Major drive aims to persuade tourists to use public transport

A major drive has been launched to persuade tourists to use public transport when visiting North Wales.

The campaign, initiated by North Wales Tourism, aims to promote green tourism by reducing the number of cars on the roads and alleviating overcrowding at popular hotspots during peak periods.

It targets travellers from major cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Cardiff, encouraging them to use trains operated by Transport for Wales (TfW) and Avanti West Coast.

The initiative is linked with bus routes run by the long-distance TrawsCymru network and the book-a-ride fflecsi bus service along more local routes.

The goal is to provide a seamless service, allowing visitors to reach their final destinations without the need to drive.

Among the bus services connecting with the rail network will be those operating from Wrexham, Prestatyn, Betws y Coed, Pwllheli, Blaenau Ffestiniog, and Barmouth.

Jim Jones, the chief executive of North Wales Tourism, said: "We want to help people escape the city and discover the natural beauty of North Wales.

"After they’ve arrived by train, our visitors can unlock the real treasures of North Wales by bus, cycling, or walking."

He added: "The idea is that we attract more visitors to North Wales whilst reducing the number of cars on the road to leverage all the benefits that brings in terms of the environment.

"It makes a lot of sense in every way – this is eco-tourism in action and that’s a growth area at the moment.

"More and more people want to do things in a sustainable way."

The campaign involves extensive social media activity, posters at certain stations on the rail network, and competitions.

It also includes data collection about rail travel into Wales.

Mr Jones said: "We’ve all seen the pictures of car parks overflowing at tourism hotspots during peak periods and this will help address that issue.

"We want to flag up how easy it can be to travel by rail so they can literally let the train take the strain with the help of the TrawsCymru and fflecsi bus services.

"Once people get here, there is just an incredible amount of things for visitors to see and do."

Nick Smith, regional growth manager at Avanti West Coast, said: "This campaign highlights how easy it is to combine train and bus on a seamless journey, unlocking new destinations for visitors."

Lee Robinson, executive director for regional transport and integration at TfW, said: "North Wales has some of the UK's best destinations, many of which are within easy reach of public transport, making it an affordable and comfortable way to see some of the country's best scenery and attractions."

The cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: "North Wales includes some stunning places to visit.

"It understandably attracts thousands of visitors who want to enjoy the amazing scenery and activities.

"It’s great to see TfW and Avanti West Coast linking up with TrawsCymru and Flecsi to provide reliable and interconnected bus and rail services that allow tourists to explore this beautiful part of our landscape in a convenient and sustainable way."

Cefn people want to cash in on aqueduct's tourist boom

Cefn Mawr, a former industrial community located within a World Heritage Site, is seeking to benefit from the area's booming tourism industry. 

Despite being a stone's throw away from the increasingly popular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, people living in the historic village say they feel overlooked.

* For the full story, see Wales Online at: 'Forgotten' Welsh village wants to cash in on tourism boom at world-famous aqueduct - Wales Online 

Special Lenten events planned by Churches Together

Cytun (Churches Together) in Llangollen has a number of special activities planned for the Lenten period.

These begin next Tuesday March 4 with a Pancakes for All event at St Collen's Community Hall off Regent Street from 3pm.

Cytun says: "All are welcome - come in after school."

World Day of Prayer will be celebrated at St Collen's Church on Friday March 7, at 11am.

This year's event comes from the Cook Islands of the Pacific Ocean.

"We will learn something of this special place. All are welcome. Please join us for soup and refreshments afterwards at Holy Cross RC Church," says Cytun.

The annual Lenten Soup Kitchen will be based at Holy Cross Church rooms for the six Fridays during Lent, starting on Friday March 7, from 12noon to 1.30pm, in aid of Christian Aid. Enter is via the RC Church in Oak Street , along the alleyway next to the butchers. 

Cytun said: "You are welcome to join us in all these events and at all our many church services and activities in Llangollen."

MS 'extremely concerned' for North Wales tourism industry

* Llangollen is one of North Wales's key tourist destinations.

Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is backing a protest to raise awareness of the controversial new tourist tax. 

He fears introducing the proposed visitor levy will seriously impact businesses in North East Wales and is supporting the Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions (WAVA) who are protesting on March 1, St David’s Day, with a number of attractions set to close for the day. 

 

Last November the Welsh Government said they planned to introduce a levy of £1.25 per night for people staying in commercially-let overnight visitor accommodation from 2027.

 

Mr Rowlands, Chairman of the Cross-Party Group on Tourism, is totally against the tax and has continually expressed concern for the future of tourism in his region if it goes ahead.

 

He said: “The whole situation is becoming very serious and my heart goes out to anyone involved in the tourism industry in North Wales as it is not getting the support it should.

 

“The Welsh Government is quite clearly not interested in helping to promote and expand our tourist industry.

 

“First of all they introduced the crippling 182-day threshold for holiday lets, which will force many self-catering businesses to close, then came the disastrous 20mph default speed limit and now they have the tourism tax to look forward to.

 

“I think the action by the WAVA speaks for itself and just shows how worried businesses are in North Wales. 

 

“It is a real shame that WAVA members believe the only way to highlight their growing concerns and to get their message across is to close their businesses on a day at the weekend.

 

“ I remain extremely concerned over this constant war on the tourism industry. It is high time they and everyone who works in this sector were supported by the Welsh Government.

 

“Tourism is big business in North Wales but the Welsh Government policies are seriously impacting the industry and I really do fear for the future.”

 

Customers love clever Suzuki with its own voice

Suzuki Vitara drive by Steve Rogers

Clever car this Vitara. Not only does it get you from A to B but gives the sort of caring advice you get from your mum.

I had only been driving 15 minutes when a message popped up saying I was ‘looking drowsy and should take a rest’. Thoughtful.

I had just come off a windy golf course and was feeling as fresh as a daisy but Vitara has a new driver monitoring system that keeps an eye on your eyes and lets you know if you're not looking dead ahead. A little on the over sensitive side but it must have worked because I never got the message again.

Vitara, now in its 37th year, is still going strong although its role switched from big off roader to small SUV a decade ago, plunging Vitara into a hornets nest of crossovers, trying to keep pace rather than jumping to the head of the pack.

In that time nothing much has happened to Vitara. Suzuki would say there is nothing to fix and that is true when it comes to reliability. Customers love it and keep coming back.

This year’s refresh concentrated on new technology and additional safety with lane assist, speed control, driver monitoring and an emergency call button standard on Motion and Ultra models. Braking the car to a stop, if the driver doesn’t, in the event of a collision with vehicle or people has been sharpened with improved reaction at night.

A restyled grille and bumper is the main change to the body but the significant improvements are in the cabin with a new media centre and larger nine inch screen. Response time is fast enough and takes no time getting to grips with it. Heating control buttons are neatly laid out below the screen.

On the surface everything sounds fine but there is no getting away from the fact that the layout is dated. While rivals have a digital driver’s binnacle, Vitara has old school dials. There are a couple of pencil-like prodders to select various pieces of car information displayed between the speedo and rev counter which also houses a digital speed readout but that disappears when scrolling through the menu.

Yet you can’t help liking and admiring Vitara whose appeal lies in its simplicity. Get behind the wheel and get on with it; there is no wasting time learning how everything works. Perhaps being dated has its advantages. Heating controls are chunky knobs and buttons, and there is a bank of easy to reach switches for functions often found hiding in a touchscreen sub menu, the most annoying culprit is lane assist which I only use for motorway driving so a round of applause to Suzuki for fitting a simple on/off button.

Vitara has two trim grades, Motion and Ultra and a choice of, 1.4 turbo petrol mild hybrid, or a 1.5 litre full hybrid automatic both available with all wheel drive. Suzuki does not skimp on spec and buyers should take a serious look at Motion which has just about all you need and costs less than Ultra which, surprisingly, did not have heated front seats.

I was mightily impressed with the gutsy 1.4 litre Allgrip that is good fun mated to a slick six speed manual box, and excelled on economy always in the high forties and returning 57mpg on a 175 mile trip where the adaptive cruise control took away the stress on a busy motorway.

Vitara is a decent sized family car, not the roomiest of the pack and you will find more boot space in a Toyota Yaris Cross or Ford Puma, but is big enough and I liked the twin level boot floor that gave a flat loading area.

The ride is on the hard side and you really feel pothole thuds sitting in the back. Apart from creaking trim around the sunroof, build quality on my test car was good, it is just a pity that Suzuki favours too much hard plastic trim.

This is a big year for Vitara because it is going electric so it will be interesting to see if there are any major changes when the car is launched in the summer. In the meantime there is zero finance on a new Vitara until the end of March which is a nice sweetener for those looking for a refresh.

Fast facts

Vitara Ultra Allgrip

£30,449 (starts £26,945)

1.4 litre Boosterjet; 127bhp

0-62mph 10.2secs; 121mph

52.3mpg combined

128g/km. 1st road tax £220

Boot: 362 litres

Insurance group 22

Pengwern Community Hub's March What's On guide

Pengwern Community Hub's What's On calendar for March is:

New stoma support group's first meeting is next week

                     

A cancer survivor from Llangollen has started a self-support group to provide help and advice to people using a stoma.

And it has its first meeting next week.

Moira Gleed’s own journey towards being fitted with the medical device, which connects the bowel to the outside of the body with a small disposable bag, began last June when she was diagnosed with Stage III bowel cancer.

After major surgery at the Wrexham Maelor hospital she was fitted with a permanent stoma. This means that when the bowel moves, waste exits through the stoma bag which is stuck to the skin and has to be emptied at regular intervals.

Moira said: “I’d been ignoring the symptoms of the cancer for some time and the doctors told me it could have been coming on for seven to 10 years.

“I had the surgery last July and, so far, it looks to have been successful. Becoming a stoma user myself has made me determined to share my experience with others who find themselves in the same situation.”

She added: “The new group I have formed, which is called Back to Front for obvious reasons, aims to support each other with kindness along the journey each person with a stoma takes and will provide a safe and confidential ‘what gets said in this room stays in this room’ environment while offering an opportunity for fellow ostomates, which is what stoma users are known as, and their companions or carers to have a cuppa and talk about what’s on their minds and look at latest products from suppliers.

“The friendly and informal monthly meet-ups will have guest speakers on a variety of subjects on alternative months.

“The group will be open to all ostomates wishing to offer their support and experience to the group and to people who have recently had or are awaiting surgery and to their loved ones and carers.”

Moira said that group meetings will take place on the first Monday of every month. While there will be no charge for membership donations towards the hire of the hall, speakers and refreshments are welcomed.

The meeting place chosen is St Collen’s Community Hall, off Regent Street (A5) LL20 8HU. Meetings will run between 2 and 4pm and the first one takes place on Monday March 3.

The meeting room is at ground level with ramps and has easy access to the toilets. Parking, which is next to the hall, will be free for the duration of the meeting.

“We hope to see as many people as possible at our meetings, which are not just for Llangollen people but also those from surrounding areas, said Moira.

* For more information contact Moira Gleed, in confidence, on 07484 772772.