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June 2008 Archives

Dirt Track King...

Posted by David Rutland on June 25, 2008 11:25 AM

zytm220608Race-1.jpg

THE car looked like a toy.

A battered 40 year old mini pickup with no windows, no lights, no upholstery, no windscreen and only two gears.
Inside, it was smaller than it looked and as my 6ft 4��? frame was manoeuvred into the driving seat, not only did my head bash the ceiling, but my knees actually managed to bend the steering wheel.
I had driven, massively hungover from a wedding in Preston, to a field outside Prestatyn, where, in the best interests of the newspaper and our readers I was due to take part in two off road races at the Prestatyn Circuit North Wales Mud Oval Racing Club.

For those not familiar with the sport or the club, it's basically stock car racing - stripped down MOT failures, being flung round a racing track and spraying huge clouds of dust or waves of mud into the faces of the opposition drivers.

It's ace to watch and as I found out, it's even better to take part in.

So there I was, strapped in behind the wheel of an antique mini - a 30 year class racing veteran, that would probably cost in the region on £9,000 to replace if I binned it.
The blue flag drops and off I go, wheels spinning furiously as I speed away. I quickly catch one of my opponents and overtake on the inside. Eat my dust, sucker!
The advantage is temporarily mine and the mini takes the first and second corners perfectly. I rule. I am a racing god.
Or maybe not, the straight requires foot down second gear action and the light car starts to spin, weave and drift. I had expected this, but I wasn't prepared and backed off the accelerator.

Quickly overtaken by the opposition, I have proved that I do not, as previously thought, have balls of steel.
Five laps later to my great joy, nobody has yet lapped me and on seeing the finishing flag I immediately stop.
In the wrong place. Never mind.

My second race, an hour later was in a borrowed Peugeot 205 with a massive 1400cc engine and an extravagant cooling system, involving two large fans in the boot and an electric light switch.
Much the same as before except faster, more furious and I had to almost come to a standstill as the maxxed out tyres failed to grip on the slippy surface - yet more evidence of my lack of masculinity.

I came last in both of my races, but to be honest, I couldn't care less - It was great fun - frantic adrenaline pumping fun. And as safe as sitting at home, playing racing games on an X-box.
All the cars are fitted with roll cages and carry a maximum two gallons of fuel so even if you hit the barriers and flip over in the air, you're not likely to be injured.

The club, which has been going for over 20 years meets at Pydew Farm and meets up every second Sunday during the season.

In August, teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will descend on Prestatyn to thrash, smash and crash their vehicles during the two-day Bank Holiday weekend spectacular.
Visitors are encouraged to camp overnight in the field where there will also be a hog roast.
Members of the public will be able to take part in the events in one of six specially-built cars, and money raised from races and donations will go to the Wish Upon a Star Foundation.
More information is available on the club's website: www.prestatynracecircuit.piczo.com, or e-mail Taj120@hotmail.co.uk

Come along and watch or have a go - it rocks and it's way better than mountain biking.

Joe Public

Posted by Martin Williams on June 24, 2008 1:20 PM

For proof that it's money and not love that conquers all, read the latest on our very own Welsh boxing world champion - Joe Calzaghe.

Joe has ended his association with promoter Frank Warren, according to this BBC report.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7469896.stm

A Dog's Life 2

Posted by Martin Williams on June 18, 2008 3:28 PM

I wrote this several months ago. The situation had calmed down, but the dog problem seems to have reared its snarling head again:

"This is more of a plea for information than a rant, though I am perturbed by this issue.
What is the situation with dogs and muzzles? There are an alarming number of people walking around the area with vicious looking pitbull terriers, and none of them seem to have muzzles.
I’m sure there are many responsible dog owners out there but I haven’t encountered any in Rhyl of late. Abergele was the same when I visited a friend there last week.
We even had an incident outside the Visitor office in the run-up to Christmas, when two dogs fought in the High Street as a crowd of shoppers watched nervously.
For many - usually men with a complex - walking around with a snarling, spitting canine is a boost to the ego.

“Look at me and my dog, it will rip your leg off if you come near me�

That’s what concerns me. I was stood at the traffic lights on Brighton Road this morning while a bloke in a bomber jacket stood silent, his dog chomping at the bit as he tightened its lead and dragged it away from me. This dog did not have a muzzle. It was dangerous and I felt like a rump steak on legs. I don’t want to sound previous or cliched, but if this dog had a got hold of a child. Well, it does not bear thinking.
I’m sure many of our animal rights campaigners - who are of course entitled to their opinion, will tell me to shut up and argue that dogs have just as many rights as I do.
They don’t, they’re dogs. I’m a human being. I’m not perfect, but I’d like to keep my legs.
These are the same people, and there seem to be many of them, who argue that seagulls were here before us and they have every right to steal food from your mouth and hands. They believe you are ‘common’ for strolling around town with an ice cream or sausage roll in your hand. Cobblers."

Depressing

Posted by David Rutland on June 16, 2008 4:07 PM

THE alley at the back of our office is always a good place to lurk if you want to get a feel for what's going on in the town.

Running between the discount carpet store and the now eternally empty Bar Blu, the un-named alley is usually a fairly interesting place to take a stroll.

This morning, for instance, while loitering out of sight, I saw two normal middle aged individuals running down and fly-tipping huge bin bags next to the big council bins.

This afternoon, while taking my daily constitutional, I paused to watch as a rounded (obese) bloke threw up his lunch on the corner.

Hugging the wall, he bent from the waist and HHHEEEEEUUUUUURRRRGGHHHHHH, all over the street.

"Never mind,��? thought I. "The poor sod's probably drunk. It is 3pm after all - perfectly reasonable time to be paralytic.��?

But instead of collapsing in a heap, he straightened up and took his wobbling love handles off towards the Games Exchange.


But that's not to say that public drunkenness is a thing of the past by any means.

On his way to work, my colleague Andy Davies saw two intoxicated men arguing in the park on Brighton Road.

Nice.

And earlier today, our news editor, Martin Williams, noted a young man spitting onto the windows of the Job Centre as he went past.

What are the odds of this man finding gainful employment?

Please believe us, we at the Rhyl Visitor don't consider ourselves the guardians of public decency.

But we do see things. We observe, we comment and occasionally we question.

Sitting back in the office, listening to three dogs tied to railings lamp-posts trying to vocally attack each other on the street, I just despair.

Read All About It

Posted by Martin Williams on June 12, 2008 3:21 PM

THE most frustrating thing about being news editor of the Visitor is that we come out a day after our ‘competition’.
We are first with the exclusives, but sometimes even they manage to stumble over a decent front page.
Huge stories that break before a Tuesday are usually snapped-up by the opposition and used in some way.
Yet more often than not we’ll have a selection of articles (see this week’s new-look edition for example) to choose from, stories we know they haven’t touched.
So imagine my surprise when I saw last week’s ‘splash’ on their front page: MARKS & SPARKS FOR PRESTATYN
Great news for the town, granted.
However, the Visitor ran that same front page in July 2007!
Mayor Ann Horobin and town councillor Gerry Frobisher obviously don’t remember it either, as they’re quoted as welcoming the development.
Their news team did exactly the same thing a few months ago, a week after we revealed the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyl was under threat.
And the sub-editors must have ran out of ideas because they used a carbon copy of our headline: THE FINAL CURTAIN.
I’m not being facetious, but if we don’t pull them up on it, who will?
When our ‘rivals’ last beat us to a story (I believe it was a tale about hell freezing over) we held our hands up in the Rhyl office and gave them credit. When we make a mistake we apologise for it, and we all make mistakes, we're only human.
Stick with us, we’ll keep you informed of what’s going on in the area, and we won’t do it 12 months from now.

Do you know the way to Jay's Cafe?

Posted by Martin Williams on June 5, 2008 1:57 PM

BANG.
That’ll be the door opening, after yet another violent swing.
“Where is the train station?�
Ten minutes later:
BANG.
“What time does the Suncentre close?�
And so it goes on.
As you readers well know, the Visitor is a newspaper and has been for over a century.
Yet the sight of the word VISITOR on Rhyl High Street brings in dozens of people every day, many of them thinking that this is a tourist information centre.
Some are polite and we do our best to answer them, but most are rude, ignorant, and often drunk.
One guy this week actually lives in Rhyl and hadn’t heard of us.
How? How do you not notice your local newspaper?
If the requests for times and directions were once or twice a day it wouldn’t be an issue, we’d merrily go about our business, writing stories and selling adverts.
But it’s not, it’s two or three times an hour, every hour.
And nobody says please.
We even have people coming in here demanding to use our fax machine and photocopier.
We are a newspaper! We are not an office suppliers.
None of us have a problem with helping out if you’re in a pickle, but lately it’s becoming a joke.
Our receptionists must have the patience of Job.
They stand and take so much rubbish every day, I have to keep swivelling around in my chair and giving the culprits both barrels when they stride in, speak to our staff like dirt and stagger out, usually leaving the door open.
It’s not just here, I have friends working in shops, sandwich bars and pubs across the area who experience this every day.
There is an old phrase: Manners maketh the man.
If that’s the case at least half of the people who come in here are in deep trouble.

Visitor video: Our report from the Urdd Eisteddfod

Posted by David Simister on June 4, 2008 3:56 PM


Martin Williams reports from the Urdd National Eisteddfod 2008 Penrhyn Bay.

Don't look down!

Posted by Andy Davies on June 4, 2008 12:00 PM

A video of my abseil down Rhyl Sky tower as part of our Visitor's Got Talent.

Moving Forward

Posted by Martin Williams on June 3, 2008 1:28 PM

Tomorrow (Wednesday) sees the launch of our new publication – Your Vale.
Covering Denbigh, Ruthin, Llangollen, Corwen and the surrounding area, the revamped newspaper complements a sparkling, slick website, entitled www.yourvale.co.uk.
The world is moving at a frightening pace, and we need to keep up with what the readers want.
Well, ‘keep up’ is the wrong turn of phrase. We need to be leading the way when it comes to our digital and print content.
In my opinion there is no doubt that we do.
Your Vale’s former guise – The Vale Advertiser – was struggling.
It was a great newspaper with a proud history, yet there was a definite need for a fresh approach. It was vital.
This wasn’t an easy decision for our bosses at Trinity Mirror, as we know how much the Vale meant to thousands of readers, but as I said before, we need to move with the times.
The paper meant a lot to me personally, and still does. It was my first full-time position as a trainee reporter, on the High Street opposite the Vaults pub.
They were great times and I’ll never forget them.
The Vale of Clwyd is still hugely important to all of us, which is why we have given you this dynamic new product.
Combining snappy stories with hard-hitting exclusives and links to the new website, Your Vale is a breath of fresh air.
And yourvale.co.uk is packed with photo galleries, campaign platforms, sports, letters, blogs, a message board, and, of course, news articles.
Take this week for example.
There is full coverage of the Urdd Eisteddfod, together with videos and an online gallery.
We hope you enjoy it.

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to The Day to Day in the June 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.

May 2008 is the previous archive.July 2008 is the next archive.

Many more can be found on the home page or by looking through the archives.