Smell of smoke is coming from south Wales, says fire service

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has sent out a message reassuring people who say they can smell smoke on the air that it's coming from many miles away.

This comes after a number of people in this area have reported this smell on social media.

The fire service says on its own social media post: "Our control room is receiving a lot of calls this morning relating to smoke. We can confirm that the smoke is travelling from the wildfires currently burning in South Wales.

"If you see a fire, please call 999 immediately. Otherwise please keep the phone lines clear.

"Help reduce the risk of fires during this exceptionally dry period by taking extra care when outdoors. Please avoid activities that could accidentally start a fire and follow any local safety advice.https://www.northwalesfire.gov.wales/.../appeal-to-stay.../

"If you are affected by smoke please keep windows and doors closed."

Non-animal circus comes to town from tomorrow

A traditional, non-animal circus will stop off in Llangollen from tomorrow as part of its summer tour of north and mid Wales.

Based in north Wales, Peregrine Circus says it "drifts into towns and villages" and is a collective of acrobats, artists and musicians united by a love of live performance and a deep connection to the landscapes and legends of the land.

From this Thursday to Sunday its Belly of the Whale show will have seven performances at Llangollen Pavilion. 

Its advertising material describes it as a traditional, all-human, village green circus with "no animals, only people, artistry, and the magic they create together."

Founded and directed by Robin Timson, it has entered its second year following the success of its 2025 debut show.

Said to be inspired by the sea, folklore and the stories its performers carry with them, the production brings together aerial performance, acrobatics, live musicians and "unforgettable characters" beneath the canvas.

Acts include roller skates and perch, teeterboard acrobatics, contortion and trapeze, aerial net and roped, all accompanied by a three-piece orchestra.

Its 2026 tour began in Llandulas in May and ends back there after stops in Anglesey, the Llyn Peninsula, Brecon and Powys early next month.

* For tickets, got to: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/peregrinecircus/2026815

Westheads lads give update on Dyfan Hughes injured in China

* Above: Louis and James give a video update on Dyfan's condition in the Chinese hospital.

His two fellow Westheads have this evening given an update on their friend, 18-year-old Dyfan Hughes, who is in hospital in China after being seriously injured in a collision with a lorry last week.

Mates Dyfan, Louis Dennis, 19, from Garth, and James Thomas, also 19, from Wrexham, are making a mammoth cycling trip to Thailand in aid of the British Heart Foundation in memory of Tony Edge, the father of their friend Harrison, who died following a heart attack in 2024. They have so far raised over £40,000. 

Following the accident Dyfan was rushed to hospital with injuries to his head, neck and leg. 

As his parents immediately flew out to be at his bedside, the Westheads' thousands of supporters back home have been sending messages of online support while awaiting an update on his condition, which came this afternoon from James and Louis in a short film on their social media.

They say: "As you may know, Dyf got into an unfortunate accident on the road with a lorry and we would just like to thank everyone for their kind messages and donations. It really means a lot to us.

"As for the full extent of his injuries, he's on the road to recovery but we're going to try and update you as much as we can

"Dyf's parents flew out right away and have been by his side the whole time.

"Dyf's being really well looked after in the hospital. He's bright and alert and in good spirits. That lad is as tough as they come. It's going to take more than a fight with a lorry to break him."  

Recycling collections to start earlier due to heatwave

This notification  has just been posted on Denbighshire County Council's Facebook page ...

Letter in Leader blames politicians for town's bank holiday 'mess'

* The letter in the Leader about last bank holiday's problems in Llangollen.

An anonymous reader's letter in the Leader blames "councillors and Senedd members" for the "mess" created in the centre of town during the recent bank holiday weekend.

* For the full story, go to: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/26451784.letter-spoilt-llangollen-1/

Honda's comeback kid is a real dream machine

Honda Prelude drive by Steve Rogers

As comebacks go this one is special. Special enough for a stranger to chat with me for 10 minutes in a supermarket car park.

He saw it, was bowled over by its looks but did not know what the car was until he saw the Prelude badge on the tailgate. That curious interest was the norm the whole week the Honda was in my charge.

So what is the story here? People of a certain age will never have heard of Prelude. Honda launched its sports coupe in 1978, it was quite a car back then, and had a successful following until it was mothballed in 2001. Now after a quarter of a century it is back… but it’s not all what it seems

That Honda has built the car goes against the current trend of non-stop Chinese SUVs so a bit left field but let’s give the company a standing ovation for being brave enough to do it.

What we have here is a car that flatters to deceive, but in a good way. The super car looks suggest it can take on a Porsche 911, but in reality it would be left trailing in the German’s exhaust fumes with performance no better than a quick family hatchback. Don’t let that put you off, this is still a great story.

This is a complex yet sophisticated car with power coming from two electric motors and a 2-litre petrol engine mustering a fairly modest 180bhp. The question petrol heads are asking is why the Prelude doesn’t have the Civic’s stonking Type R engine that would be able to mix it with a 911?

Basically, it does not fit Honda’s game plan for clean air and efficiency, even the wonderful Type R has been retired as the straightjacket of low emissions tightens by the day.

Even so Honda has not lost complete sight of what this car is all about and has dialled in some of the Type R’s DNA. It has tailored the chassis in that direction and all but mirrored the steering and suspension set up with some additional tweaks including uprated adaptive dampers.

The end result is a car with fantastic agility, perfectly balanced, just the car you could enjoy driving all day through the twistiest of roads. The sensible driver’s dream machine.

But it’s not fast enough? I suppose not for those demanding an adrenalin surge when they hit the fast pedal but what Prelude lacks in blistering acceleration is tempered with a decent amount of torque for a punchy overtaking response, and is eight seconds to sixty so bad?

And Honda has done its level best to inject a bit of a thrill with S+shift which, when selected, mimics eight virtual gear changes with appropriate synthesised rev sounds piped into the cabin. It does not improve performance but it makes you think it does as well as just being a bit of fun.

Prelude has three drive modes including comfort but don’t expect a lot of that. The suspension, or as my wife said ‘what suspension’, is on the firm side but it didn’t bother me, I was just enjoying the drive.

The cabin is nicely finished in high end materials and mixes physical switches with a central touchscreen and digital driver’s display that houses a lot of information which is easy to find.

Saving weight was an important factor in the designers brief so there are no unnecessary motors. If you want to adjust the seat, do it yourself, and the same applies to the tailgate.

Prelude is a four seat coupe… depending on your height. I am average and squeezed into the back seat but it is a struggle. Anyone above that can forget it, not necessarily because of restricted leg room, there is very little headroom. The coupe roof has a heck of a slope and even though the huge glass tailgate frees up an extra inch of headroom it is incredibly tight.

That said the boot space with the seat backs dropped borders on cavernous. A couple of sets of golf clubs, a couple of surfboards, even an adult bike can be dropped into the space, not all at the same time of course. Didn’t expect this coupe to be so roomy.

Even with the weight saving there is still a decent spec, heated seats, camera and sensors all round, wireless charging, adaptive beam control, keyless entry and start etc. And you would not expect anything other than a full suite of safety aids from Honda.

The sixth generation Prelude will be defined by its driving excellence and fuel efficiency rather than rip roaring performance but what about this to keep the speed freaks happy: an electric Prelude?

Memorable moments: Demon handling. 65mpg over 476 miles.

Fast facts

Prelude Advance

£41,595

2-litre petrol; 181bhp

0-62mph 8.2secs; 117mph

100g/km. 1st VED £365

54.3mpg combined

Insurance group 43

Boot: 269-760 litres

Gareth recalls a mountain fire near Llangollen 50 years ago

* Gareth Edwards has been recalling a mountain fire 50 years ago.

As wildfires rip through large areas of the Welsh countryside and other areas of the UK, retired Llangollen farmer Gareth Edwards has been recalling a frightening blaze not far from his family's farm half a century ago and has given llanblogger permission to reproduce his story here ...

The Mountain Fire

I’d never witnessed the ferocity of a mountain fire until then.

I can’t quite remember the year, but it was the mid-70s. We were going off to Llandudno for the day, I think. We didn’t have holidays as people do today, but Mum and Dad always made sure we had a week away from the farm, going on days out around North Wales.

As we were driving past the Abbey, we could see smoke and flames whipping around the mountain behind it.

Dad stopped the car.

“We’ve got to go back and help.”

So back to Tan Y Castell we went, and Dad headed off in the Land Rover.

Watching your dad head off to fight an enormous fire, and not knowing what was happening, was dreadful. We didn’t have the marvels of modern technology back then. No mobile phones. Once he’d gone, he’d gone.

I was about 15 at the time and had already been driving tractors for a few years. I went down the yard and jumped on the David Brown 885.

As I got close to the house, I was faced with an immovable object — Mum.

“Get off that now! Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

She was right, of course. I didn’t have a licence and would probably have made things worse, as well as adding to her worries.

But I wanted to go and help, or at least make sure Dad was OK, so eventually I was allowed to go on my bike. I was under strict instructions not to get in the way and not to go anywhere near the fire. What must have been going through Mum’s mind as I pedalled like hell out of the yard, I’ll never know. She must have been worried sick.

As I pedalled down past Dinbren Uchaf, I could see the fire enveloping the mountain. The fire engines were just off the track below Dinbren Isaf. By then, the fire had spread from the Fronfawr up onto the Cefnydd. The firemen had gone as far as they could and had laid hose up the hill. I abandoned my bike and, armed with the shovel I’d grabbed, headed up the hillside.

The smell and the smoke were sickening, but the fire service had managed to put out most of the fire by the time I got there. Then, to my delight — and his obvious shock — I saw Dad, along with neighbouring farmers Peter, John, Jim and Richard, damping down patches of heather that kept relighting. I couldn’t tell whether Dad was angry or secretly pleased that I’d come to help. He never said. After about an hour, he sent me home to tell Mum he was OK and that he’d be back as soon as the fire was out.

When I came down the drive, Mum was outside with Haf, with the glasses as Mum called them (the binoculars) looking up at the mountain.

“Are you both OK?” she asked.

“We’re all good,” I replied.

The look of relief on her face told me just how worried she’d actually been.

Dad came back a couple of hours later. He was black with ash from the fire and absolutely shattered. But he was worried too, because that could so easily have been our mountain.

Thanks to Llangollen Fire Service and all the neighbouring farmers who helped put that fire out that day.

I’m writing this some 50 years after it happened.

Watching the news today, farmers are still battling wildfires, whether started accidentally or, sadly, deliberately. Fortunately, technology means the emergency services can be called much more quickly, and farmers are better equipped to prevent fires spreading across arable land.

Mountain fires are another matter entirely, and they still cause hill farmers a great deal of worry.

Seeing kids messing around with fireworks on social media today is disturbing. We certainly got up to mischief when we were young, but I don’t remember us doing anything that could deliberately destroy someone’s livelihood or property. Society is certainly very different from how it was back then.

I don’t think we ever found out what started that fire. It could have been nothing more than a discarded cigarette butt, as it appeared to have begun just off the rifle range.

Whatever caused it, I can still remember the flames on the mountain, Dad disappearing off to fight them, and Mum standing at Tan Y Castell with the binoculars, waiting for us both to come home.

Fifty years later, that’s the part I remember most.