Two-way signals will be in place on the road between Llangollen and Froncysyllte.
* For the full story, see Leaderlive at: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/25992341.a5-near-llangollen-set-22-days-temporary-lights/
* Shimona Rose, who won the 2024 Pendine International Voice of the Future competition, will be returning to perform at this year’s Llangollen Eisteddfod.
Twenty-two of the world’s finest young singers will be heading to North Wales to compete for a prestigious international prize.
They will be battling for the title of Pendine International Voice of the Future at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
Among the singers taking part is soprano J J Lam who sang God Save The King before the England v Wales rugby international at Twickenham.
The competition is once again being sponsored by the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park, via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, which was established to support cultural and community initiatives across Wales.
The winner will receive the Pendine Trophy – a solid silver salver - and the £3,000 prize while the runner up will get a cheque for £1,000.
The prizes will be presented by Pendine Park owner Mario Kreft MBE after a sing-off on the closing night of this year’s Eisteddfod, Sunday, July 12, when the coveted Choir of the World award will also be decided.
It was announced earlier this year that the event has been given a major boost after Pendine pledged to continue to back it for the next five years.
The Eisteddfod’s Artistic Director, Dave Danford, said: “We’ve had this wonderful support from Pendine Park for what is one of our flagship competitions, the Pendine International Voice of the Future, which gives talented young opera singers from around the world a helping hand with their careers.
“We always get a good response and this year we have had 29 entries from the UK and further afield, from Australia, China, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong and the Republic of Ireland and such was the standard that 22 of them have been selected to come to Llangollen.
“It’s testament to the fact that this competition which takes place at Llangollen each year is held in such high regard by the world’s opera singers.
“There’s a £3,000 cash prize which they can use to further their careers and as many of them are still students it can help them continue their studies.
“What has been lovely is that many previous winners return to Llangollen and this year two of them, Eirlys Myfanwy Davies and Shimona Rose, will be on the stage again this summer.
“There have been a number of occasions when previous entrants have returned to the Eisteddfod as professional artists to perform at our concerts.
“That’s a clear indication of the quality of the applications and the singers who win are of a standard to appear on stage with other professional singers, orchestras and conductors like Sir Karl Jenkins.”
The Pendine International Voice of the Future competition is one of the blue riband events at this year’s Eisteddfod and gets underway on Tuesday, July 7, with the preliminary rounds with the semi-finals taking place on the Friday.
Mario said: “The standard of competitors in previous years has been nothing short of phenomenal and I have every confidence it will be just as high this year.
“I wish all the young singers the very best of luck. The adjudicators certainly won’t have an easy task, given the extraordinary talent on display.
“The competition perfectly reflects Pendine Park’s ethos, where the arts in general - and music in particular – form a golden thread running through daily life at all our care home.
“That feels particularly meaningful this year as we celebrate our 40th anniversary which is why we have pledged to continue to support the competition for the next five years.”
Talented singers from all over the world who have triumphed in previous competitions have hailed it as an invaluable stepping stone in their careers and performing at the Eisteddfod this year are two past winners.
Shimona Rose, of Singapore, and Eirlys Myfanwy Davies, from Trimsaran, Carmarthenshire, will be returning as stars of this year’s festival in the long-awaited staging of the Uniting Nations: One World concert, composed and conducted by Sir Karl Jenkins, on the opening night.
Swansea-born Dave Danford knows all about the magic of the Eisteddfod. The percussionist who studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, fell in love with its unique atmosphere when he first appeared at Llangollen in 2010 with the South Wales-based Corry Band.
He has worked at the Eisteddfod since 2012, became Production Manager in 2020 and Artistic Director in 2023 and while working as a freelance percussionist and running his company, Absolute Music Services, which puts together professional orchestras for tours and events.
He said: “There just an atmosphere about Llangollen like no other. It’s a special place.
“It’s that combination of international competitors, professional musicians and over 600 volunteers who help us make it all happen. Everyone is here for the right reason. They love it.”
* For more information about the full Llangollen Eisteddfod programme and how to buy tickets visit https://llangollen.net
* Councillor Damon Richards-Gwilliam pictured at the boarded up site of the ATM. Image: Cameron Richards.
The NatWest ATM on Castle Street in Llangollen is set to be reinstated following concerns raised by residents, businesses and town councillor Damon Richards-Gwilliam.
Following a break-in December of last year, the ATM was taken out of service and placed under review by NatWest, with uncertainty around whether it would return.
As the review period continued without clarity, concerns grew locally that the machine could be permanently removed, further reducing the towns cash infrastructure.
In response, Cllr Richards-Gwilliam engaged directly with NatWest, making clear representations on behalf of residents and local businesses, and pressing the importance of maintaining free and convenient access to cash in the town which no longer has a bank branch.
Following this engagement, NatWest has now confirmed that it intends to reinstate the ATM with a new machine as soon as logistically possible.
Delighted by this news, Cllr Richards-Gwilliam said: "This is a very welcome outcome for Llangollen.
"Given the length of time the ATM had been under review, there was real concern locally that it may not return. I therefore felt it was important to raise this directly with NatWest and ensure the strength of feeling locally was clearly understood.
"I'm pleased that NatWest has listened and recognised how important this service is to our community. Access to cash remains vital for residents, businesses and visitors alike, particularly for the more vulnerable members of our community, and in a busy tourist town with no bank branches it is essential that infrastructure remains in place. This is about ensuring free, resilient and reliable access to cash in our town as a whole, not just the provision of a single machine.
"I would like to thank everyone who took the time to raise their concerns with me, this outcome shows the strength of feeling locally and the value of making our voices heard.
“If I can be of any support to residents or local businesses on this matter or any other please feel free to email me at cllrrichards-gwilliam@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk or write to me at Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam, Llangollen Town Council, Town Hall, Parade Street, Llangollen, LL20 8PW”
Cllr Richards-Gwilliam added that he will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the ATM is brought back into operation as soon as possible.
He also indicated that he will be exploring a formal request for an Access to Cash assessment to ensure that Llangollen has sufficient, resilient and free-to-use cash infrastructure to meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.
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Young local entertainer Shea Ferron's April Fool's Day gag rather walzed away with him.
On his Facebook page yesterday he solemnly described in a short video how he was planning a marked change of career from a song and dance man and member off the famous Johns' Boys choir to a ballet dancer.
Shea, who stands well over 6ft tall, said: "After careful consideration, I have decided to take a step away from the acting and singing and start my training at the Royal Ballet School, to peruse my dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
"After seeing me on an episode of Motorway Cops dressed in my ballet vest in 2022, teachers at the school knew the potential I had and have finally offered me a place on their course."
He was referring to a nasty road accident - from which he walked away unhurt - when a camera recorded him wearing a rather fetching black ballet singlet.
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He added: "I’d like to thank all who have supported me, and to my agents @zenithartistmgt for encouraging me to do it. I cannot wait to see what my future in ballet holds."
Most people who commented on the post got the joke and realised it was fake. But apparently not the BBC journalist who contacted him asking if would like to do a story about his big career swap.
So today Shea was back on Facebook to stress that it had all been a April Fool's gag.
He said: "Thank you to everyone who gave me their support. But it was a joke!
"And I want to say that before any more journalists from the BBC get in touch asking if I'd be interested in doing a story. It's a fake, it's not real!"
His admission was filmed behind the scenes at the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool where is appearing as the Tin Man in the Easter-time panto Wizard of Oz, which opens tomorrow and runs until April 9, and to which he gave a plug.
A fellow cast member who was alongside him confirmed: "That's right. He ain't no Darcey Bussell!"
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