A story in the Leader says the date and the route for this year's Llangollen Illuminated Tractor Run have been confirmed.
* For the full story, go to: Date for Llangollen Illuminated Tractor Run confirmed | The Leader
A spectacular stage show to celebrate the life and talent of choreographer Sarah Marshall at the Town Hall last Saturday night raised over £2,500 for Nightingale House Hospice.
Performers from Llangollen Operatic Society, their junior section the Young 'Uns and Llangollen Pantomime Group, assisted by the Julie Thomas dancers, presented a lavish programme of entertainment marking Sarah's skill in choreographing a cavalcade of their productions in the years before her untimely death 12 months ago.
And the resulting concert, "Something for Sarah", was rewarded with a full-house audience who lapped up every minute of the the programme of song and dance, which included brief tastes of previous musicals and pantos plus a fun quiz and a prize raffle which brought the house down.
The show's producer Tracey Kempster-Jones, has now revealed on Facebook that the smash-hit production also resulted in a boost of £2,515.42 for the hospice where Sarah was cared for in her final days.
In her post, Tracey says: "You ALL made this happen. Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart and to all those who gave their time freely and free of charge.
"You are most generous - feeling overwhelmed."
Llangollen will come alive with festive cheer on Saturday November 29 as the town hosts its much-loved Christmas Festival.
And organisers say it will be a magical day filled with stalls, music, a parade, children’s activities, and the spectacular Christmas light switch-on and fireworks finale.
The festivities begin at 10am on Centenary Square, where visitors can browse Christmas stalls, enjoy live entertainment, and soak up the seasonal atmosphere.
Families can look forward to a range of fun activities throughout the day, including Siôn Corn’s (Santa’s) Grotto, children’s play and circus skills, and plenty of festive treats.
One of the highlights of the day will be the Christmas parade at 1pm, bringing colour, costume, and community spirit to the streets of Llangollen.
The celebrations will continue into the evening with the Christmas light switch-on at 5pm, followed by a fireworks display to round off the day in spectacular style.
Adding extra excitement is the grand raffle, offering a chance to win a selection of fabulous prizes generously donated by local businesses and supporters.
The top prizes include £200 in shopping vouchers and a child’s mountain bike, alongside luxury hampers, dining experiences, unique local crafts, and festive treats. Raffle tickets will be available throughout the day, with proceeds helping to support the Air Ambulance, community projects and future festival events.
A spokesperson for the Christmas Festival team said: “The Christmas Festival is one of the highlights of the year for the town. It’s a chance for everyone to come together, celebrate community spirit, and welcome the festive season in true Llangollen style. There’ll be something for everyone – from little ones meeting Santa to families enjoying the lights and fireworks.
"With local traders, crafts, performances, and festive food on offer, the day promises to be a joyful celebration for residents and visitors alike."
* For the latest updates and announcements, follow the Llangollen Christmas Festival on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1BLbdUXfYP/ and check out the fabulous raffle prizes here https://wrexhameventsguide.co.uk/llangollen-christmas-festival/
Audi Q7 e quattro drive by Steve Rogers
But the motoring world is going through its biggest upheaval since Carl Benz built his first car 139 years ago.
No reason for alarm. All that has happened is Audi is moving with the times and throwing just about everything into electric and plug-in petrol hybrids. The diesel hasn’t been retired, just pushed to the side a bit. Audi is one of an increasingly small number of companies still producing diesel engines but the take up is dwindling as e day 2030 gets ever closer.
Apart from the new hybrid engine, the Q7 has been given a major update this year and there is no mistaking the chunky black grille. Talk about in your face, Audi is making a bold statement here no doubt taking note of the flurry of new SUVs that have monstrous grilles.
So what’s been happening on the hybrid front? Quite a lot. The electric motor has been upgraded to 130kW with a more powerful lithium battery. The upshot is an electric only range of 52 miles which is pretty reasonable given the size of Q7.
Of course there is no range anxiety to worry about because there is still a three litre petrol under the bonnet, and that is a bit of a peach. It is remarkably refined, well would we expect anything else from Audi, with an armful of overtaking pick up. The 600Nm of torque is a smidge down on the diesel but is still monstrously strong when overtaking yet remarkably refined with barely a hint of noise when cruising either from the engine or the chunky tyres.
With a full charge the official economy figure is a heady 216mpg so if your journeys are short it is worth keeping the battery topped up from a home source which will take under four hours. Once the electric power is spent on a longer trip you can expect high twenties although the battery is recharged to a small extent every time you lift off the accelerator.
I regularly managed 29-30mpg which is good considering the Q7 weighs in at just under two and a half tonnes.
If the new hybrid is the main event then next in line is the ride. Q7 comes with air suspension and it really does give you a magic carpet ride. It has to be the most comfortable SUV I have driven and would take a crater in the road to throw it off course.
My S-Line test car comes with active sport suspension and while an SUV this size can hardly be described as agile there was no rolly-polly nonsense as it swept through tight bends.
So we have given high marks to performance and ride, but what do we make of the Q7s cabin? A bit of a mixed bag, but this is very personal. There is no denying the Q7, or any Audi for that matter, is beautifully trimmed with top class materials everywhere. My beef is with the infotainment set up.
I fell out of love with the interface when Audi dropped the excellent rotary controller. You could make selections on the move with just a glance at the display which to my mind is safer when driving.
Yes, everything is typically orderly but there is a lot more going on and you have to touch the screen so eyes are leaving the road. I will give credit for a definite soft click when making the selection so you know it has happened. At least the heating controls are permanently displayed in the lower screen and voice control will respond to certain commands like changing a radio station.
Audi has a bit of an obsession with black and there are lots of piano black facings across the dashboard and centre console. It looks impessive when it is not plastered in fingerprints, which is most of the time, so if fussy, like me, carry a duster!
It goes without saying the Q7 has masses of cabin space, this is a big car, but one of the penalties of storing a battery pack is the loss of the third row of seats. Hardly a deal breaker.
Fast facts
Q7 55 TFSI e quattro Black edition
£86,605 (starts £66,605)
3-petrol hybrid; 386bhp
Eight speed tiptronic
0-62mph 5.7secs; 149mph
29g/km. 1st VED £110
28.8mpg (petrol only)
Insurance group 44-50
Boot: 563-1863 litres
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The Collen Players are promising a sparkling night of laughter, melody, and good old-fashioned entertainment for their next show at St Collen's Community Hall this Friday October 31.
Topping the evening's bill, which starts at 6.30pm, will be Colin Bourdiec, the ukulele maestro who pays a jolly tribute to the great George Formby.
The Chairman of Charm delights with “I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana” and Phil “Razzle-Dazzle” Robinson tickles the crowd with “My Old Man’s a Dustman.”
Miss Sue Stokes, billed as our Silver Songbird, will enchant with “After the Ball Is Over.”
Jayne and Clayton — the Melodious Magicians of Melody and Mirth - will provide some stupendous backing throughout the night, with Jayne weaving wonder upon the keys and Clayton conjuring cadence on the drums, this dynamic duo deliver rhythm, rapture and rollicking rejoicing.
And from the parlour to the promenade, presenting those blushing belles of banter and bloomers will be Cissie and Ada presenting a riotous rendering of corsets, cackles and common-sense, recalling the glorious gossip of yesteryear.
Deborah and Jayne - the Mistresses of Melody and Mischief - have their uproarious rendition of “I Want to Sing in Opera,” these tuneful temptresses taking to the stage with trills, thrills, and theatrical tomfoolery.
The evening is all in aid of the St Collen's Roof Restoration Appeal to help preserve its ancient hammerbeam roof for future generations.
* For an evening of toe-tapping tunes, hearty laughs, and a night that’ll have you whistling all the way home book at:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on?q=hammerbeams%20and%20harmonies
A Llangollen business has reached the finals of the 1st Welsh Barber Awards 2025.
The competition is billed as the ultimate celebration of the
barbering scene in Wales - “the fades, the skills, the hustle, and the raw
talent that powers barbershops across the country”.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 23 at
the Parkgate Hotel in Cardiff.
And there to see if they’ve landed the title of Best
Traditional Barbers will be Llangollen Barber Shop based in Chapel Street and run by Emma Davies.
In that category they will be up against competition from
six other businesses from mid and south Wales.
Nominations opened to the public via online platforms and
social media, allowing customers and communities to put forward the
establishments they love most.
Many finalists run their own successful campaigns to rally
support, proof of the strong community ties behind these businesses.
Alongside these public submissions, the team at Oceanic
Awards, which runs the competition, draw on their industry knowledge to
directly recognise standout businesses and individuals who exemplify excellence
in their field. Voting will remain open until one week prior to the event.
Irfan Younis, spokesperson for 1st Welsh Barbers Awards 2025
said: “These awards give us the chance to shine a spotlight on the skill,
dedication, and passion within this industry, and to celebrate the
professionals who go above and beyond for their clients every day.
“We want to congratulate all of our finalists on their incredible accomplishments.”
A TV film crew were at Llangollen Station earlier today (Tuesday) shooting sequences for a forthcoming episode of the popular BBC daytime series Escape to the Country.
The show features potential buyers searching for their dream homes in rural areas of the UK who are taken to look around three or four properties for sale, including a "mystery house," in their chosen region.
In this case the home-seekers were Glyn and Christina who were looking to move from their home in the Wiltshire town of Chippenham to somewhere in this area where they have friends and often visit.
Over the next few days they will be taken to see a variety of homes with a 30-mile radius of Llangollen.
As part of their tour of possible homes in couples are shown key attractions in the area where they are looking - and yesterday's stop-off was at Llangollen Station where they were greeted by the heritage railway's new trust manager, David Hennigan, who explained why they should move to Llangollen.
They also met other railway people, including David Shilliam who was acting as station master for the day.
Later this week the crew from Naked TV will be back filming more scenes in Llangollen for the episode, which they said will probably be aired in about 10 to 12 months time.
