Terry Waite tells business leaders about his captivity

* Host Gill Kreft along with Gareth Parry, Gwyn Edwards, Paul Ffoulkes, Ian Edwards, guest speaker Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM, Rob Williams and guest speaker David Pountney.

Former hostage Terry Waite told how the Islamic jihadists holding him captive unwittingly gave him a book called Great Escapes.

The revelation about the irony of reading material presented to the president of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod by his guards who were unable to speak English came during a speech to the Wrexham Business Professionals Group at the town’s Ramada hotel.

The group is made up of successful businesses and highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other business professionals working together to raise the profile of enterprise and expertise that exists in the region and beyond.

The other keynote speakers at the event were Welsh National Opera’s Artistic Director David Pountney and Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Welsh Government Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport.

The theme of the meeting Powering Regional Prosperity … The Art of Business and Mr Waite was there in his capacity as President of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The ex-Church of England envoy described what life was life being held in an underground prison in Beirut for five years and how he was chained to the wall for 23 hours and 50 minutes every day, with just a 10 minute toilet break.

“I’d been negotiating for the release of hostages on behalf of the Church of England for many years,” he said.

“Today I’m responsible for Hostage UK, which operates worldwide.

“When you are attempting to deal with this particular problem you have to run the risk of being captured yourself and it was inevitable that one day I’d be held hostage.”

“People ask me all the time what I missed most,” he said. “Family and friends of course, but I also missed books and music.

“I pleaded with the guards to bring me books. They asked why – we’ve never read a book in our lives, they said.

“Eventually a guard said he would get me a book and a day or so later he provided one. Would you believe it was called Great Escapes and was the story of successful escapes from prison camps in the Second World War.

“The next book he got was a manual on breastfeeding and when the third was Dr Spock I decided something had to be done.

“I asked for a pencil and paper and drew a penguin. Two weeks later I got my first Penguin book. It showed a symbol is able to cut across cultural and language barriers.”

Mr Waite said he was then taken as a hostage somewhere else in Beirut and heard someone singing.

“I heard the man for a couple of days as he kept passing the building where I was held,” he said.

“It turned out it was the time of Ramadan and it was the man who walked around the town to wake people up and the way he used to do it was by singing.

“Music and language have the capacity to breed harmony into the soul.

“When today we are engaged in business and trade we have difficulty dealing with ill health or stress. We need inner calmness and the arts are a vital component.”

The meeting at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Wrexham opened with a performance by members of the academy of the Only Boys Aloud choir. They sang three songs, finishing with a rousing rendition of Calon Lȃn.

* For more information about Wrexham Business Professionals contact Kate Edwards on 01978 752500 or at admin@wrexhambusinessprofessionals.com or go to the website www.wrexhambusinessprofessionals.com   

Fringe stars give new twist to WW1 marching song

* Brothers Jonathan and Robert Guy.

The founder of an orchestra which will play at the closing concert of this year's Llangollen Fringe Festival has given a new twist to the famous First World War marching song, Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag.

The words of the song were written by George Henry Powell while the music was composed by his older brother Felix Lloyd Powell, who was an organist at the cathedral in St Asaph where they lived.

And while George was a choir boy Felix was certainly no angel because he etched his name on the back of one of the cathedral’s stalls.

The song won first prize in a World War One competition for the best morale-building song and it’s claimed to be the most optimistic song ever written.

Now, the enduring favourite has provided the inspiration for the overall theme and an education project at this year’s North Wales International Music Festival which is held annually at the cathedral.

The festival, which runs from Saturday, September 15, to Sunday, September 30, is being supported by the Arts Council of Wales and Tŷ Cerdd.

Composer and professional clarinettist Jonathan Guy is writing a new musical piece, Smile, Smile, Smile, based on Pack up Your Troubles, which will be premiered by young musicians of all abilities during a festival workshop.

They will be performing it at the festival on Saturday, September 29, alongside the event’s resident orchestra, NEW Sinfonia, which Jonathan established with his brother, Robert, the conductor and artistic director.

NEW Sinfonia will play the finale concert of Llangollen Fringe Festival at Valle Crucis Abbey on Sunday July 29.

Jonathan was asked by the International Music Festival to write a piece of new music to go along with the theme of this year’s festival, Reflections, reflecting upon the centenary of the end of the Great War.  

He said: “The fact Felix Powell etched his name into the back of a choir stall at St Asaph Cathedral is amazing and there is a blue plaque commemorating the brothers in the High Street which is attached to the building where they were born.  

   

“It will be an amazing concert and I can’t wait to hear my composition played in front of the cathedral audience, it will be something special especially as we will be giving young string and wind musicians, of all abilities, an opportunity to join in and play with an orchestra.” 

Proud brother Robert added: “I’m thrilled Jonathan has been commissioned by the festival, with the support of The Thomas Howell’s Education Fund for North Wales, to write this piece based on Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag which will have different parts for different abilities so everyone can take part.

“We will have young performers of all ages and abilities joining the workshop and learning the piece which is called Smile, Smile, Smile. It’s going to make it a truly memorable final concert.”

Artistic director Ann Atkinson believes Smile, Smile, Smile will be the perfect way to reflect. She said: “The theme this year is Reflections as we want to look back on the centenary of the end of the Great War, as well as reflecting on life and love.

“The story behind Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag is intriguing and as George and Felix Powell were from St Asaph it’s the perfect way to commemorate their work.

“George, who sang in the cathedral choir, wrote the lyrics under the pseudonym George Asaf, a name he used to reflect his St Asaph birthplace. His brother, Felix, who played the organ in the cathedral aged 11, wrote the music.

“George, who was born in April 1880, was a pacifist and conscientious objector when conscription was introduced in 1916. He died after a long illness in December 1951.

“Felix who was a staff sergeant in the British Army was in the Peacehaven Home Guard in Sussex in World War Two. He committed suicide in 1942 using his own rifle to shoot himself through the heart. He was aged 63. Their history is incredibly sad.”

She added: “I’m delighted with the line-up for this year’s festival and the first concert will feature a world premiere.

“We have a concert called Hymn to the Fallen, a programme of remembrance to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the Armistice featuring the popular Voces8.

“International pianist Freddy Kempf will perform a concert of music by Chopin and will also perform Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, which was written in 1917 and is dedicated to friends that perished in the Great War.

“Our festival community choir will perform with Welsh National Opera and we have another world premiere, Materna Requiem, by composer Rebecca Dale.

“We also have a concert called Reflections of Love which will see classical guitarist Craig Ogden and jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth come together to perform a diverse mixture of songs by everyone from Paul Simon and James Taylor to Henry Mancini and Michel Legrand.

“Reflections is a concert featuring soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, pianist Jocelyn Freeman and Family Affair, and on the Saturday evening we will have the Smile, Smile, Smile concert with NEW Sinfonia and the workshop students as well as a performance of the Elgar cello concerto by celebrated cellist Raphael Wallfisch.

“The festival will close on the Sunday with a concert reflecting on the centenary of the end of the Great War and will include performances by, Trelawnyd and Bro Glyndŵr Male Voice Choirs, Côr Cytgan Clwyd and A5 Brass Quintet.

“The programme will include a selection of wartime songs and poetry along with works by Barber, Kamen and Karl Jenkins.”

Ann added: “It’s going to be a very special festival this year and there really will be something for everyone. I’d encourage anyone who likes classical and contemporary music to get their tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”

* Tickets are available online, from Theatr Clwyd, Mold – 01352 701521 or Cathedral Frames, 28 High Street, St Asaph - 01745 582929. To find out more about the North Wales International Music Festival please visit www.nwimf.com.

Hillside fire burns through the night

The large grass fire which began yesterday (Thursday) afternoon appears to be still burning on the hillside near Llantysilio this morning.

A number of fire crews have been battling the blaze the smoke from which is clearly visible from Llangollen town centre.

Firefighters battle grass blaze near Llantysilio

Firefighters have spent the afternoon battling a large grass blaze on the hillside near Llantysilio.

Thick smoke can clearly be seen from Llangollen town centre.

Waste collection drop-in session planned

A series of drop –in sessions are being arranged across Denbighshire to answer questions from the public about proposed changes to recycling and waste collections.

The proposed changes to the recycling service will provide residents with:

• a new weekly collection for recyclables such as paper, glass, cans, and plastic
• a weekly collection for food waste
• a new fortnightly collection for clothes and small electrical items

With 64% of waste already being recycled and a weekly recycling collection with extra capacity there should only be small amounts of non-recyclable waste left in the black bin. 

The council is therefore proposing to change the collection of non-recyclable waste to every four weeks.  Instead of the current 140 litre black bins, the Council would provide new, larger 240 litre black bins instead.

The local drop-in session will take place at Llangollen Health Centre on Tuesday July 31, from 9.30-11.30am.

Public express their views on town centre traffic

* People gather at the drop-in session outside the Town Hall yesterday.

The public have given their views on the future of traffic management in Llangollen.

A stream of people expressed their opinions to consultants who ran a drop-in session outside the Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon.

Representatives from Arcadis (Consulting) are currently looking at traffic issues in the area with financial support from Cadwyn Clwyd, the Welsh Government, the European Union Rural Development Fund, Denbighshire County Council, Llangollen Town Council and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  

Interested parties were invited to write down their suggestions to solve congestion and improve traffic flow on post-it notes and then fix them to a large map of the town centre spread out on a table.

llanblogger took a note of some of the suggestions which included:

* “Underground car park or @ pavilion”

* “Make parking regulations at Aldi/Home Bargains car park clear for local shoppers and not just Aldi/HB”

* There were a number of post-it notes concerned with parking along Castle Street, including “Stop parking on Castle Street between 10.00 – 16.00. This would avoid congestion but still allow parking for disabled”

* “Unrealistic but cover Oak Street and make it pedestrian only street”

* “Multi-storey car park at Smithfield 1 down 1 ground 1up”

* “Roundabout at A5/Castle Street”

* “Demolish the old Smithfield pub remove old prison and rebuild it elsewhere. Build a roundabout in this area. Perfect”

Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms, who was at the drop-in session, said it had been a worthwhile exercise.   

He said earlier: “Arcadis are in the process of speaking to residents, businesses and visitors before they start to draw up their suggestions to make the town better for all.

“The event gave the opportunity for everyone to voice their opinions on problems in the centre of the town and how they might be improved.

“Last Friday and Saturday Arcadis carried out a survey at three major junctions - Castle Street/Abbey Road, Castle Street/A5 Regent Street and Market Street/A5 Berwyn Road. 

“The video evidence will be analysed by Arcadis using computer modelling to help them to better understand the issues with congestion and traffic flow through the town.

“We're expecting a further consultation in the late summer on the ideas that Arcadis put forward. A final report will be produced for the end of September 2018.

“The Llangollen 2020 working group wants to ensure that everyone can take part before the planning phase begins.”

As part of the same exercise local people are being encouraged to take part in an online survey which can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Llangollen2020

There will also be Facetime sessions, details of which are due to be given on social media. 

* The public's ideas were written on post-it notes and stuck on a map of the town centre.

Some of the notes are pictured below.

Public urged to take part in waste survey

Denbighshire County Council is reminding residents of a survey about proposed changes to recycling and waste collections in the county and urging them to get involved.

The proposed changes to the recycling service will provide residents with:

• a new weekly collection for recyclables such as paper, glass, cans, and plastic
• a weekly collection for food waste
• a new fortnightly collection for clothes and small electrical items

With 64% of waste already being recycled and a weekly recycling collection with extra capacity there should only be small amounts of non-recyclable waste left in the black bin. 

The Council is therefore proposing to change the collection of non-recyclable waste to every four weeks.  Instead of the current 140 litre black bins, the Council would provide new, larger 240 litre black bins instead.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel, said: “Over 1,700 residents have already got involved in the survey and shared information on recycling and waste collections. We’d like to thank them for their feedback, as the information already received gives us a snapshot of people’s views. We were already aware of some of the issues raised and all the feedback will be considered when the survey closes.

“To make sure we develop the right model for Denbighshire, we want to understand more about people’s recycling needs, hear about any potential impacts these proposed changes may have on households and to work with communities to manage the proposed changes”.

People can complete the online questionnaire available on the Council’s website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/recyclemore.  Alternatively, people can pick up a copy of the survey at One Stop Shops and libraries across the county.

The Council would expect that any proposed change would take place in 2020.