Llangollen listed as one of UK's 10 best Christmas towns

* Magnificent seventh: Llangollen's mention in the TimeOut list.

Llangollen gets star billing in a magazine's 10 best Christmas towns in the UK.

The Denbighshire tourism attraction takes seventh place in the guide by TimeOut which also features the likes of  the royal town of Windsor in Berkshire, coastal beauty spot Mousehole in Cornwall and Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.

Llangollen is the only Welsh town to be featured in the list. 

The magazine says: "Throughout November and December many of these towns turn into something out of a Christmas movie, with everything from Shakespeare-themed candlelit walks and renowned light shows to festive railway rides and good old pantomimes on show. "

And of Llangollen it says: "Straddling the banks of the River Dee, Llangollen is a gorgeous Welsh gem well worth a winter visit – especially during its Christmas Festival, where the traditional Welsh Siôn Corn (Chimney Jack) dons his green outfit, rather than the famous red, when switching on the lights. 

"The kids will also love the Santa Special: a two-hour journey from Llangollen to Lapland (Carrog) and back including a visit and a gift from Santa. 

"Over at Llangollen Wharf, adults can enjoy a four-hour luxury Christmas afternoon tea boat ride, or even join the party boat which includes a retro buffet and a DJ playing the biggest festive hits."

The full list of 10 is:

1. Windsor, Berkshire

2. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire

3. Mousehole, Cornwall

4. Ludlow, Shropshire

5. Oban, Argyll

6. Bournville, Birmingham

7. Llangollen, Denbighshire

8. Whitby, Yorkshire

9. Chipping Campden, Cotswolds

10. Buxton, Derbyshire 

Happy St David's Day from llanblogger

llanblogger says: 

World wishes Llangollen a happy St David's Day

* Welsh folk superstars Calan, who headline the 'Wales Welcomes the World' concert at the core Llangollen Eisteddfod on July 3, are amongst those who have sent St David's Day messages.

St David's Day messages from America, Canada, China, the Czech Republic and Japan will be beamed to Llangollen at a special Gamanfa Ganu held this Sunday at St Collen’s Church. 

The messages have been sent by competitors and performers heading to Wales this summer for the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. 

The night will feature conductor Trystan Lewis and Shea Ferron of Johns’ Boys Male Chorus, as well as the celebrated Derwent Harp School. 

Others who have sent messages for the evening include Broadway star John Owen-Jones, and Welsh folk superstars Calan, both of whom will be heading to Llangollen in July to perform evening concerts during the Core Eisteddfod Week. 

Over the past few weeks, competitors have been sending in their St David’s Day messages for the event. This includes videos from dance groups, community bands, children’s choirs, a rock band, and a male voice choir. 

Vice-Chair of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod John Gambles said: "These messages will make our St David's Day Gamnfa Ganu even more special. This Sunday night, people can expect an amazing traditional Welsh evening, backed up by some tremendous performances sent in from across the World. We would like to thank everyone who sent messages for St David's Day."

The Gymanfa Ganu is an integral part of the Welsh heritage. It is a unique feature of Welsh music - a festival of sacred hymns sung by the audience in four-part harmony under the direction of a choral conductor.   

Elen Mair Roberts, a member of the Music and Staging committee, said: “We are delighted to have secured the services of Trystan Lewis. He is a very popular and highly experienced choral director, and we’re delighted that he will be leading our St David’s Day celebrations in Llangollen. If you have never been to a Gymanfa Ganu you’re in for a real treat.” 

Tickets, priced £10, are available from llangollen.net and from the Llangollen Tourist Information Centre. You can also pay on the night. Doors open at 7pm. The event will raise money for the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod charity. 

Views sought on plan for 'safer and easier' travel through Brook Street area

* The areas around Brook Street covered by the new plan.

* Action points of the proposed plan.

The views of Llangollen people are being sought on a plan to make travel through the Brook Street area of town easier and safer. 

The area is part of a route that connects residents of Gwernant and pupils of Ysgol Gymraeg y Gwernant and Ysgol Bryn Collen with shops and services in the town centre.

 

Denbighshire Council is currently working on the scheme with Sustrans Cymru and Transport for Wales with backing from the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Fund.

 

This helps Welsh councils to develop, promote, and support walking, wheeling, and cycling schemes in their area. 

In March 2023, Sustrans asked local people to tell them which parts of Brook Street work well and which don’t.   

Workshops were held with children and their parents outside school gates and at the town hall with residents. There were also online and postal surveys for people who couldn’t take part in person.  

People told Sustrans they were worried about vehicles travelling too fast, that there were too many cars at school drop-off and pick-up times that roads were difficult to cross, and that the footpaths were too narrow.     

Sustrans came up with some ideas on possible ways to fix these problems, which included:

 

·                  Timed road closures at school pick-up and drop-off times

·                  Wider footpaths

·                  Safer crossings at junctions

·                  More and better crossing points

·                  Slowing cars and other vehicles down to 20mph

 

Based on these points a plan has been developed and people are again being asked to voice their opinions on it. 

Two drop-in workshops will be held during March at which everyone is welcome to join the conversation. 

In-person Workshop 1 will be held outside the gates at Ysgol Bryn -Collen/Ysgol Gymraeg y Gwernant on Thursday March 14, from 2.30-4pm, when Sustrans and Denbighshire County Council staff will be available to talk about the project, answer questions, and collect feedback.

In-person Workshop 2 will be at Llangollen Town Hall on Thursday March 14, from 6-8pm. Again, staff will be on hand to gather feedback. 

People can also take part in an online survey, which will be available until March 28. The link to it is: Brook Street Active Travel Design Survey (jisc.ac.uk)

You can request a paper copy of the survey by emailing: Llangollen@sustrans.org.uk, or writing to Sustrans at 1 Canal Parade, Dumballs Road, Cardiff, CF10 5BF.

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