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

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.”