Llangollen man and son in double triathlon challenge for dementia charity

* John Palmer, left, and son Nic are in training for their double triathlon challenge.

A Llangollen man and his son are planning to each do a triathlon in memory of the their wife and mother who died from the effects of dementia earlier this year.

John Palmer and his son Nic, who lives in Glyndyfrdwy, are looking for sponsors for their tough double challenge early next month.

In their joint gofundme page, which is already attracting steady support, Nic says: "Mum died earlier this year after succumbing to the long terms effects of dementia. 

"This despicable condition robbed her of her love for life and us of a wife, mum and nain.

"As a family, we have always enjoyed spending lots of time outdoors and finding adventures.

"Dad and I decided to take on a challenge in mum's memory and have signed up to each do a triathlon to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK in the hope that one day this awful condition can be eradicated."

Nic goes on: "On September 3rd, Dad will be doing a sprint triathlon at Ellesmere and I will be doing the Bala Standard Triathlon at Bala Lake on the same day.

"Thank you in advance for your contribution and we are training hard to do Mum proud."

Nic is going to be doing an Olympic triathlon which consists of a I.5 km swim followed by a 40 km bike ride and a 10 km run.

John, in deference to his age, is taking on a speed triathlon which is a 7.5 km in Ellesmere lake followed by a 25 km bike ride and a 5 km run.

He said: "In march of this year my wife Lyn and Nic’s mother died from dementia.  

"While she died peacefully holding my hand she was first diagnosed in 2013.  

"More and more people and their families are living with dementia. We want to raise money for Alzheimers Research to help find a way of finding a cure for the disease.

"Training is going pretty well. Most of the swimming has been in a pool but more recently we have been swimming in Lyn Tegid, which came as a bit of a shock - wetsuits essential.  

"Cycling has given me a sore bum. How the Tour de France guys do it day after day amazes me.  

"I run quite regularly anyway so that is not so much of a problem but of course that remains to be seen on the day.  I'm sure the dog will be glad when it’s over."

Alzheimer's Research UK is the UK's leading dementia research charity. 

It funds world-class pioneering scientists to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia.

* To sponsor Nic and John, their gofundme page is at: https://gofund.me/99c861be

New Nissan X-Trail is big step forward

Nissan X-Trail drive by Steve Rogers

This is the new face of X-Trail. Not quite a wow moment but a big step forward on what has gone before.

Some would say it’s about time Nissan gave its largest SUV a bit of TLC. It was a trailblazer when it first appeared on our roads 22 years ago, a bruising 4x4 that was not afraid to get its tyres muddy on the most challenging of surfaces.

Then Nissan had a lightbulb moment and came up with a new style of car, a smaller SUV that drove like a family hatchback. Enter Qashqai and we all know what happened next.

The dust has settled on that chapter and Nissan’s focus is very much on the new electric age. Remember it got in early with the Leaf and is pushing hard with Ariya, the latest electric model.

And that is where this new X-Trail comes in. As well as picking up some styling cues from its very elegant sister, the big SUV shares a lot of electric technology but still has a petrol engine. By the way, there is no diesel option.

Topping the range is e-4ORCE. In case you don’t get it straightaway, that is Nissan’s novel name for electric four wheel drive. How does it work? There are two electric motors, one on each axle, powered by batteries which are charged by a 3-cylinder 1.5 litre engine.

Acceleration is swift, similar to an electric car, but because there is a powerful turbo charged engine emissions are still pretty high at 152g/km.

Regenerative braking is on hand with the e-pedal the most aggressive, bringing the car to a virtual stop. It slows to a creep but why the car cannot came to a dead stop, like a Volvo, is a missed opportunity.

Once you get the hang of it the car can be slowed sufficiently without using the brake pedal, harnessing power for the batteries and saving on brake wear, so a few tweaks will make this a fully beneficial system.

Apart from an electrical spark what else has happened to X-Trail? Quite a lot, in fact it is new from the ground up, sitting on a bang up to date Qashqai platform and eye catching design, particularly head on where the stylists have gone to town on the swooping grille and headlights.

The new chassis has done good things for handling which has come on leaps and bounds with a big reduction in body roll, in fact it has almost been eliminated, and a more comfortable ride from the new suspension.

Inside is a tale of two X-Trails. It is a five model range but the first two are sort of the poor relations and do not get all the high tech so it might be worth starting at N-Connecta which has a central 12.3in touchscreen and the excellent digital binnacle with its plethora of easy to find information. A driver’s head-up display is a bonus and is one of the best I have come across.

My Tekna model is another step up the ladder and has quality fixtures and fittings and is knocking on the door of the premium boys but the improvements do not match Mazda’s new CX-60 which is also better on economy.

X-Trail is a big car and everything in it is big. The door bins are big and take a two litre bottle although the cup holders in the centre console are too big and need the pop out inner holders found on many rivals

This is a roomy five seater with a good sized boot, but not class leading. The rear seat slides fore and aft but is mainly to gain access to the optional third row. I wanted to stow the boot cover under the floor but it is pretty crammed down there so no luck with that.

Tekna is just one off the top rung and is packed with equipment and all the toys we love, and  has just about every safety aid available.

X-Trail has been living in the show of Qashqai for well over a decade but has come in from the cold with this substantial update. It won’t be first choice for a lot of buyers because there is a lot of good opposition to contend with but now stands a much better chance.

Fast facts

X-Trail Tekna e-Power, e-4ORCE

£46.075 (range starts £32,890)

1.5 litre turbo; 211bhp

0-62mph 7.2secs; 111mph

42.2mpg combined

152g/km. 1st tax £635

Boot: 485-1298 litres

Towing capacity 1650kg

Insurance group 31

Roadworks alerts from the county council

Latest local roadworks alert from Denbighshire County Council is:

OPPOSITE BUILDING KNOWN AS GLAN YR AFON BROOK STREET 21/08/2023 25/08/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

A542 O/S BUILDING KNOWN AS GLASCOED BACHE MILL ROAD 21/08/2023 25/08/2023 Goleuadau traffig i reoli traffig ar lwybr amgen / Traffic signals to control traffic on diversion route HAFREN DYFRDWY (DANIEL) LLANGOLLEN Goleuadau Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights

Rotary get busy installing bug house at Old Vicarage

 

* Rotary President Lee Todd and Rotary Community Team members Steve Todd and June Claybrook install the bug hotel.

Vale of Llangollen Rotary and the Rotary Community Team have installed another bug house. 

This time it's in the gardens of The Old Vicarage, a residential day and respite care home in Llangollen.

The aim is to help our pollinators as part of a Rotary International operation.

The bug houses are sponsored and made by 1st Enable Ltd of Chester and its team.

Operation Pollination recognises the importance of pollinator habitat both restored and maintained on public and private lands. 

Through collaboration and outreach, an interconnected mosaic of pollinator habitat interspersed between public and private land will be developed to stabilise and increase populations of pollinator species throughout the area.

Pollinators play a vital role in flower and plant reproduction: 80% to 90% of all plants depend on them to reproduce.  

A Rotary club spokesperson said: "As pollinator advocates, we recognise the need to help reverse the unintended consequences of human activities in urban, suburban, and rural landscapes and help to establish a mosaic of vibrate pollinator habitats throughout the Vale of Llangollen.

"If you have a small area of ground in the Llangollen you think would benefit from a bee garden please get in touch."

The club welcome individuals and couples of 18+ from the local community who want to be people of action.  

It normally meets at St Collens Community Hall in Regent Street, Llangollen on Monday evenings at 7.30pm.

* For more information, contact: president.llangollenrotary@gmail.com or see www.valeofllangollenrotary

Dementia group gets cash to spread word about it work

* PCSO Barry Jones hands over the PACT cheque to John Palmer and Angela Williams of Llangollen Dementia outside the town's police station.  

A local organisation which supports people caring for those with dementia has received a cash boost from a North Wales Police community Fund to help spread the news about its work.

Llangollen Dementia has organised a number of events to promote awareness of the help it can give to carers, their parents and partners.

But often the word doesn't get our about it has to offer.

Now the group has received a £90 from the Police and Community Trust (PACT) which provides grants to local groups to support their projects.

Llangollen Dementia spokesperson Angela Williams said: "We will use the money, for which we are very grateful, to produce a thousand leaflets giving details of our work and future events promoting Llangollen as an official dementia-friendly town. 

"In the near future we will be distributing these information leaflets across the town."

* For more further details about Llangollen Dementia, call 07515 051696, or email: Llandem175@gmail.com. They will then ensure that you receive information by leaflet or email, whichever you prefer.    

Female dies following last weekend's collision near Glyndyfrdwy

A female has died following a crash on the A5 near Glyndyfrdwy last weekend.

A story in the Denbighshire Free Press this afternoon (Friday) says the crash took place at approximately 8.45pm on August 12, with two casualties transferred to hospital with “life-threatening” injuries.

Sadly, a female passenger, who was travelling in a dark-coloured Audi A8 vehicle, has since died.

* For the full story, see: https://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/23732762.person-dies-following-multi-vehicle-crash-denbighshire/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR0hkznS9sRWLhWsWq2lhyNySf9bjQym9GTL5krP6SThPYaHKpVVt6k0yZQ

Politicians speak out about eisteddfod's financial plight

* A scene from this year's big eisteddfod parade.

Politicians have reacted to news earlier this week that Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is facing a “dire” financial situation.

As llanblogger exclusively revealed, a crisis meeting was held at its Pavilion headquarters on Monday evening at which over 60 grassroots supporters were told by officials that last month’s 2023 festival had made a substantial loss.

This was coupled with an announcement that the executive producer, Camilla King, had been made redundant.

Ideas to secure future of the 76-year-old event were put forward at the meeting and are now being considered by trustees who are working on a survival plan which will include a fundraising campaign.

Politicians on both sides of the political divide have responded to the eisteddfod’s financial plight.

Simon Baynes, Welsh Conservative MP for Clwyd South, said: “I was saddened to hear the news from the Eisteddfod.

“ I am doing my best to help in finding ways forward for this iconic cultural event in Clwyd South.”

And Ken Skates, Welsh Labour Senedd Member for Clwyd South, said:  "This was the first completely in-person International Eisteddfod since Covid, so it was always going to be a challenge to bounce back immediately.

“Hopefully the right support will be available to help the event return to full strength and become fully sustainable."

An official statement on the executive producer’s redundancy from eisteddfod chair Sarah Ecob said: “Camilla is leaving with the thanks of all Board Members and Chairs of the Committees.  

“She has been Executive Producer since September 2021 and steered the festival since the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

And of the general financial situation she said: “The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has been severely impacted by the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and by the current cost of living crisis.  

“Like many other cultural organisations, the Eisteddfod is facing an extremely challenging future due to our financial situation.  

“The Board and the Committee Chairs have met to discuss emergency actions to try to stabilise our organisation.  We have taken the very sad decision to make our Executive Producer redundant and we will shortly be launching a major fundraising campaign to safeguard the Eisteddfod’s future.  

“We’d like to thank Camilla for her outstanding work at our festival and wish her well for the future.  We would like to thank our customers, volunteers, staff, competitors, performers  and funders who make the Eisteddfod such a special event every year…with their help we can ensure the Eisteddfod continues to be central to cultural life in Wales and continue its role in promoting peace in an uncertain world.” 

At Monday’s meeting eisteddfod vice-chair Chris described the financial situation as “frankly dire” with inflation, the cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic all taking their toll on last month's 2023 eisteddfod. 

He added that the people running the eisteddfod knew they must now "move very quickly" to ensure that enough money was generated to keep it trading.