Oh snow, not again!!

* A deserted and snow-bound Regent Street (A5) in Llangollen just before 8am today.

At least seven inches of snow has fallen overnight in Llangollen and continues to come down steadily.

According to the Denbighshire County Council website, both Dinas Bran and Bryn Collen schools are closed for the day (Friday) due to the overnight snow.

The county county website at http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/LL/LifeLong.nsf/WebSIEmergencyall?OpenView is being updated by the minute with closure information.

Wrexham.com tweeted just after 7am that Arriva routes 1,3,4,7,8,10,11,12,13,14,21,26,27 were not operating until further notice.

Latest information is that 28 schools in Wrexham are closed by snow.

A/Sgt Mark Jones of North Wales Police traffic unit tweeted around an hour ago that the A5 closed was in both directions between the B4401 junction, Corwen and the B5103 junction in Llangollen, because of snow.

In the centre of Llangollen very little traffic apart from 4x4s and HGVs is travelling along the usually-busy A5.

Certain homes in Llangollen were reporting loss of satellite TV signal.

Earlier Twitter messages reported that Froncysyllte CP was closed, not just due to the snow but power issues. Garth CP was also said to be closed.

Although conditions were reported to be difficult on the A483 through Wrexham, a tweet around 7.30am said “a lot less severe towards Chester; can still see the tips of grass and mud on the fields.”

Llan health services row rages on ...

Campaigners' serious claims in wake of hospital closure ... and health board's official response 

An Assembly Member claims he has been told by care home professionals that closing a community hospital could lead to earlier deaths.

Now Plaid Cymru Assembly Member Llyr Gruffydd has urged new Health Minister Mark Drakeford to call in controversial NHS plans across north Wales, accusing Betsi Cadwaladr health board of making "empty promises” to justify closing community hospitals.

Llangollen Hospital closed on Friday  March 8.  The picture below shows the padlocked door.

The call comes after Mr Gruffydd questioned the First Minister in the Senedd this week about the closure.

He revealed new research that the health board has closed Llangollen Hospital’s 18 beds without securing promised replacement services and without even forming a business plan to support their decision.
 

Mr Gruffydd said: “We were told that the hospital would be replaced by a new community health centre, enhanced home care and beds would be available in both Chirk Hospital and local private nursing homes.
 

“Now that the closure has happened and how much of those alternatives are in place? Here are the facts:

 

"The new community health centre – there is no business plan in place, there is no building secured and it will take at least three years to get the consultation, planning and building done, assuming the promised £5.5m is still available then.

 

"Home Enhanced Care Service involves more nursing and clinical staff working in the community. This is uncosted and there is no additional budget for this. An insider has told me that there are no staff in place currently and that the y are having trouble recruiting staff for the HECS.”
 

Research carried out by Mr Gruffydd shows that during most of 2011 and 2012 Chirk hospital was at 98% capacity with no room to take the patients that would usually have gone to Llangollen Hospital.

Information obtained through Freedom of Information also shows that Llangollen Hospital was serving at an average of 95% capacity during the same period.
 

He added that his office had spoken to three local nursing homes and all had explained that nobody from the health board had contacted them at all about this proposal.

He added: “The care homes made it clear they have no spare capacity and, because they are regulated by a different body than the NHS, would feel very uncomfortable about taking NHS patients needing in-patient care.

 

“It appears the health board has sold its vision of improved healthcare on a series of empty promises. It is a shameful betrayal of the entire Dee Valley, which has been well served by this cottage hospital for 137 years.  

"More and more patients from this area will face having to go to Wrexham Maelor, where there are already problems with ambulances backed up outside A&E due to bed blocking. This will only make things worse.”

 

Mr Gruffydd said professionals at some of the care homes had expressed concern to  him about the proposals.

He claimed one care home professional, who wants to remain anonymous, said that he believed closing cottage hospitals would lead to earlier deaths.
 

According to Mr Gruffydd, the insider said: “Cottage hospitals are great. Many elderly residents resist going to a General Hospital because they are afraid of hospital related illnesses.

"I’m afraid that closing the cottage hospital will contribute to people’s deaths earlier. If there isn’t a cottage hospital then elderly patients will have to be moved around more which is also a very traumatic experience.”
 

Another said: “We have only received one phone call to see if we might be available for a meeting. We have got serious concerns. We’re all in the dark. Our registration is governed by the CSSIW (Care & Social Services Inspectorate Wales), and we might need to change that to accommodate NHS patients.

"Our training is geared around elderly care not palliative care. We had a phone call asking if we could take a medical patient not so long ago and we had to refuse because we didn’t have the expertise. This should have all been sorted out 3 or 4 months ago.”
 

Llyr Gruffydd said: “During the consultation period the Health Board received numerous representations from various professional bodies including the BMA and Local Authorities saying that there wasn’t enough detail, effectively that they hadn’t provided a business plan. Indeed this was also the complaint of the Community Health Council. I

"It is now painfully obvious that they in fact didn’t even have the basics of a business plan. What they had was a vague idea of what they hoped would be an alternative, but didn’t do any homework to see if it was achievable.

"The hospital at Llangollen has been closed for a week, and they are still in the process of gathering basic information, and haven’t even held talks with those that they expect will deliver their services. It’s scandalous.”

 

CASE STUDY
 

Councillor Rhys Hughes, of Llangollen, has confirmed that an elderly man had to go to Mold community hospital from Llangollen last week because of the sudden closure of the local hospital.

He said: “Normally he would have been an in-patient in Llangollen but, because the hospital was closed without warning, he was sent to Mold. There were no spare beds at the time in Chirk.
 

“Is this going to be a regular occurrence?
 

“This is adding to the trauma facing patients, who naturally want to be as close to family and friends as possible, and the closure without any adequate replacement is going to cause long-term problems for our community.”

Health board's official response

1. The new community health centre.

Plans for establishing a new primary care resource centre are progressing well.  An option on the site has been secured and a design team led by an architect have been appointed by the Health Board who have held an initial meeting with the Denbighshire County Council Planning Department and are liaising with Highways with a view to submitting a full planning application in June.  The business case will be submitted to the Welsh Government after planning consent is received and construction costs are established.

 

2. Enhanced home care.

 

Funding for the roll out of the enhanced care at home service in the Llangollen area was identified by the Health Board prior to the recent public consultation and discussions with the GP practices and out of hours services regarding the provision of medical support are progressing.  The intent is that these discussions will be concluded i n time by the end of May for the service to commence in early June.  Four of the nursing staff who were previously based at Llangollen Community Hospital who wished to transfer to the enhanced care at home service are now training in interim posts in readiness to join the already established wider community nursing and therapy teams. 

 

3. Beds at private nursing homes.

 

In relation to the proposal to establish links with a local nursing home to which patients who require palliative care could be admitted, we are currently writing an operational  policy and admission criteria for discussion with the nursing home concerned who have indicated their willingness to hold these discussions.

 

4. Beds at Chirk Hospital.

 

Since Llangollen Community Hospital was closed on the 8th March we have encountered no issues with patients from Llangollen requiring admission to Chirk Hospital and there are currently no patients from Llangollen waiting for a bed at Chirk Hospital.  Prior to this we were unable to offer an inpatient bed at either Chirk or Llangollen Hospitals to a patient who was then admitted to Mold but this patient has now been transferred to Chirk Hospital and is continuing their recovery there.

 

Financial expert hails "Budget for business"

A leading financial expert has hailed yesterday's Budget as a “massive boost” for small businesses across the region.

 

That's the verdict of Anthony Lewis, (pictured left) from Chartered Accountants Coxeys, which represents a wide range of clients from sole traders right through to international market leaders.

 

He said key measures such as a hefty cut in employer National Insurance contributions, billions of pounds to stimulate the stagnant new housing market, more cash for child care and the continuing freeze on fuel duty all helped make it a “Budget for small business.”

 

Mr Lewis, a director of Coxeys which has offices in Wrexham and Saltney, said the main headline was the Chancellor’s decision to slash £2,000 off the National Insurance bill for employers.

 

He explained: “This alone is going to provide a massive incentive for smaller companies to take on more people and create badly-needed new jobs for North Wales.

 

“Estimates are that if a firm has less than 10 employees their National Insurance costs will be reduced by as much as 80 per cent on average, which is a staggering amount.

 

“Our clients are telling me they can’t wait for it to be introduced in April 2014, when it will mean a huge boost to them.”

 

Mr Lewis also gave an enthusiastic reception to another move announced by Mr Osborne to give working families up to £1,200 per child in child care.

 

He said: “This is another big one as far as our small business clients are concerned.

 

“At the moment families with children receive child care vouchers up to the value of £55 a week per adult, which equates to £2,860 a year.

 

“Under the new measures announced by the Chancellor this figure will increase to £6,000 a year. In turn, that is also worth £1,200 in tax relief.

 

“Child care can be extremely costly and is a major household spending item and what Mr Osborne has done will certainly be a major encouragement for people to return to work after they have had their children."

 

Third piece of good news for smaller firms in the Budget, according to Mr Lewis, is what the Chancellor has dubbed the Help to Buy Scheme.

 

This comes in two vital parts, with the first earmarking £3.5 billion for interest-free shared equity loans up to 20 per cent of the value of a new home, and the second introducing a mortgage guarantee scheme – worth £130 billion over three years starting from 2014 – pledging government cover to lenders for home-buyers unable to afford big deposits.

 

Mr Lewis said: “This will help literally hundreds of construction firms across North Wales – certainly the larger ones and but also the smaller contractors, such as plumbers and electricians, who work for them.

 

“New home building has been stagnant for the past few years but these home ownership incentives are sure to get things moving again. They are very much to be welcomed.”

 

If the construction sector will benefit from the stimulation for the housing market, Mr Lewis believes virtually every business operating in the region will be helped by the cancellation of September’s planned increase in fuel duty following two years of it being frozen.

 

“Fuel is a major cost to many of our clients are this is going to help keep those costs down,” he added.   

Ken Skates gets top government job

Ken Skates AM has been appointed as the new chair of a committee which oversees the monitoring of European Structural Funds in Wales.

 

The All Wales Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) is responsible for monitoring the effective delivery of the £1.9bn Convergence and Regional Competitiveness and Employment (ERDF and ESF) programmes 2007–2013, as well as any future EU programmes during 2014-2020 in Wales.

 

Mr Skates (pictured right) replaces former chair, Mark Drakeford AM, who was recently appointed the Welsh Government's Health Minister.

He will now lead the PMC which comprises 16 members drawn on a representative basis from partners and statutory bodies, and five members selected on merit via the public appointments process.

The composition represents a balance of interests across Wales, as well as relevant expertise, to ensure effective delivery of the programmes for the benefit of businesses, people and communities across Wales.

Mr Skates will also chair the European Programmes Partnership Forum (EPPF) - a key stakeholder group that provides strategic direction on the development of 2014-2020 EU programmes in Wales.
The EPPF is made up of members from across the private, public and third sectors.

The Forum advises on how best to harness European funds to deliver on Welsh Government and EU priorities for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Appointing Mr Skates, First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said: "I attach great importance to the role of the All Wales Programme Monitoring Committee and the work of the Chair and Members.  In partnership with the Welsh Government, they all play an important role in building upon the success of the current and previous programmes, paving the way for the future programmes during 2014-2020 and continuing to support our policies for sustainable growth and jobs."

Mr Skates said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Chair of the All-Wales PMC and I’m committed to ensuring the effective implementation of the current Structural Funds programmes in Wales. I also look forward to chairing the European Programmes Partnership Forum as we prepare for the successful launch of the next programme period during 2014-2020.”

Statement from health campaigners

Campaigners in Keep Llangollen Health Services issued the following statement today:

Llangollen treated with contempt by Health Board Llangollen Hospital has now been closed against the wishes of the people of Llangollen.   Does that mean that we give up the fight? NO!   A public meeting will be held at the Hand Hotel, Llangollen, on Tuesday evening, 26 March, at 7pm. Please join us.   The Health Board will hold a meeting in Llangollen sometime in April with 'stakeholders'. Who are the most important stakeholders? Us, the residents of Llan and the Dee Valley. How come we haven't heard about the meeting let alone been invited to it?!   The Health Board made several promises.   1) To build a new health centre by 2015. Having spoken to key figures in authority within the County Council and the Health Board we have found that they haven't even got a business plan. Remember, they consulted on these plans back in August - without even a business plan! 2) To provide a Home Enhanced Care Service Again this was in the consultation document back in August 2012, yet those charged with planning this service had their FIRST meeting only a fortnight ago! It isn't due to be in place until the end of May - that's 3 months without any hospital service in Llan. They don't have the staff to provide this service and are struggling to fill rotas. 3) That patients needing hospital beds will go to Chirk Hospital or a private care home. According to freedom f information data we've received during 2011-12 Chirk hospital was working flat-out at 98% capacity. They do a fantastic job in difficult circumstances, but there's no room there for more! We've spoken to the care homes in the Dee Valley and NONE of them have been contacted by the health Board to see if they could accommodate NHS patients! They are also concerned that they might have to re-register, as they are governed by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales, and have different standards from the health needs of patients - they provide elderly care not paliative care. The care home option is therefore NOT an option. 4) Close the hospital. They've kept this promise. The health board have broken their promise! They have treated us the people of Llangollen and the Dee Valley with complete contempt and have let us down.   Please attend the meeting at the Hand on Tuesday to help us plan our next steps. We need to unite to insist that the new Health centre will include at least 10 hospital beds as well as improved health services.   Thank you.   Mabon ap Gwynfor Keep Llangollen Health Services

PUBLIC MEETING... Hand Hotel, Llangollen Tuesday 26 March 7pm WHAT'S COMING? Lobby new Health Minister Venue Cymru, Llandudno Saturday 23 March 2pm Forward this email to a friend

http://llangollenhospitalcampaign.wordpress.com/

"Disappointing budget for Wales" says Minister

Wales' Finance Minister Jane Hutt has responded to the UK Government's Budget.

 

She said: "This is a disappointing Budget for Wales. We have repeatedly called on the UK Government to boost infrastructure investment to stimulate the economy.

"In response they have reduced our revenue budget  - these revenue cuts are on top of those in last year's Autumn Statement.  In total we will now have to find savings of £32 m in 2013/14 and £81 m in 2014/15.

"The price for additional capital investment is high and will be paid for by cuts to our revenue for the next two years. This is a real blow and will place our crucial public services under further pressure.

"The UK Government has given  us  back  some capital  allocations,  which we welcome.  However there are many strings attached  - the capital can only be used for loans or equity investment and a proportion will have to be repaid.  Although we are committed to boosting the housing sector in Wales,  this falls far short of what we called for and urgently require.

"At a time when we are trying to support the Welsh economy and boost growth, this level of cuts is unacceptable.

"Despite the recent loss of triple A status, borrowing costs remain very low and we would like to see the UK Government take advantage of this to support capital projects.  Analysis by the IM F  concludes that the right time to reduce debt is when the economy has recovered.  The time now is right to boost the economy - especially with the disappointing jobs figures today.

"We welcome the acknowledgement in the Budget of the need for funding improvements to the M4 in South Wales , the intergovernmental talks on this need to be concluded quickly - I look forward to reaching agreement on this major infrastructure project.

"We want to see the Welsh economy returned to full strength, today’s Budget will not make that task  easier."

Budget main points

Main points from the Chancellor's Budget this afternoon are:

Growth forecast for this year halved to 6%

Further £11.5 billion of cuts in government spending ordered in public spending, with schools and NHS exempt

Public sector pay limited to 1% except the military

£3 billion a year extra for infrastructure from 2015/16

Fivefold increase in government procurement contracts

Corporation Tax slashed from 21 to 20%  from April 201

Working families to receive up to £1,200 per child for child care

Launch of two-fold Help to Buy Scheme (1) £3.5 billion for shared equity loans up to 20% of the value of a new home up to £600,000 (2) Mortgage Guarantee to lenders for people who can’t afford big deposits, with £130 billion available over three years starting in 2014

Fuel duty rise for September scrapped

Beer duty escalator scrapped with a further 1p cut in duty on beer from Sunday night

Personal tax allowance raised to £10,000 from April 2014

Up to £2,000 cut from employer National Insurance contributions

Capital Gains holiday extended

Bank of England keeps 2% inflation target

Chancellor called it a “budget for an aspirational nation.”

Read the full Budget statement at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget2013_statement.htm

 

New Health Minister speaks out

Mark Drakeford AM (pictured below right) has been sworn in as Minister for Health and Social Services and has begun looking at the wide range of issues in his portfolio, including NHS reconfiguration, the legislative programme, and the financial position of the NHS in Wales.

On service change, which includes the future of health services in Llangollen, he said: “The process of reconfiguring health services in Wales is underway. My aim is to bring that process to a conclusion so we can move on and ensure services are safe and sustainable for the future.
 

“My job is not to renew the process or interfere with the process underway, but I will bring a fresh mind to decisions that are being made within that process.

 

“What I can promise people is that I’ll consider everything that is on my desk as thoroughly as I possibly can.  I will weigh up the arguments, look at the evidence, and then I will make a decision.”

 

On the legislative programme, he said: “In terms of the Human Transplantation Bill, we will soon receive the Health Committee’s Stage One scrutiny report, which I expect to raise some important questions and issues for discussion.

“I am keen to steer the legislation we have underway to a successful conclusion.”
On NHS finances, he said: “This week I will look in detail at the position Health Boards are in as they come to the end of the financial year. I want to learn the lessons of this year, so I can apply them to next year. I will be looking at the way the money is used, against the pressures the NHS experiences.

“All NHS organisations must work to deliver services within the budget available to them and I want to be fully briefed on their progress.”

Art and craft fair at Town Hall this Saturday

An art and craft fair will be held at Llangollen Town Hall on Saturday (March 23)

 

Doors open at 10am and the fair runs throughout the day until 3.30pm.

The fair will showcase the work of local artists and crafters, whose skills, creativity and sheer quality demand greater recognition than their own friends and family.

 

Tea, coffee and home-made cakes will be available.

 

Pull the plug on local TV plans, says Skates

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has called on the UK Government to scrap plans for Local TV and reinvest the funding in other areas of the Welsh media.

 

Last week Ofcom invited interested parties to bid for local TV services in 30 areas across the UK, including Bangor and Mold. The watchdog has also re-advertised the Swansea Local TV licence, which failed to secure an operator in the first round of bidders.

 

The AM said Local TV would do nothing to address the structural deficiencies in the Welsh media scene.  He criticised money being ‘wasted’ on a model of Local TV whilst funding for BBC Wales and S4C has been cut back and the future structure of the Channel Three licence in Wales is yet to be decided.

 

The AM called for the money to be put to more productive use such as funding journalism apprenticeships in Wales.

 

Mr Skates said: “Unfortunately the story of Local TV in Wales has been a difficult one from the very start.  Vital money has been top-sliced off the licence fee to pay for a vanity project that doesn’t address any of the fundamental problems in the Welsh media.

 

“The farce over the Swansea licence, which produced no bidders at all first time round, highlights the problem with the core idea.  If nobody thinks a station can be commercially viable in a large urban area such as Swansea, how can it then be a viable success in Bangor or Mold?

 

“Local TV is in no way a substitute or adequate replacement for Welsh commercial television.  We have a deficit of coverage of national Welsh issues in our media and it seems wrong that at a time when funding for BBC Wales and S4C has been cut back and the future structure of the Channel Three licence in Wales is yet to be decided, attention is being directed towards Local TV.

 

“I’ve spoken to quite a few senior media figures with years of experience and the vast majority of them tell me that this will not work, particularly when advertising revenues are making it tough even for the established players.

 

“It’s heart-breaking in a way, when revenue is declining in all areas of the media and good people in broadcast journalism, local newspapers and the creative industries are losing their jobs, that public money is being wasted in this way.

 

“I’d much prefer the funding be used to strengthen the Welsh media in ways that will last such as funding more apprenticeship schemes for journalists or increasing the amount of dedicated Welsh programming on our screens.

 

“Developing top-down local television services at a time when advertising revenue in the commercial Welsh media is haemorrhaging really is an idea only Jeremy Hunt could have dreamt up.”

Railway steams into exciting 2013 season

* Llangollen Railway is steaming into an exciting 2013 season.

Last  weekend’s long-awaited return of trains to Carrog for the first time since Christmas marked the start of an exciting new season at Llangollen Railway. 

A varied programme is lined up to take the heritage line through spring and summer and into the autumn. 

It powers up next Saturday (March 23) when two locomotives from the Llangollen-based fleet of diesels will offer an hourly service through the Dee Valley. 

These Class 26 and Class 37 locomotives will demonstrate how the line might have been operated by British Railway had it not been closed by Dr Beeching's infamous axing of the Ruabon-Barmouth route in 1965. 

A daily service begins from Monday (March 25) and continues through to early October, with three trains per weekday departing Llangollen at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. 

A range of special events will be held throughout the 2013 season, with the popular Real Ale trains, Murder Mystery evenings and Days Out With Thomas all featuring several times in the railway's timetable.  

First major event for steam fans will be the Spring Steam Gala on April 19-21 when the highlight will be the return of the Great Western Steam Railmotor No.93. 

It will be joined with its newly refurbished trailer coach No.92, another example of the valuable restoration work undertaken by the skilled specialist workforce at Llangollen Railway. 

George Jones, for Llangollen Railway, said: "Our volunteers and staff will again be working hard throughout 2013 to provide train operations and station facilities at what is one of the premier heritage attractions for visitors to North East Wales.  

“A programme of events of some variety is scheduled to attract young and old to the railway to travel through the delights of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is now extended to include the Dee Valley."  

Further details can be found at the Llangollen Railway's website: http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/

Helen's sweet starring role in Suor Angelica.

A group of fellow members from Llangollen Operatic Society travelled to Bangor on Sunday evening to watch Helen Belton take the principal role in Puccini’s one-act opera Suor Angelica.

Helen, who is studying for a Masters degree in Solo Performance as a part-time student at Bangor University, was thrilled to be cast in the role, which was very demanding and required a more mature voice.
In Helen’s words it was one of the few times where “age was a bonus.” 

The opera was performed on two evenings at two venues - Bangor’s Prichard Jones Hall and Ucheldre Centre in Holyhead.

Though originally in Italian, this production was trilingual (Italian, English and Welsh) and incorporated students of the university, singers from the local community and the university orchestra.

Helen told us that she felt very privileged to be able to sing the role and that it had been a fantastic experience, though a far cry from her last role as Sybil in the Twenty Club’s production of Fawlty Towers last November.
 
Operatic Society member Louisa Jones, who was one of those who saw it in Bangor, said:  "The production was very well done indeed and the performers, directors and crew should be commended.

"Helen’s performance was excellent; dramatic, heartfelt, and left many of the audience moved to tears.

"Her friends who attended felt extremely proud to witness what we hope will be the first of many opera performances for Helen."  

Fight for Llan health services "only just begun"

* The hospital is now closed, as this notice on the door shows, but

campaigners say the fight to retain local health services continues.

The fight to save Llangollen Cottage Hospital may be lost but the battle to retain high quality health services in the area has only just begun.

That is the message from members of a campaign group aiming to force the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), which took the controversial decision to axe the hospital, to honour its commitment to provide a new purpose-built health centre in the town as quickly as possible.

Keep Lllangollen Health Services is also planning to seek a judicial review of the process which led to the closure of the hospital after 137 years of serving the community.

The group needs hundreds of pounds to finance the legal challenge and is currently working on a number of fundraising ideas.

The hospital on Abbey Road closed its doors for the final time the weekend before last with all the services it had provided, including outpatient and dressing clinics, blood sampling and physiotherapy, being transferred to Llangollen Health Centre on nearby Regent Street.  

But the campaigners doubt the already busy surgery’s long-term ability to cope with providing the extra services and want a firm commitment from BCUHB to a permanent replacement as it promised during last year’s closure consultation exercise. 

Key members of the group, which is affiliated to the campaign alliance set up recently to fight controversial health shake-up proposals across the region, met at the Hand Hotel in Llangollen on Thursday night to discuss the next moves in their campaign. 

These will include a public meeting at the hotel on Tuesday, March 26, when members of the public will be sounded out on precisely what health services they would like to see included in a new health centre.   

Group spokesman Mabon Ap Gwynfor said: “The fight to prevent the closure of the hospital may have been lost but the message we want to get over as strongly as possible is that the battle to hold the health board to its promise to provide a new health centre has only just begun. 

“Our main objective now is to get a new health centre in Llangollen as quickly as possible with beds included. These are vitally needed because there was always 98 per cent bed occupancy in the cottage hospital. 

“We plan to hold a public meeting at the Hand Hotel in Llangollen on March 26, starting at 7pm, when we will seek the views of local people on exactly what services they would like to see provided in the new health centre.” 

He added: “We are also working towards a judicial review of the process leading to the closure of the hospital, which we believe was flawed. 

“We are taking on a barrister for this but it will be expensive.  

“We need at least £500 at this stage and we have therefore launched an appeal to raise as much money as we can. 

“If anyone wishes to contribute I can supply further details if they e-mail me at keepllanhealthservices@gmail.com.”

Donations are also been accepted at Gwyn the Butcher, Mr Lees Newsagents and the Café/Bookshop.

Silver Band's great season opener

* Llangollen Silver Band plays at the Methodist Church on Saturday night.

An entranced audience were wafted away on a musical tour which took them from Hollywood to France and from London’s West End to Russia on Saturday evening.

And, thanks to Llangollen Silver band, they managed it all without leaving the comfort of the English Methodist Church in Princess Street.

The band, under the experienced baton of conductor Trevor Williams and comprising a large number of talented young players, laid on a highly enjoyable concert as the prelude to its 2013 playing season.

A varied programme included pieces ranging from the plaintive Just One Look, made famous in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, to the joyful theme from a 1960s Dubonnet TV advert based on a folk tune from the Auvergne in France.

Nobody can complaint that the band doesn’t offer a diverse repertoire.

And that diversity was further displayed when the musicians, a number of the younger ones fresh from taking part in band competitions earlier in the day, steered us off on further adventures.

These took in a stop on the dirty streets of London to hear Memories, a number from Lloyd Webber’s Cats, and then in Russia, home country of  Aram Khachacturian who composed the adagio from the ballet Spartacus – better known as the powerful theme tune from the 1970s TV series the Onedin Line – which the band delivered complete with musical evocations of flapping sails and mountainous seas.

The band’s motto is “music at the heart of the community” and that is exactly what it intends to go on providing this year.

At the end of the concert Trevor Williams said its busy summer programme would begin in early June with a “party in the park” style concert at Plas Newydd and continue locally with further sessions played from the bandstand in Riverside Park. 

Heritage trains run back to Carrog

 

* M51907 on arrival at Carrog.

 

Train services to Carrog resumed today Saturday when the class 108 diesel ran through to the present terminus with the 11am service out of Llangollen Station.

 

On a day that started with bright sunshine, the trip down the line allowed passengers to enjoy the extensive vistas of the Dee Valley thanks to thinning of the vegetation in places and the absence of spring time growth so far.

 

The result of the recent dry spell could be seen in the low level of water in the River Dee.

 

Carrog station was open and staffed and the cafe available for refreshments.

 

Also open for sales and donations was the 80072 coach.

 

Railway spokesman George Jones said: "It was a case of welcome back.

 

"We are back in business, with an extensive programme of trains and activities for the new season, so why not come for a ride and encourage others to do so too.

 

"At Llangollen the exhibition coach provided a partial display of information whilst arrangements are made to complete the Corwen exhibition section in time for Easter."

Big game could spark domestic violence, warns AM

In advance of today's Six Nations match between Wales and England, Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has warned of the increased levels of domestic abuse that can occur around big sporting weekends.

During last year’s Six Nations tournament, there were over 4,300 calls to the All Wales Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Helpline an increase of almost 10% on the previous year.

 

Evidence shows that the number of incidents reported to the police increases dramatically around the time of big matches.

The AM, who sits on the Assembly’s Local Government Committee, said individuals needed to be vigilant in spotting and reporting domestic abuse over the coming weekend.

He explained: "The spike we see in domestic violence incidents over the days of a major sporting event is nothing new to those who work on the frontline combating violence against women and domestic violence right across Wales. 

 

"During last year’s Six Nations there was an increase of almost 10% in the numbers contacting the All Wales Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Helpline.

“Whilst everyone should have fun this weekend and enjoy a Welsh win, we need to be vigilant about domestic violence, fuelled by an excessive intake of alcohol, that can occur at this time of the year.

“Figures from the British Crime Survey show that one in three women will have experienced domestic violence at some point in their lives and one in five will have experienced some form of sexual violence. Tragically two women every week in England and Wales lose their lives as a result of domestic violence.

“We all pay a huge price for the domestic violence that goes on in our communities every day across Wales. It costs £800m to the Welsh economy through the direct additional costs it places on our health and social services as well as employers through absence at work. It also has a cascading impact down the generations too as children who witness sexual or domestic violence are more likely to be perpetrators later on in life.

“However most costly of all is the social price we pay as a community if we allow any woman or man to be abused, mistreated, injured or killed as a result of domestic violence. We need to take a zero tolerance approach, both this weekend and in the future, towards any form of domestic violence.

“Anyone suffering abuse or who suspects that it is going on, should contact the Police or ring the All Wales Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Helpline.”

When Wales played England during the Six Nations rugby match in 2012, South Wales Police recorded a 76% increase in the numbers of domestic abuse incidents compared to the previous weekend.

The Welsh Government is expected to take forward a Domestic Violence Bill later in 2013.

Anyone affected by domestic abuse in Wales can call the All Wales Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Helpline on 0808 80 10 800 for confidential, bilingual, 24-hour information and advice. In an emergency, always dial 999.

 

Terry Waite looks forward to another eisteddfod

* Terry Waite is heading once again for Llangollen.

Human rights campaigner Terry Waite has hailed the contribution of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in helping to give world peace a chance.

 

As he prepares to take his place at the head of the 67^th annual festival , Mr Waite has spoken of the crucial role music played in helping him through his dark days of captivity as a hostage in Beirut.

 

The Eisteddfod President has also described how the festival, which attracts people from across the globe, is a“powerful example” of how ordinary men and women can make a positive difference in a world torn apart by war.

 

Mr Waite, 73, has been awarded the MBE and CBE for his humanitarian work.

 

He was serving as special international peace envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury when in 1987 he journeyed to Lebanon– then one of the world’s most dangerous place – in a bid to secure the release of four hostages, including the journalist John McCarthy, being held by an Islamic jihad organisation.

 

During the tense negotiations he was himself taken hostage on January 20, which was the start of his journey into the hell of four years of captivity in a Beirut dungeon.

 

For most of the time Terry was kept in solitary confinement in a room without any natural light, chained to the wall and forced to sleep on the floor. He was beaten and subjected to mock executions.

 

He recalls of how every day he did his best to hold himself together spiritually, mentally and physically.

 

In the final stage of his captivity, his robust health began to deteriorate when he contracted a severe lung infection.
 

His torment eventually ended in November 1991 after 1,763 days as a hostage.
 

Mr Waite, who will make his ever-popular appearance as President at this year’s Llangollen Eisteddfod from July 9-14, has now spoken of the important part his lifelong love of music played in helping him endure those harrowing times.
 

He said: “I have always been interested in music since I was a boy and was a member of the local church choir.
 

“My grandmother taught the piano and to supplement the family income in the days of the Depression played in the theatre for the silent movies.
 

“When I visited her I always requested her to play some of those old tunes for me.
 

“Alas, I never had opportunity to learn to play an instrument but my interest in music continued across life.
 

“During the days of captivity as a hostage I was kept in strict solitary confinement without access to books or music for many years.
 

“During those dark days I recalled music I had listened to and played the melodies in my head in so far as that was possible.
 

“Music, like good language, has, I believe, the capacity to breathe harmony into the soul and in those days inner harmony was something I sought and needed.
 

“As Gareth Malone has so clearly demonstrated in his television series, music does have the capacity to bring people together who would not be brought together in any other way - which brings me to the Eisteddfod.
 

“As President of this great event I have seen across the years people from all across the world come to a small Welsh village bringing with them their musical talent.
 

“Participants from groups that back home were fighting each other have forgotten their differences and joined together in music, song and dance.
 

“Llangollen is a powerful example of how ordinary men and women - for the Eisteddfod is still organised in the main by volunteers - can make a positive difference in this war-torn world.”
 

Terry added: “It is a mistake to think that it is only people in high political office who can bring peace.
 

“Peace begins in the hearts of ordinary men and women who learn to share and trust. Music is one powerful means to this end.
 

“It was an honour for me when Karl Jenkins invited me to contribute words for his recent work, The Peacemakers.
 

“I wrote the words for the soprano solo and they sum up the message of the Eisteddfod.
 

“I look forward to meeting many old friends there this coming year and of course to making many new ones.”
 

In the years since his release, Terry has continued his tireless quest for world peace and has become the founder of or associated with a wide range of humanitarian organisations, such as the international development agency Y Care and Hostage UK. 
 

On the Llangollen Eisteddfod’s opening day, Tuesday July 9, he will lead the colourful traditional procession through the town to signal six days of world-class competitions and contests.
 

The fesitival's Musical Director, Eilir Griffiths, was honoured that a man of such“great humanity and courage” was their Patron.
 

Mr Griffiths said: "Terry Waite is a great man whose passion and dedication to the cause of peace is an inspiration to us all.
 

"His personal ethos chimes perfectly with the fundamental purpose of the International Musical Eisteddfod which was founded as a means of promoting global harmony in the aftermath of the Second World War."
 

This year’s event is from Tuesday, July 9, to Sunday, July 14. For more information go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/llangollen