North Wales Tourism chief 'feels pain' over public toilets threat

* Jim Jones, CEO of North Wales Tourism.

The region’s tourism boss says he can “feel the pain” of Llangollen’s residents and businesses at the prospect of losing the town's public toilets.

Denbighshire County Council is proposing to rid itself of most of the county’s 20 public conveniences in a bid to ease its under-pressure budget to the tune of around £200,000 a year.

Pointing out that it doesn’t have a legal duty to provide toilets, it has suggested that they could be taken over by town and community councils. It is also aiming to promote a scheme under which businesses are paid a small sum each year to allow the public to use their toilets.

The proposal’s affect on the public loos in Market Street has sparked a barrage of angry criticism on social media and campaigns to protect them.

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates has already expressed his support for saving the toilets by writing to council chief executive Graham Boase to request the authority takes another look at the proposal.

One of the campaign groups fighting the move is a group of concerned residents including Phil Robinson, editor of llanblogger.

On Thursday they were in touch with Jim Jones, CEO of influential industry champion North Wales Tourism, who expressed his concern over the proposal and immediately contacted county chief executive Graham Boase to seek a meeting to discuss the impact it would have on areas of the county heavily dependent on tourism such as Llangollen and the coastal resorts.

Mr Jones told llanblogger: “I can feel your pain. Public toilets have been an issue across the whole of north Wales for some time.

“We’ve made massive efforts to have more investment put into our toilets but with this proposal the council have got their priorities wrong as they are needed by tourists and tourism is the biggest contributor to the economy in areas like Llangollen.

“Every local authority in north Wales gets an Enhanced Population Grant which means that the more visitors they get, the more money they receive. They are supposed to put that money into their infrastructure which would help encourage tourism, such as signage, tourist information centres and toilets, but they don’t. If it was used in this way they wouldn’t be considering closing public toilets.

“The question is, with its many thousands of visitors each year, what does Denbighshire do with the money it gets from the Enhanced Population Grant?”

Mr Jones added: “I have written to Graham Boase, CEO of Denbighshire County Council requesting a meeting with him at which I will stress the importance of public toilets to places like Llangollen.”

Mr Jones has promised to keep llanblogger posted on the outcome of that meeting. 

Churches Together mark Good Friday in town square

Cytun - Churches Together in Llangollen - gathered in Centenary Square at lunchtime today for prayers and hymns marking Good Friday. 

Rotary to host Easter event at Town Hall tomorrow

Vale of Llangollen Rotary are holding an Easter Table Top Sale and Climate Change Consultation tomorrow  (Saturday) at the Town Hall from 10am-4pm.

A Rotary spokesperson said: "Grab yourself a bargain along with homemade cakes and bakes. 

"We are raising money for our local charities and good causes. If you have any items to donate please message our Facebook page. 

"We are looking for ornaments, CDs, clothing, books, household items, decorative items and much more.

"You will also be able to discuss your thoughts on climate change."

The event will also feature a raffle, with prizes including Harry Wilson-signed football boots, two-course meal for two at the Corn Mill, and a large Lindt Easter egg. plus an Easter tombola and a competition to guess the number of mini eggs in a jar.

"Why not join us and help us raise money for Llangollen Food Share, Welsh Air Ambulance and Shelter Box."

Wardens explain the need for parking charges at Wenffrwd

* Walking through the popular Wenffrwd Nature Reserve.

Clwydian Range & Dee Valley AONB wardens have sent a message to the public about new parking charges at a popular beauty spot.

They say: "We are delighted that Wenffrwd Nature Reserve continues to develop, both as a special place for wildlife and also as a popular site to welcome so many visitors.

"Managing Wenffrwd comes at a cost, which is a challenge. To maintain the operating costs and to enhance opportunities for wildlife to flourish here, we have had to introduce car parking charges.

"These charges will be structured to support short-term usage, such as for dog walkers.

"Tariffs will be set at £1.00 for up to 2 hours and £4.00 for all day parking and will come into effect from 1st May 2024.

"In addition, annual parking permits, valid for both Wenffrwd Nature Reserve and Llantysilio Green will be available from the Tea Rooms, Plas Newydd. This will be priced at £30.00 making it cost effective for our regular visitors.

"We hope visitors will continue to enjoy this fantastic site and use it to access the World Heritage Site and wider landscape." 

Roadworks alerts from Denbighshire County Council

Latest local roadworks alerts from Denbighshire County Council are:

JUNCTION OF CHAPEL STREET TO S/O NO.1 OAK STREET 29/04/2024 14/05/2024 Gwaith Nwy / Gas Works WALES & WEST (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

OUTSIDE GER Y NANT HALL STREET 08/04/2024 10/04/2024 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY (DANIEL) LLANGOLLEN

JUNC BACHE MILL ROAD - JUNC REGENT STREET BUTLERS HILL 25/03/2024 12/04/2024 Gwaith Nwy / Gas Works WALES & WEST UTILITIES (A LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

 JUNC BACHE MILL ROAD - O/S GRANGE LODGE GRANGE ROAD 15/04/2024 07/05/2024 Gwaith Nwy / Gas Works WALES & WEST (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

JUNCTION OF HILL STREET VICARAGE ROAD 06/05/2024 08/05/2024 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works WALES & WEST UTILITIES

AT JUNCTION WITH BERWYN STREET MARKET STREET 08/04/2024 10/04/2024 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY

World's best young singers line up for top Eisteddfod prize

* Tenor Zihua Zhang, from China, winner of the 2023 Pendine International Voice of the Future competition at Llangollen Eisteddfod. Picture by Rick Matthews

Twenty-eight of the world’s best young singers are vying for a prestigious international prize at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Competitors from as far afield as Australia, India, China, Singapore and the USA are aiming to win the  Pendine International Voice of the Future competition at the festival.

Organisers say they’re delighted by the exceptional standard of entries in the Pendine competition, sponsored by the Pendine Park care group via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) which supports arts and community activities.

The final will take place on Saturday, July 6,  and the winner will be presented with the Pendine Trophy, a solid silver salver, and a cheque for £3,000 as well as having the opportunity to perform in concerts at the Eisteddfod and other venues. Meanwhile, the runner up will receive £1,500.

Since it started in 2013, the contest has become one of the Eisteddfod's major highlights and Dave Danford, the festival's recently appointed Artistic Director, said the aim was to advance the careers of the world's most gifted young singers.

He said: "We have received 28 entries from all over the world. We've got people from Australia, India, China, the USA, Singapore, Germany as well as entrants from Wales, England and Ireland. It looks like a really good field.

"The competition provides an excellent stepping stone to a professional career for young singers.”

Last year's winner was tenor Zihua Zhang from China, who surprisingly only took up singing in his late teens, having started his music career playing clarinet.

After winning the prize, he said: "The Pendine International Voice of the Future prize will be a big help in furthering my musical ambitions.

“It means I won’t have to survive on meal deals anymore! But seriously, it is so good to have that extra financial boost behind me.

“It’s certainly been an honour and a fantastic experience to compete in Wales at Llangollen. The International Eisteddfod is well known and respected in China, and it’s been unforgettable for me just to be here, never mind win.”

During the next few weeks a selection panel will consider the entries and choose the singers who will take part in this year's competition. Each entrant has provided an MP3 audio recording or a link to a video.

Competitors, who are aged over 19 on the first day of the competition, are required to perform a contrasting programme of up to seven minutes in length for their preliminary round and up to 10 minutes for the final. The programmes should include works from oratorio, opera, lieder or song and be sung in the original language.

Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said: "The standard of the competitors in years past has been absolutely phenomenal and I have no doubt it will be just as incredibly high again this year.

"I wish all the young singers the very best of luck in this year's Pendine International Voice of the Future competition.

“It  chimes perfectly with our ethos at Pendine Park because the arts in general and music in particular provide the golden thread running through everything we do to enrich the lives of our residents and staff alike.”

Looking forward to this year's Eisteddfod, Dave Danford added: "The concert programme is looking great, with Tom Jones kicking things off on the Tuesday evening and Gregory Porter and Katherine Jenkins featuring in concerts later in the week.

"On Wednesday evening our Wales Welcomes the World concert will feature leading Welsh folk band Calan, Johns’ Boys Male Chorus who are based in Rhosllannerchrugog and who have previously won the Choir of the World competition, and Royal Harpist Alis Huws. All of them will be performing with an orchestra.

"There will be a musical theatre evening on the Thursday featuring John Owen-Jones and Kerry Ellis. They are two of the biggest musical theatre stars in the West End and Broadway. A real spread of things really but it's really important to us to make sure the main Eisteddfod week remains protected. Our programme this year has all the aspects our usual audience expect and one thing we're doing is bringing the finals of some of our competitions into the evening concerts.

"During the Wales Welcomes the World concert, we'll have the final of our Youth Choir competition and similarly on the Thursday we'll have the final of the Voice of Musical Theatre competition. People coming just to see the concerts will get a flavour of the Eisteddfod itself which is really important to us. 

"This year's Eisteddfod feels like we're back to our best after the troubles with the Covid-19 pandemic which caused the Eisteddfod to be halted for two years. We've gone all out with the programme this year, made sure the field is as vibrant as possible with the outside stages, and we've more international competitors than before Covid."

* For tickets or for more on Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and its competitions and concerts go to www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk or check out www.facebook.com/llangollen

Llangollen canal walk raises £18,000 for children's hospices

Hundreds of walkers put their best foot forward and took on the 10-mile Llangollen Canal Walk last weekend to raise a massive £18,000 for Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith children’s hospices.

The walk started at the recently reopened Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on Sunday where hikers strode across the world-famous structure and along canal all the way to The Poachers pub at Chirk for refreshments before heading back to receive their special medals.

The event was sponsored by the Principality Building Society and there was a team of volunteer marshals on the day from the Llangollen, Wrexham and Erddig Rotary Clubs.

Vicky Bradbeer, fundraiser, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our amazing supporters who have joined us on our Llangollen Canal Walk, raising £18,000 so far with more money still coming in.

“This money will be supporting seriously ill local children and their families, and without this fantastic support we simply wouldn’t be able to be here for those that need us the most.

“A huge thank you also to our super team of volunteers and our event sponsors Principality Building Society who have helped make this such a great event.”

James Harper, Social Impact Manager at Principality Building Society, said: “We were delighted to sponsor the Llangollen Canal Walk for a second consecutive year as part of our ongoing charity partnership with Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith.

“It was wonderful to welcome all of the Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith supporters again this year and we cannot thank them enough for all the support.”

* If you have been inspired to take part in an event or fundraiser for the charity, visit www.hopehouse.org.uk for inspiration and ideas on how you can get involved.