Campaign group cannot speak on Sainsbury's plan

* The Dobson & Crowther site off the A5. 

Members of a local campaign group opposing the building of a 20,000 square foot Sainsbury’s supermarket in Llangollen are furious after being told they will be unable to speak against the application when it comes before county planners next week.

Keep Llangollen Special has just heard from Denbighshire County Council that its request to address the planning committee came in after all the four available public slots at the meeting had been filled.

The group’s chairman says he will now be writing to council chief executive Dr Mohammed Mehmet making a plea for them to be able to put their views forward on an issue which “so fundamentally” affects the future of the town.

The question of whether the supermarket should be built on land currently occupied by the Dobson & Crowther envelope factory off the A5 has split the town, with rival groups being set up to argue for and against the scheme.

It will be considered by the planning committee next Wednesday (September 19) along with a related application to move the factory to a new site at nearby Cilmedw Farm.

It is council policy to allow just two speakers for and two against an application but Keep Llangollen Special was told its request to air its views was received after all the slots were allocated.

Speaking in favour of the supermarket plan will be a representative of consultants representing the developer, J Ross Ltd, and John Palmer, chair of Llangollen Chamber of Trade.

Arguing against the scheme will be a consultant representing the nearby Co-operative food store and an official of Friends of the Earth.

The Cilmedw application will see two representatives from agents for the developer speaking in favour of it and representative of the Co-op store and a private individual speaking against.

A planning official from the county council has written to Mike Edwards, chair of Keep Llangollen Special, to say: “Please note that we deal with requests to speak on a first come, first
served basis. That being the case, unfortunately your request was received after we had fulfilled our slots of two for and two against each of the Llangollen applications.

“We have kept your name and that of a couple of others in order of receipt and should anyone drop out, we will contact you.

“It is our policy to encourage those wishing to speak at Planning Committee to speak to each other in order to ensure that all issues are covered.”

Mr Edwards said: “I intend to write to the chief executive and make a plea for us to be able to put our views forward before the committee take a decision of this nature which fundamentally affects the future of Llangollen.”

He revealed that if his group had been given a chance to speak at the meeting it intended to warn that the planned new store would hit small shops in Llangollen, leading to a “spiral of decline and decay” which would eventually affect the whole region, including tourism in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the World Heritage site around Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

 

 

Open Doors weekend hailed a success

Llangollen Civic Society, which organised the special event, has thanked all those who took part in Open Doors 2012 last weekend.

The aim was to throw the spotlight on the area’s hidden historic gems, including the Chain Bridge, Valle Crucis Abbey, Plas Newydd, Y Capel, Castell Dinas Bran and local churches.

* An 1835 architect’s drawing of the Old Lock Up.

Members of the public were invited to view and be briefed on the history of these locations over Saturday and Sunday.

A spokesman for the Civic Society said: “We would like to thank all those who took part, from those who opened their doors to the public, those who helped man the buildings and exhibitions and those who led walks and gave talks. 

“This year was another successful year, in some cases attendances were disappointingly lower than last year, but some newer exhibits were very popular.”

One exhibit which was attracted a lot of visitors was the Old Lock Up, or Armoury, on Victoria Square. 

Since being acquired by Sue Hargreaves the old building has been transformed to more like it would have been when it was first built in 1835. 

She also mounted a display showing the history of the building, from its original architect’s drawings, subsequent changes and uses. 

She was ably assisted by an “old lag” in the cell, convincingly played by Mike Law. 

For those of you who missed the event Sue will be opening the building for Hanes on Monday 25^th of September – minus a prisoner in the cell.

The exhibitions in the Town Hall included a display on the history of the Chain Bridge, and the status of the restoration project.  

Lorna Jenner is anxious for local people to contribute their memories of the bridge and any information they can give about its history. 

For those of you who missed it the exhibition will be at the Chain Bridge Hotel until 3^rd October, where there is also an exhibition by the Institute of Civil Engineers, called “Web of Iron” which celebrates the history of suspension bridges, and features our own Chain Bridge.    

 

·         The Web of Iron Exhibition.

llanblogger questions future of Oakleigh House

* The future of Oakleigh House is still unclear.

Llanblogger recently lodged a Freedom of Information request with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) seeking clarification of its future intentions for Oakleigh House, the now-empty former mental health resource centre in Abbey Road.

We did this because the property has frequently been mentioned in connection with proposals for a general health shake-up in the area. 

Unfortunately, the very guarded responses to our eight questions, do not shed much light on what the board’s intentions are. 

Here is the basis of the reply from BCUHB:   

Q1: Is Oakleigh House, the now-empty former mental health resource centre situated on Abbey Road, Llangollen, currently in the ownership of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) or any other public organisation and precisely how long has it been empty? 

A: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) owns Oakleigh House and vacated the building in September 2010.  

Q2: If in the ownership of the BCUHB, does the BCUHB have any plans for its future use for a health-related purpose?  

A: No.  

Q3: If not, is the BCHUB actively seeking to dispose of the property by either sale, lease or rent?  

A: The Health Board is in the process of marketing the property for disposal and are seeking initial advice from our Agent. 

Q4: If the property is already up for sale, lease or rent, what progress has been made to date in this process?  

A: Please see response to question 3.  

Q5. If the property is being offered for sale what is the current asking price?  

A: Please see response to question 3.  

Q6. Have any offers so far been made by any party to buy or lease the property?  

A: Some interest has been expressed. 

Q7. If so, what has been the result of any offers for the property?  

A: Interested parties have been advised of the Boards processes in the identification of surplus sites and given assurance that they will be notified when the property is to be offered for sale.  

Q8. While the property remains in public ownership, what is the annual cost of

maintenance and security to the BCUHB?  

A: £500 per annum.

WI enjoys glass painting display

Guest Alison Cutler laid on a fascinating display of painting on glass for 29 members of Llangollen Women's Institute at the Welfare Hall on Thursday night of last week.

Using a projector, she provided them with a demonstration of how she creates her intricate and colourful patterns and then invited some of the members to try their hand at the art-form.

* Alison Cutler talks to WI members.

* Alison demonstates her art using a projector.

* Members discuss what they have learned.

 

Who do you think you are?

Family History for Beginners, a free talk on the do’s and don’ts of researching your family tree, will be held at at Denbighshire Archives in Ruthin on Friday, September 21, from 6-7.30pm

The event includes advice and demonstrations using local resources and websites such as Ancestry.com and Findmypast.co.uk.

It is bookings only as places are limited and the event will be presented in English only.

To book, call 01824 708250, or e-mail: archives@denbighshire.gov.uk

Berwyn Street roadworks from today

Latest roadworks bulletin from the county council shows there will be electrical works on the A5 Berwyn Street, Llangollen, controlled by temporary traffic lights, from today (Monday) until Wednesday, September 10-12.
 

Concerns voiced over empty Llan properties

* The Old Bank building off the A5.

The chair of Keep Llangollen Special has voiced his concerns about the new of empty shops and commercial premises in the town centre.

Mike Edwards said: “Llangollen is relatively fortunate that there is currently a relatively low vacancy rate amongst shops, but Jades Home has recently closed down and there are many other vacant or underused buildings which the local authorities are failing to tackle.

“For example, the Old Bank Buildings in Berwyn Street, the chapel opposite, the old Job Centre and the old seed factory on the A5 and so on.”

He added:  “If Denbighshire County Council allow Sainsbury's to build out of town and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board relocate the Community Hospital to a health centre also on the edge of town and take with it the chemist, dentist etc, which is what they propose, it will ruin our vibrant town centre.”

Along the same lines, Mr Edwards has just received a response from Denbighshire County Council to comments he sent in about the authority’s draft priorities for 2012-17.

Tony Ward, the council’s improvements priority manager, writes to Mr Edwards: “Although the priorities for this council have not yet been agreed, I would be surprised if ‘Developing the Local Economy’ did not feature prominently in the Corporate Plan once it is agreed, and that many of the issues your raise were not included within that priority.  

“The intention is for the corporate priorities to last for the 5 years of this council term, and the detail of all the draft priorities has rightly not yet been developed fully. Once the Corporate Plan is agreed, the council will develop a programme of work to help deliver the priorities, and the issues you raise are clearly relevant to that discussion and are extremely valid. I certainly recognise many of your comments from conversations I have had with other members of the public and also with some Members of the council.  

“Your comments will be passed on to our Elected Members when the Council meet to debate the content of the Corporate Plan on 9th October 2012, and you are more than welcome to come to that meeting if you wish. I will also pass on your individual comments to the relevant Heads of Service so that they can consider your comments in the planning and delivery of those services.”

 

* The old chapel opposite.

* The former Jades at Home store in Castle Street.

 

* Former Job Centre in Castle Street.


 

 

Another atmospheric marina study

Reader Alan Found has sent in this atmospheric picture he took of Llan Marina on Thursday evening of last week.

If you have similar pictures of the marina or any other local scenes we'd love to see them and publish them on llanblogger.

Just e-mail them in to us at llanblogger@gmail.com

Saving bikers' lives is on the cards

 

* The launch of the CRASH card scheme.

 

A new scheme aimed at saving the lives of bikers just launched across Wales will be of interest in Llangollen which attracts a large number of motorcyclists throughout the year.

 

The billingial CRASH Card holds personal details such as allergies and medical history which could prove vital knowledge for attending ambulance crews and hospital staff.

Launched in partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Service, the North Wales Motorcycle Alliance and North Wales Police, the CRASH card could save valuable time and help with treatment especially if the rider is either unconscious or unable to communicate.

Welsh Ambulance Service Medical Director, Dr Paul Hughes, said “The CRASH cards will provide our staff with vital clinical information to improve the care we can provide for motorcyclists across North Wales. It’s important to remember that removing a motorcyclist’s helmet after an accident is a specialist task which should only be performed by ambulance crews or other trained personnel.”

Emergency responders are alerted to the card’s existence by a green dot which is placed on the right hand corner of the visor or helmet.

The card also has a mnemonic “CRASH” which gives helpful advice for the rider if they themselves come across a road traffic collision.

“Such a simple thing as carrying the CRASH card could well enable us as a service to make more informed decisions regarding the treatment needed to a motorcycle collision or incident,” added Dr Hughes.

The CRASH card scheme is established in several areas in England, and is now being introduced in Wales for the first time.

President of the North Wales Motorcycle Alliance, Bill Brereton said: “We’re pleased to be able to introduce the CRASH card in Wales. It has been successfully introduced in parts of England and with the amount of motorcyclists in and visiting Wales it makes sense for this basic addition to be made available for a motorcyclists’ kit.

“Of course we’d be quite happy if the CRASH card never had to be used, but collisions do happen and if the information can help save someone’s life then it will be well worth the effort.”

“We would like to thank Conwy Motorcycle Club, North Wales Advanced Motorcyclists, Lara Bimble, the Welsh Ambulance Service and Ambulance Motorcycle Club for their support.”

Paul Cheshire, Bikesafe Coordinator for North Wales Police added: “Bikesafe are pleased to support this development. It is yet another good example of partnership working and we hope that many riders will take advantage of this opportunity.”

Council keeps a close eye on beauty sector

Staff from Denbighshire County Council are highlighting the work being carried out to regulate and monitor businesses involved in the beauty sector.

Environmental Health Officers in the Planning and Public Protection Department carry out regular inspections of sunbed parlours, beauty parlours and tattoo salons to make sure that they are safe and also that there are no risks to the health of customers.

The council also registers operators that want to get involved in tattooing, cosmetic piercing, semi-permanent tattoo, electrolysis and acupuncture.

Essentially, the council licences them after they can prove their premises is suitable and they are competent people to offer the treatment.

The council says it would always advise the public to:

· Check and ask to see whether the business is registered with the council to carry out the treatment. The business should be able to show you a certificate issued by Denbighshire County Council. You can also check with the Food and Health & Safety Team to see whether they are registered.

· Never use a non-registered operator. This increases the risk of potentially serious health problems following the treatment for example skin infections, Hepatitis B & C and HIV if the sterilisation procedures are not good enough. Avoid going to someone who has bought a tattooing kit over the internet and has never had any training to make sure it is done safely.

· Let the council know if people are carrying out unregistered treatments at home, so that we can investigate the issue and possibly avoid people being harmed or becoming ill.

· Make sure you get good advice from businesses before and after your treatment, including how to minimise the risk of a skin infection.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for Public Protection, said: "Businesses are advised to contact the Council for advice and to register. There are new byelaws in place to regulate the industry and the Council are inspecting businesses, following-up complaints and taking action if there are serious risks identified.

"The use of sun beds is always in the news and officers carry out regular inspections and secret shopper visits to ensure that the business is supervised by a trained person, that health advice is provided to members of the public and that no-one under 18 years of age receives any treatment.

"More secret shopper visits are planned over the next year and enforcement will be taken against salons that do not meet the standards.”

Letter from chair of Keep Llangollen Special

Mike Edwards, chair of the group Keep Llangollen Special, has sent in this letter concerning the ongoing saga of the future of health service in the town:

"Speaking recently Mary Burrows the CEO of Betsi Cadwaladr talking about the Woodlands(Riverside Lodge) site said: 'No decision has yet been made. We still have to make a decision whether we want to build a facility in Llangollen. It may be the preferred site if such a facility was built, but we need to establish need and engage with the community before that. There is a formal process that we have to follow.'

"This clearly shows that despite the fact that Community Hospital will close early in 2013 Llangollen is not certain to have a replacement Health Centre be it in 2015 or whenever! Mary Burrows is now talking about "ESTABLISHING NEED" despite assurances she previously gave in correspondence to Ken Skates AM.

"This heightens KLS' concerns about the Health Boards proposals which will lead to increased vehicle journeys for patients and their families. This is clearly in breach of Welsh Government's sustainability policies.

"We would be grateful if you could bring this to the attention of residents, please?"
 
Mike Edwards
 

Water waste of a precious resource

* The drinking water gushes into the canal.

A novel way of topping up the Llangollen Canal seems to have been discovered.

Yesterday (Thursday) afternoon one of the service points supplying utilities to boats tying up on the stretch after the wharf in the direction of Fron was freely gushing gallons of drinking water – straight into the canal beside it.

One wonders how long it had been leaking in this way and why something had not been done to stop it.

There was a yellow and black tape tied around it, so somebody in charge of the canal must have known something about it.

There’s clearly no shortage of water here.

But who is paying for it, llanblogger wonders.

If the new Canals and Rivers Trust which is in now charge of the canal cares to explain we'd be delighted to publish their reply.

 

Police get heavy with metal thieves

Operation Tornado is being launched across Wales in a bid to crack down on metal theft.

All four Welsh Police Forces are taking part in the operation, which has already seen successes in other parts of the UK.

All scrap metal dealers in Wales will be approached and encouraged to part in a scheme where they only buy scrap metal from individuals that are able to provide photographic proof of their identity.

This will include either a photo card driving licence including an address, or a passport or national ID card supported by a utility bill, which must be under three months old and show their address.

In local authority areas where ID schemes are already established for itinerant collectors, then this will also include a local authority issued photo ID card.

The operation is being spearheaded by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and British Transport Police.

In the North East of England, the theft of metal fell by around a half following the introduction of Operation Tornado.

Detective Inspector Mark Cleland, of British Transport Police, said: "We will be working with scrap metal dealers to enforce this code of conduct until legislation kicks in later in the year. We want to work with them to professionalise the industry and target the people who are dealing in criminal acquisition of property."

Detective Superintendent Russell Tiley from Gwent Police, who is the Welsh representative on the National Metal Theft Working Group, said: “This latest operation is just one of many tactics that we are employing to tackle the theft of metal. We hope that all scrap metal dealers in Wales will sign up to the scheme to help make it difficult for thieves to sell on any scrap metal that they have stolen.”

Anyone who has any information about metal thefts, or those involved in this criminality, to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Focus falls on our historic gems

We now have some additional information about events taking place as part of the Llangollen Open Doors Weekend, organised by Llangollen Civic Society, this Saturday and Sunday, September 8 and 9.

These are:

Town Hall:

10am to 4pm both days

Exhibitions

The History and Restoration of the Chain Bridge.

“Web of Iron” – history of suspension bridges featuring the Chain Bridge.

* The Chain Bridge.

The Three (local) Bards – by Hanes in conjunction with a new bi-lingual book.

Remembering those locally who made the sacrifice in WW1 and WW2.

The River Dee – a photographic and hangings display courtesy of The Fringe.

There will also be a talk on the History of the Royal International Eisteddfod at 12.00 noon.

On Sunday at 3 pm the Silver Band will be playing outside. 

Eliseg’s Pillar

10am to 5pm both days

You are welcome to visit the site to observe this year’s archaeological dig.

On Saturday there will be guided tours between 3 and 5 pm. 

Llangollen Museum

10am to 5pm both days.

Exhibition on the History of Plas Newydd from the Ladies to today.

There is also a new exhibition from the archive of H. Hugh Jones, Headmaster of the County School, 1919 to 1937.

* Llangollen Museum.

Holy Cross Church

10.30am to 4pm both days.

Exhibition of the History of the Catholic Church in Llangollen. 

Llantysilio Church

10.30am to 4pm both days

 

St John’s Church

10.30am to 4.30pm both days

Exhibition – An Illustrated History of Llangollen’s Churches & Chapels.

There will also be access to Digitised Parish Records of Llangollen (i.e. Baptisms, Marriages and Burials from 1837).

Cemetery Records.  Grave and Monument records for St John’s, Fron, Penybryn and Garth 

Y Capel

9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday

10.00am to 4.30pm Sunday

Exhibition Conservation, Adoration and Information – the History of the Building.

Family History Sessions throughout the day, using Internet Sources, Ancestry and Find my Past.

Get your council tax bills by e-mail

Residents in Denbighshire can now receive their council tax bills via e-mail.

Denbighshire County Council has been looking at ways of finding more efficient and effective ways of distributing council tax bills, whilst looking at reducing costs, and has now arranged for any resident wishing to receive their bills via e-mail to do so in future.

Residents wanting to take up this offer should e-mail their name, address and council tax reference number to: revenues@denbighshire.gov.uk

On receipt of this request, all future bills would be sent via their email address until advised otherwise.

For further information, telephone: (01824) 706443, 706456, 706468, 706315, 706338, 706428

Crime falls by over 6% in North Wales

North Wales Police has confirmed that overall crime in the region has fallen by more than 6%.

Since April 2012 internally collated performance figures show that overall crime has gone down by 6.3% with steady reductions across a range of offences.

Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard said: “There was some concern earlier in the summer that deployments of staff to the Olympic Games in London would damage our capability to reduce crime during this busy period. In reality that has not proved to have been a problem.

“One area of continuing concern is the level of violence and we are very focused in our action to reduce such behaviour. We are the sixth lowest area for knife crime as a proportion of serious crime in England and Wales and robbery is similarly low, but overall violence is a concern.”

The falling figures reflect the progress the Force making by working in partnership with organisations such as local councils to tackle some of the issues facing our communities.

This summer officers worked with Denbighshire County Council and Conwy County Council’s Licensing Departments to enforce the Licensing Act legislation. Regular test purchasing exercises have been carried out to reduce under age drinking in the area.

As a result two public houses in Rhyl and Rhos-on-Sea were served a notice to shut for 48 hours after selling alcohol to people under-age on two separate occasions within three months.

A force-wide vehicle crime initiative, which has seen thefts from motor vehicles fall by 6.5% so far this year, involves sending the registered keeper of vehicles, seen to have valuables on display, a letter and crime prevention advice.

Patrolling officers and colleagues from partner organisations identify vulnerable vehicles that have valuable items on display.

Under the slogan, “Leave it on show, expect it to go,” the campaign is aimed at reducing the number of thefts from vehicles.

Car parks which have been the subject of crime have been visited by Crime Reduction Officers and car park managers spoken to and crime advisory notices displayed.

Meanwhile action days have been held following consultation with residents and housing associations to reduce anti-social behaviour.

North Wales Police has also made progress with the way it deals with low level dissatisfaction expressed by members of the public. These types of complaint, whatever their route into the force; letter, e-mail, telephone or personal visit, are now dealt with centrally and immediately allocated to a local supervisor for resolution.

The figures show the number of non-domestic burglaries is down by 13.1% while domestic burglaries are down by 7.9%. Criminal damage and arson figures are down by 10.1% and robberies are down by 4.5%.

Assistant Chief Constable Pritchard, welcomed the reductions, but said there was always more to do.

He said; “We have been working with partners on joint schemes to help deal with local problems such as anti-social behaviour and theft from vehicles. This approach is now showing positive results.

“These latest performance figures show we are making steady progress in our drive to keep North Wales a safe place to live and work.

“It is good to see that crimes such as burglary are down, but we would urge people to continue to take simple security measures to keep their homes, business premises and vehicles safe.”

Still time to comment on council's future blueprint

Denbighshire County Council is developing a new Corporate Plan for 2012-17.

This plan will define our priorities and the outcomes we aim to deliver for our communities. 

During the past year, the council has undertaken a considerable amount of consultation and engagement with residents, its staff, and elected members.

This helped to identify priorities for the new Corporate Plan. 

The council's engagement work has included the following:

· A Residents’ Survey: 2,256 households responded to a survey which included questions about the biggest issues facing our communities.

· A Public Survey: 1,228 people responded to a survey on the council's website and in its leisure centres, libraries, One-Stop-Shops and council reception areas.

· Workshops with young people: run with the Denbighshire Youth Council and Student Councils in high schools.

Draft priorities have been developed to reflect the public's views, and the council would now like to know what you think before it finalises and publishes its new Corporate Plan.

The council's proposed priorities:

1. Developing the local economy and communities

2. Improving school buildings and standards for all

3. Improving roads
4. Protecting vulnerable people and ensuring they are able to live as independently as possible

5. Providing a clean environment

6. Ensuring access to good quality housing

7. Modernising the council to deliver efficiencies and improve services for its customers.

Consultation is open until Tuesday 11th September.

Further information is also available online at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/corporateplan.

The final draft of our Corporate Plan will be presented to councillors on Tuesday 9th October for agreement.

If you’d like to comment on the priorities we have suggested for our Corporate Plan 2012-2017, you can send an e-mail to corporate.improvement@denbighshire.gov.uk, telephone 01824 706161, or write to Corporate Improvement Team, Denbighshire County Council, County Hall, Ruthin, LL15 1PH.

Railway stages steam spectacular

llanblogger picture special

 

 

Llangollen Railway staged a steam spectacular over two days last weekend. 

A fabulous five of its resident steam engines delighted visitors as they ran through 

the sunlit Dee Valley on Saturday and Sunday. 

 

Railway spokesman George Jones said: “Whilst many rail fans at the gala may have wished for a visiting steam engine to add variety to the line-up, the expense of hiring in a special guest loco, and the cost of transporting it for a short stay, exceeded the budget for this occasion.

“In any event, right now there is something of a famine in operational steam locomotives available for hire on the UK heritage railways as many engines are undergoing heavy overhauls or waiting for finance to allow restoration to be completed.

“In putting on a steam gala with five of its own locally based engines, of some variety, Llangollen Railway offered a major event - something which few other preserved lines in Britain can achieve at this time.

“Aside from the rail fans’ expectations, for the ordinary visitor the frequent steam-powered train service operating out of Llangollen with an assortment of engines was a sight to behold and the subject of much favourable comment.”

 

 

The demonstration Queen Mary brake van No. S45302 freight train awaiting departure in Llangollen station. Larger than usual version of the type, it has been a single-handed restoration challenge by LR member Bob Gordon who acquired the burnt-out remains for rebuilding. It is known as a Queen Mary on account of its large size - unusually it is mounted on two four-wheel bogies. Its restoration to working condition is another notable achievement at Llangollen railway and adds an impressive freight vehicle to the fleet of historic items.

 

 

The single coach Auto train hauled by Pannier tank 6430 about to depart Llangollen for an extended run onto the line extension towards Plas Bonwm farm - the current end of the new track. This proved popular with visitors keen to see progress with the Corwen extension.

 

 

The British Railways Standard tank 80072 returned from its spell on North Yorkshire Moors Railway and was back in action. Here, the engine is ready to depart Llangollen at 3pm wearing the well-remembered 'Cambrian Radio Cruise' headboard - a tourist train which once made a daily trip around North Wales via connecting lines and provided an on-board "radio" commentary about the route. This was very advanced for its day, and only possible before Dr Beeching axed many of the connecting lines when Corwen was a centre point of the system.

 

 

 The Black 5 44806 awaits departure at Llangollen with The Mancunian train head board.

The Pannier Tank 6430 and single auto coach waits to pass the inbound train at Llangollen Goods Junction.

 

 

Foxcote Manor No.7822 runs into Berwyn a station. Trains passed at a near 10-minuite interval during much of the gala which saw an intensive half-hourly timetable of departures from Llangollen.

County council is highest performing in Wales

Denbighshire County Council is the highest performing council in Wales, according to the latest figures from the Welsh Government.

Each year, the Welsh Government measures the performance of each council in Wales using a series of Performance Indicators covering a wide range of service areas.

For 2011-12, the figures show that Denbighshire performed in the top quarter of authorities in Wales for two-thirds of these Performance Indicators, more than any other council in Wales.   

Some highlights include:

· Best in Wales for preventing homelessness.

· Best in Wales for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in our public buildings.

· 2^ndbest in Wales for recycling rates.

· 3^rdbest in Wales for delivering adaptations via Disabled Facilities Grants.

· 3^rdbest in Wales for helping to bring empty homes back into use.

· 4^thbest for average point score for pupils aged 15 or 16.

The position of Denbighshire as the highest performance in Wales is even more impressive given a report published today by the Local Government Data Unit which shows a general improvement in the performance of councils in Wales last year.

Denbighshire’s Leader, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "The generally improving picture in Denbighshire is the result of the hard work of Members and officers in providing value for money services for the people of Denbighshire.

“We recognise however, there is room for improvement in some aspects of our work, and we will continue to be vigilant to ensure we see improvements in these areas as well.”

Councillor Barbara Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Modernising and Performance, added: “This is excellent news for Denbighshire and I am proud to see the authority continuing its upward trend, which is testament to the work of officers and members in bringing the authority forward.”

Health changes are "for the worst" says Llan Protest

I fully support  Mike Edwards, Chair of Keep Llangollen Special, in saying we need Ken Skates to ensure our Cottage Hospital remains open, at least until a new facility is opened (llanblogger September 4).

I fully support  the notion that the Cottage Hospital should be kept open for beds and minor injuries, and that the proposed facility at the River Lodge be shared with the Powys Fadog community hub, which is complementary to the proposed Social Services, and that Oakleigh be refurbished for mental healthcare.

And that the Regent Street Health Centre be retained for consultations, because its location is perfect, and its other functions be shared out between the Cottage Hospital and the proposed new Health Centre.

This “Healthcare in North Wales is changing” is a change for the worse, there can’t be any doubt about that.

Once again, I call upon Ken Skates to nail his colours to the mast and support the community in the manner I’ve described here.

As Labour in Westminster is so fond of claiming that “Plan A isn’t working”, Welsh Labour’s Plan A for the NHS is a complete dud. Scrap it.

Martin Crumpton

Llangollen Protest

Families go batty at Plas Newydd

* A bat in flight.

Searching for furry hunters of the night

AROUND 40 people went batty in a famous Llangollen beauty spot on Friday evening.

But there was no need to call out the emergency services for they had gathered in the picturesque grounds of the Plas Newydd stately home to track the progress of some of its most fascinating nocturnal inhabitants – bats.

The quest to find the small furry flying mammals was arranged as part of a rolling programme of nature expeditions by the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) team in conjunction with Denbighshire County Council.

The people who turned up for the after-dark safari were mainly family groups, including lots of adventure-hungry kids.

And they weren’t disappointed because after spending about an hour in the estate’s Y Caban exhibition suite making their own paper and wood bats and colouring in pictures of the mysterious wee beasties under the direction of AONB team members Rhun Jones and Ros Stockdale – Denbighshire’s very own batman and batwoman – it was out into the grounds to seek out these enigmatic and much-maligned creatures.

Although their reputation might have suffered from their cinematic associations with vampires and other nasties of the night, bats are actually warm-blooded, family-conscious little animals –the only mammals that can fly – which spend their lives minding their own business looking for the food they love, which is insects rather than the blood of innocent human victims.

But if you’re an insect, particularly something like a midge, watch out because one hungry pipistrelle bat – one of the most common species in the UK - can eat up to 3,000 of you in a single night.

The image of bats as big as birds flapping in menacingly to syphon off your blood is also so much hokum as they are really quite tiny.

In fact, according to Rhun Jones, an old saying is that you can fit about 100 of them into a pint glass and that one is small enough to squeeze through a keyhole.

What makes them look menacingly big is their large wings.

Seeing them swoop down on their insect prey can also make people feel uneasy.

But they are not – repeat not –aiming for you!

Before the bat-hunters went out into the grounds of Plas Newydd as dusk descended – the creatures’ favourite hunting time – Rhun checked out likely areas to spot them.

Favourite location, he reckoned, was the gable end of the café where he had observed a large concentration of bat droppings near the light fitting above the emergency exit.

So that’s where the group went first, equipped with torches and bat detectors – sensitive hand-held instruments about the size of an old-fashioned mobile phone that can pick up and amplify the sounds bats make as they home in on their prey.

And here’s another fascinating fact about bats – they use their own form of radar to seek out the insects they feed on.

It’s called echolocation and means that as they fly they make shouting sounds.

The returning echoes from these shouts provide them with information about anything that is ahead of them, including the size and shape of an insect and which way it is flying.

These shouts – subtly different with each species of bat – are much too high-pitched to be heard by the human ear but they can be picked up by a bat detector set to the correct electronic frequency - in the case of the common pipistrelle between 40 and 55 kilohertz.

Our bat-hunters spent quite some time pointing their detectors at the gable end of the café but picked up only about a handful of recognition signals – represented by a rapid clickety-click sound from the device.

So Rhun suggested it might be more profitable to go down into the woodland area known as the Dell behind the main house.

He was right, because in seconds of the group arriving under a canopy of tall trees in the middle of the wooded area the detectors were going crazy, with the presence of bat after bat being recorded.

The children in the group were delighted and there were squeals of joy at each clickety-click which screamed from their detectors.

Result!

It had been a great and productive night, both for the bats who had had their fill of insects and for the bat-hunters who had so clerarly heard them doing it.

Only the midges had lost out and not a single drop of human blood had been drunk.

 

* Tell-tale bat droppings around the light

outside the café area at Plas Newydd.

* One of the highly sensitive bat detectors

is held up for inspection by Ruhn Jones.

.

 

* Intrepid bat hunters wait for signs

of the tiny flying beats outside the café.

 

 

* Night-time observers watch frenetic

bat activity in the treetops above the Dell.

Railway chairman hands out warm praise to volunteers

The chairman of Llangollen Railway has handed out a warm pat on the back to the dedicated band of volunteers who keep the organisation on the rails.

In a message to them he said: “2012 has been a very busy year especially for all those who volunteer and make it possible for the railway to run at Llangollen.

“From Thomas in February to the major nine-day SSS3 Gala in April, a railcar event in June, a special Jubilee Thomas event, followed by the 60's Weekend in July and a Classic Transport weekend in August through to this weekend's Autumn Steam Gala have all demanded very many hours of our time.

“Even as I draft this note at 10.31 on Sunday night I'm sure some volunteers will not have arrived home yet after being at the Railway today.

“It is always risky to single out people for special mention but I'm sure we all agree that those who are in each morning, many hours before most of us, to get the engines and trains ready and do not leave until some of us are already home, deserve a special thank you.

“On behalf of the board it gives me great pleasure to be able to thank you all for a job well done.

“Llangollen Railway has an excellent reputation thanks to the volunteers and staff that make sure that our visitors enjoy the experience of visiting our railway.

“You might be able to make some use of this as an acknowledgement of what it takes to make it all happen - the volunteer effort deserves wider recognition as without them the Railway wouldn't be here.”