). · Set up two-step verification
to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings >
Account >Two-step verification > Enable. · THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity. · You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions. If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, victims of fraud and cybercrime should report to Police Scotland on 101. |
Llangollen’s 4 Great Highways project has begun its tendering process to find a contractor to undertake the work.
The Denbighshire County Council scheme aims to enhance the landscape and improve accessibility, interpretation
and signage in the town.
The project is part of investment by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund that was secured through a joint application between Denbighshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council for the Clwyd South Constituency. The application was supported by Simon Baynes MP.
£3.8 million was allocated to Denbighshire to invest in the communities of Llangollen, Llantysilio, Corwen and surrounding areas.
In recent months, the council has undertaken a number of consultation activities to gather feedback from the public about what improvements they would like to see as part of this project.
These have
included walkabouts in the project area to hear from residents about their
thoughts on the plans, opportunities to submit feedback via County
Conversation, the council’s online consultation portal, a drop-in session at
Llangollen Town Hall and an opportunity to express views on preliminary designs
through a public display of the artwork at the library.
The council says it hopes to appoint a contractor to
undertake the works by early to mid-September, which the tendering process
is currently underway for.
A further public consultation will also be held
soon to gather feedback on people’s preferred design options for the new
signage that is due to be installed as part of the project.
Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and
Transport, said: “Following a comprehensive public consultation process to
ensure that the final plans for Llangollen’s 4 Great Highways project reflect
local thinking, we are pleased to now have initiated the tendering process to
find a contractor to complete the works.
“We look forward to appointing a suitable candidate
to bring these plans in to fruition. Once completed, we hope that these
improvements enhance the resident and visitor experience and help to encourage
people to spend more time in the town.”
* The latest information about Denbighshire County Council’s 4 Great Highways project can be found here: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/four-great-highways
A new exhibition is opening at the Dory Gallery in Llangollen this September, which invites you to take a fresh look at the Dee Valley and the works of art it inspires.
The Dee Valley landscape has been a source of inspiration to artists, poets and tourists for centuries, drawn to the area in search of the sublime.
It became a hub for
artistic activity in the 18th century, captured on canvas by renowned painters
such as Richard Wilson, Paul Sandby and JMW Turner, and beautifully described
in words and poetry by writers including George Borrow, Thomas Pennant and
William Wordsworth.
Following this
tradition, the Our Picturesque Landscape project is to present
an exhibition of over 60 contemporary works of art inspired by the scenery of the Dee Valley.
Through
thoughtfully commissioned paintings, poems, installations, photography,
drawings, textiles and even a myriorama, the exhibition will explore our
connections with the landscape, and highlight the unique balance between the
stunning natural beauty and important industrial heritage of the area.
The exhibition
will be open at the Dory Gallery from Saturday September 16 until
Sunday October 8 accompanied by a full programme of events,
art workshops and family friendly activities. For up to date details go to: www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyAONB.org.uk
The exhibition
is part of the Our Picturesque Landscape project, funded by the National
Lottery Heritage Fund.
Hannah Marubbi, Partnership Officer for Our Picturesque Landscape project, said; “There is strong artistic heritage in the Dee Valley, and the picturesque qualities of the landscape continue to inspire creatives today.
"We are really
looking forward to celebrating the fantastic and diverse works of art that have
been created throughout the Our Picturesque Landscape project, and sharing them
with the community through a programme of free, interactive events. We
are grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the £1,382,400 funding
which has made our project and this exhibition possible.”
Cllr Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to experience and learn about the rich heritage of scenery the Dee Valley has to offer. I would encourage everyone to visit the exhibition to enjoy this amazing artwork that visits the culture of the landscape with the history of the industry found in the area.”
Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:
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Willow Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 08 August - 09 August Roadworks, Delays unlikely Traffic management:
Some carriageway incursion Description: MJ
QUINN TO CARRY OUT THE FOLLOWING: RECOVER POLE VERGE FOOTWAY Works location:
SIDE OF 7 WILLOW STREET 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 Openreach. Responsibility for works:
Openreach Current status:
Advanced planning Works reference: BC006MQONSAWN0POWF4GR78L |
