Oak Street Gallery exhibition in memory of local artist

 

Roadworks alert for Coed Afon

Latest local roadworks update from one.network is:

Coed Afon, Llangollen 23 March - 27 March   Roadworks, Delays unlikely   Traffic management: Traffic control (give & take)   Description: Boundary box Reset lid Job in Footway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )...   Works location: O/S NUMBER 5   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Hafren Dyfrdwy.   Responsibility for works: Hafren Dyfrdwy   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000013239898

Latest roadworks update from county council

Latest local roadworks update from Denbighshire County Council is:

A539 Wrth / Nr Haulwen Abbey Road ABBEY ROAD 22/03/2023 22/03/2023 Adferiad/ Reinstatement

Outside property "Cip o'r Bont" MILL STREET 20/03/2023 21/03/2023 Gwaith Draenio / Drainage Works DRAINTECH SURVEYS LLANGOLLEN

A539 Wrth/ Nr GLASFRYN ABBEY ROAD 27/03/2023 29/03/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY LLANGOLLEN

Wrth / Nr Haulwen Abbey Road ABBEY ROAD 31/03/2023 31/03/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works ALUN GRIFFITHS CONTRACTOR LLANGOLLEN

Music service back in tune after devastating flood

* Llyr Gruffydd MS at North Wales Music Co-operative with Head of Service Heather Powell and Chair, Cllr Mark Young. 

A pioneering music service that teaches children in Wrexham and Denbighshire has bounced back after a devasting flood.

The award-winning North Wales Music Co-operative – which has branches in both counties – was up and running again just 28 days after a frozen pipe burst, inundating the building and causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to instruments and equipment.

According to Head of Service Heather Powell, the disaster was heartbreaking because it happened not long after they had completed a major makeover to upgrade the building.

She said: “The water from the burst pipe cascaded through the ceiling and on to all the technology which was a shattering blow.

“There was a good few inches of water and it was pretty much the whole of the main room of the building as well as the new offices because it had been leaking over the weekend when nobody was here.

“The damage was all the more awful because we’d just got the office how we wanted it and the whole team were incredibly upset.

“It was hard to know where to start but everybody pulled together and the support we’ve had from our tutors, from Cllr Mark Young, our Chairman, the two local authorities that we work with, Denbighshire and Wrexham, and from neighbouring businesses has been just fantastic.”

Thanks to a “superhuman effort” the organisation is now back on track with plans to expand the service so that even more children can benefit from the “magic of music”.

Among the co-operative’s fans is Plaid Cymru’s Llyr Gruffydd, the North Wales Senedd member, who paid a visit to their premises in Denbigh.

He said: “Music is in our DNA in Wales and it  is extremely important for children because it opens up the imagination, it’s a door to all sorts of feelings and emotions and aspirations.

“My visit has been a real eye opener and I think this is so much more than I thought it would be because it’s not just a music service for schools but also a service which offers benefits in terms of wellbeing. 

“There are thousands of children who benefit from this service and there would be a substantial void if it wasn’t available.

“As a governor who remembers when budgets were cut and suddenly schools themselves had to find people to come in and so on, that gap was filled by this group.

“The new Curriculum for Wales offers the use of different methods in order to teach, so this could be a key opportunity for music to reach audiences of children in a way that it hasn’t in the past.

“The co-operative is also making a very important contribution in the fact that it is providing a livelihood for the musicians.

“I have heard how the offering of this service and getting a fee for teaching in schools gives a basis for musicians to have the flexibility to be able to perform and to do other things, rather than having to find another day job.”

Heather Powell also paid tribute to the Welsh Government for developing a “fantastic” National Music Plan.

She added: “The support of the Welsh Government has enabled us to upskill the tutors, to have better equipment and to deliver more to the children.

“We’re going from strength to strength, with lots of new tutors and an ever expanding service. 

“We’ve got a music therapist who does fantastic work in Denbighshire and we’ve got lots of new ensembles happening in both authorities and lots of extra-curricular courses to look forward to.

“There’s been lots of studies done about how music impacts children’s literacy and numeracy skills but I think, since the pandemic we’ve seen a massive rise in discussion about how music improves mental health and wellbeing which is more important with more people suffering than ever.

“Our plan is to continue to expand the service with  more concerts, more events for the pupils, more opportunities to perform.

“As well as Denbighshire and Wrexham, we’re supporting other authorities across Wales with our virtual ’Make Some Noise’ tour because it’ doesn’t matter where the school is, whether it’s in the south, in the middle or in the north, they can access our tour which is helping other authorities to deliver the live music element of the National Music Plan.

At a time when education budgets are tight, the co-operative’s chair, Cllr Mark Young believes the not-for-profit co-operative model is the way forward to ensure that the children of Wales benefit from the “multi-layered benefits” of music.

He said: “The music co-operative has been a big success in Denbighshire and Wrexham.

“The amount of pupils accessing music because of the high quality lessons, is going up.  And every level of talent gets looked after.  We don’t leave anyone behind – it’s totally inclusive.

“We’re reaching more and more pupils and I’m pretty sure more and more local authorities will take up the model and we’re here, willing and able to help with that and I’m very proud to be the Chair.”

New Hill Street junction 'dangerous' claims concerned resident

* The resident's pictures of the junction soon after contractors moved out on Friday.

The local resident who recently predicted problems with the re-worked junction of Hill Street and the A5 has taken pictures of how it looked soon after being completed.

And he says these bear out his warnings that the scheme would cause general congestion and be dangerous to pedestrians.  

It was on January 9 that contractors on behalf of the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent began work on upgrading the traffic lights and realigning the junction, providing signals to the pedestrian crossing phase.

The job, which also involved removing the bollard island at the end of Hill Street was originally due to be finished six weeks later on February 17.

It was then announced the work, controlled by temporary traffic lights on the A5, had over-run and would take until March 9.

Later there was a further extension until last Friday when the work was finally finished. 

Early in March a concerned local resident who wished not be named contacted llanblogger to warn that the work could lead to congestion and would be a danger to pedestrians trying to negotiate the junction.

He said he had tried to warn the Trunk Road Agent about this but had been ignored.

Late on Friday, soon after the contractors moved out, he was at the junction taking pictures of how it was working.

And he contacted llanblogger again to say: "I took my pictures over a 10-minute period.   

"You can see cars blocking the junction at every red light and occasionally at green light. 

"Cars have to pull out on wrong side of road. A car exiting A5 to Hall Street cuts across cars on Hill Street, a car doesn't see the Keep Clear marking and obstructs it. 

"There was lots of beeping and complaints from drivers and pedestrians. 

"It is dangerous for pedestrians and causes general congestion due to the removal of the old island/roundabout." 

Denbighshire County Council has been asked for a comment.

Hafren Dyfrdwyn sends out messages about water supply issues

UPDATE:

Around 9.30am Hafren Dyfrdwyn sent out another text message to say: "Good news! We've fixed the problem and you should see your water start to return to normal now. 

"You may find it's slightly discoloured at first - this is nothing to worry about. It should clear naturally over time. We are really sorry and thank you for your patience." 

Just before 8am today (Saturday) supply company Hafren Dyfrdwyn sent out text messages to people in Llangollen about water  issues in the area.

It said: "We've had reports that some of our customers in your area may be experiencing a water supply issue. 

"We're so sorry if you've been impacted by this. Please be assured our teams are investigating the cause. 

"As soon as we've got more information, we will provide you with an update. We'll also make sure there are regular updates on www.hdcymru.co.uk."

Dee Valley bus service is back for another season

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley has announced the launch of its third season of the Dee Valley Picturesque Bus to provide access to some of the key destinations in the beautiful and historic landscape.

Running every Saturday from April 1 to November 4, the bus takes a circular route linking Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, Plas Newydd Historic House and the Horseshoe Pass." - Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy - Clwydian Range and Dee Valley.

There is free travel for Welsh bus pass holders.