PCSO Karl says 'let me entertain you' at the Town Hall this Friday

* PCSO Karl Joseph as Robbie Williams.

Limited tickets are now available to see popular Llangollen PCSO Karl Joseph swap one type of beat for another when he takes the stage at Llangollen Town Hall this Friday.  

Karl, who last year impressed Queen front-man Adam Lambert, Canadian Superstar Shania Twain and soul sensation Beverley Knight, will be supporting a highly-acclaimed Robbie Williams tribute act endorsed by the man himself. 

The event is the latest in the Live in Llangollen Town Hall fundraising gigs to raise money for the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.  

Karl Joseph, who serves with North Wales Police, is a familiar face across Llangollen and is fondly nicknamed "the Laughing Policeman".  

As well as providing a reassuring police presence on his beat in Llangollen he also loves to knock out the odd song.  

This time last year he appeared on ITV’s Starstruck with his own tribute to Robbie Williams.  

Karl cites his influences as Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and many of today's Country Music stars.  

He is also a massive fan of Bryan Adams, who will himself be singing at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Tuesday June 18.

Karl said: “I can’t wait to take the stage at our splendid Town Hall this Friday. I love my job patrolling the streets of Llangollen but anyone who knows me will tell you how passionate I am about performing.  

"That’s why swapping to the Town Hall stage from the streets of Llangollen is so great. I’ll be performing a mixture of Rock, Country, Pop and Indie songs, from the 70's through to modern songs. I can’t wait to entertain you.” 

Also performing will be Mike Andrews - “Robbie To the MAX’ – a highly acclaimed tribute act.  

Mike, from Denbigh, is one of the most accurate Robbie tributes currently available in the UK and is the only one in the world to be endorsed by Robbie Williams.

The show covers all of Robbie’s hits, starting off with some of his earlier hits like as Let Me Entertain You and Millennium and continuing all the way through to his more recent hits such as Love My Life, Candy and many more. 

Robbie to the MAX with support from Karl Joseph is on Friday, April 19 from 7.30pm.   

* Tickets priced £10 are available from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre on Regent Street, Llangollen or from https://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/events/live-april/ Please use promo code LIVE24 to remove the booking fee.  

Limited tickets will be available on the door on the night.

Clerk outlines implications of town council taking over public toilets

Town councillors are being advised by their clerk to give careful consideration to all the implications of taking over Llangollen’s public toilets in Market Street before making any decision on the issue.

Denbighshire County Council plans to divest itself of almost all its public conveniences - including the one in Market Street - to help balance its budget.

This has so far sparked a storm of local protest, with the area's Senedd Member Ken Skates, North Wales Tourism SEO Jim Jones and former GP Dr Rhys Davies among those backing the fight to save the toilets.

County chiefs are hoping that the running of some of the toilets can be taken over by town or community councils.

And Llangollen Town Council is due to discuss the issue at its monthly meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) evening.

In a report to members, town clerk Gareth Thomas says: “The Town Council must be cognisant of the financial implications that transfer of the facilities as initial figures indicate that the current public conveniences run at a loss in excess of £23,000.

“Should the Town Council be minded to consider an asset transfer then clearly these costs would have to be passed on to the precept and would put additional pressure on local council taxpayers in that there would not be any reciprocal saving reflected in the County Council’s charges.”

Mr Thomas suggests councillors pay particular attention to the position regarding the existing three staff, and whether legislation that protects employees, and their benefits when their employment changes hands would apply.

He adds: “These factors would have to be clearly defined as there would be considerable implications of taking on staff contracts and responsibilities, including training, management, and compliance with employment regulations and pension arrangements.

“In relation to the regular maintenance and management of the building structure a complete breakdown of all the current and historical operating costs will be required to provide a detailed analysis of the projected costs necessary to determine the budget required for ongoing maintenance and operation.

“The decision to agree to an asset transfer of the public toilets in Llangollen requires careful consideration of various factors, including financial viability, operational implications, community impact, legal and regulatory compliance, and long-term planning for the management and maintenance of the public toilets, considering factors such as population growth, changing demographics, and evolving community needs.”

And in his recommendation he says: “If Members are minded to consider the transfer of this asset to the Town Council, they authorises the Town Clerk to contact the County Council’s Principal Catering and Cleaning Manager to enter into an open exchange of information, as outlined in this report, for future consideration by the Town Council.”

Tomorrow’s town council meeting is online at https://msteams.link/G7VO and starts at 6pm.

* Meanwhile, organisers of the popular Old Railway Trail parkrun have written to county council chief executive Graham Boase outlining the impact on its runners if the toilets are lost.     

Co-event directors Dr Michael Clarke and Mike Edwards say in their email: “Our parkrun has taken place since the 17th June, 2023 and last Saturday’s was our 43rd event since we launched.

“We regularly get a hundred or so runners attending (105 last Saturday) and at our launch event we had 249 attendees.

“So as Event Directors Michael Clarke and I together with our Core Team of Volunteers are extremely concerned about the proposal to possibly close the Public Conveniences in Llangollen. 

“You will appreciate that participants attending our Community Event need to use toilet facilities. We currently direct them to park and use Denbighshire Council’s available facilities at Market Street. 

“We would therefore ask you to ensure the Council are aware of our concern about this proposal and it’s likely impact on an extremely important Community Event which enhances the health and wellbeing of participants whether they are local volunteers, walkers, joggers or runners from wherever they visit.”

Graham Boase replied: "Thank you for your email and for the excellent work you and colleagues do in regard to the parkrun in Llangollen.  I’m also glad to hear that you receive excellent support from Dave Shield and our Countryside Team. 

"I understand your concerns regarding the potential closure of the public conveniences in Llangollen.  I can confirm that no decision has, as yet, been taken as we are still considering all options.

"I have forwarded your email to Paul Jackson the relevant senior manager regarding this matter."

Chester Archaeological Society visit St Collen's

A team from Chester Archaeological Society visited St Collen's last week to hear about the Genesis Project to re-order the ancient church and bringing its facilities into the 21st century. 

The group, who were shown around by project leader Sue Evans, was led by Dr Pauline Clarke. 

This was the latest in a series of visits by experts who are offering valuable help and advice on how the project should proceed. 

County has 'moral obligation' to provide town's public toilets, says former GP

* Dr Rhys Davies opposes the loss of the town's public toilets.

A respected former Llangollen GP is backing the growing campaign to save the town's under-threat public toilets.

Dr Rhys Davies, who was based at Llangollen Health Centre before his retirement, has declared his opposition to the proposal by the county council to divest itself of almost all its public conveniences - including the one in Market Street - to help balance its budget.

He says they have a "moral obligation" to provide them.

The plan has so far sparked a storm of local protest, with the area's Senedd Member Ken Skates and North Wales Tourism SEO Jim Jones backing the fight to save the toilets.

County chiefs are hoping that the running of some of the toilets can be taken over by town or community councils. But early indications are that Llangollen Town Council is not in a financial position to do so. However, its members are due to discuss the issue at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Dr Davies, who is also a former chairman of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, has written to llanblogger to make his opinion known.     

He says: "I write to support the objections to the potential closure of the public toilets on Market St in Llangollen. I write as a previous GP in the town and district for 30 years and also as a long term resident. 

"Although DCC don't have a legal obligation to provide public conveniences in Llangollen there certainly is a moral obligation. Public conveniences have been provided here for many years and they are essential for a tourist town the size of Llangollen. 

"I would have thought that the remuneration from the Smithfield car park would more than finance the current public conveniences. Also, the money received by DCC to reflect the number of visitors we have to Llangollen should be reinvested in the town and would also contribute.  

"If the town council were to take over the running of the conveniences they should receive all the remuneration mentioned, but is it fair that they take over responsibility for parking also? 

"The idea of paying pubs,  restaurants, take a ways etc to allow the public to use their services is a non starter. We are not a city centre and there simply aren't enough places in Llangollen to accommodate people requiring conveniences especially those with disabilities and wheelchair users? Also when buses full of tourists arrive, often earlier in the morning, very few places are open . There is nowhere that could cope with a bus load of elderly visitors needing conveniences. As a result bus companies won't come to Llangollen and so there will be a significant loss of business. 

"Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is an about to have its largest festival for years, such a move by DCC would be a retrograde step.  

"Many people, residents and visitors included, have urinary problems especially prostatic in males with urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence along with urinary frequency and incontinence in females. We mustn't forget those with colostomies, ileostomies and urostomies who all need access to suitable conveniences to manage for their condition. 

"In a civilised society it is essential that all are treated with respect and provided with conveniences when needed. Closure of the public conveniences in Llangollen by DCC as a cost saving exercise doesn't make sense, the loss of business to Llangollen would be far greater along with the loss of respect from residents and visitors a PR disaster! 

"I am happy for this email to be shared with DCC and all interested parties."

Roadworks alert for Grange Road

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Grange Road, Llangollen, Denbighshire 15 April - 07 May   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Diversion   Location: Grange Road   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned

Countryside team is looking for volunteer rangers

* Volunteer Rangers inspire local people and visitors to help protect the Dee Valley.  

The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is looking for Volunteer Rangers who would like to help the team take care of the southern end of the designated landscape.

The Dee Valley is an iconic area of truly outstanding scenery, rich in cultural and industrial heritage. 

AONB says that as a volunteer ranger, you can become one of its ambassadors, share your love and knowledge of this area and inspire local people and visitors alike to help protect what makes the valley so special.

Volunteer Rangers will primarily be based at two of the most popular sites in the area - Castell Dinas Brân, the ancient hill fort which overlooks Llangollen, and Horseshoe Falls, Thomas Telford’s masterpiece and starting point for the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site.

They will be provided with branded uniform and will meet and engage with members of the public, sharing information and answering questions.

Volunteers are being sought to help the AONB Ranger team at their busiest times, so they are looking for people who can commit to at least a couple of days a month, either on weekends or week days during school holidays. All new Volunteer Rangers will receive training prior to starting in their roles.

Councillor Win Mullen James, Denbighshire Cabinet Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity as getting outdoors and experiencing our amazing environment around the Dee Valley can be really beneficial for helping individual physical and mental health.

"It’s also very important work to protect the nature in the Dee Valley to help preserve the area for people to continue to visit and enjoy and I encourage those who love where they live around this amazing part of the world to take up this opportunity.”

The role is open to anyone over the age of 18, no previous experience required but a love of the landscape is essential! If you are interested in joining the team we will be holding an information session about the roles on the evening of Tuesday April 23. To book your place please contact Hannah Law Hannah.law@denbighshire.gov.uk. The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday April 19.

The Communities and Nature Programme has received £292,772 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Silver Band's spring concert is tomorrow evening

Llangollen Silver Band has its inaugural Spring Concert at the Methodist Church tomorrow night (Friday), starting at 7.30pm.

If anyone  - of any age - is interested in joining the band or learning an instrument this is your chance to come along and chat with conductor Mia Thomas.