Furniture store takes a seat on High Street
A TRAINING weekend for clawdd wall builders is being held near Caernarfon later this month – and places are still available.
Over the past 20 years, all but one clawdd course in North Wales has been cancelled due to a lack of bookings. However a number of people have signed up to the latest course and this is now going ahead at Coed Bolyn Mawr, Bethel, on September 24-25.
The course will tackle all aspects of clawdd walls – earth banks clad in stone that are commonplace on farm fields in north west Wales.
Sean Adcock, secretary of the North Wales branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association, said: “As well as forming field boundaries, cloddiau can form useful garden features such as raised flower beds and eyecatching terraces.”
Booking: Paul Smyth 01766 513213 or pasmyth@btinternet.com A LLAMA who set a new world record for high jumping appears in the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Hundreds cheered Caspa on as he cleared a 3ft 8.5ins hurdle at a show last year after being inspired to jump by the dogs he shares a home with.
The six-year-old is part of the UK’s only llama agility display team, and owner Sue Williams said the animals spent hours watching dogs performing and it soon became apparent they wanted to have a go too.
Sue said of his record leap at DogFest in Arley Hall, Cheshire: “Caspa is a real show off, so it was the perfect place for him to achieve this record and perform in front of such a big crowd. We are so proud of Caspa and are delighted he has set a new Guinness World Record.”
The talented llama lives at the Canine Centre in Morfa Bychan, near Porthmadog, with his fellow “Black Rock” llamas – named after a nearby beach.
With the help of trained handlers, the team are put through their paces tackling obstacle courses, jumping hurdles, zig-zagging through weaving poles, ducking under limbo bars and negotiating hanging vines. A FURNITURE and art shop that will “break the rules” is opening in Caernarfon this week.
Timonthy Roberts, 28, and Siân Astley, 25, are behind the new store on the high street, Roberts & Astley.
Siân is a fine art graduate who has won a national Bloomberg New Comtemporaries award while Tim has a background in retail.
They said it was a good time to start up in business in Caernarfon as they felt the town was “on the up”.
Tim, who has previously worked at Waitrose and as a self employed locksmith, said: “We have combined our experience and skills to start up the shop which we think will offer something different in Caernarfon.
“We are looking to break the rules here, bringing antique furniture, bespoke furniture, and also art into the shop.
“It is not about up-cycling, it is res- toration.
“We will be stocking bespoke furniture from Tom Vousden, based in Llangefni.
“It gives fantastic designers like this an opportunity to display and sell their work.”
They already have an online presence with pieces taken by Cath Kidston and Nicole Farhi and their store will open on Thursday evening.
After this it will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday each week.
Tom said: “We think the town is on the up which is why we want to come to the high street.
“We are taking on an empty unit and there have been a number of places opening and we are confident about the future of Caernarfon.”
Businesses in Caernarfon last year voted to set up a Business Improvement District (BID) in the town.
This has seen a business led group HWB Caernarfon set up which will invest funds raised from a levy on firms to improve the town centre and try to increase footfall.
Their first successes have been to secure a £10,000 pot for painting town centre stores from the Welsh Government’s Vibrant and Viable Places regeneration programme.
A similar sum will pay to develop a town wi-fi which would give visitors a chance to get online. More schemes are set to be announced.