... There is plenty of it - and of all sorts. Outside the window areas for new car parking and other hard standing are being bulldozed, inside staff are processing season ticket bookings by the many, the music department is already filing and databasing choirs' and dance groups' repertoire (yes, this early!),a team of volunteers is inserting leaflets into thousands of envelopes, off-site our PR team are putting the finishing touches to the 'Launching' Press releases, the almost daily applications for various types of funding are keeping two of us (reasonably!)quiet, etc etc. And lots of our competitors for the festival from around the world are sending in photos of themselves with Llangollen posted somewhere and somehow on the pictures. Keep them coming, adn bring it on!

Posted: 2010-01-19

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As the building refurbishment work continues, today is a significant one: the canvas roof is being taken down from today in preparation for the new one to be put in place. So cameras will be out during the day, no doubt, and we will put up some photographs as things progress over the weeks. At present there are number of men with the appropriate gear standing ready to go 'up aloft' as it were - exciting times!

Posted: 2010-01-18

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During the week we will be launching the festival, so listen and watch out for press interviews, general publicity etc etc. The official go-live will be on Wednesday, with further details available at different times of the week. If in any doubt, don't miss out - give the Office a call on 01978 862001!

Posted: 2010-01-18

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This week is going to be an exciting one as we formally launch the 2010 festival (exact day and time of our 'go-live' to follow shortly), but it will now also be one tinged with sadness. We heard this afternoon that one of most loved friends, Robin Jones, passed away today. Robin was our stage presenter par excellence for well over 20 years; an absolute and true professional, with the human touch, and with a wonderful sense of humour - and timing. We shall miss him hugely and we send our condolences to his family. Robin had been fighting illness for some time with remarkable grace. We will doubtless mark his passing also in an approrpriate way at the Eisteddfod in July itself. My own abiding 'picture' of Robin will be of his signing off on evening concerts with competitors from all parts of the world, having controlled the smooth running of the evening, engaged and warmed the audience - and then joining in with the final dance, whether from Romania, Kurdistan, Barbados or wherever. Thanks for all you did for Llangollen, Robin; we (that is literally thousands of people) will miss you sorely.

Posted: 2010-01-16

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All the tickets for the 'LIMELife' concert to be given by Ysgol Glanaethwy next Friday, 22 January, have now been sold. We have started a waiting list and we will be in touch with anyone whose name is on it in the first half of next week. Thanks for all your support of the concert, and we look forward to a very entertaining evening at the Catrin Finch Centre, Glyndwr University in Wrexham. There will be updates on the blog and the web site should further tickets become available.

Posted: 2010-01-15

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It seems that the cold snap is just about coming to an end - with rain forecast for tomorrow. There has been plenty said in the press about how badly we cope with the cold weather, etc, etc and quite a few jibes about the lack of public transport. So let me compliment our local bus service, which trundles along every 15 minutes or so during the day through this beautiful valley from Llangollen and Corwen to Wrexham, via our local rail station at Ruabon. Only one since the New Year have I not been able to catch a bus (and that was at 7am on the first day when we had about seven inches of snow!). Hearty congratulations to Bryn Melyn and GHA (and Arriva on Sundays)!

Posted: 2010-01-14

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Yes, it snowed again, and again. Hopefully we are now through the worst. Our intrepid band made it into the office once more - but we have had to reduce the office opening hours at different times during the last fortnight or so. Our apologies to those of you who may have not had your telephone call answered immediately at this time. For Season Ticket holders, please do not fret; the applications are being processed as fast as we can. And thanks to so many of you for 'buying Platinum'. Thanks also to my colleagues, both professional staff and volunteers, who have trudged through the snow, diverted emails and worked at home, taken messages, etc etc, in order to keep the new year momentum going.

Posted: 2010-01-13

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I looked at the Eisteddfod Souvenir programme for 1951 after finding out about the Italian choir from Trento. Inside our office copy was a sheet covering the Income and Expenditure Accounts for that year. Total Expenditure £19,630... I was intrigued also to read that the British Broadcasting Company paid the festival £320 and that Concert Artistes cost and expenses totalled £2316, 17 shillings and 6d! So who were they, you might ask? well, Ram Gopal and his Indian Dancers and ; Gioconda de Vito (Violin); Suzanne Danco (Soprano); and in the final concert the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Condutor: Sir Adrian Boult, with Claudio Arrau as solo pianist in a programme of Haydn, Beethoven, Vaughan Williams, Strauss and Wagner.

Posted: 2010-01-11

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It is always good to welcome newcomers to the festival, of course, but it is also very pleasing to be able to identify individuals and groups who have been to the Llangollen in the past and who might return to us again. Recently, my colleague Christine Dukes sent an ad hoc email to all the choirs who took part in the 1951 Eisteddfod. We have just had a reply from the Chairman of Coro Della SAT from Trento in Italy, and there is a possibility that they might apply to compete again in 2011, 60 years after that appearance in the 1951 'Folk Party of not more than 25 voices'. Small, ongoing world...

Posted: 2010-01-10

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In the last few months the Standing Board of Trustees and the professional staff have spent lots of time formulating a Business Plan for the organisation to take us through the next three years or so until the end of our financial year in September 2013. In doing this we have produced a new Mission Statement - this and our aims, values and objectives, will form the centre and focus of what we do. So we hope and trust that we will successfully ENGAGE IN EXCELLENCE WITH THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY as we develop the company and the festival over the next few years.

Posted: 2010-01-09

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