Magical Snowman melts the hearts of large Pavilion audiences

* One of the packed houses for The Snowman Concerts.

There was packed houses, standing ovations and plenty of Christmas cheer at Llangollen Pavilion as the NEW Sinfonia orchestra, in partnership with the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, staged their two sell-out Christmas concerts yesterday (Saturday).  

The shows, which underlined the Eisteddfod's message of peace and reconciliation, culminated with a showing of the iconic Christmas film The Snowman accompanied by the orchestra, won plaudits from a hugely appreciative audience already in the Christmas mood.   

Local choir NEW Voices, a local community ensemble led by conductor Robert Guy and a guesting Ukrainian refugee Polina Horelova, were augmented by outstanding soprano Kryststyna Makar. 

In a surprise twist NEW Sinfonia were conducted at one point by Santa himself - a very close friend of Llangollen town crier Austin "Chem" Cheminais - for Sleigh Ride.  

Both concerts were sold out weeks ago and raised money for Wrexham-based refugee charity UareUK and Llangollen Eisteddfod itself.   

* The Snowman film on the big screen at the Pavilion.

Earlier in the day UareUk also hosted a Breakfast with Santa event at the Pavilion for dozens of refugees who enjoyed watching the concerts' dress rehearsal.  

NEW Sinfonia also featured renowned percussionist and new artistic director of the Eisteddfod, Dave Danford.

Later, Robert Guy, co-founder and conductor of NEW Sinfonia, said: "It was amazing to bring over 1,000 people to Llangollen - just days before Christmas.  

"People came from across North Wales and the borders for our amazing family event.  

"It was another great opportunity to showcase our outstanding, professional orchestra together with our community choir who sang beautifully. It was also important to us that Polina and Kryststyna led us so well.  

"We also raised a lot of money for Wrexham-based charity UareUK, who organised a packed breakfast of refugees and their families who loved the experience. It was the first time I have ever had my baton snatched from me mid-performance but Santa got a huge cheer."

David Hennigan, a board trustee at the Eisteddfod, said: "Our partnership with NEW Sinfonia delivered such an amazing experience for families just 36 hours before Christmas day itself.  

"The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was set up in 1947 to promote peace and reconciliation through song and these events delivered that ethos in spades.  

"We'd like to thank everyone for their support in making this happen including all the volunteers from the Llangollen Eisteddfod and NEW Sinfonia for helping us put these brilliant events together." 

NEW Sinfonia are now taking a well-earned rest after a sell-out Christmas Concert season but return for a New Year Gala Concert on Saturday, January 6 at St Giles' Church, Wrexham.

Free school meals to be served up to county's year 5 and 6 pupils

From January, the Universal Primary Free School Meals scheme is to be rolled out ahead of schedule to all year 5 and 6 pupils in Denbighshire, meaning every primary school pupil in Denbighshire can now have a free school meal. 

In December 2021, Welsh Government (WG) announced plans to offer free meals to all primary school pupils. Since September 2022, the Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM) offer in Denbighshire has been successfully rolled out from Reception to Year 4. 

Following a further round of kitchen and dining refurbishments across the County, the UPFSM offer will be rolled out earlier than scheduled to Year 5 and 6 pupils from 8th January, 2024. 

From the start of the Spring term all primary pupils in Denbighshire schools will be asked on a daily basis whether or not they would like to access a school meal. They will be able to opt in or out without having to pre book and the meal will be provided free of charge. If pupils are already in receipt of free school meals and/or any other associated benefits, these will not be impacted. 

Councillor Gill German, Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said: “It is fantastic that with this funding, along with the dedication of our staff and support from local contractors, the Authority is able to rollout the Universal Primary Free School Meal offer earlier than originally scheduled for all pupils up to Year 6. 

"School meals are essential to a child’s learning and development and I am so very pleased that now every primary school pupil within Denbighshire will have the offer of a free school meal.” 

* Further information is available on the Denbighshire website www.denbighshire.gov.uk/education.

Churches Together in Llangollen says Happy Christmas

Cytun - Churches Together in Llangollen - says it wishes everyone a very happy Christmas season and welcomes you to any of its churches' Christmas celebrations.

Details of its various services can be found on the churches' individual websites or at the churches themselves. 

Llangollen Museum receives £146,580 grant for essential renovations

Llangollen Museum is one of only two projects in Wales to receive a share of the UK government’s Community Ownership Fund. 

It has been awarded £146,580 to undergo essential renovations to make it available for future generations to enjoy. 

Once completed, the building will reopen as a museum and art gallery offering a range of educational programmes for schools and educational institutions.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes described the award as "very good news for the museum and for Llangollen."

Work finished on new path at Wenffrwd Nature Reserve

A UK Government’s Levelling Up funded (LUF) project to further develop the Wenffrwd Nature Reserve has completed the construction of a path to connect the reserve to Llangollen Canal towpath.

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.

Visitors can now benefit from safer access to the World Heritage Site and surrounding countryside, including the Panorama walk and Eglwyseg, which was previously only accessible by crossing a main road.

The new path zig zags up the canal embankment from the woodland in Wenffrwd and is suitable for pedestrians, bikes, and mobility scooters that are designed for the countryside.  The nature reserve is also linked to Llangollen along the new track on the disused railway line which starts at Llangollen Health Centre.

The work was carried out by OBR Construction, and was completed in November, 2023.

Cllr Win Mullen-James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “I am delighted to see that the new path connecting the Wenffrwd Nature Reserve has now been completed, providing a safer and more convenient route for visitors to and from the reserve.

“I am also pleased to hear that an Old Railway Trail Park Run has been established and is regularly seeing around 100 participants as well as 15 – 20 volunteers taking part each week. This is a fantastic initiative that has transpired as a result of the great work being done at help improve this wonderful World Heritage Site.”

Cllr Jason McLellan, Council Leader and Lead Member for Economic Growth and Tackling Deprivation, said: “It’s great to see that improvement works at Wenffrwd Nature Reserve are progressing and that this stage of the project has now been completed.

“The area already boasts a number of walking routes with fantastic views across the River Dee and Eglwyseg that are popular with both locals and tourists. The works taking place as part of this project will help to enhance the Wenffrwd Nature Reserve for all who visit.”

Further Levelling Up funded work to be done at Wenffrwd Nature Reserve includes building some child-friendly cycle challenges adjacent to the paths, and improving the appearance and functionality of the old compound, with a view to being able to hold community activities here in the future. The estimated timescale for these works is March 2024.

* You can find out more about this project on the Denbighshire County Council website: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/community-and-living/community-development/levelling-up-fund/wenffrwd/wenffrwd.aspx

Helpful information about local services

Latest information for Llangollen people from the South Denbighshire Community Partnership is:

 

Scores of bikers join Mike Thomas on his final ride

* Bikers escort the sidecar hearse bearing John Michael Thomas on the way to his funeral.  

A large number of fellow bikers formed up on the Aldi Car park in Llangollen this lunchtime (Thursday) before joining the final ride of 29-year-old Corwen motorcyclist John Michael Thomas - known as Mike - who died in a road accident at Trevor earlier this month.

* Mike Thomas.

They followed his cortege - which included a motorcycle sidecar hearse - as it made its way along the A5 and through Llangollen to the funeral at Pentrebychan Crematorium.   

The family had asked on social media for as many bikers to attend his final ride as possible.  

* A full tribute to Mr Thomas appeared in the Denbighshire Free Press: Corwen man killed in crash in Llangollen will ‘never be forgotten’ | Denbighshire Free Press