St Collen's knocks down a £1,100 bargain from its auction night

* Auctioneer Andrew Conde wields the gavel.

St Collen's church funds will benefit by over £1,100 from an evening featuring an auction of promises and entertainment held in the Community Hall yesterday (Friday) evening.

Almost £600 was raised from the auction itself, professionally run by Andrew Conde, which featured lots including a Wild Pheasant spar for two voucher, Llangollen Eisteddfod tickets, a £25 voucher for the market fish stall, tickets for the Twenty Club performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, a Llangollen Golf Club 4 Ball voucher, a Fouzi’s £20 voucher and Sunday lunch for two at The Hand Hotel.

They were all donated by local businesses and individual supporters of the church and were knocked down to considerably more than their guide prices. 

The evening also featured the serving of cheese and wine plus a raffle and other games. 

Entertainment included musical selections from local old time music hall performer Phil Robinson of the Collen Players and soloist Angharad Watts, both accompanied on the piano by Owen Roberts. 

The event was organised by church members, a large team of whom helped behind the scenes to make the evening a success.

* The audience waits for the next lot to come up during the auction.

* Angharad Watts performs her songs.

* Phil Robinson goes through his music hall routine.

County council issues advice following yellow weather warning

Denbighshire County Council has issued advice to residents and businesses following the yellow weather warning for high winds this weekend issued by the Met Office.

The warning says:

Between 06:00 (UTC) on Sun 23 Feb 2025 and 18:00 (UTC) on Sun 23 Feb 2025

 

Headline Strong winds may lead to some disruption on Sunday.

What to expect

• Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely
• Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer
• Some short term loss of power and other services is possible
• Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely

Denbighshire says:

DCC has resources on standby throughout the warning period to respond to any weather-related incidents should they arise.

Further updates will be provided if deemed necessary.

Please report any issues to our Customer Service Team between 8:30am – 5pm Monday to Friday, by:

1) email to customerservice@denbighshire.gov.uk

2) telephone 01824 706000

3) visit in person a One Stop Shop.

4) use an online web form, available on Denbighshire’s website:

www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/online-forms/online-forms.aspx

In the event of any emergency situation requiring an immediate response, contact should be made directly via the out of hours contact centre between 5pm – 8:30am including weekends on 0300 123 3068.

 

Old Vic residents help create positive change for older people

* Old Vicarage owner and manager Bethan Mascarenhas. Image: Ceidiog PR.

The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales visited Llangollen to meet with residents at the Old Vicarage Care Home and hear from them about the action she should take to deliver positive change for older people.

They told Rhian Bowen-Davies that the care and support provided there, which is focused on people’s individual needs rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach made them feel valued and safe, and that the wide range of activities on offer gave them something to look forward to every day, an important part of having a good quality of life.

The experiences, views and ideas shared by older people will be used to shape the Commissioner’s upcoming Strategy and Work Plan as well as her ongoing work to improve policy and practice.

The visit to Llangollen was part of a wider series of visits to meet with older people across Wales where the Commissioner and her team will be hearing directly from older people about the action they should deliver and the key issues they should focus on, with visits to every local authority in Wales planned in the weeks ahead.

As well as providing residential and respite care, the Old Vicarage also supports older people living with dementia, and its owner and manager Bethan Mascarenhas recently won a top award for her outstanding commitment to her work, having become one of the youngest care home owners in Wales shortly before the pandemic.

The Commissioner said: "It was great to be back in north Wales to meet with older people living in the Old Vicarage and learn more from them about the ways we can support care home residents to have the best possible quality of life.

“The Old Vicarage challenges expectations about what life in a care home can be like, and it was really positive to see how happy and safe the older people I spoke with felt living in the home.

“The experiences shared will help me develop my upcoming Strategy and Work Programme, which will have older people’s voices at its heart.”

Alongside travelling throughout Wales to speak directly with older people, the Commissioner is also inviting older people to share their experiences in writing by completing a short questionnaire.

She added: "I want to hear from as many older people as possible, from a wide range of different backgrounds and communities, so please do make your voice heard by completing my questionnaire if you can and help deliver positive change for older people.”

Sir Karl Jenkins to conduct Llangollen concert for UN's 80th anniversary

* Sir Karl Jenkins. Picture by Rhys Frampton.

Sir Karl Jenkins will be conducting a landmark concert at this year’s Llangollen International Eisteddfod to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. 

The concert, Uniting Nations: One World, will bring together voices from across the globe, including WorldChoir, London’s Covent Garden Chorus, and some of the Eisteddfod’s visiting international choirs.

The centrepiece of the evening will be a performance of Karl Jenkins’ masterpiece One World, a large-scale choral work for soloists, choir and orchestra, which heralds a vision of a peaceful and egalitarian planet that treats nature and ecological issues with respect and where human rights are universal. 

It reflects his passion for bringing people together through the universal power of music, promoting a message of peace and understanding across cultures.

A stellar line-up of soloists will include two previous winners of the Eisteddfod’s Pendine International Voice of the Future competition, both of whom have continued into flourishing professional careers, the Singaporean soprano Shimona Rose and the Welsh mezzo-soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies.

The first half of the concert will feature the world premiere of a new version of the Peace Child story, ahead of subsequent performances at the Ljubljana Festival in Slovenia, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on UN Day.

Dave Danford, Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Sir Karl Jenkins back to Llangollen this summer to conduct this special performance of One World. 

"This is a concert that encapsulates the very ethos of both our Eisteddfod and the United Nations, bringing people from different nations and cultures together in an optimistic celebration of unity.”

Llangollen International Eisteddfod takes place from July 8-13 2025 and features headline concerts from The Who legend Roger Daltrey, KT Tunstall, Il Divo and Bryn Terfel with Fisherman's Friends. Tickets are available from llangollen.net

Update given on A5 traffic disruption

Traffic Wales has issued an update on work which is disrupting traffic on the A5 in Llangollen. 

* To see the full story in Leaderlive, go to: Update on work causing traffic disruption at A5 Llangollen | The Leader

Denbighshire is 'well-run and effective' says independent report

Denbighshire County Council is well run, exercises its functions effectively and acknowledges the challenges it has recently faced.

That's the positive verdict of the Panel Performance Assessment - a snapshot of how the authority is being run - approved by its Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday). 

The assessment, the first to be carried out in Wales, was held last September when a panel of independent experts evaluated key areas of the council’s performance.

 

It is a Welsh Government requirement that this evaluation is carried out every five years.

The panel interviewed Cabinet members, councillors, staff and a range of partners and in its findings concluded that overall, given the current context of significant demand and financial pressures, Denbighshire is a well-run council with key areas of strengths and innovation.

The report concluded that overall it exercises its functions effectively and also acknowledges the challenges it has recently faced. 

It also said the council has clear process in place to manage resources economically and efficiently and has navigated a decade of local government austerity well while protecting front line services where possible.

 

It found there are positive working relationships between staff and members and recognition among staff of the council’s ethos.  

Staff also demonstrated a "strong sense of pride in working for the authority" and showed a real commitment to making a difference to communities and a willingness to support staff from other council service areas when needed.

 

The panel noted areas of good practice and innovation, including a high degree of integration across social services and education and good engagement with staff and members and the Member Area Groups whereby members and officers meet in designated wards across the county to discuss residents’ local priorities and local impact issues.

Denbighshire’s Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, Councillor Gwyneth Ellis, said: “The positive report is a reflection of staff’s efforts and commitment to the people of Denbighshire.

 

“As a council we welcomed the opportunity to participate and we have appreciated being given the chance to test ideas with impartial expert peers who can provide alternative perspectives. Having drawn up an action plan based on the recommendations, the Council will now work towards achieving these.”

 

Cabinet has recommended the report to council for approval to take forward action on key areas for improvement identified. 

* The full report can be found on the following link https://tinyurl.com/mr46f9k2

Ken Skates announces move from his Clwyd South seat after 14 years

* Ken Skates MS.

Ken Skates has said a fond farewell to the local constituency he has served on the Welsh Government for almost 14 years.

Large-scale boundary revisions mean that the next Senedd election in 2026 will be fought on a completely new electoral map under which his Clwyd South seat – including Llangollen – is due to disappear.

Welsh Labour member Mr Skates, who has his constituency office at the Malthouse on Regent Street, has therefore  announced his intention to seek selection for the neighbouring Wrexham constituency.

But the politician, who serves as Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, stresses he will continue to "give his all" to Clwyd South until the changes take place.

He said: “It has been the honour of my life to serve the people of Clwyd South since 2011, and I will be extremely sad to say goodbye to the communities and constituents I have worked alongside for more than a decade when the constituency ceases to exist next year. 

“I was born in Wrexham and studied for my NVQ in Wrexham. The city and county borough are a huge part of my life. I want to continue fighting for the interests of the area, and will be seeking selection to represent Wrexham. 

“I hope to be given the opportunity to help Wrexham continue on its upward trajectory and deliver for its communities, many of which I have represented as MS for Clwyd South. 

“In the meantime, and whatever else happens, I will continue to give my all to Clwyd South as I have done every day since May 2011. There are still a number of key priorities I want to see through, and I will do my utmost to help deliver them for local communities.” 

Under latest proposals announced by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) last year the country would be split into 16 large constituencies instead of the present 40 smaller ones. 

Ninety-six members, rather than the present 60, would represent each constituency, with six being elected in each one. 

Everyone of 16+ will now have one vote, choosing a political party or independent candidate. 

The DBCC proposes the new constituency to which Llangollen would belong should be called simply Clwyd and based around the new Clwyd East and the Clwyd North parliamentary seats. 

The new Wrexham constituency which Mr Skates aims to represent would be called Fflint Wrecsam and combine the present Alyn and Deeside and the Wrexham constituencies. 

The Commission will publish its final decisions report at the end of this March.