Friends of Pengwern enjoy their Christmas lights switch-on

* Llangollen Silver Band play carols at the Friends of Pengwern Christmas gathering. 

Friends of Pengwern braved sub-zero temperatures this evening to hold their Christmas lights switch-on and gathering around the tree on the green near the park.

Santa himself was there direct from the North Pole - which can't have been that much colder - to lead the festivities with carols provided by Llangollen Silver Band.

On hand to provide further entertainment was popular local musician Chris Burton.

Later, people headed over to a much warmer community centre for kid craft, hot dogs, mince pies and very welcome mulled wine. 

 * Santa and entertainer Chris Burton joined in the fun.

Some council homes to be tested for RAAC concrete

Some council tenants in Llangollen are being informed that their homes are to be tested for Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). 

However, the county council says it is "reasonably confident" that none will be found.

This type of concrete is known to have been associated with structural problems in certain buildings and tests for it are being carried out by councils across the UK.

A letter to tenants from a senior officer of Denbighshire County Council says: "I am writing to advise you that we are in the process of sending letters to some of our council home tenants informing that we will be contacting a sample of them, to arrange to carry out an inspection in their homes, to look for the above concrete, known as RAAC. 

"Welsh Government have instructed these checks to be carried out on housing stock built between 1950 and 1990. We are reasonably confident that we will not find any of this type of concrete in our homes. 

"We don’t wish to cause any undue alarm to our tenants, however, these checks, as mentioned are instructed by WG and are necessary. We have asked a company called Xrail to carry out these checks for us. 

"In the unlikely event that RAAC is discovered in any of our properties, we will instruct a further more detailed survey and carry out a risk assessment as tenant safety is paramount, to determine what remedial works we will need to carry out, this may include temporarily having to re-home some tenants whilst work is carried out."

The letter then gives details of the officer to contact for questions and further information. 

The same letter is being sent to tenants in Denbigh, Cefn Meiriadog, Rhyl, Ruthin, Prestatyn, Meliden and Dyserth.

Inner Wheel to bring Christmas Cheer to town hall stage in aid of charity

 

In aid of local charities, The Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen will be hosting a charity evening of  “Christmas Cheer” in Llangollen Town Hall on Saturday December 16, starting at 7pm. 

Arranged with the help of local musician Owen Roberts, the evening will feature festive music and the talents of local soloists, including Phillip Robinson, Debbie Whitfield and Emma Williams.

In addition there will be a piano solo performance by Anna Romanenko, who originates from the Ukraine but now lives in Llangollen. 

There will be a glass of punch on arrival and a festive two-course supper at the interval for attendees.  

The evening’s celebrations will come to a close with some rousing community carol singing, led by Gethin Davies. 

Tickets cost £15 and include a glass of punch and festive supper. 

Money raised by the event will go towards helping to support local charities. In the past year, the organisations helped by the Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen have included: Llangollen Food Share, Pentredwr Hub, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Wales Air Ambulance.

The Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen has been in existence for 60 years and is part of a worldwide organisation with the aim of promoting friendship and providing service to the community. 

* To obtain tickets call 01691 828395 or 0781 6286436.

Book launch at Plas Newydd tomorrow

 

Horseshoe Falls improvement scheme appoints contractor

Denbighshire County Council have appointed a contractor to undertake improvement works at Horseshoe Falls funded by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF).

During the first round of LUF, the council was successful in its joint application with Wrexham County Borough Council for the Clwyd South Constituency, which was supported by Simon Baynes MP. Denbighshire secured £3.8 million to invest in the communities of Llangollen, Llantysilio, Corwen and surrounding areas.

Residents and visitors will soon be able to benefit from enhancements to Horseshoe Falls through improvements to the toilet facilities and drainage, additional parking spaces and improved visitor flow between the car park and the viewing area which will enable the area to cope with increasing visitor numbers.

KM Construction have been successful in their tender for the project, with work having begun at the site earlier this week.

Part of the car park will be closed to the public while the work is carried out, which are anticipated to take approximately 10 weeks, with a two-week shutdown during the Christmas period.

Every effort will be made to keep disruption to the toilet facilities to a minimum, but there will be occasional closures while the work takes place, says the council.

Cllr Jason McLellan, Lead Member for Economic Growth and Tackling Deprivation, said: “We are pleased to have appointed KM Construction as the contractor to complete these much-needed improvements to Horseshoe Falls and look forward to seeing them bring the plans into fruition.

“The area has seen a significant increase in visitor numbers in recent years, and hope that this project, once completed, will enhance the visitor experience for all who visit the site.” 

* Find out more about Denbighshire County Council’s Levelling Up Fund project at Horseshoe Falls here.

Llangollen Food Share gains registered charity status

* Treasurer Gill Robertson on Llangollen Food Share’s stall at last Saturday's Llangollen Christmas Festival.

Volunteers at Llangollen Food Share are celebrating their official recognition as a registered charity. 

The group applied for registration earlier this year and have now received notification from the Charity Commission and HMRC that their application has been successful.

Centre Manager Steph Mitchell said: “We are all delighted by the recognition that we have gained from the Charity Commission and hope that the benefits will enable us to continue to ensure that no-one in our area goes hungry.

“Charity registration enables Llangollen Food Share to claim back income tax on donations from the public, meaning that the government will add an extra 25p to every pound donated by those who pay UK income tax. 

"Registration also gives assurance to grant funders that the charity is being run properly and that its accounts are verified externally each year."

In July Food Share stepped in to help parents provide lunches for their children when the Welsh Government free school meals emergency support ended. 

Steph added: "We knew that some children in our area would be affected when the government support ended and during school holidays we provided just over 1,350 packed lunch meals for children."

Llangollen Food Share says it continues to see an increase in demand for its services during the cost of living crisis and the challenges that increased fuel bills have brought.

As the festive season approaches the organisation expects to see its busiest Christmas ever.

“We’ll be helping many of Llangollen’s least well-off to be supported during the most expensive time of the year,” said Steph

* Learn more about Llangollen Food Share on the website www.llangollenfoodshare.org.uk.

Pengwern Community Hub's calendar for December

 Pengwern Community Hub's calendar for December is: