Llangollen landmarks mentioned in New Zealand newspaper

* Centuries-old Llantysilio Parish Church was the "best thing" a New Zealand travel writer saw.

Two well-known Llangollen landmarks get a strong mention in a travel story which has just appeared in a New Zealand national newspaper.   

Historic Llantysilio Parish Church and Llangollen Oggie Shop & Fine Foods in Castle Street are now hitting the headlines on the other side of the world.   

The piece in the Sunday Star-Times is written by Alistair Deverick, an Auckland-based recording artist, producer and session drummer who was in the UK on a three-week holiday based around a family wedding in Edinburgh.

* The writer's picture of the Oggie Shop which he reckons sold the "best thing" he ate.

He and his wife also took the opportunity to visit Wales where he has more family connections.

In his travel article he answers a question on the best thing he saw while in the UK and says: “Very powerful for me was visiting the Llantysilio Parish Church, built circa 1254, where my grandmother Eirlys Gwyneth Morris-Jones is buried, along with her parents Dorothy and Hugh (the town doctor for 40 years) and my mum’s namesake Ailsa, her aunt, who died when she was six from tuberculosis.”

* The piece was written by New Zealand musician Alistair Deverick.

And responding to a question on the best thing he ate, he writes: “Shout out to Llangollen Oggie Shop & Fine Foods in Llangollen! We ate some of its oggies, which are a type of pasty and my god!”

 

And the best souvenirs he bought while in the UK: “A big ugly Welsh dragon coffee cup that I drink from daily.”

Be alert for holiday booking scans, warns Senedd Member

Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is backing a call to raise awareness of scams when booking holidays online. 

He is supporting a call from North Wales Police who are warning people to be aware of fraudsters when using Booking.com.

 

Mr Rowlands said: “These days more than ever we all have to be on the lookout for scammers and be especially aware of suspicious emails and messages you may receive about your holiday.

 

“It is a great shame that there are unscrupulous people out there who think nothing of targeting people who have booked their well-earned holidays and I would urge everyone to be extra vigilant.

 

“I am happy to add my voice to warn my constituents about this scam.”

 

The warning comes from Dewi Owen, North Wales Police, Cyber Crime Officer, North Wales, who says that Action Fraud is warning those using Booking.com to book their holidays or accommodation that they could be targeted with suspicious emails or messages from hotels who have had their account taken over by fraudsters.

 

Between June 2023 and September 2024, Action Fraud received 532 reports from individuals, with a total of £370,000 lost.

 

The advice is that no legitimate Booking.com transaction will ever require a customer to provide their credit card details by phone, email, or text message, including WhatsApp.

 

If you receive any urgent payment requests that require immediate attention, like a booking cancellation, immediately reach out to the Booking.com Customer Service team via the details on the official Booking.com website and/or app to confirm that the message is legitimate.

 

Any messages purporting to be from Booking.com that contain instructions to follow links and/or open/download files should be treated with caution. Again contact Booking.com directly using verified contact details to verify that the link or file is legitimate.

Putting range anxiety to the test in 'superb' Volvo EX40 EV

Volvo EX40 Ultra drive by Steve Rogers

Range anxiety. Is it a lot of fuss over nothing, or is it full on stress in an electric car?

Let’s put it to the test. I’ve got a 240-mile round trip in the EX40 with a potential range of 342 miles. Sounds good, although a full charge using my 7kW wall charger only produces 250 miles, but I’m okay with that.

It’s 6am and cold so the heating fan is needed to keep the windows demisted. Oops! Thirty miles has been wiped off the range and I haven’t left the drive. It is a common drawback with electric cars, power for the heating comes straight from the battery pack and reduces the range. 

Turn the fan off and the miles are restored. A tip to keep warm without using the heating is to turn on the heated seat and heated steering wheel which, standard on most electric cars, because they are powered from the car’s battery. A bit extreme and only necessary if desperately trying to conserve energy, a bit like driving slowly when running low on fuel.

The journey is going pretty well, the Volvo is comfortable and relaxing to drive and I have engaged adaptive cruise control with lane hold to take the stress out of a busy motorway.

At the end of stage one I have 52 per cent left so in theory I could make it home without charging but that would be barmy so I park to recharge.

Two charging points, only one working but one is enough, but I need to download an app to my phone to pay for the charge. That takes several attempts and is annoying but eventually I go about my business and return half an hour later to an 80 per cent charge and plenty of miles to get home.

This was the first time I charged an electric car away from home and was a step into the unknown. Was it stressful? Maybe a bit but like everything, the more you do it the easier it gets. The Volvo helps by locating and directing to a charging station through the navigation and will calculate how much power will be left at the end of the journey.

What of the EX? Superb pretty much sums it up. Supremely comfortable and beautifully finished which is to be expected given its price tag. The keen eyed will spot that it is a rebadged XC40 Recharge now with a closed off grille and a whole lot of electrical gubbins under the skin.

A decade ago the Swedes stunned the motoring industry with a new minimalist style and vertical touchscreen. The communication system was groundbreaking with the functions of a home computer and Smartphone but could take a week trying to work out the menus and sub files. Nothing has changed, still information overload, and still as challenging.

Relief comes in the form of the excellent voice control which will carry out all the usual needs like adjusting the heating temperature, fan speed, heated seats and steering wheel, along with radio selections and navigation destinations. Without this I would be put off from buying the car.

This is the front wheel drive single motor version, there is also an all wheel drive twin motor with crazy acceleration, but trust me this is plenty quick enough. The performance of a hot hatch but without hot hatch handling. Comfort is the key here.

The Volvo sits in the premium division and is surrounded by worthy predators but can stand its ground on performance and range, and although pricey is decent value for money given the quality and excellent level of kit. Safety is a Volvo mantra and there are plenty of driver aids to keep you on the straight and narrow.

There is room for five, just, and although the boot is not the biggest in the class is perfectly acceptable with a flat loading area, and the storage cubby under the bonnet for the bulky cables is a real bonus.

The test car even came with a towbar because the EX can haul up to 1500kg, good enough for a lightweight four berth caravan although heaven knows what that would do to the range!

Buying an electric car is daunting, especially given the high prices, and some of the money saving benefits, like zero road tax, will disappear in April making it harder for the private buyer. It is a different way of life and long journeys need a bit of planning, but ultimately there is nothing to fear.

Fast facts

EX40 Ultra extended range

£58,355 (starts £45,955)

Maximum range 342 miles

0-62mph 7.4secs; 100mph

252bhp

Battery output: 69kWh

Boot: 452 litres

Insurance group 34

Llangollen Museum re-opening soon after getting its new roof

 

* Llangollen Museum in Parade Street with its watertight new roof.

Here is the latest news from Llangollen Museum:

Hello everyone. 

The builders, Team Roundhouse, have now finished the work on the new roof and so we are watertight again, with a very slightly different looking building on the outside and a much improved Museum on the inside.

We have had grants from a number of different funders to help with the work, allowing us to improve the Museum and keep our local heritage accessible to everyone. 

Funding from the Lottery Heritage Fund, the Community Ownership Fund, the Denbighshire Key Fund, the Clocaenog Wind Farm Fund and the Welsh Government Collection Management Capital Improvement programme have helped us to not only replace the roof, but also to increase our artefact storage, along with a new environmental monitoring system, install a stairlift, improve signage, create new displays and improve our website, as well as purchasing the Museum building off Denbighshire County Council.

We will be spending February cleaning, moving the collection back into the Museum, setting up the displays and cabinets and getting ready to open again on Saturday 8th March. 

On that day, we will be having a Museum re-opening launch day event to which everyone will be welcome. The daytime on the 8th will see our first Finds Day of 2025 in the Museum. Dr Susie White, from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, will again be with us to identify objects that you have found, helping to unlock more of the secrets of the past, so please do bring along all of your finds for identification. Details will be posted on Eventbrite and on our Facebook events page.

In the evening, we will have the official re-opening event. Doors will open at 6.00pm and everyone is invited. The Llangollen Silver Band will be playing in the background as people arrive, look around and help themselves to food and drink. 6.30pm will see the official opening. Dave Crane from the Museum will say a few words about the programme and thank people. Our MP, Becky Gittins, who has been very supportive of the project, will then officially re-open the Museum, followed by a few pieces played by the Silver Band. 

Following the Silver Band, we will show the Animated Dee Valley heritage video, produced by the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB and the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site. This short film shows some of the important changes that have happened around Llangollen in the last 2,700 years, but packs it all into 7 minutes. It reminds us why keeping places like Llangollen Museum alive in our community is so important, so that future generations can find out about their past.

Then people can mingle, have some more food and drink, and look at the displays, including our re-opening display of some of the paintings and prints that are usually kept in the archive stores.

Our first talk of the year will be on March 26th, at 7.00pm, in the Museum. Graham Edwards will follow up on his fascinating talk about the Welsh in Patagonia with 'The unique friendly relationship between the Welsh settlers and the native Tehuelches tribe in Patagonia'. Without a doubt, the settlers would not have survived without the friendship of the natives, who traded with them and taught them how to hunt. The amazing thing is not one drop of blood was spilled in their relationship and the Tehuelches referred to the Welsh as "Los Amigos".

April 30th will see Dr Jack Hunter give a presentation on 'The Paranormal Ecology of the Tanat Valley'. Watch our Facebook page for the details of this talk.

Although there have been a few delays, the setting up the Llangollen Museum Young Archaeologists’ group is ongoing. we are hoping to have a full programme for 2025 in place very soon. YAC members take part in all sorts of exciting, hands-on activities, such as excavation, working with artefacts, visiting historical sites and undertaking experimental archaeology. Anyone wanting to join our mailing list for updates please email cdv.yac@gmail.com.

For all of the latest information about what is happening at the Museum, do keep an eye on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/p/Llangollen-Museum-100057657969751/. If you want to be more involved with the history of the area, and become a volunteer at the Museum, please contact our manager Gill Smith at gilliansmith2@hotmail.co.uk or on 07516 023524.

* The new museum roof from the inside.

Have your say on future of region's transport system

A public consultation has been launched giving residents, businesses and visitors the chance to shape the future of travel in the region.

And its organisers want to hear the views of people in Llangollen.

Ambition North Wales, which has responsibility for regional transport planning, strategic land use planning and enhancing economic well-being, is inviting feedback on the draft Regional Transport Plan for North Wales. 

The document sets out strategic policies and interventions for the next five years, covering all modes of transport, including rail, road, bus, walking, and cycling, and aims to provide better travel options, improve digital connectivity, and reduce environmental impacts.

The consultation represents the collective efforts and expertise of the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee, its Transport Sub-Committee and partners, including local authorities, Transport for Wales and the Welsh Government.

Councillor Goronwy Edwards, Chair of the Transport Sub-Committee, said: “This is an opportunity for people to tell us what’s important to them and how we can improve transport links across the region. Effective transport systems connect people to essential services, link businesses to employees and customers, and support a thriving economy. I urge residents to get involved and have their say.”

Councillor Dafydd Rhys Thomas, Committee Vice-chair, added: “Good transport links are vital for our communities. They reduce isolation in rural areas, improve access to services like healthcare and education, and boost local economies by attracting visitors and supporting small businesses. This is why we are keen to get as much input as possible so we can work together to create a transport network that works for everyone across the region.”

The plan aims to shape transport policy and investment up to 2030, replacing local transport plans and aligning with national priorities. It is seen as essential to ensure that North Wales meets future economic challenges, supports sustainable travel, and contributes to climate goals. 

The consultation runs until  April 14 and North Wales residents are urged not to miss the opportunity to influence the future of transport in the region by visiting: northwalesregionaltransportplan.virtual-engage.com

Council’s digital officer can help with your internet problems

Residents and businesses in Denbighshire can benefit from free advice and assistance from the Council’s Digital Officer who can find the best solution for internet issues they may be experiencing due to a slow connection. 

With an increasing number of residents using technology to work from home, and with many services, such as banking and utilities now online, it is essential that people can access a reliable service to meet their daily needs.

 

 Philip Burrows, Denbighshire’s Digital Officer. said: “Some residents have slow or unreliable internet connections, and that’s where I come in. I can help by diagnosing the problem and then work with residents to fix it, with the aim of improving the quality of their internet connection.

 

“We find that people experience a range of issues, for example, some may be fairly straightforward problems that require a tweak to their home network. However, others may have more complex issues which will need to be resolved with a third party. I can be the go-between to hopefully take the stress out of sorting these types of problems. 

"I can also advise on how to source funding to set up fibre community partnerships if there are specific communities who are all experiencing similar problems. I’m happy to advise any resident or business in Denbighshire on any topic related to their internet connection.”

 

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage, said: “Ensuring better digital networks is essential and supporting communities to achieve this is a key priority in the Council’s Corporate Plan. 

"Denbighshire is committed to helping residents to understand the options and solutions for improved internet connectivity – crucial for the digital age we live in today. I encourage anyone who is experiencing difficulties with their internet to contact Philip who will be able to advise on the best course of action.”

 

* If you’re experiencing slow internet speeds or have trouble connecting to the internet in your home, contact the Council’s Digital Officer on communitydevelopment@denbighshire.gov.uk

Pengwern February timetable and bus trips