Ambulance service advises on hospital admissions

THE Welsh Ambulance Service is reminding members of the public about what they can do to help make their hospital admission go hitch free this Christmas.

The Trust is once again promoting the Green Bag scheme, which encourages people to keep all of their prescription medicines in one place and readily to hand.

The special green bags, available on all ambulances and from hospital pharmacies, are for patients to put their medication in, so whether they are going to hospital unexpectedly or for a planned procedure they can take their tablets, medicines, creams, inhalers and herbal supplements with them.

The Trust is also reminding the public about the Message in a Bottle scheme, which encourages people to keep their personal and medical details on a standard form in a common location – the fridge.

The scheme, which is run by the Lions Club, provides patients with a free plastic container which inside it has a proforma where patients can list their personal details, current medications, allergies and medical history details.

The scheme is designed to save the emergency services valuable time if they need to enter a property in an emergency situation.

Richard Lee, Head of Clinical Services at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The Christmas period is traditionally a very busy time for us, so we’re encouraging our patients to help us out by playing their part to make sure we can quickly identify key personal and medical information in an emergency.

“It is extremely important that patients take their own medicines into hospital, because it enables doctors to know exactly what medicines they are taking and the patient will continue to receive the correct dose at the right time. Keeping everything together in one place makes it easier for both the patients, ambulance crews and hospital staff.

“It is also very important that we can ascertain this key information quickly. Sometimes when people are ill they cannot recall this key information and the Message in a Bottle scheme will help us to do that.

“Whilst the scheme is focused on more vulnerable people in a community, anyone can have an accident in the home, so this scheme is available to anyone.”

Richard had this advice for patients over the Christmas and New Year period:

- Make sure you have enough medication to see you through the festive period when opening hours for pharmacies and doctors surgeries will be affected

- If you are staying with a friend or relative for Christmas don’t forget to take your medicines – the ambulance service or accident and emergency department will not be able to issue prescriptions

- Make sure you know where your on call pharmacy is over the festive period – call NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47 to find out

If you would like more information about the Green Bag or Message in a Bottle schemes, please call the Partners in Healthcare Team at the Welsh Ambulance Service on 01792 311773 or email ppi.team@wales.nhs.uk 

Hundreds sign up for garden waste service

Up to 1,400 Denbighshire residents have taken advantage of an early bird discount and signed up for the garden waste collection service that starts in March 2015.

On 1^st December, Denbighshire County Council launched a secure online payment system on its website to make signing up as simple and convenient as possible.

The 1,000 customer milestone was reached on Monday 8^th December with the total number of customers currently standing at 1,389.  In October, the Council announced an annual £24 charge for the garden waste service from March 2015.

The charge is one of a number of significant cuts the Council must make because of reductions in the settlement received from government.

Householders who wish to continue to receive a garden waste service must opt-in and pay the annual charge, which is reduced to £22 for those who sign up before 31^st January.

Denbighshire waste officer, Alan Roberts, said: “We are very pleased to have 1,000 households sign up to the scheme so quickly.

"The council wants the cost to residents to be as low as possible so we urge people to take advantage of the early bird discount.

"Signing up for a year is a commitment we know some people find difficult, but we know some groups of neighbours sharing costs which is great way of making the service more affordable. For those with green fingers, a year’s worth of garden waste collections could make a very welcome Christmas present.”

The secure online payment system can be found at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste or www.denbighshire.gov.uk. It is also possible to sign up for the garden waste service at Denbighshire County Council’s Customer Service Centre (tel. 01824 706101) or at any of the Council One Stop Shops throughout the county.

County to look at future of in-house social care

Members of Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet have agreed to consult on the future provision of the authority's in-house social care services.

On December 9, the council agreed a proposal to reduce the budget for in-house social care by £700k.  

The council currently funds over 500 older people to live in care homes across Denbighshire, with just 54 - or 10% - of those living in the three care homes (Awelon, Ruthin, Dolwen in Denbigh and Cysgod y Gaer in Corwen).  

Councillor Bobby Feeley, Cabinet Lead Member for Health and Social Care, said: “Older people frequently tell us that they want to live in their own homes as they get older, not move into residential care, so we want to explore how we can develop alternatives to this such as Extra Care Housing Schemes.

"Demand is steadily declining for 'standard' residential care, which is currently provided by LA homes (they do not provide nursing or dementia care), and we are working across county to provide alternatives such as Extra Care Housing Schemes, which  are being developed in partnership with other Housing Associations/ housing providers in key communities across the county.  Also enhanced care packages allow people to live at home independently for  longer.

“Part of the consultation would be about what they think about the council supporting the development of more of this type of provision as an alternative to the three council owned residential care homes, which are a significantly more expensive to run than equivalent services provided by the third and independent sectors."

In relation to the 54 individuals living in Awelon, Dolwen and Cysgod y Gaer, many of them are likely to need to move into alternative settings as their needs increase and they develop needs for nursing or specialist elderly mental health care. 

The council has given a commitment to ensure that they will not close any council owned care home if there are individuals living there whose needs can not be met in alternative provision.

Councillor Feeley added: “We recognise that any change can be upsetting for those involved and that is why we are starting a consultation during which, we will meet with residents and their relatives or representatives to explain how services could be provided and to gather their views on any changes. Part of the consultation will include an impact assessment for those affected.

“We would like to reassure service users and their families that we will work with them and support them throughout the process. 

The consultation would include people living within the three Extra Care Housing Schemes (Gorwel Newydd, Rhyl, Nant y Mor, Prestatyn and Llys Awelon, Ruthin) where domiciliary care services are provided by the council. These housing schemes for older people are owned by Housing Associations, not the local authority,  and the consultation would purely be about the provision of care services within these housing schemes. Arrangements for housing support or any other services in the building will not be affected so will not be included as part of this consultation. 

Parish church Christmas services

St Collen's Church has given the following details of its services over Christmas:

Saturday 20th December - 7pm, Carols by Candlelight in Trevor Church – Tickets £5.

Sunday 21st December - 9.30am, Christmas bilingual Communion in St John’s; 11 am, Llantysilio Church: Carols and Seasonal readings; 6pm, St Collen’s Church: Traditional carol service.

 

Tuesday 23rd December - 10am-12 midday, Church Community Hall, Come and prepare for Crib and Christingle service.

Christmas Eve (Wednesday 24th December) – 5pm, St Collen’s, Crib n’ Christingle Service;

11pm, Eucharist of Christmas Night.

Christmas Day (Thursday 25th December) – 8am, St Collen’s, Holy Communion; 11 am, Holy Communion; 9.30am, Llantysilio, Holy Communion, Trevor Church 9.30 am - Holy Communion.

Sunday 29th December - St Collen’s 8.00 am – Holy Communion; 11 am - Holy Communion.

 

 

 

Lib Dems select General Election candidate

Welsh Liberal Democrats have selected Rob Walsh to be their parliamentary candidate for Wrexham at next year`s UK General Election.

Rob, 39, works as a lecturer at Coleg Cambria on Wrexham`s Yale site. He has been actively involved in politics since 2008 when he was elected on to Llay Community Council.

Rob was one of the key organisers behind the ‘Save Hayward`s Field’ campaign that saw Wrexham Council defer a decision to build houses on a local green space in Llay. He has also been a vocal opponent of issues such car parking charges at Wrexham`s country parks, through his role as Vice-Chair of the environmental group Friends of Alyn Waters.

Rob (pictured right) is a governor at Darland High School, where he was a former pupil and is Chair of the school`s finance committee. He was also a member of the National Eisteddfod fundraising committee in preparation for Wrexham`s staging of the event in 2011.

Rob is very much looking forward to the forthcoming election contest. He said:

“Having grown up here, it would be a huge privilege to be given the opportunity to represent our area.

“The people of Wrexham deserve a full-time MP who will fight for them and for the things that matter to them. That is what I will do if they vote for me to be their new MP.

“I am proud that in government, the Liberal Democrats have proven our commitment to making Wales fairer by cutting Income Tax by £800 for low and middle income earners.  However, there is more to do: a future Liberal Democrats government will cut taxes by a further £400 so that people earning the minimum wage will not pay a single penny of Income Tax.

"Residents have the opportunity to elect a local candidate who has been actively involved with Wrexham issues consistently over recent years.  If elected, I will work closely with North Wales Assembly Member Aled Roberts to represent everyone in the constituency.”

Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales said:

“Rob is a hard-working, energetic and determined individual who I know will be an exceptional candidate, especially given his local links and campaigning experience.

“Time and time again Rob has shown himself to be a passionate campaigner who will always put local people first.  Wrexham has so much to offer and its time we had an MP who is ambitious for our area.”

Railway starts new year with special event

Llangollen Railway has a Winter Warmer event planned for Friday and Saturday, January 2 and 3.

 

The promise is to have three steam engines operating, with one diesel locomotive and a diesel railcar to give an intensive service between Llangollen and Corwen East.

Railway spokesman George Jones said: "The event is exactly 50 years on from the month in which the through route from Ruabon to Barmouth was closed by Dr Beeching in 1965.

 

"It took a while, but enthusiasm and volunteer effort brought some of the railway back and to operate in a traditional manner, the like of which was unthinkable 50 years ago."

 

 

 

Politicians choose Christmas card design

* The winning design.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates and MP Susan Elan Jones visited a community school to congratulate an eight-year-old girl who won their annual Christmas card competition.

The Labour politicians met Evie Hesketh at Ysgol Carrog on Friday (December 12), whose festive design – featuring a penguin in a Santa hat – was chosen by the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones as his favourite from dozens of entries.

Llangollen-based AM Mr Skates said: “I loved Evie’s design as soon as I saw it and I’m delighted it is featuring on our official Clwyd South Christmas cards, which will be sent to hundreds of people, schools, community groups and businesses across the constituency.

“Last year’s winner was Sam Jones from Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy in Cynwyd, and there could easily have been three or four winners from Carrog.  We obviously have some very talented children in our area!”

The competition was open to pupils of all infant and junior schools in Clwyd South, with Mr Skates narrowing the entries down and the First Minister selecting his favourite from a shortlist.

The runners-up were 11-year-old Kim Thurlow from Ysgol Cynddelw in Glyn Ceiriog and Tegan Jackson, 10, from Ysgol Penycae.

Ms Jones said: “We have some brilliant entries once again, so I would like to thank all the pupils who took part as well as the teachers. The competition is always a fun way for us to engage with local schoolchildren and get them into the Christmas spirit.

“I was delighted to meet Evie and congratulate her personally.”

Police boss's older people promise

* Deputy Police Commissioner Julian Sandham with

Older People's Commissioner for Wales Sarah Rochira

 and Age Connects CEO Judith Wynne.

 

A police boss has pledged to put the views of older people at the heart of policing in North Wales - to help them feel safe out and about and in their own homes.

 

According to Julian Sandham, the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, North Wales is one of safest places in the UK - but older people don't always feel that way.

 

Mr Sandham told a special’ Hubbub’ Forum organised by Age Connects, it was important to combat the fear of crime.

 

He was also keen to hear their opinions which would help in putting together an updated version of the Police and Crime Plan, the blueprint for policing North Wales.

 

The Deputy Commissioner was joined on the panel in Rhos on Sea by Sarah Rochira, the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, who recently published a major report on care homes.

 

Mr Sandham said: "Meetings like this are critically important to hear the voice of the people and to assess the points that they make.

 

"We want to consult with all sections of the community including groups which can be hard to reach.

 

"We want people to feel secure in their homes.  We want people to feel safe in public places.

 

"Perception is really important. North Wales is one of the safest places in the UK but older people don’t necessarily feel that so there’s a job to be done in terms of reassurance."

 

Sarah Rochira is working with Welsh Police and Crime Commissioners on the Ageing Well in Wales programme.

 

According to Ms Rochira, ensuring that people feel safe was crucial to the quality of life the programme was aiming to promote.

 

She said: "Older people want those of us who are in public service to ensure that they’re listened to but more than that responded to and that’s something that unites us all as Commissioners.

 

"Policing is important to everybody and that includes older people. Many older people often say to me ‘we don’t feel safe so we don’t go out at night’. 

 

"Older people tell me and are very clear with me in respect of this - that feeling safe is just as important as actually being safe. We shouldn’t underestimate perception and how people feel."

 

Judith Wynne, Chief Executive Officer of Age Connects in North Wales Central which covers Conwy and Denbighshire, was grateful to Mr Sandham and Ms Rochira.

 

She explained: "Our primary purpose as an organisation is to make sure that the voices of all older people are not only listened to but also acted upon.

 

"It was clear to see that both Commissioners really engaged with Hubbub members and they gave assurances that their views would be fed back to appropriate agencies and departments so members' concerns would be listened to and where possible acted upon.”

Isherwood calls for answers on council merger costs

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Minister for Public Services to respond to a report showing that council mergers could cost up to £268 million.

 

Mr Isherwood, who has previously warned that forcing councils to merge would be "grossly irresponsible" because of the cost at a time of spending cuts, raised the matter in the Assembly Chamber this week.

 

He said: "The glaring omission from the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery (which looked at the way public services are governed and delivered in Wales) was the most important factor, which was an independent cost evaluation.

 

“Finally, we have an independent cost evaluation commissioned by the WLGA from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy showing costs of up to £268 million and savings, not until three years after the mergers, of £65 million, through front and back office service mergers, which could happen without full merger. When I raised this last week, the Minister for Business said that it was a matter for you. Could I call on you, therefore, to make a formal response to that vital report and advise us accordingly how you intend to do that?”

 

The Minister replied: “There are certain costs in the CIPFA report that we do not accept and we still think that there is work to be done in some aspects of this, which is why we are commissioning a review of the costs of administration of local government.”

 

Mr Isherwood added: “This Minister’s belief that big is always beautiful and his disregard for vital independent research is chilling. With his focus on structures rather than cost effective service delivery, he is threatening local authorities with millions of pounds of additional costs at a time of big reductions in their budgets.”

Councillor backs DIY speed checks on Abbey Road

LLANGOLLEN county councillor Stuart Davies says he would be happy to support people in Abbey Road in the town if they decide to make their own checks on traffic speeding past their homes.

His promise follows a recent meeting at which residents in the area expressed their concerns – highlighted by a llanblogger story - over speeding along one of Llangollen’s main access roads.

Cllr Davies said: “Further to my piece about residents’ concerns about speeding in Abbey Road, I have made a Freedom of Information request as to how many speeding tickets have been issued over the last five years at the western end of Abbey Rd.

“I will give an update when I have more information.

“In the meantime I am happy to facilitate a meeting with residents and police officers with a view to having an informal speed awareness day.

“We could get the county officers to bring the county speed gun and do an informal check of speeds on Abbey Road in various locations there.

“I would be more than happy to push for one if those residents’ speed check groups that work in partnership with the police if it was felt that this was appropriate.”

Special deal on getting fit for Christmas

Llangollen Leisure Centre has asked llanblogger to display the poster below:

News on swimming pool opening times

Chirk Leisure Centre, which has the nearest swimming pool for use by Llangollen swimmers, closes over Christmas from December 22 until January 2.
 

Over the Christmas period, Waterworld in Wrexham will be open during its normal hours on December 23 and from 7am-12noon on Christmas Eve. It will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and open from 10am-4pm on December 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31.

Gwyn Evans will close for Christmas on December 23 at 10pm and re-open on January 2 as normal.

Pictures from church's Christmas Tree Festival

Here is a selection of the trees now on display in the Christmas Tree Festival currently being staged at Llangollen Methodist Church, the church with a spire by the river.

Come and see the decorated trees by local schools, businesses and clubs and vote for your favourite.

 

The festival is open this Saturday 13th and next Saturday 20th between 10am –3pm, and this Sunday 14th and next Sunday 21st between 12.30pm –3.30pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festive recycling and waste collection details

Denbighshire County Council has announced its arrangements for recycling and waste collections in the county over the Christmas and New Year period.

USUAL COLLECTION DAY		ACTUAL COLLECTION DAY
Monday 22 December	stays the same	Monday 22 December
Tuesday 23 December	stays the same	Tuesday 23 December
Wednesday 24 December	stays the same	Wednesday 24 December
Thursday 25 December	changes to	Friday 26 December
Friday 26 December	changes to	Saturday 27 December
Monday 29 December	stays the same	Monday 29 December
Tuesday 30 December	stays the same	Tuesday 30 December
Wednesday 31 December	stays the same	Wednesday 31 December
Thursday 1 January	changes to	Friday 2 January
Friday 2 January	changes to	Saturday 3 January

There will be no collections of garden waste made during the week starting Monday 22 December. Collections due during the week commencing Monday 29 December may be affected (please refer to table, above).

The Recycling Park facilities at Denbigh, Rhyl and Ruthin, will be open to the public as normal every day except 25 December, 26 December and 1 January.

Winter opening hours are:

DENBIGH and RUTHIN: Mon – Fri 10am - 4pm. Weekend 9am - 4pm.
RHYL: Everyday 10am - 6pm.

The Saturday recycling services the Llangollen Pavilion car-park and at the Highways Depot, Corwen will take place as normal on Saturday 27 December and Saturday 3 January 2015 respectively. 

Methodist church stages Christmas tree festival

A Christmas Tree Festival is being staged at Llangollen Methodist Church, the church with a spire by the river.

Come and see the decorated trees by local schools, businesses and clubs and vote for your favourite.

 

The festival is open this Saturday 13th and next Saturday 20th between 10am –3pm, and this Sunday 14th and next Sunday 21st between 12.30pm –3.30pm.

Stuart Davies hits back at budget debate critics

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has sent out the following open letter on the subject of council cuts:

"I find it reprehensible that as a responsible Denbighshire county councillor I am having to vote for the council cuts so that we can set a legal budget!

"It is reprehensible that the Labour party members in DCC are refusing to vote for anything knowing full well that us responsible ones will set a legal budget.

"Having made the difficult and responsible choice I then find an anonymous Labour spokesperson sniping at me in the Press!

"Let me tell you how it is, the Welsh Government is the one who has foisted these cuts on us!

"The WG is the one who is in charge of the NHS which in North Wales alone is projected to overspend by £78 million! (This overspend to be addressed by chopping our budgets).

"The WG is the one who has spent £63 million on a failing airport in Cardiff with heavens knows how much more subsidy.

"The red herring about it being Central Government's fault is put forward, however they conveniently forget that it was their Liam Byrne who said, "we have spent all the money."

"I remind them that it is their people in WG who are forcing us to do this (Ann Jones is on the Finance Committee that did this).

"It was Chris Ruane who was in the previous administration which said, "we have spent all the money."

"The Labour councillors on DCC need to man up, they have been given every opportunity to engage in the budget setting process, it is time for them to take their responsibilities seriously and vote for the inevitable cuts."

County says it's ready for an icy winter

* True Grit: The county council says it's ready for the winter.

With forecasters are predicting an icy winter ahead, Denbighshire County Council says it is fully prepared to deal with freezing conditions.

The authority has given a rundown of how it prioritises its gritting schedule, mainly through carrying out precautionary salting on certain roads so that peak traffic times are avoided. 

Priorities are:
 
■ Main classified routes (A & B roads)  
■ Principal bus routes  
■ Access routes to hospitals, schools and cemeteries  
■ Access to police, fire, ambulance and rescue services  
■ Primary routes serving substantial villages/communities  
■ Main industrial routes that are important to the local economy  
■ Main access routes to shopping areas  
■ Areas where known problems exist, such as exposed areas, steep gradients and other roads liable to icing.

The salt has to be crushed by traffic to make it effective.

There are some occasions where the council cannot salt before the onset of icy conditions, such as:

■ When rain is followed by rapidly clearing skies, salting is normally deferred until the rain stops to prevent it being washed off.  
■ Dawn frost on dry roads. When early morning dew falls on a cold road and freezes on impact. It is impossible to forecast with any accuracy when this will occur.  
■ Rush hour snowfall. When rain turns to snow coinciding with rush hour traffic, early salting cannot take place as it would wash off, and gritters cannot make progress because of traffic congestion.

Salt bins

You can get gritting salt from the yellow grit bins located around the county. You can spread grit on pavements and other public footways, but not on driveways. Use a spade or shovel to spread the grit thinly and evenly across the pavement.
All of the council's salt has now been delivered and it is in the process of sheeting it to protect it.

A spokesperson said: "We are storing about 1000 tonnes less this year (down from the 10,000 last year) down to the fact that we don't want to be holding salt for too long so we'll use the older stock first. We can call up any additional supplies at very short notice."

Councillor discusses speeding problems

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies recently met with officers and residents to discuss concerns about speeding on Abbey Road and around Pentrefelin.

He said that the residents would like to see the speed limit reduced to 30mph up to the end of the existing 40mph limit by the turn-off to the Chain Bridge.

Cllr Davies said: "I explained that it had been hard enough to get the existing 40mph limit put in a few years ago, with officers and police at the time arguing that the area was very close to the margins of the criteria which apply when speed limits are put in.

"The officers explained that the criteria wouldn't be met for a 30mph limit in this area and that grant funding to pay for such a scheme would not given by the Welsh Government because of this.

"However, traffic calming measures such as signs and road markings could be applied relatively quickly."

Cllr Davies said he had also spoken to some residents who were not in agreement with a 30mph limit along the whole length of Abbey Road and Pentrefelin.

It was agreed at the meeting to carry out a traffic survey to get a true picture of the speeds in the area and to apply traffic calming measures.

On a separate but related issue it was agreed to have the dry stone wall and pavement at the end of Abbey Road brought up to scratch.

A county speed gun was used to do a rough check and speeds were generally found to be around the mid-20s on the brow of the hill by Pentrefelin, with one vehicle being clocked at 34mph.

Santa Specials get underway

 

* The Black Five No. 45337 bringing the 11am departure from Llangollen past Berwyn.

 

The first trains of the Santa Season got underway on Llangollen Railway last Saturday.

 

Due to damp railhead conditions the train had difficulty getting away from Llangollen on the climb up through the tunnel, but the second train with the large tank engine was better able to cope.

The heritage railway expects to operate 36 Santa trains on weekends through to December 21 then daily up to Christmas Eve and reports a sell out of all available seats.

 

Trains run through to "Lapland" at Carrog where Santa can be seen on his sleigh.

 

For those who may be disappointed, a festive run on the train is provided from Boxing Day until January 1 during the season of Mince Pie special trains will operate on the new track extension through to Corwen East.

 

 

Skates lands award for helping youngsters find work

* Ken Skates receives the award from  Gareth Pennant,

Assembly Correspondent for Golwg magazine.

Picture courtesy of ITV Cymru Wales.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates has won a top award for helping thousands of unemployed young people into work.

The Labour Assembly Member was declared the nation’s rising star at the Politician of the Year awards last night (Tuesday) at a ceremony hosted by ITV Wales and the Wales Yearbook Online in Cardiff.

 

Mr Skates won the 'Member to Watch' award after steering the Welsh Labour Government's flagship youth employment scheme Jobs Growth Wales to "unparalleled" success and overseeing Europe’s most ambitious broadband scheme, Superfast Cymru.

Wrexham-born Mr Skates, who has his constituency office in Llangollen, paid tribute to the people of Clwyd South during his acceptance speech, and to the 13,000-plus 16- to 24-year-olds that Jobs Growth Wales has helped – which include almost 1,000 in Wrexham and Denbighshire.

 

He said: “It's a humbling honour to receive this award for the work I did in my previous role as Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology.

 

“I’m exceptionally grateful for the opportunity to serve as the AM for the people of Clwyd South as well as in the Welsh Government, and I will continue to work as hard as I possibly can for the people who elected me.”

 

The judges were unanimous in their decision to award Mr Skates the award, stating: “The panel were particularly impressed by the impact you had on the Jobs Growth Wales programme in your first deputy ministerial portfolio, a scheme so vital to our young people that required a champion both to motivate youngsters and engage employers.”

Cllr Davies congratulated Deputy Minister Ken Skates on his recent award "Member to Watch" at the Politician of the Year Awards.

He said: "Whilst being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, we work well together to do what is best for Llangollen and the Dee Valley."

Cllr Davies went on to say: "We worked well together to deliver the job saving and job providing Sainsbury/Cilmedw project and I am looking forward to working with him and the site owners of Mile End Mill to deliver an iconic tourism and job creating site."

Warning over roadworks for new health centre

 

* An artist's impression of how the new health centre will look.

 

Building work on the new health centre on Mill Street in Llangollen is now quite advanced and the next stages of the project will include the work needed to provide electrical and water supplies to the building, divert water mains, construct a pavement alongside the new building, provide drainage to the road, install bus stops, relocate the 30 mph zone and provide additional street lighting. 

 

According to the county council, this work is planned to start on the January 5 and continue for five to six months.  

 

While it takes place the road past the site will at times be restricted to a single lane, with traffic lights in place to control vehicles coming into and going out of Llangollen on the A539 (Mill Street) road to Ruabon. Bishop’s Walk will also be affected.

 

The main contractors, Read Construction, and the Health Board are currently working with Llangollen Railway to co-ordinate the movements of locomotives along Mill Street during the period that these lane restrictions are in place. 

 

No lane closures will take place during the following holiday periods: April 3-13, May 1-5, May 22 and June 1.

 

A statement from the contractors says: "We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused by these temporary traffic control arrangements and ask for patience and understanding from road users whilst we undertake these essential works."

 

Read Construction will coordinate the lane restrictions with the utility companies and sub-contractors and will provide up to date information on their website (www.readconstruction.co.uk) and on the noticeboard at the Bishops Walk end of the construction site. 

 

They will also contact the residents of Bishop’s Walk directly. The individual utility companies will put up signs providing their contact numbers before they start work.

 

Once complete in mid 2015 the health centre will bring together the town’s GP practice and community health services run by the local Health Board with services provided by Denbighshire County Council and the voluntary sector. 

£50,000 raised in memory of tragic Tesni

 

* Tesni's parents Jason Edwards, who works for Ifor Williams Trailers, and her mum, Dwysan, who works at the Penybont surgery in St Asaph, present the £50,000 cheque to air ambulance crew paramedics Neil Lewis and Karen Davies, pilot James Benson and John Williams, managing director of Ifor Williams Trailers.

 

The heartbroken parents of a teenage girl who died tragically have met the helicopter paramedic who tried desperately to save her after she collapsed.

 

Neil Lewis was aboard the Wales Air Ambulance helicopter when it flew into the village of Cynwyd, near Corwen, as a thank you for the £50,000 that was raised by a sponsored walk in memory of 14-year-old Tesni Edwards (pictured right).

 

The distinctive red helicopter that's based in Welshpool landed in a field across the road from the headquarters of Ifor Williams Trailers where Tesni's dad, Jason, works.

 

There too were mum Dwysan and Jason's colleagues from the trailer firm who organised the Taith Tesni walk from Cynwyd to Llangollen.

Ifor Williams Trailers added to the amount raised to more than double the pot of money donated to the charity which has three helicopters based in Caernarfon, Welshpool and Swansea.

 

It's highly unusual for the Wales Air Ambulance to make visits like this but they made an exception because of the "phenomenal amount" raised by the walk.

 

The emotional meeting was the first opportunity that Jason and Dwysan have had to say a personal thank you to the Wales Air Ambulance crew who did their very best for their beloved daughter.

 

Sadly, they were unable to save the popular pupil of Ysgol Dinas Bran, in Llangollen, who died of an undetected enlarged heart a couple of weeks before her 15th birthday in April last year.

 

Neil, who was on duty the day Tesni collapsed along with fellow paramedic Mark Timmins, said meeting Jason and Dwysan was a humbling experience.

 

Dwysan, who is the Practice Manager at the Pen-y-Bont doctors' surgery in St Asaph, said: "We were amazed and overwhelmed by the effort that went into organising and the huge amount of money that’s been raised.  It’s beyond words really.

 

"It’s nice that something so amazing has been done in Tesni’s name and it’s helped us massively that something good has come out of it.

 

"It was great meeting the crew today. We were quite nervous about it before coming because obviously it was quite emotional seeing them again but it was really nice to meet them under different circumstances.

 

"We managed to talk to them about Tesni and tell them about her before that day. We showed them her photo and we were able to talk about her and how she did at school and what her plans were and they said that they really like meeting the families.

 

"They do an amazing job. They’re very brave and that’s why we wanted to raise money for them, to continue that amazing service that they provide."

 

Jason, who works in the stores department at Ifor Williams Trailers, said: "In the beginning I was hoping we would raise about £15,000 so when we found out it was £50,000 I just couldn’t believe it. It was absolutely unbelievable."

 

According to paramedic Neil Lewis, they very rarely had the opportunity to meet the relatives of the patients they treated.

 

He said: "It’s a very humbling experience first and foremost. To get the chance to meet Jason and Dwysan and to talk to them is a kind of healing process for us and the family.

 

"It certainly means a lot to me and I hope I can help with their grieving process as well.

 

"We can reach anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes and it costs more than £6 million to keep our three helicopters flying.

 

"The amount of money raised by local communities is staggering and it means we can serve the population and hopefully get them to the right hospital within the right time, which is a major thing in serious illness or accident."

 

John Williams, the managing director of Ifor Williams, Trailers, was among those with Jason and Dwysan when the helicopter arrived.

 

He said: "We were honoured that the Wales Air Ambulance decided to fly to Cynwyd to receive the proceeds of the Taith Tesni sponsored walk.

 

"It is impossible to imagine what Jason and Dwysan and Tesni's brothers, Morgan and Findlay, have endured having her wrenched from their lives so cruelly.

 

"We organised the sponsored walk in line with the family's wishes and we are pleased that we have been able to play some part in keeping the helicopters flying."

 

Wales Air Ambulance corporate manager Anna Evans was extremely grateful to Tesni's parents and Ifor Williams Trailers for organising the walk.

 

She said: "Fund-raising events like Taith Tesni are how we keep our helicopters flying. 

 

"We don’t get any Government funding or National Lottery funding even and every penny that we raise goes into the helicopter.

 

"The £50,000 raised in Tesni's memory is a fitting tribute to her. Obviously, Tesni will never be forgotten by her parents and her friends and her extended family but what they’ve done is make sure that she will never be forgotten by the people who rely on the Wales Air Ambulance."

County agrees £5.4 million cuts

Councillors in Denbighshire have approved the latest package of cuts totalling £5.4 million, as part of its overall plans to save £17 million over two years.

At a meeting in County Hall, Ruthin today (Tuesday, December 9) the council agreed the Phase 2 cuts, bringing the total amount of savings made to date to £10 million - this leaves a further £7 million to find over the next two financial years.

As part of the budget process, the council invited residents to get involved in a debate called Cutting our Cloth, to look at how the Council could lessen the impact of cuts on local communities.

Over 822 survey responses were received on a wide range of proposals, as well as petitions received as part of organised campaigns. A summary of the feedback received was discussed by the Council as part of the decision making process.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "We are grateful to Denbighshire residents for getting involved in the debate and for sharing their thoughts and ideas on how we can lessen the impact of cuts. The feedback has been reported to the various services for consideration and was also considered today as part of the budget debate.

"This level of cuts is unprecedented in Denbighshire and we are having to make difficult decisions on proposals which have generated some significant debate in our communities.

"I can reassure residents that the budget setting  has been one of the most detailed and most intense processes ever undertaken in Denbighshire. Councillors have received presentations in numerous workshops over a number of months and these have given us the opportunity to scrutinise every proposal in detail before they came to Full Council for a final decision."

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: "We have done as much as we can through careful financial planning, through trimming services and protecting vital services to the public.

"The time has now come for us to start implementing some of the most difficult decisions we have ever needed to make as a council.

"Unfortunately we need to find a further £7 million and we are currently looking at what options are available to us to meet this difficult challenge."

Commenting, Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies said: "I am disappointed to see the Labour Group in DCC failing to support any of the proposed cuts that we were being forced to implement by the Welsh Government in our Budget meeting today

"I am as a member of a responsible authority prepared to be pragmatic. We have to make a balanced budget, it is the law, members refusing to engage is a cop out. Just saying no doesn't hack it. It leaves the responsible members to make the horrible decisions."

He added: "They are following the lead of Chris Ruane MP and Ann Jones AM. They don't want to implement the Welsh Government cuts but can't come up with solutions on how to deal with them.

"I have heard Labour Party members discussing selling council farms to fund the Welfare Benefits Unit, not understanding that that is a capital receipt, a one-off and anyway can't be used to fund on-going revenue costs!

"They put forward a motion today that we should continue to fund the Welfare Benefits unit without coming up with a viable way to fund this non-statutory cost. They completely failed to understand that we have been through a long and arduous process in which they have attended meetings and yet sit on their hands when it comes to the crunch."

Police target illegal off-roaders

Police in the Dee Valley are warning illegal off-roaders who damage fragile and protected moorland that they risk being prosecuted and having their vehicles seized.

The warning follows an operation on Sunday, December 7, which was mounted in response to public concerns that some riders and drivers are riding or driving illegally on highly protected land.

Local officers joined forces with their partners from Natural Resources Wales and staff from Denbighshire County Council and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to conduct this day of action.

“The operation focused on the Moel Fferna, Ceiriog Forest, Cynwyd Forest and the Llantysilio Mountain areas which have been identified as areas that are being used illegally by some who have been off-roading on footpaths and the moors,” said local District Inspector for the Conwy and Denbigh Rural area Gareth Jones.

“Both Moel Fferna and Llantysilio Mountain are classed as Special Areas of Conservation and are protected under European law.

"For a number of years now we, along with our partners, have been warning against illegal off-roading. Yesterday’s action is part of our on-going work to stop the illegal activity which is having a detrimental impact on the area’s flora and habitats – much of which is highly protected.”

A total of 16 people were stopped as part of the operation. Seven were disrupted prior to committing offences and left the area, five were issued Section 59 notices and reported for various offences, another was reported for a related offence whilst three others were given appropriate words of advice for minor matters.

Insp Jones added: “This area forms part of a Protected Landscape, of which there are only five in Wales.  We will be continuing with our work and advising all off-roaders that when they go out on their bikes or in their 4x4 to ensure they stay on designated legal routes. The reality is that riders who break the law are likely to be prosecuted and risk having their vehicles seized.”

County's school meals service amongst best in UK

Denbighshire County Council's school meals has once again been independently judged to be among the top six best performing in the UK.

It took the accolade in the face of stiff competition from larger councils from the North West of England and other areas around the UK.  

The service was judged on school meal uptake, productivity, training, communication to customers and procurement and this is the fifth year in a row that the service has been short-listed  - the service won the award last year.

A council spokesperson said: "Denbighshire is rightly proud of it's school meals team which consistently perform well when compared against other councils school meals services." 

Warning to businesses over debt recovery scams

Trading Standards officers in Denbighshire are warning businesses to be on their guard against suspect debt recovery calls.

The warning comes after reports were received that businesses are being telephoned by people claiming to be from a debt collection agency chasing an outstanding debt. The threat of further legal action is used to extort money from the business.

Emlyn Jones, Public Protection Manager said: “We have been advised that there have been a number of reports nationally involving this scam. Callers sometimes use names of legitimate agencies to seem more credible, and in this case they are telling businesses they have an outstanding debt for advertising space in a Business Directory.

He added, “Whilst some small businesses may indeed use business directories for advertising we are urging them to be on their guard. Never give personal or financial details to anyone and anybody cold calling asking for money should be ignored without first making further checks.”

Anyone approached or affected by these callers can contact Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.

Weather closes Old Horseshoe Pass

The BBC website is reporting this afternoon (Monday) that ice and snow have closed the Old Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen.

For the full story, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-30376283