Calling youngsters with a burning artistic ambition

Llangollen Town Council say they are delighted to be partnering up with Community Focused Schools and The Little Learning Company on a project where young people from Ysgol Dinas Bran will design and create pyrography on a number of benches to be be installed around the area.

Pyrography is the art of decorating a material with burn-marks from a heated object, a technique also known as  "woodburning". 

The benches that have been worked on will replace a number of those which are damaged or missing from places such as Pengwern Vale, Maesmawr Road and Y Gwernant.

Michelle from the Little learning Company said: “The Little Learning Company, as part of their Shared Prosperity Funded Heritage Skills Partnership project, is pleased to be working in partnership with Llangollen Town Council and DCC's Community Focussed Schools staff to offer a bespoke learning opportunity to pupils attending Ysgol Dinas Bran. 

"The opportunity to be part of a community-based project, leaving a lasting legacy around the town and pass on a new heritage skill to a younger generation is an opportunity not to be missed.”

Cheryl from Community Focused Schools said: "Community Focused Schools are thrilled to be collaborating with The Little Learning Company, the local Town Council, and students from Ysgol Dinas Bran to create something truly special for Llangollen community. 

"Together, we’re combining creativity, learning, and local pride — giving young people the chance to take part in exciting new projects that celebrate the area and bring people together.

"Stay tuned for updates as our partnership grows and the ideas come to life."

Cheryl added: "We are really looking forward to seeing the designs the students come up with and to seeing them create some really unique benches that will provide welcome rest points for people while they are enjoying the countryside. 

"We intend to create a Trail map of the benches once installed, so that the Community and Visitors can hunt for the various designs while out and about in the area."

* There are contact details for Cheryl on the posters for any students interested in getting involved.

#Communityfocusedschools #DenbighshireCountyCouncil #CommunityCollaboration #LocalPride #WorkingTogether #YouthEngagement #CreativityInAction

Town gets ready to welcome crowds to its Christmas festival

* The Wild Pheasant Hotel and Spa's Moli Jones as the elf, hotel general manager Becky Shields and Sion Corn. Picture by Rick Matthews.

Llangollen is gearing up for its biggest festive celebration yet with thousands of expected to pack the town for its spectacular Christmas Festival.

The annual event, returning on Saturday, November 29, promises a day bursting with Yuletide cheer, from a colourful parade and bustling street stalls to live music and a fireworks finale lighting up the sky above Dinas Bran castle.

This year’s fireworks display, sponsored by the Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa, will crown what organisers say is shaping up to be the busiest festival in its 16-year history, drawing in visitors from across North Wales, Cheshire and beyond.

The VIP guest of honour will be the man of the moment, Sion Corn aka Father Christmas.

According to festival chair Cllr Paul Keddie, the celebration was powered by community spirit and local support.

He said “The event was the brainchild of the late town clerk, Ian Parry, and the Town Crier, Austin Cheminais and has grown to become the highlight of the winter season in Llangollen.

“We’re expecting record crowds of up to 4,000 to enjoy a festive day crowned by a fireworks show provided courtesy of The Wild Pheasant Hotel.

“It’s always very well supported by local businesses and traders and attracts people from across North Wales and Cheshire and as far afield as Yorkshire.

“The day’s events kick off with a parade of local organisations and supporters, led by none other than Wales’s very own Father Christmas, Sion Corn, in his traditional green outfit.

“It starts from the Llangollen International Eisteddfod field at 1pm and proceeds into the town where the streets will be closed off and will be filled with stalls and it finishes at the Town Hall where there is a grotto which is free and is where Sion Corn meets the children.

“The Christmas Festival has become an integral part of Llangollen’s winter season and is run by an enthusiastic group of volunteers, this year in partnership with the Llangollen Festival Fringe.

“It’s a very good example of local people, organisations and businesses coming together to support the town.”

Becky Shields, Manager of the Wild Pheasant Hotel, said: “This is the third year that the Wild Pheasant and Everbright Hotels have supported the Christmas Festival.

“Our staff are all local and many of them walk to work so our roots are very much in the town and it is important that businesses like our own play their part in the life of the local community.

“That’s certainly the philosophy of Everbright Hotels and it is something we are happy to play a leading role in by sponsoring the fireworks display.

“I’d also like to thank Brian Davies from Festival Fireworks in Cefn Mawr who will be providing the display during the festival. He always does a brilliant job and he also very kindly supplied a snow machine so we could get into the festive spirit for the photoshoot.”

Paul Keddie added: “The Festival is very grateful for the support of The Wild Pheasant and the many other local businesses for an event which really brings the town together and which raises money for the North Wales Air Ambulance.”

It’s also a big year for the Everbright Hotels Group which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary.

The Everbright story started in 2015 when it took over the Rossett Hall Hotel in Rossett, near Wrexham.

Since then it has also added the Llandudno Bay Hotel and the Belmont Hotel in Llandudno and the Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa n, along with Stonecross Manor in Kendal in the Lake District and The George Hotel in Penrith to its portfolio.

Around 300 people are currently employed across all the sites and they’re expecting staff numbers to rise to approximately 400 over the next few years.

* For more information go to https://www.everbrightgrouphotels.com/ and for more on the Llangollen Christmas Fair go to (1) Llangollen Christmas Festival | Facebook

Latest roadworks update from Denbighshire County Council

Latest roadworks update from Denbighshire County Council is:

OUTSIDE NUMBER 40 MARKET STREET, 17/11/2025 - 19/11/2025, Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY (DCC), Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

MILL STREET, 24/11/2025 - 26/11/2025, Gwaith Draenio / Drainage Works DCC HIGHWAYS (ALEX)

Brook Street, Llangollen,  03/11/2025 - 27/03/2026, Active Travel Improvements from the A5 up Brook Street, towards Ysgol Bryn Collen / Y Gwernant, Goleuadau Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights

JCT VICARAGE LANE/WILLOW STREET, 03/12/2025 - 04/12/2025, Torri Coed / Tree Cutting KTL CONTRACTING LTD, Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

DEE BRIDGE LLANGOLLEN SPAN 2, CASTLE STREET, 30/11/2025 - 30/11/2025, Gwaith Ar Bont / Bridge Works DCC BRIDGES AND STRUCTURE

From Castle Street to Greenfield MARKET STREET, 29/11/2025 - 29/11/2025, Ffair Nadolig / Christmas Fair, Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Traffic incident closes part of A494 closed near Corwen

Facebook post by North Wales around 3.20pm today ...

County council says it's ready to cope with severe weather

A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for Denbighshire covering the period between 6am this Friday and 6am on Saturday.

Denbighshire County Council says it has resources on standby throughout the warning period to respond to any weather-related incidents should they arise.

A statement issued this morning adds: "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."

New Audi A6 is handsome nose to tail, including the clock

Audi A6 e hybrid drive by Steve Rogers

This is the story about a search for a clock.

It goes like this. We are sitting in the A6 admiring the new dashboard which is impressive with screens stretching end to end although we think the passenger screen is just for show. It has a soothing pattern made up of large chequered squares. A nice touch and perfect as a TV screen.

Casting an eye over the driver’s display I spot a tiny digital clock tucked in the top left corner and moan about how pathetic it is for a car of this class.

My wife says there must be a proper clock in the main touchscreen so we trawl the menus. No luck. Then she touches her screen and, as if by magic, it lights up with an elegant clock, computer generated of course, but at least it has a round face.

There is a lot more to the screen than just a clock. It mirrors the central screen with a side bar of icons so the passenger can carry out just about every function, including setting a destination. How clever is that, and something I have never seen before.

Enough of the clock, the main event is the spanking new A6 plug-in hybrid. In a world dominated by SUVs it’s good to see Audi still championing the premium saloon, something it has always done well.

This is no facelift; new body with an all time low drag co-efficient of 0.23, new technology, more power, more miles on electric.

It’s handsome from nose to tail, the coupe style roofline trailing down to a curvaceous

rear that reminded me of the stunning first A6 of 1998.

Audi has been busy updating the bits you can’t see. Compared to the previous model battery power has been boosted by 45 per cent giving an electric only range of up to 64 miles depending on the model and can run well past our speed limit at 87mph. It recovers some energy automatically while coasting.

Performance is pretty ferocious with the 2-litre petrol knocking out a whopping 450Nm or torque so no worries if you need a quick overtake. What surprised me most was the economy. On a petrol only long run I crept past 50mpg while my week’s average was 44mpg. Impressive figures for such a fast car.

For a car weighing just over two tonnes A6 is remarkably agile, quattro drive helps but a new element is all wheel steer. Very hard to detect but up to 37mph the rear wheels turn very slightly in the opposite direction to the front wheels and at higher speeds in the same direction as the front. Whether I could sense this steering gizmo or not, the car’s agility and stability through twists is top notch. This is a car you can really enjoy driving.

Now to the wow factor that is the A6 cabin and a bit of a shift in my view of touchscreens. Something often top of my complaints list, and in Audi’s case because they ditched the excellent rotary controller that avoided dabbing the touchscreen.

Here the main screen is simply laid out and requires a definite push on an icon rather than a touch and the reward is a satisfying click assuring you the job is done. I would still prefer a rotary controller but maybe it is time to move on.

It is hard to keep your eyes off this new three screen layout and it gets better at night when you are treated to a soothing lightshow with 84 LEDs extending in an arc from pillar to pillar. A novel touch is a flashing strip in each corner when indicating.

Also worth a mention is a stonking Bang & Olufsen 20 speaker system banging out 810 watts of sound if your ears can cope with it. You will have to pay extra for the privilege.

The A6 has always been a roomy car and gets a little more thanks to an extra 60mm in length. There is room in the back to stretch out and passengers get a screen for individual heating settings.

Although it is a saloon the back seats drop down in a 40-20-40 split, handy for sliding a set of skis from the boot which is the only area I could find to fault. With the coupe style body the boot aperture is very shallow and failed to take a golf trolley. What a shocker!

PS: We never managed to bring that nice clock to the main screen but think it must be there somewhere…

Fast facts

A6 e-hybrid Launch Edition

£70,455 (starts £60,980)

2-litre petrol; 294bhp

7-speed S tronic

0-62mph 6secs; 155mph

Electric range: 60 miles

Charging time: 2.5 hours

39.2mpg-42.5mpg with battery discharged

50-57g/km. 1st tax £110-£130

Insurance group: 41

Railway successfully completes tunnel safety exercise

* Platform one at Llangollen station before the exercise began.

Llangollen and Corwen Railway has successfully completed a major emergency evacuation exercise inside the historic Berwyn Tunnel - the longest single-bore tunnel on a UK heritage railway - in partnership with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service last night (Tuesday).

More than 90 volunteers from the Llangollen community, including members of the public and the railway’s own volunteers, took part in the exercise. 

They were joined by multiple fire crews from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and operational staff from the railway.

The scenario simulated a realistic emergency - a passenger train travelling from Llangollen to Corwen experienced smoke and the smell of burning from beneath a coach floor while fully inside the tunnel. 

As the situation developed, the guard declared an emergency, passengers were safely evacuated to an assembly point, and a rescue locomotive was deployed to recover the train.

Conducted in heavy rain and challenging night-time conditions, the live exercise tested every aspect of coordination, communication, and response between the railway’s operational teams, local volunteers, patience and the emergency services.

Mike Williams, from the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, who was in charge of the operation, said: “This was as close to a real-life incident as we could make it: smoke, noise, the lot. 

"Despite the weather and the complexity of the scenario, every volunteer and professional worked brilliantly. Safety is the number one priority for everyone at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, and this exercise proved just how skilled and committed our teams are.

“I want to thank every single volunteer who gave up their time to make this exercise possible - both our incredible railway family and the members of the local community who joined us to play passengers. Their enthusiasm, cooperation and good humour on a cold, wet night were amazing. They showed exactly what makes this area and this railway so special.”

Arron Jones, from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Exercises like this are invaluable. They allow our crews to test their response in realistic conditions and strengthen our partnership with organisations like the Llangollen and Corwen Railway. The professionalism of everyone involved - from the train crews and control staff to the volunteers and community participants - was outstanding.

“This was a complex and challenging environment, but the teamwork we saw between our firefighters and the railway’s operational teams was first class. The lessons learned from this exercise will make both our organisations even stronger and better prepared for the future.”

The exercise, which ran into the night, was completed safely and successfully, with all objectives achieved and valuable experience gained for both the railway and emergency services.

The Berwyn Tunnel evacuation marks another important step in the Llangollen and Corwen Railway Trust and the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s ongoing commitment to safety, training, and operational excellence, ensuring that the railway continues to lead the way in heritage rail standards while remaining an active and valued part of the local community.

* Mike Williams leads the operations beside scores of volunteers. Spot Llangollen town crier Chem on the left.

* The evacuation of Berwyn Tunnel gets underway.

* Firefighters start to clear the tunnel.