'16 going on '17

"A look back at what happened in Llandrindod Wells during 2016 and a glimpse forward to what 2017 may possibly hold for the County town of Powys"

Oh, what a tremendous year 2016 was for the old Victorian town of Llandrindod Wells nestled in the beautiful hills of Mid Wales!

Here's a quick summary of some of the amazing things that happened in Llandrindod Wells in 2016. (In no particular order)

Radnor Fringe Festival 

Llandrindod Youth Market 

Re-opening of Llandrindod's Grand Pavilion

#latenightllandod

Llandrindod Repair Cafe

Llandrindod LED's Masquerade Ball

Llandrindod Wells Theatre Company's performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 

Launch of the new town website promoting Llandrindod Wellness  

£6.6 million refurbishment and extension of Llandrindod Hospital to include a new birthing unit

Llandrindod Soup

The Big Lunch Street Party

Run for Bracken

Arvon Ales named as Camra Pub of the Year

Llandrindod Cycle Fest

Steampunk weekend

Development of Riversimple's hydrogen cell powered green car

Llandrindod's Just Move ladies social running group named Welsh Athletics Social Running Group of the year

Poppy Picnic

BBC MyRamble held around Llandrindod Lake

People power saves the railway crossing

Welsh 2day Enduro

Llandrindod Community Christmas Fayre, brought to the community by KDM Local and LED 

Llandrindod High School Christmas Fete

Dod Town Extreme granted a license to develop downhill mountain bike tracks

Light the Lights at the Albert Hall Theatre

The opening of many new shops and businesses

Launch of the Llandrindod Wellness 1km Route around the Lake

Flicks in the Sticks

Llandrindance at Powys Dance

Arvon Ales Folk and Blues sessions

And so, I think you can all join me in the agreement 2016 was indeed a special year for Llandrindod Wells. Looking through the list above clearly shows the town is on an upward trend and the past year was a massive year of growth for the community. It is a pleasure to be a part of this thriving community and I am proud of what everyone has achieved this past year. Who knows what the future may hold but it is certainly fair to say that the future of this town is bright. There is clearly much more to come as development is an ongoing process that doesn't happen over night but the community is coming back to life stronger than ever before. Let's make 2017 another successful year for Llandrindod Wells. 

2016 was also the year that this llandrindodlife blog launched with the aim of showing people and helping the community realise why Llandrindod Wells is such a great place to live. On the blog there were posts featuring some thriving local businesses such as HappyHomeGiftCo and Junk n Disorderly and also some posts focused on community events such as Llandrindod Theatre Company's performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  

These posts created lots of attention and it was lovely to get so much positive feedback and comments from people in the community.

Now looking ahead to what will happen to this llandrindodlife blog in 2017. This year is going to be a new start for the blog. New year is all about new beginnings and this year I will be bringing new energy to the community blog. I will do this by blogging more frequently about local events that I attend with the aim to raise the profile of the town's events to the wider community and even to people outside of Powys who read the posts and become interested in the town. 

I am also looking to blog more frequently about different businesses, shops, cafes etc. within the town. The posts I did last year were highly successful and I hope to build on this. So... 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 left side of this blog post. I do not want to charge for this service however, I would appreciate donations to enable me to further my running ambitions; the key here is flexibility and I would be happy to help out local businesses in return for example by making some of my time available to them. I am aiming to publish a post weekly about either an event, business or attraction in the community.

If your business, shop, service etc. were to be featured on this blog then your service will be reaching the wider community. I am helping people to understand what unique service you offer. This hopefully means your business will be boosted. Also, your service will not just be reaching people in the community but people all over the world as I share the blog posts on my personal social networking sites where I have followers that I know through the sport of running based in the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, New Zealand, Italy, Australia and beyond. So you see Llandrindod is being put on the map!

In 2017 there will also be more llandrindodlife community running events organised. These will range from the llandrindodlife children's running group, social runs, one to one training sessions and lots more. Stay up to date with these on the llandrindodlife Facebook page. 

You can watch the GoPro footage of the first llandrindodlife social run here to whet your appetite for what will happen in 2017. 

Through the sport of running, I get to travel to some pretty amazing places around the world. Nevertheless, it's always a pleasure to return back to Mid Wales and run my local routes around Llandrindod Wells. My passion for this part of the world will never die and I hope you can share this feeling and be a part of this journey to demonstrate to everyone that we live in a town we should ALL be proud of.

Llandrindod Wells – the future of the town is in our hands. I look forward to working with all of you in the local community to enhance #llandrindodlife

 

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

National Cycle Museum

Llandrindod Wells has the honour of playing host to the National Cycle Museum of Great Britain, located at the Automobile Palace on Temple Street. It was opened 21st March 1997 by Mr Tom Norton and the building was originally know as the "The Palace of Sport". 

The National Cycle Collection is a very rare museum showcasing the history of transport by bicycle over the last 200 years. This ranges from the famous Bone-shakers and Penny-Farthings right through to the potential bikes we could possibly see out on the roads, competing in races at the top level in the near future. Most Cycle Museums are usually part of a Transport Museum or are private and so not open to the public, therefore it is for this reason Llandrindod Wells is extremely lucky that it plays host to this special museum. It may only be sheer coincidence that it is here, but the town should embrace this fantastic tourist attraction as it helps bring many visitors in to visit our own very friendly Victorian Spa town. 

There are well over 200 cycles on display and as you take a stroll through the museum you move through time; allowing you to see with your own eyes and come to understand how and why cycling as a mode of transport has evolved through the years. Each cycle in the museum is labeled with a brief description of when the type of bike was first made and why it was created in such a way. This helps to create a real visitor friendly experience and you do not have to be a cyclist to become enthralled with all the history available at your hands. There are also very vivid and descriptive display boards all around the museum which only add to the experience.

On the whole the museum emphasises how the bike has changed through time and ultimately this is just a reflection of how society changed, as the bike changed to fit the times. The bike was originally a mode of transport more efficient and quicker than walking, and now the bike is constantly being engineered to be as light and as efficient as possible to provide professional cyclists the "edge" over their competitors in order to win major cycling events like the Tour De France.

One of the parts of the museum that really caught my eye was the Bicycle Shop Windows and the posters advertising all of the bikes that were on sale back in the day as this displays how bicycles were a huge part of fashion and a way to show other people and your peers your social class (a bit like owning a Lamborghini today!).

 
I remember when I first visited the museum when I was about eleven years old and I was amazed at the sheer number of bikes on display. 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 National Cycle Museum is now a registered Independent Charitable Trust. Its objectives are to stimulate interest in the history of cycling and provide an educational service to young people. The museum is succeeding in these objectives as there are numerous groups and school visits to the museum throughout the year, allowing children and young people outside of the community of Llandrindod Wells to experience the history of cycling in a fun, exciting way. 

The museum is run by a team of volunteers and trustees and without these people it would not be possible for the National Cycle Collection to exist. Any member of the public can become a friend of The National Cycle Museum and the museum would gratefully appreciate any donations towards running costs of the building and the maintenance of the museum in order to allow it to continue to flourish. In the future the trustees of the museum would love to be able to employ full time staff in order to allow the museum to be open all of the time, but this is just not feesable at the moment. I for one would love to see this happen as I see the Museum as an excellent asset to the town and surrounding area.

You may have noticed when you are driving or walking by the Automobile Palace the highly decorative art on the fence panels. These are designed by Geraint Edwards from Celf o Gwmpas and I think they add a feeling of vibrancy to the outside of the museum and maybe even help to draw passers by into stopping to take a look around the enthralling collection. 

A number of bikes are transported around the UK from the National Cycle Museum each year. For example some of the bikes have been to Hampton Court Palace, appeared on The Cycle Show etc. When I visited the Cycle Museum recently, I was told Chris Boardman's bike usually resides at the museum but had recently been taken away to be shown at shows over the country.

Chris Boardman riding his famous bike at the 1992 Olympics

It costs £5 for adults, £4 for senior citizens and £2 for children to look around the museum and the opening days and times are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am until 4pm, November to March. After March check the National Cycle Museum website for detailed opening times. The museum is also dog friendly and there is also a children's quiz available. There are also a huge number of gifts you can purchase from the museum in order to help you remember a special day out exploring the history of the bike.

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