"What was the highlight of 2016 for Llandrindod Wells?"

Many businesses are at the heart of the Llandrindod Wells community and so it's important to understand their opinion on the town. 

I recently asked some of the towns' business owners what they think the highlight of 2016 was for Llandrindod Wells. 

Junk n Disorderly: "2016 was a great year for Llandrindod Wells simply because of the good, positive vibes around the town. There were a number of new business and new ideas that came about in 2016 and they've done wonders for the community atmosphere."

Junk n Disorderly

J&M's Emporium: "The Christmas #latenightllandod was a real highlight for us. It was great to see everyone and all the business owners come together to create something special for the community!"

Jude Boutle, Llandrindod Town Champion: "What really pleased me about 2016 was the obvious change in attitude of the townsfolk. I ended the year feeling pleased and encouraged that people have started to really work together to make Llandrindod Wells an even better place."

Van's Good Food Shop: "The Radnor Fringe Festival was a really exciting event for the town with a variety of things happening. Also the Refugee Concert was great as it attracted lots of different people from within the community."

KDM Local Newsagents, Stationers, Game Store: "2016 was a great year for the town. In my opinion, it saw the rebirth of 'community' in a lot of ways. From lots of smaller groups of people joining together, to townsfolk getting behind larger events like the 2day trials, the Christmas Fayre and the Late Night Opening. One of the highlights for me has be the rise and continued growth of Llandrindod Pomarium Community Orchard, this has been truly joyous. My boys love it there. The bees, the flowers and the fruit growing and being shared and the outdoor events they are hosting. Definitely the highlight of 2016 for me!"

Radnor Travel Service Ltd: "The real highlight was how the businesses and community started to come together; especially at the Late Night Opening events. It was the best positive spirit I have known in the town during my 18 years of trading! I also loved the Xmas decorations and how people of Llandrindod were proud of living here. Although I live 20 miles away, I am so proud of working in Llandrindod and therefore love showing it off through my photography."

One of Laura's lovely photographs

Arvon Ales: "One highlight has got to be the brilliant Radnor Fringe Festival - seeing people of all ages smiling and enjoying the entertainment. Another highlight was an evening with Sam Lee at Rock Park (organised by the Radnor Fringe). This was a truly magical night sitting on straw bales and ending with an evening walk home and seeing the park being lit up with glow worms. I also loved how the town traders came together to bring the Late Night Opening at Christmas."

Radnor Fringe Festival - a real family friendly community event

Happy Home Gift Company: "2016 was a fantastic year for the town and working together with the other traders to bring forward events like the #latenightllandod was a real highlight. I also loved the positivity within the town and hearing so many positive comments. For example during the late night Christmas opening, loads of people in the community commented how lovely the town was with all the Christmas lighting and the real friendly community atmosphere. It's nice for people to look at Llandrindod now and see a town that has a thriving community and isn't looked down upon. We can only continue to build from here so we must look forward to what the exciting future may bring!"

Happy Home Gift Company

Of course there are always those with negative voices but we can all work together as a strong community to eradicate this opinion and prove to these people that the old Victorian Spa town of Llandrindod Wells can be a successful town in the 21st Century! 

Now as 2017 has well and truly begun; I hope we can all look forward to another successful year for Llandrindod Wells. 

Don't forget, you can visit the 'vision' tab at the top left of the page to discover more about this llandrindodlife initiative. If you'd like to get in contact with any ideas/suggestions etc. then I would love to hear from you! Just use the contact box to the side of this post.

EXCITING THINGS ARE ON THE WAY (Part 1)

Hello people of Llandrindod!

Long time no blogging from me....

BUT....

My A Level exams are all over (yay!) so I'm back and raring to go in order to get this blog up and running with even more success than before. I want to promote the place I am most passionate about; Llandrindod Wells, my hometown. I hope you will join me along this journey. 

What next?

I first started this blog as a way of helping to promote life in Llandrindod Wells. I wanted to help people realise that Llandrindod has such a strong sense of community and the town has lots that it should be shouting about to the wider area of Powys and beyond. This hasn't changed. 

Llandrindod is a place of happiness. A place where people are happy to live and bring up their children. A place where people are happy to retire and a place for everyone in between. Everyone has a place in Llandrindod Wells. 

A place of outstanding national beauty. A place where the community are not afraid to stand up for what they believe is right and for the greater good of the town. I am proud to stand as a member of this community. 

Local business blog posts

If you have been following this blog previously, you will have seen that I have written blog posts about some businesses and attractions in the town. Check out the blog archive to the right of this post. Through writing these blog posts, I am helping to enhance social relationships and people's knowledge of local businesses and helping to create better community links. 

Over the coming week I will be delivering my llandrindodlife leaflets to the local businesses in the area which detail my vision for the town now and in the coming future. I will also be going to talk to some business, shops and services too. If you are a local business, tourist attraction, service, shop etc and wish to be featured on the blog, please do get in contact. I am really looking forward to writing more blog posts about the businesses, shops and services we are so lucky to have here in Llandrindod so naturally I am eagerly awaiting people's responses. If you would like to get in contact with me, you can email me directly or use the contact form to the right side of this blog post.

I hope this is enough to get you excited about the future of llandrindodlife but if you cleverly noticed in the title... this is only part 1.

Keep your eyes peeled for more news in the form of a blog post over the coming few days. Even if I do say so myself; I am very very excited about the things I'm writing about for part 2 and can't wait to tell you all. 

You'll just have to wait and see...

Why should YOU love Llandrindod Wells?

NEW TOWN BRANDING

Llandrindod Wells has recently been re-branded as Llandrindod Wellness as part of the Welsh Governments support for the Powys Local Growth Zones initiative with the appointment of Llandrindod Wells' Town Champion, Jude Boutle. 

"Our place brand is Llandrindod Wellness or Llawen-drindod.

Our brand is grounded in our spa town heritage and recognises that natural health and wellness are increasingly important in today's world. After all, our traditional town emblem features Hygieia the Goddess of Health."

TOWN WIFI

 

One of the things that has arisen from the Llandrindod Wellness town branding is the launch of the town's WiFI system, installed at different sites around the town including the train station, Middleton Street, Temple Gardens, Rock Park and the Lake. 

"The system will benefit local people, residents and visitors. Not only will Llandrindod Wells be able to use the system to showcase what the town has to offer, but it could become a great tool for the town's businesses to inform the way they market their business in the future" ~ Avril York, Powys council's cabinet member for regeneration 

LOCALLY OWNED INDEPENDENT SHOPS & BUSINESSES  

Llandrindod Wells is so lucky to have locally owned friendly shops and businesses such as Happy Home Gift Company and Junk n Disorderly amongst many more. Shops and local businesses such as these make Llandrindod such a welcoming town with so many things to look at and buy, proving that the Victorian Spa town is flourishing in the 21st Century. Llandrindod is blessed with a diverse range of shops and businesses selling an assorted and wide range of gifts and items.

Here are just a few of the shops, businesses and services available to the Llandrindod Wells community. 

SHOPS:

gift shops, charity shops, book shop, supermarket, electrical shops, furniture shops, newsagents, butchers, bike shop, pubs and many more...

SERVICES:

doctors, hairdressers, travel agents, hospital, dance centre, leisure centre, railway, bus routes, taxi, gym, opticians, pharmacy and many more...

FIRST MICRO-PUB IN POWYS

 

Llandrindod plays host to Arvon Ales the first Micro-Pub in Powys. This Micro-Pub does not only sell a wide range of locally sourced delicious ales, but also has Folk Sessions every 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. Their first Blues and Acoustic Jam Session is due to start May 15th at 4pm. People travel from far and wide to Llandrindod Wells just to visit this friendly, unique Micro-Pub so this is definitely one of the factors that help to enhance life in Llandrindod Wells.

OUTDOOR SPACE

 

It is easy to see why Llandrindod is such a great place to live even when you just take a walk around the town. There is so much green space available to the community. This ranges from Temple Gardens, The Rock Park, The Lake, and lots of footpaths around the town and through the fields in the local area. This green space provides a place for the community and visitors to relax, have family days out, walk the dog, play sport and take in the views......

STUNNING SCENERY

 

If you have never walked, ran, cycled or taken the car up to the top of  Little Hill above Llandrindod Wells Golf Course, you are missing out and I strongly advise you to. On a clear day, you can see for miles, and even when the weather isn't as nice, the view is still breathtaking. 

HISTORY

 

I think it is important to know and recognise the history of where you live. Llandrindod Wells is a Victorian town with many stories to tell of days gone by. We should embrace this. There is no escaping the history as if you walk anywhere in the town you are surrounded by tall grand Victorian buildings which help to convey Llandrindod's grand history. Without this history, Llandrindod would not be the town and place it is today and this makes the town very special.

NATIONAL CYCLE MUSEUM

 

Llandrindod Wells also plays host to the National Cycle Museum located at the Automobile Palace on Temple Street. This museum is stooped in history and personally, I think it's possible to spend hours in the museum pouring over the history and when you leave you will feel as if you know all about the history of cycling and probably want to get out on your bike right that minute. The collection also draws people into Llandrindod Wells from afar and is a popular tourist attraction to visitors. 

 

COMMUNITY

 

Llandrindod is a special place, not least because of the community feeling within the town. Everyone has a kind word for everyone and people look out for each other.

Community links are an important part of Llandrindod life and without this thriving community, Llandrindod would not be such a fabulous place to live. The community can pull together during times of hardship and the community can act as a powerful and strong voice to stand together as one and fight for all the extraordinary factors that encompass all of life in Llandrindod.

LLANDRINDOD WELLS IS WELL AND TRULY BACK ON THE UP

 

The reopening of the Grand Pavilion, the development of Riversimple's hydrogen cell powered green car, the all new Rasa in Llandrindod Wells, Play Radnor's £250,000 lottery grant, the funding for the successful Town Champion for another year, the new birthing centre being developed at the hospital, the launch of Llandrindance aiming to get the whole town dancing, nine new businesses have opened or are opening in recent months...these are just some of the reasons why Llandrindod is continuing to flourish and why I am happy to say I am proud to live in this special town and be part of life in Llandrindod Wells. 

I hope I have shown you why YOU should love YOUR town and YOUR community. I am committed to helping people realise this town is a special place and fully enhance #llandrindodlife

LOVE EVERYTHING DOD PRESENTS...

Recently, I interviewed Lisa Horne all about a new exciting charity event which will be happening here in Llandrindod Wells very soon.

Heidi Davies: What local committee are you a part of?
Lisa Horne: The committee is newly formed and is called L.E.D which stands for Love Everything Dod.
 

L.E.D's logo

Who is on the committee and what is the main aim/focus of this committee?  

L.E.D includes a handful of local volunteers with the passion to help improve Llandrindod life.  The main focus will always be creating a fantastic Christmas fayre.  To do this, throughout the year we will be organising community events with all proceeds going towards a magical fayre at the end of the year.  At these events we are hoping to help promote local businesses, provide wonderful community experiences and put Llandrindod Wells back on the map as the place to visit at Christmas time and all throughout the year.

How long has this committee been formed? 

L.E.D was formed off the back of last years Christmas Fayre that was held in the Metropole Hotel.  Amy and Hannah Bubear were the organisers of the fayre and seeing the success, encouraged them to make this an annual event.  As you can imagine a lot of time, effort and money went into that fayre and they realised they couldn't do it alone again this year so via Facebook asked if anyone was interested in joining them and towards the end of January L.E.D was formed.

What event are you organising?
Our very first event will be a Masquerade Ball held at the Commodore Hotel, Llandrindod Wells.

When is the event?
Saturday 30th April at 7.30pm which coincides with the May bank holiday.  What better way to spend your 3 day weekend than getting dolled up and joining us!?

Who can attend?
The event is 18+ but otherwise absolutely anyone can attend; we have tried to cater for everyone.  Maybe you want to treat your partner to a special night out? Perhaps the girls want a different girls night out? Maybe you're looking for an unusual works night out?  Or, if like me, you just want a reason to get glammed up and have a great night out in Llandrindod.

                                            
Is there a particular dress code?
Yes, the theme is Hollywood Glamour so we are thinking along the lines of red carpet Oscar event.  Did I mention we do actually have a red carpet?
Ladies, do you still have 'that' dress in the wardrobe that you absolutely love and thought you'd never have a reason to wear it again? Or maybe it's an excuse to go and do some fancy dress shopping. Men, dust off that suit/tux, treat yourself to a new dickie bow and get ready to make those heads turn.                                                                                                                                                          
No Masquerade Ball would be complete without a mask.  Whether you buy one or make one yourself we are so excited to see what everyone wears.
We have competitions for those best dressed so don't forgot to pull out all the stops.

Have you got any advice to give the community of Llandrindod Wells when they are preparing for this event?
Our aim is to put on a grand glamourous event but more importantly we want people to enjoy it and have fun.  We are encouraging people to dress up to the nines, don some amazing masks and bring a few extra £'s to enter our Chinese Auction to win some great prizes.  No other preparation is needed but if anyone has any questions please send us an e-mail (joneschristmasfayre@gmail.com) or a message via our Facebook page. 

What is the sell-out feature of your event? / Why will people want to attend?
Where do I start? Firstly you will have a grand entrance down a red carpet in the already fabulous Commodore Hotel where photographer Rebecca Smith will be getting some paparazzi style pics of your arrival.  Rebecca will be at the event all night snapping great memories of the event.  These pictures will then be available for purchase from L.E.D after the event. We will have live music, a buffet, DJ and to add that something a little different we have secured magician Rob Chapman. He blends magic, mind reading and hypnotism and rather than put on a stage show he will be mingling with the guests so you will get a 1 to 1 magic performance to remember. As well as all this entertainment we will have a Chinese Auction which will include a spa day, a lunch for 2, both at Lake Country House Hotel and Spa and a hamper full of goodies from local businesses with more prizes to come. As I mentioned we have competitions with the categories being 'Best Dressed', 'Best Couple' and 'Best Mask' and awards will go out to the winners during the evening.

How much does it cost to attend the event and what is the money raised going towards?
The tickets are £25 each or £42 a pair and you will be getting bag loads for your money!  All proceeds will be put back into L.E.D to help fund the next event and ultimately our end of year event – the Christmas fayre.

Where can people get their tickets?
Tickets are now available at G & A Jones Newsagent in Llandrindod Wells or online, please send an e-mail to joneschristmasfayre@gmail.com.

Where did the idea come from? Was it something you have always had in mind or a completely new idea?
Llandrindod was renowned for staging grand balls during the Victorian times and we wanted to try and bring that back but wanted to keep it modern and exciting.  While we had the framework of our first ball we knew we wanted to make it a stand out event and during a brainstorming session the idea of masquerade cropped up and, as they say, the rest is history. 

                                        
How do you think this event will benefit the community of Llandrindod Wells?
This event is about bringing the community together, a reason to get dressed up knowing you'll have a great time and you're helping to contribute to future events in Llandrindod.  For all our events we will be trying to promote local businesses where we can and help to grow the ever expanding community events.

Are the committee going to organise any future events?
Most definitely! This is just the start for us.  We have a whole list of ideas for future events, some of which Llandrindod may not have experienced before.  We are hoping to build on these each year and increase the number of events as we build up steam.  We are hoping our next event to be a medieval banquet which will take place later in the year.

Can you describe the event in three words?
Glamourous, Magical, Show-stopping 

So be sure to keep an eye on L.E.D's Facebook page as they will be posting lots of things about the event between now and the 30th April including useful links to help with planning and creating your outfits for the glamourous event. You can also follow the L.E.D committee on Twitter.

Why don't you get yourself down to G & A Jones Newsagent to purchase your tickets in order to enjoy a glittering night to celebrate all that is wonderful about life in the friendly community of Llandrindod Wells.

I wish the L.E.D committee every success with this event and ones to come in the future. They are a shining example of just one of the brilliant things happening in #llandrindodlife! 

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." ~ Helen Keller

Arvon Ales

Arvon Ales located along Temple Street is Llandrindod's very own Micropub. There are about 200 of these Micropubs in England but Llandrindod Wells has the privilege and honour of being host to the first in Powys. The pub has an emphasis on serving good quality real ales whilst providing a welcoming place for people to chat, relax, meet new people and feel they belong to the strong community of Llandrindod Wells. It is only natural the Micropub does not have televisions, WiFi or music as the emphasis is on the good old fashioned tradition of excellent ale and real people and this is something, the owner Laura Gallagher feels makes the place so special. 
   

Some of the ales on offer at Arvon Ales

 
Laura and John opened up the doors of Arvon Ales to the community of Llandrindod Wells in November 2014. They effectively "stole" the idea and model of developing a Micropub by converting an empty shop into a friendly and cosy bar and brewing ale in a low risk way. After visiting several Micropubs themselves they thought they would give it a go at combining their love of ale into a business idea and this has proved highly successful and a real hit with people of this old Victorian spa town in Mid Wales.

Arvon Ales has a large quality and choice of real ale available and this is paramount with the business being awarded the Campaign for Real Ale Award (CAMRA). Although Arvon Ales are proud of the fact most of the ales are sourced from a 30 mile radius the Micropub actually has it's own small brewery where some of the ales are fermented in a safe way and this is one of the reasons why the Ale House has achieved the CAMRA award as the beer is kept really well. This encourages people to come into Arvon Ales and try out the beer and experience a completely different environment to a normal pub. 

CAMRA award

Laura's favourite ale at the moment is the Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild which she describes to have a full malty rich taste. March is Welsh Beer and Cider month at Arvon Ales with all the draughts beers selling this month being produced in Wales. You can see everything in the cellar here.

March is Welsh month at Arvon Ales

"Last week we had offerings from Tudor in Blaenau Gwent, Big Hand from Wrexham, Heavy Industry from Denbighshire, Cwrw Ial from Mold and Waen Brewery from right here in Powys."

Lots of people that come to drink ale and socialise at Arvon Ales are people who have stopped going out drinking in bigger pubs on nights out but are still looking for real ale and a friendly atmosphere to socalise. People come from all over the place to Llandrindod Wells, even from as far as Aberystwyth just to visit Arvon Ales and this certainly is an asset to the town. 

One of the exciting things which happens at Arvon Ales is the folk sessions every second and fourth Sunday of the month from 4pm.  This attracts numerous musicians from the local area and I can imagine the place becomes extremely lively at these events.

Here's an example of the music produced at the folk session. You can view more of these clips here.
 

A Blues Session is the next potential event Arvon Ales has on its radar in the way of music so if you are interested and want this to happen get in touch. As Laura says "the more the merrier".
 

Folk session fun

The Art Wall within Arvon Ales features an exhibition of art from the National Cycle Museum located in Llandrindod Wells and Laura is hoping it will soon feature art work from the Radnorshire Museum. 

The Art Wall featuring work 
by local artist, Amanda Skipsey

 
Here is what some of the community of Llandrindod Wells and the surrounding area have had to say about Arvon Ales on their Facebook page and tripadvisor.

"We visited this fantastic pub on Saturday and were greeted with the warmest of welcomes from the owner Laura and had a brilliant night talking with many of the friendly locals here. The ale was in first class condition too so I probably had more than I should have done (ahem). If ever you are in the area and enjoy a pint or few of ale or proper cider then I cannot recommend this pub highly enough."~Trevor Harris

"This is just what the town needed superb little ale house with friendly owners to boot! Always an excellent selection of unusual beers not the run of the mill stuff and with the added bonus of carry outs for those cosy nights in! Thanks guys keep up the good work x"~Jenny Phillips

"Beers - Always spoilt for choice. Warm welcoming atmosphere. Laura and John superb hosts. Always making new and re aquainting with old friends . A wonderful bubbly place."~Lucy Sidaway

"The best beer I've sampled in ages and as for the whiskey !!!!"~Pete Anderson

"A proper pub! I got a good vibe as soon as I walked through the door. No TV, games machines, piped music or nonsense! Friendly landlord & landlady. 5 real ales on tap (although we kept coming back to the moreish Cwrw Ial Pothole Porter). Excellent selection of other drinks: a real cider, excellent collection of whisky (particularly Irish whiskey. I wish this was my local!"~Eleanor C

"I call in here about two times a week and they always have five real ales on and 2 or 3 ciders. It's a lovely clean bar with good seating and art work by local artists on show. The bar has a very everyone is welcome feeling and has a good mix of ages."~Llandrinod furniture

Laura describes Llandrindod Wells as "full of life" and I think this statement is true of Arvon Ales too. 

"There are lots of things going on and lots to do in Llandrindod Wells and it's a shame that some of the community don't realise this. We need to break through that negative energy and help people to understand Llandrindod is a place full of life."

If you want to experience the old tradition that is coming quickly back into fashion with the high stresses of life in the 21st century, I advise you to visit Arvon Ales where I am sure you will be able to find peace and time to relax whilst enjoying a truly satisfying pint (or two!) of real ale.