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Monday, June 22, 2026

Latest local roadworks alerts from Denbighshire County Council

Latest local roadworks alerts from Denbighshire County Council are:

Carriageway, COED AFON 22/06/2026 - 26/06/2026, Clytio/ Patching (DCC) Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Opposite 2 MILL STREET 23/06/2026, Gwaith BT/ BT Works PLATINUM (DCC), Goleuadau Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights

A539, OPPOSITE 14 PENGWERN 21/07/2026 - 23/07/2026, Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY 

From St. John's Church to Castle Street, ABBEY ROAD 10/07/2026, Parêd Rhyngwladol y Cenhedloedd Llangollen / Llangollen International Parade of Nations, Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

A542 Ffordd yr Abaty ABBEY ROAD 22/06/2026, Amnewid Colofnau / Replace column DCC STREET LIGHTING, LLANGOLLEN, Goleuadau Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights

A542 From St. John's Church to Castle Street ABBEY ROAD 10/07/2026, Parêd Rhyngwladol y Cenhedloedd Llangollen / Llangollen International Parade of Nations, Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure, Clirffordd / Clearway

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice

Here is the latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice:

Q: I’ve recently had to give up work due to a back injury and I’m worried about how I’m going to cope with the drop in income. I’m not sure what benefits I can get - where should I start?

Lots of people miss out on benefits they’re entitled to, so it’s definitely worth checking what you can get.

Claiming benefits also means you can get access to other financial help like cost of living payments and discounts on energy and transport.

To get started, you can use an online benefits calculator. For the most accurate answer, you’ll need information about your savings, income, pension, childcare payments and any existing benefits for you and your partner, if you have one. You can use the Entitledto benefits calculator or check out the Policy in Practice version for a detailed overview. The Turn2us online tool can provide a quick idea of what benefits and other financial help you might be eligible for.

The main benefit available for most people of working age is Universal Credit. You should check if you can get Universal Credit if you’re over 18 and under State Pension age (you can check your State Pension age on the government website), and if you have less than £16,000 in savings or other investments. You can check if you’re eligible on the Citizens Advice website.

If you’re finding it difficult to work because of your injury, you might get more Universal Credit or not have to look for work. You’ll need to inform the Department for Work and Pensions that you have a health condition when you claim Universal Credit and, if possible, submit a fit note. You can find out more on the Citizens Advice website.

You might be entitled to other benefits depending on your situation, like your age, if you’re disabled or if you have a child. Some people are able to claim more than one benefit - for example, disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (if you’re under pension age) or Attendance Allowance (if you’re over pension age) and Universal Credit. These disability benefits aren’t means-tested and can often be claimed in addition to other benefits like Universal Credit. Take a look at our website for more details.

If your medical condition makes it difficult to work, you may also be entitled to the new-style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Check if you can claim ESA

If you pay council tax, you might be able to get a reduction in your bill. You can check if you can pay less council tax on the Citizens Advice website.

Eisteddfod teams up with Tŷ Pawb for summer concerts

Wrexham’s award winning culture venue Tŷ Pawb and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod are teaming up host a series of special free concerts in the city.

These will feature a selection of acts from the line-up of year’s Eisteddfod and will include local choirs, a salsa dance group, ukelele orchestra and a steel pan band.


There will also be a chance for visitors to try their hand at a well-known Welsh musical instrument at a ‘Have a go at Harp’ workshop hosted by Cambrian Harps.

The concerts will take place in Tŷ Pawb’s Food Court at lunchtime from Saturday June 27 to Wednesday July 8. 


Lead Member with responsibility for Tŷ Pawb, Cllr Hugh Jones said: “We are delighted to announce this new series of concerts, made possible thanks to a partnership between two of North Wales’ cultural powerhouses.

“Now in its 79th year, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has is widely regarded as one of the world’s most inspirational cultural festivals, attracting tens of thousands of visitors and performers from all over the world to our corner of North Wales each year.

“The series of concerts at Tŷ Pawb promises to bring a taster of the Eisteddfod’s carnival atmosphere to Wrexham and will be an excellent showcase of what to expect at this year’s festival. I hope everyone in Wrexham will take this opportunity to come and enjoy. Many thanks to all the performers and the Eisteddfod team for working with us to arrange the performances.”

Dave Danford, Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Tŷ Pawb to bring a taste of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod to the heart of Wrexham. One of the things that makes the Eisteddfod so special is the way it brings people together through music, dance and cultural exchange, and these free performances offer a wonderful opportunity for people to experience some of that spirit ahead of this year’s festival.

“We’re particularly pleased that the programme showcases local performers alongside groups connected with the Eisteddfod, highlighting the wealth of musical talent we have here in North Wales. We hope these events will encourage both existing supporters and new audiences to discover everything that the Eisteddfod has to offer this summer.”

Full timetable

Saturday June 27
12.30pm
The James Lambert singers Choir
This performance will be part of Tŷ Pawb’s FREE Family Fun Day

Monday June 29
12.00pm
Ozukes U3A Ukelele group

Thursday July 2
12.00pm

Clywedog Steel Pans

Friday July 3
4pm

Cambrian Harps Have a go harp workshop *

Saturday July 4
12.00pm

Lleisiau Clywedog

Wed July 8
12.00pm

Karen’s Dance classes – Salsa workshop *

Find out more about Llangollen International Eisteddfod

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Police send out message about extra anti-social behaviour patrolling

 

* The police social media picture of an officer walking the beat in Castle Street.

Police say they will be stepping up their presence in Llangollen for the rest of this summer in a bid to prevent further outbreaks of anti-social behaviour and disorder.


This comes after extreme concern was shown by the Town Council and local county councillor about the situation last bank holiday Monday when rowdy behaviour blighted the town centre and illegal parking blocked roads around the Horseshoe Falls.

County Councillor Karen Edwards compared the area around the Castle Street bridge as like the Wild West after young lads were jumping into the river as onlookers cheered them on and dropped mounds of litter.

Residents took to social media to criticise the police for having no presence in either area when all this was happening. 

The weekend's unruly behaviour prompted new Town Mayor, Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam, to send an open letter via llanblogger to Llangollen residents and businesses expressing his concern about what had happened and assuring them he and the Town Council would be demanding more help from the police to prevent such scenes in future. 

This led to a crisis meeting last week between the local inspector for North Wales Police and councillors from Llangollen and Llantysilio in whose area Horseshoe Falls is.  

Now, police have taken to their own social media to reveal that some action has been taken.

A post last night on the NWP Conwy & Denbigh Rural page says: "There has been an increased police presence in Llangollen today. 

"This will continue into the evening and throughout the summer, at peak times, to prevent ASB and disorder which often increases during the warmer weather."

The post was accompanied by a picture of a police officer walking the beat near the library steps in Castle Street. 

The Mayor said: "This is extremely important to me and to us as a Town Council. We have been clear in raising residents' concerns, and I strongly welcome this proactive approach from North Wales Police.

"Visible policing is vital in reassuring residents, business owners and visitors alike, while also deterring antisocial behaviour. For too long, Llangollen has faced these challenges during periods of warm weather, and I fully support this initiative to protect our community, restore confidence and deliver the positive impact our town needs.”

Unconfirmed reports of major police incident in town


* The river is said to have been the focus of the police activity early this morning.

Questions are being asked on local social media about what sounds like a major police incident in the centre of Llangollen in the early hours of this morning.

llanblogger has been told that from around midnight at least one helicopter was airborne over the town, shining its powerful searchlight into the area in and around the river.

A drone was also spotted hovering around the same area at about the same time.

Further reports are that a large number of police cars were involved and perhaps even an ambulance, although this is unconfirmed.

Some of the activity, which is said to have gone on until around 3am, was verified by Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards who confirmed the sightings of the helicopter and searchlight. She is now making official enquiries into the incident.

So far nothing has been mentioned about any incident on the North Wales Police social media.

Cost of parking to increase from next month


* Market Street where the cost of parking for over three hours will rise to £10 from next month.

The cost of using Llangollen's main Market Street car park for over three hours is to rise by a quarter from next month.

Denbighshire County Council reveals in a statutory public notice it is making changes to the fees for using all its pay and display car parks from July 6, including the five in Llangollen.

Most expensive place to park from that date will be the large facility in Market Street, which has 147 spaces and is used by most visitors.

The charge there for over three hours will go up from the current £8 to £10, or 25%.

It's the same percentage rise for up to 30 minutes, which goes up from 80p to £1 at Market Street and over 33% for up to one hour, which goes from £1.50 to £2. 

Up to three hours at the same car park rises from £3 to £4, which is also 33%.

* For comparison purposes here are the existing and new charges for all local car parks:

Existing charges

Brook Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £0.80

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £2.50

Over 3 hours £4.00

East Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £0.80

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £2.50

Over 3 hours £4.00

Hall Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £0.80

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £2.50

Over 3 hours £4.00

Market Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £0.80

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £3.00

Over 3 hours £8.00

Mill Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £0.80

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £2.50

Over 3 hours £4.00

NEW CHARGES

Brook Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £1.00

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £3.00

Over 3 hours £4.00

East Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £1.00

Up to 1 hour £2.00

Up to 3 hours £4.00

Over 3 hours £10.00

Hall Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £1.00

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £3.00

Over 3 hours £4.00

Market Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £1.00

Up to 1 hour £2.00

Up to 3 hours £4.00

Over 3 hours £10.00

Mill Street, 8am to 11pm

Up to 30 minutes £1.00

Up to 1 hour £1.50

Up to 3 hours £3.00

Over 3 hours £4.00

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Plas Newydd hosts a wuthering wonderful day of dance action

 

* A cavalcade of Cathy Earnshaws "go for it" in the main wuthering event at Plas Newydd.

It has been a wuthering wonderful day at Plas Newydd where 230 red-clad Cathy Earnshaws from all parts of Britain went through their stylish paces in Llangollen's first ever mass recreation of the famous Kate Bush 1978 dance sequence.

For the past couple of years similar events have been held across Britain to raise thousands for charitable causes. 

The local woman behind this fantastic extravaganza, which filled the grounds of the stately home with music, movement and laughter, was Moira Gleed who organised the event soon after learning that she was terminally ill.   

Last October her imagination was fired by a WhatsApp film of a Wuthering day elsewhere in the country and she decided that Llangollen really ought to do something similar.

She gathered around her a hard-working bunch of volunteers who helped her put everything together to make today a memorable success, with all money raised going to Welsh Women's Aid.

Advertising of the event began on social media early in the year and within just 11 days the entire stock of over 200 tickets was sold out.

Today dancers came flocking from all parts of the UK - from London to Scotland and Yorkshire to Cardiff - and also more locally.   

After three practice runs led by the two choreographers which set the high standard for the main event, town mayor Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam officially declared the proceedings open, saying he hoped everyone would have a "wuthering wonderful" time, which indeed they did judging from the enthusiastic way they threw themselves into the action again and again on a rather warm afternoon.

The area's MP, Becky Gittins, was also hand to announced that Moira and her daughter Rowena, who helped her tremendously with the event organisation, had been jointly awarded her Community Champion of the Month award for June.

After lunch it was time for the big dance itself, which came with three encores.

And far from being a female-only affair, there were at least four guys who had entered into the spirit of things by dancing along in red dresses.

Just before the grand finale performance Moira came to the microphone to admit that the day's turnout of dancers plus with spectators had exceeded her wildest dreams from last autumn. 

She thanked the team that her helped to build the whole thing from scratch and then told the waiting dancers to "really go for it," which they duly did.

The whole sequence was faithfully filmed by a number of people in the crowd and one man told how his live recording had been beamed thousands of miles to a friend serving on board the British Antarctic Survey ship Sir David Attenborough on the southern ice shelf shelf where he and fellow crew members had been dancing along enthusiastically with the action back in Llangollen.

Certainly it was a day to remember with global reach.   


* The town mayor, Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam, gets the event underway. 


* Becky Gittins MP announces that Moira and her daughter Rowena had won her Community Champion award for June.


* Town crier Austin "Chem" Cheminais, wearing his specially dyed-red beard, dances along with the action.


* Organiser Moira Gleed (right) with deputy town mayor, Cllr Charlie Jones, who was the event compere.


* The MP stayed to join in the dancing.


* Town crier Chem grabs a celebratory dance with Moira Gleed. 


* Dancers fill the Plas Newydd field with red-clad action.


* A pause in the action during the legendary Kate Bush dance sequence.


* Keeping a close eye on the choreographer to get things just right. 


* Not just for the girls: Mike Gleed, husband of organiser Moira, steps out with the best of them. Below: another male interpretation of the routine. 



* Close to the end and the dancing is as energetic as ever. 

* The big dance winds up with a scaffolded Plas Newydd - where entry was half price on the day for dancers - in the background.