Latest news with #GreatOrme


North Wales Live
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
North Wales landmark is one of the main 'characters' in dark, psychological thriller
A Welsh author has revealed how he has woven the plot of his debut novel around one of North Wales' most iconic landmarks. Llandudno's Great Orme is the setting for a dark, psychological thriller by Paul D. Coombs. The novel - called The Great Orme - was described as "Agatha Christie meets Stephen King" by one reviewer. The story revolves around one man's desire - Zacharay Llewellyn - to finally confess for the murders he and his friends committed as teenagers. Then years later, as their grizzly brand of retribution followed them into their new lives away from the Great Orme, Zac summons them all to return home under the gaze of The Great Orme headland and join his confession. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now But not everyone wants to lose everything they have built and someone is still out there killing. Paul says it's a "taut psychological thriller laced with moral ambiguity". Paul, who is originally from Cardiff, told North Wales Live: 'Being Welsh, I have a natural affinity for Wales, and particularly North Wales which is a relatively short drive from my home in Cheshire. I couldn't help but be inspired by the place. "The landscape, at the same time both beautiful and treacherous, seems to keep its own time, its own truths. I was thinking about the kind of people who do something terrible, carry it with them, and try to live like it never happened. "But what if one of them can't? What if one of them starts to unravel-because the truth won't stay quiet? "The landscape becomes part of the psyche, part of the punishment. Because in the end, I think it's less about the crime itself… and more about what it does to the soul of the person who can't let go of it.' He has long harboured an ambition to write a thriller. 'I had always wanted to write an Agatha Christie-style murder-mystery, with secrets and consequences... but darker," said Paul. "I love the Great Orme and it was crucial that the power of the setting is as much a principal character as any of the other characters.' Since its release, The Great Orme has had an amazing reception both home and abroad, but none more-so than in North Wales, said the author. He added: "The people here have a natural affinity with the ancient rhythm of the land, the Great Orme itself a place where the earth meets sky and sea, a place where you can feel like you are standing at the edge of the world. I have always been fascinated with landscape and its power to haunt." Paul added: "The name 'Great Orme' itself is thought to have Norse origins, meaning "sea serpent", and anyone who sees it or climbs its windswept crown, will sense it, wild, alive and unknowingly deep." * The Great Orme published by Northodox Press, out now, is available in bookshops including from the Great Orme Summit Complex shop, and the North Wales Wildlife Trust gift shop). Waterstones in Liverpool has made it a 'favourite read'. "The Great Orme" is currently in consideration for the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award. Paul has had numerous short stories published in anthologies, magazines, and on podcasts. His collection of dark and speculative short stories, For Strangers Only, is available to purchase on Amazon. Paul's second novel, The Deadly Lives of Windsor, is slated for release in 2026 and is now available to pre-order from Northodox Press. It is described as "a futuristic Orwellian Animal Farm for our times".


Business News Wales
25-06-2025
- Health
- Business News Wales
Hospice Launches New Fundraiser Five Years on from Global Goat Campaign
In the summer of 2020, Wales had been in lock down for three months and lots of traditional office workers were working from home. For a hospice in Llandudno however, lockdown life was far from the new ordinary as they had to seek innovative ways to raise vital funds to be able to continue supporting patient, needing respite and end of life support. St David's Hospice launched a Great Orme Tee Shirt campaign, following the Kashmiri goats who were taking over Llandudno during 2020. The goats' presence in the town was nothing new to the locals, however videos shared became a global phenomenon, and the goats gained more confidence in their expeditions without the presence of humans. For St David's Hospice, an opportunity presented itself. Margaret Hollings, Commercial Director, said: 'When we first locked down in 2020, we had such limited options in being able to fundraise, but we soon realised that we could still use postal services and utilise our digital platforms to create a global merchandise campaign from the hospice itself.' A total of 9,000 tee shirts were sold in the UK, Ireland, Japan, Europe, America, Australia, China and Africa. Now the hospice is launching The Abbey Road 10km Adventure, which takes place at 12pm on Saturday 16 August, staring at St David's Hospice. The event will feature a barbecue before and after the walk as well as a 'Party at the Pier' stop off point, and a goat themed history trail and treasure hunt. Registration is now open and costs £10 per adult and 5 for children – with family and group discounts available. Visit or call 01492 879058.


Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fury as Welsh Labour government spends £250,000 on project to count MOTHS while it cuts public services
Taxpayers have been left furious after the Welsh Labour government spent £250,000 on a project to count moths - while it cuts public services. The 'Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn' project is surveying the moths' limestone habitats on Llandudno's Great Orme headland and in neighbouring areas. It was handed a grant of £248,348 by the Government's Nature Networks Fund, and will be delivered by the Heritage Fund. The under-fire government claims it with help protect at-risk insects, including the Horehound Plume micro-moth. A Tory councillor branded the spending 'ridiculous' - as families struggle with the cost of living and local authorities cut frontline services. Llandudno's Louise Emery hit out after a grant was awarded by the Welsh Government to Conwy county council. She said: 'Rather than for the benefit of invertebrates, how about Welsh Government benefit schools and communities by properly funding local authorities to improve education and provide basic services such as maintaining highways and public toilets? 'It's about priorities, and establishing the number of moths on specific limestone headlands should not be a priority when Welsh Labour in Cardiff continue to tell local authorities they have no money. This is utterly ridiculous.' The project, which also works with schools, found 'a staggering' 1,109 horehound plume moth caterpillars on the Great Orme in Llandudno. Cllr Emery continued: 'There is money available from Welsh Government but only for certain things, so while local authority budgets are really being squeezed, Welsh Government finds money for projects such as the Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn. 'On its own merit, in its own little world, I can see some benefit to that. But in the grand financial picture of what local authorities are facing, I find it incredulous that they can find money for a project like this, but we can't find money for basic public amenities such as toilets or looking after our parks and gardens or highways. 'So it's not that I'm against the project in itself.' The Welsh Government said: 'The Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn project was awarded £248,348 as part of the Nature Networks Fund in February 2024. It is a collaborative initiative led by Conwy County Borough Council in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Butterfly Conservation. 'The project is carrying out surveys and protecting rare and at-risk invertebrate such as the micro-moth, measuring about 2cm across which has been found in abundance in its only known Welsh habitat. This work will inform future habitat management and conservation strategies.' Additionally, the project surveyed the population of the rare weevil Helianthemapion aciculare, first discovered in the UK on the Great Orme in 1992. The 2024 survey suggests this remains its only UK habitat. Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, Conwy council leader said: 'This is a grant-funded project. It's important to note that grant funding is for specific projects and cannot be spent on other services. Whilst grant funding is available, we will continue to apply for it.' Last year it was revealed Labour Welsh Government officials splashed out nearly £16,000 dining at an exclusive New York restaurant and thousands more on World Cup flights, luxury hotels and other hospitality on taxpayer-funded credit cards. The hefty tab amounted to £1.49million between April 2022 to April 2023, when Mark Drakeford served as First Minister. This was almost double the previous year's figure of £821,871.38. Notably, the expenses included a food bill for exclusive New York restaurant Zou Zou's, which totalled an eye-watering £15,933.45. They said it was was part of an event to promote Wales for St David's Day.