Update on £6.8m project to improve the River Dee

For World Rivers Day, which takes place today (Sunday), Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has given details of the £6.8 million LIFE Dee River project.

From its headwaters in the uplands of Eryri (Snowdonia), the Dee descends via Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales. 

After flowing through a broad valley to Corwen, it tumbles eastwards through the spectacular Vale of Llangollen, under the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site, before breaching the Welsh foothills near Bangor-on-Dee, and meandering northwards through the Cheshire plain to its tidal limit just below Chester.

The main uses of the Dee are farming, predominantly cattle and sheep grazing; water abstraction for water supply for 2.5m people, tourism including recreational angling, canoeing and navigation; and nature conservation.

The LIFE Dee River project aims to bring many benefits to the environment, most notably improving the numbers of salmon, lamprey and freshwater pearl mussels to help them become more sustainable in future.

So far the project, which is funded by the EU LIFE Programme with support from Welsh Government, has worked with farmers to install 26 miles (42 km) of fencing which has created thriving riverside corridors that have been planted with 20,000 trees.

It has also improved in-river habitat by introducing 3,090 tonnes of boulders and 5,330 tonnes of gravel, and removed or adapted 10 barriers to improve fish migration.

Action taken includes:

• Removing the constraints to fish migration and wider ecological connectivity

• Restoring or improving natural riverine physical processes, features and habitats in at least 55 km of river

• Improving agricultural and forestry land management practices to reduce the input of nutrients and sediment entering the SAC

• Initiating conservation management for the critically-endangered freshwater pearl mussel

• Establishing and building long-term positive relationships with key stakeholders during and beyond the life of the project

Progress to date:

• 15,000 trees planted alongside the river
• 730 metres of natural bank stabilisation
• 4,250 tonnes of gravel introduced into the river
• 36 kilometres of fencing erected to create riverside corridors
• 1,000 tonnes of boulders reintroduced into the river
• 7 barriers removed or adapted to help fish migration

NRW says: "The communities living along the River Dee will be at the heart of the project. We will work closely with local people to ensure they understand the biological, social and economic value of the habitats and species, the river and the SAC in terms of their historic and present-day importance.

"Our hope is that people will feel a greater sense of community ownership and responsibility for the Dee and ensure the project’s legacy continues for years to come. We will be encouraging people to get involved as much as possible by holding over 50 events during the project’s lifetime including river walks and talks, workshops, open days and a schools hatchery programme."

* To find out more about the project, go to: LIFE Dee River 

MS calls on people to support Llangollen Food Festival

Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, is calling on his constituents across the region to back next month's Llangollen Food Festival.

Mr Rowlands, Chair of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Group on Tourism,  said: “Everybody knows I am a big supporter of promoting tourism in North Wales and I am always delighted to see the return of this extremely popular food festival which brings thousands of food lovers to the area.

 

“The highly successful Llangollen Food Festival returns to the area on October 11 and 12 with chef demonstrations, tastings and live music on the day.

 

“It is fantastic to see North Wales hosting this again as it is a great opportunity not only to bring communities together but it gives local producers a chance to show their wares to the public and visitors alike.

 

“As chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Tourism, I believe they are a great way to promote our towns as tourist destinations on North Wales and encourages more visitors who spend money to help the local economy.”

 

The Llangollen Food Festival, which also offer live music throughout days, is held across several venues in the town over the weekend of October 11 and 12 from 10-5pm and features over 80 stalls.

Venues include:

Gales Wine Bar

Town Hall

Silver Band Rooms

Market Street

Riverside Park

Llangollen Railway

And new for this year… Blas Cookery & Wine School

 

Pavarotti's 1995 Llangollen concert to be released on disc

Three decades after it was recorded one of the most iconic voices in music history returns to captivate audiences with the release by Mercury Studios of "Pavarotti: The Lost Concert – Live at Llangollen 1995" on November 21.

This remarkable and previously unreleased performance by the legendary Luciano Pavarotti, recorded at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 1995, will finally be available to fans on Blu-ray disc. 

Keeping a long-held promise, Luciano Pavarotti returned to Llangollen in 1995 to give a special gala concert at the International Musical Eisteddfod 40 years after winning a singing competition as part of a choir from his hometown of Modena that changed the course of his life in 1955.

This historic concert captures Pavarotti, at the height of his powers, performing with the BBC Philharmonic, soprano Atzuko Kawahara and Corale Rossini, offering a rare glimpse into an unforgettable evening of music, passion, and artistry.

This year marks what would have been the maestro's 90th birthday on October 12 and to honour this milestone, Decca Records is spearheading PAVAROTTI 90, a worldwide tribute celebrating the tenor's unmatched contribution to classical music, his international appeal, and his legacy of bringing opera to the masses.

They will release this concert in full, alongside two never-before heard tracks from 1955 – the earliest known recordings of his voice aged just 19.

Decca will release, on the same day, the audio component of The Lost Concert: Live from Llangollen 1995. The recording has been mastered with the latest technology and comes with a 100-page collector's book filled with essays, photographs, and archive material. 

It also includes two original 1955 recordings of the Corale Rossini, Bonjour mon coeur and In Nomine Jesu, believed to be the earliest surviving audio featuring Pavarotti's voice, as well as a rare interview where he recalls his first visit to Wales.

Speaking about the significance of the event, Nicoletta Mantovani, Pavarotti's widow, who visited this year's Eisteddfod, said: "It was the beginning of everything. Luciano often said that without Llangollen, there would have been no career."

Our Future public consultation is today and tomorrow

 

Local MP welcomes major clean-energy project for region

Clwyd East MP Becky Gittins (pictured) has welcomed a major clean-energy investment which will create hundreds of skilled jobs and help cut carbon emissions in North Wales.  

Two world-leading carbon capture projects – including the UK’s first carbon-capture-enabled cement plant at Padeswood in Flintshire – have signed final contracts with government, unlocking construction and securing 500 clean-energy jobs across North Wales and the North West.  

Backed by £9.4 billion of UK Government investment in carbon capture, the Padeswood project will remove around 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ every year, protecting skilled manufacturing jobs and helping to keep British cement competitive as the UK moves to net zero. 

Becky Gittins said: “This is a huge boost for Flintshire and the wider Clwyd East economy. Padeswood will not only cut emissions on an unprecedented scale but will secure and create the kind of high-quality, long-term jobs our communities deserve. 

“North Wales has the expertise and ambition to lead the clean energy revolution – and today’s announcement proves it.” 

The Padeswood plant, developed by Heidelberg Materials UK, will be one of the first anchor projects within the HyNet carbon capture network, which will safely transport and store captured CO₂ under Liverpool Bay. Together with a sister project at Protos in Ellesmere Port, the two sites will remove 1.2 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, supporting 2,800 jobs across the wider HyNet cluster. 

Ms Gittins added: “This is a clear sign that the UK’s transition to net zero can go hand-in-hand with the creation of good quality jobs and industrial growth right here in North Wales.” 

 

Community transport social outings October to December.

Here are the South Denbighshire Community Partnership community transport social outings for Llangollen between October and December.  

Bookings open three weeks before each trip so bookings cannot be taken earlier. 

You will also need to be a registered member with SDCP and have paid a £10 membership fee to use its Community Transport for the year. 

Llangollen seller puts rare 50p coin up for sale online

The Rhyl Journal has a story about a rare 50p coin expected to fetch more than £4,000 after being listed for sale online by a Llangollen seller.

* For the full story, go to: Denbighshire seller lists rare coin on eBay for over £4,000 | Rhyl Journal