The Hoosiers to join Madness in Eisteddfod show

* The Hoosiers will support Madness at the Pavilion on July 13.

Pop-rock band The Hoosiers will join pop giants Madness when they headline the Llangollen Pavilion this summer.

The Nutty Boys are bringing their legendary live show to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Saturday July 13 and it is announced today they will be joined on the night by chart-topping duo The Hoosiers.

Over the past two decades, The Hoosiers have been compared to everyone from British rockers Supertramp to US pop-rock duo Sparks. 

Formed in 2003 when Irwin Sparkes (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Alan Sharland (drums, percussion, vocals) left the UK to study at university in Indianapolis, the band scored a number one hit with debut album The Trick To Life and are best known for their hits Worried about Ray, Goodbye Mr A, and Cops and Robbers.

The Hoosiers released their fifth studio album Confidence to critical acclaim last autumn and celebrated with a tour across the UK. 

* Madness are heading for the Pavilion stage. 

In 20 years they’ve embarked on multiple sold-out tours and graced stages at the likes of Glastonbury, Isle of Wight Festival and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, with the band now preparing for a series of summer shows including their Llangollen date.

Madness have chalked up 15 UK Top 10 singles – including the timeless Our House, It Must Be Love, One Step Beyond, My Girl, Wings Of A Dove and Baggy Trousers – together with 10 Top 10 albums.

They recently scored their first ever UK Number One album with the brilliant Theatre Of The Absurd Presents C'est La Vie.

The Madness date is presented as part of a new partnership between the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor, which will see 11 headline shows either side of and during the historic peace festival.

Global rock star Bryan Adams will kick off the stunning series of live dates before being followed by fellow rockers Simple Minds, indie heroes Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers and Suede, BRIT award-winning artist Paloma Faith, chart-topper Jess Glynne and disco legends Nile Rodgers & CHIC, while pop giants Madness will mark the summer finale.

The core week of the festival will see a series of events celebrating the traditional Eisteddfod along with headlining shows from Welsh legends Tom Jones and Katherine Jenkins and international jazz sensation Gregory Porter.

Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Dave Danford said: “Saturday 13 July marks the finale of our amazing four weeks of live music this summer, and we’re so pleased to be adding The Hoosiers to our stellar line-up. Their familiar radio-friendly hits will provide the perfect curtain-raiser to Madness, as we finish Llangollen 2024 with one big party!”

* For more information and to purchase tickets go to llangollen.net and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Skates highlights increasing violence against teachers

Member of the Senedd Ken Skates has highlighted increasing violence against staff in Welsh schools.

During First Minister’s Questions yesterday (Tuesday), the Clwyd South MS said: “We must respect our teachers and not tolerate violence or abuse against them.”

Mr Skates met with the Wrexham Primary Headteachers' Federation late last year and will meet with local heads, Wrexham MS Lesley Griffiths and Education Minister Jeremy Miles today.

In the Senedd, he asked Mark Drakeford: “How is the Welsh Government supporting schools facing increasing instances of abuse and violence against staff?

The First Minister responded: “There is a duty on local authorities and schools to ensure schools are a safe environment for all. Recognising the impact that poor behaviour can have on the well-being of staff, we continue to fund education support's well-being services. That service provides free advice and support for schools across Wales.”

The issue was one of a number raised with Mr Skates during his November meeting with Wrexham headteachers.

Addressing the First Minister, he said: “There are various challenges in education that have been amplified and intensified as a result of the pandemic, and one is the sharp increase in abuse of teachers and teaching assistants. Attacks have become more frequent, including in primary schools.

“Do you agree that we must respect our teachers and not tolerate violence or abuse against them?”

Mr Drakeford told the Senedd: “I absolutely associate myself with what Ken Skates has just said. There is no tolerance at all by this government of abuse of public servants going about the service that they provide, and that is certainly true of teachers and others in the classroom.”

The First Minister continued: “Condemnation by itself is never sufficient though, is it? We have to look at the causes of those difficulties and we have to provide help to those who face them in the jobs that they do, and that’s the work that the Minister for Education has embarked upon.

“There’s a toolkit for senior leaders in the education services being prepared to help them to find ways of de-escalating those difficulties; to try to find a way of managing the tensions that arise in the lives of children that spill over into the classroom; to find a way of managing those things by recognising the root causes of them and finding effective ways of helping.”

After Senedd proceedings had concluded, Mr Skates said he has also made personal representations to the Education Minister regarding funding cuts.

He added: “I have also invited the Minister to meet with me and a delegation of local parents in Clwyd South so he is able to hear first-hand their concerns and the impact these measures would have on their children and local schools.

Llangollen Railway man to speak at county tourism forum

* Tom Taylor of award-winning Llangollen Railway will be a guest speaker at an online tourism forum on March 21.

A representative of Llangollen Railway will be one of the keynote speakers at one of two online forms highlighting the latest innovation and excellence in the tourism industry next month. 

The forums are to take place via Zoom on Thursday and Friday, March 21 and 22 and offer an opportunity for tourism businesses to network and share experiences, knowledge, and ideas.

Guest speakers on the Thursday forum include Tom Taylor of Llangollen Railway, winners of the Go North Wales Tourism Awards Attraction of the Year 2023, and Gwen Davies of Vale Vineyard, who will be sharing details of her journey to become the first grape farmer in the Vale of Clwyd.

 

Then on Friday the guest speakers are Rob Price from Ruthin Festival who are celebrating 30 years in 2024 and Gail Swan who will be telling the story behind Swans Farm Shop, a traditional hill farm and award-winning farm shop in Treuddyn.

 

Ian Lebbon, Chair of Denbighshire Destination Management Partnership, said: “The forums are a great platform for everyone in the sector to get together and share their knowledge, ideas and plans to ensure sustained future tourism growth. It’s not only for tourism businesses, but also a good opportunity for students and anyone with an interest in tourism to hear from local businesses.”

 

Tourism plays a vital part in Denbighshire’s economy, with a total economic impact in 2022 of £628 million. Over six million visits were made to the county with 1.64 million deciding to stay, up 56.1% in 2022, when compared with 2021 figures.

 

Book on the free Online Tourism Forums here:

 

Thursday 21 March –Innovation and Excellence (2pm-3.15pm)

https://Online-Tourism-Forum-Innovation-and-excellence.eventbrite.co.uk

 

Friday 22 March – Businesses with stories to tell (10.30am – 11.45am)

https://Online-Tourism-Forum-Businesses-with-stories-to-tell.eventbrite.co.uk

Roadworks alert for Dee Lane

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Dee Lane, Llangollen, Denbighshire

01 March - 01 March

 

Delays likely - Diversion route

 

Name: Diversion 1

 

Location: Castle Street

 

Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks

 

Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council

 

Current status: Planned

Preliminary works on Newbridge Road nearing completion, says story

* The landslip which closed Newbridge Road.

Preliminary works in relation to the Newbridge Road landslip repair are nearing completion, according to a story in the Leader.  

Recent traffic diversions through Llangollen due to the long-term closure of the road have caused traffic chaos.

* For the full story, see: Wrexham: Councillor's update on Newbridge Road repair works | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk)

Experts explore the ancient wonders of St Collen's

* The visiting experts included, from Liverpool University’s Faculty of Archeology, Classics and Egyptology, Dr Ruth Nugent, Dr Glenn Cahilly-Bretzin, Katherine Foster and Tom Farrow, from York University, Louise Hampson. Also in the party was Tom Livingstone of T L Stonemasons, Summerhill, Wrexham.  Showing them around is Genesis project leader Sue Evans, far left.  

A team of experts interested in the many historical aspects of  Llangollen’s famous parish church visited St Collen’s earlier this week.

The ancient place of worship dating back to the seventh century has embarked on an ambitious re-ordering project, known as Genesis, which aims to make a series of sympathetic adaptions enabling it to meet the needs of the 21^st century.

Last September Genesis was awarded almost £95,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to kick-start the first phase of the project which includes taking away some pews to make a space for a stage platform where the church can host more plays, concerts and school nativities.

There is also a desperate need for toilet facilities and better heating and lighting to generally allow the building to have more flexibility and inclusivity, creating a community hub which can be enjoyed by a variety of local organisations and also making it more accessible to the many visitors it attracts.

This week, Genesis project leader Sue Evans welcomed a team of experts led by Dr Ruth Nugent of the University of Liverpool to the church.

And she explained: “They were interested in the many historical aspects of the building and would like to help us to offer an accurate interpretation of St Collen’s and its long history for our community.

“People who were able to join us for the community presentations we have given so far know that alongside the general re-ordering of the building, which includes the addition of a new disabled toilet and access, we are also looking to create exciting opportunities for the community to help with the research and new interpretation boards. These would be made available inside the building, online and in new leaflets.

“We aim to undertake community events where you can actively contribute to the research. For example, you might like to know more about the medieval ceiling, Bardic connections or how Virginia Woolf is connected to our church.”

Sue added: “We are fortunate to have experts on medieval carvings, stone masons, art historians, pilgrim’s experts, and church archaeologists at hand and we will be working towards creating a community project worthy of our fabulous grade I Listed building.

“T. Hughes said of St Collen’s, ‘This pell-mell vision is our own Sistine ceiling, what we got in Wales while Michelangelo was working in Rome.’

“Local people should look out for future community events where they will be able to contribute to the future of the church and see how we can create a community space for all.”

Children invited to take part in St David's Day t-shirt design comp

Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL) has announced a range of activities across the county to celebrate St David’s Day, including ‘design a t-shirt’ competition for children.

DLL is inviting young artists to participate in the contest themed around What Makes You Proud to Be Welsh, aimed at children aged 11 and under. 

The designer of the winning entry will receive four tickets for SC2 Ninja TAG, and their design will be featured on t-shirts worn by DLL fitness instructors across the county, as part of our commitment to promoting Welsh culture.

Jamie Groves, Managing Director at DLL, said: "As a Welsh business it’s important to us to celebrate our Welsh culture and this year we're thrilled to work with local children to create a t-shirt that our fitness instructors will wear to show our Welsh pride. 

"This competition not only allows children to express their unique perspectives but also provides an opportunity for children to showcase their love for Wales while celebrating St. David's Day across the month of March, and this is hugely important to us as a welsh business. The Welsh-theme specials at Café R and 1891 available for St David’s Day are delicious, it’s the perfect treat for this special day."

The t-shirt design competition invites children from across Denbighshire to unleash their creativity on a blank piece of A4 paper, expressing their perspectives on Welsh identity, culture, and heritage. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Sunday, March 10, providing ample time for budding artists to craft their masterpieces.

The winning A4 poster design, which will be featured prominently on fitness instructors' t-shirts across all DLL leisure sites and DLL premium clubs on Friday, March 22 as well as the executive team of DLL all wearing the winning design. 

* To participate, children can submit their poster designs via email to marketing@denbighshireleisure.co.uk or drop them off at the reception desk of their local DLL site. Entries should include the child's name, age, and contact information for parental consent.