Wrexham Maelor to get new outpatients building

Patients of Wrexham Maelor Hospital will benefit from a new dedicated outpatients building thanks to the purchase of Plas Gororau, based at Wrexham Technology Park. 

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has bought the building, with funding support from the Welsh Government, to move outpatient services and expand the Emergency Department and clinical areas within the main hospital site. 

Some outpatient services that are currently in the main hospital will move into the Ty Derbyn building, which is within the hospital grounds, and services currently located in Ty Derbyn, that do not need an acute base, will be moved into Plas Gororau. 

Plas Gororau is a 44,186 sq ft building on the technology park with 212 car parking spaces, and is only a six-minute walk from the hospital’s main entrance.  

Services being moved into Plas Gororau include mental health outpatients, orthopaedic therapy clinics, prehabilitation, sexual health outpatients, clinical research facility and Maelor Academic Unit Of Medical & Surgical Sciences.  

Plas Gororau is expected to open early 2023, and services will be moved in different phases with mental health outpatients moving first. Once mental health outpatients has moved into Plas Gororau, part of the main outpatients area, which is currently adjacent to the Emergency Department, will relocate to the vacated mental health area allowing for the Emergency Department to expand to support winter pressures. 

A Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) will be established in the vacant area near the Emergency Department. This will be delivered jointly with the Urgent Primary Care Centres (UPCC). The MIU will treat injuries that are not critical or life threatening, helping to relieve pressure on the Maelor Hospital’s Emergency Department, while complementing the service provided by the UPCC. 

Hazel Davies, Acute Site Director of Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said: “This is very exciting work which will greatly benefit our patients and the local community. Plas Gororau will be much easier for people attending the services that will be based there, as they will no longer need to come into the main hospital. Not least of which the building has its own dedicated parking for both patients and staff. 

“The reorganisation of some our services and departments will help with the pathways for our patients and relieve pressures across the hospital. This also gives us more space in the main hospital to expand our Emergency Department into the former Main Outpatient area it will help relieve the pressures during peaks times on the department as we evolve our strategy to deliver an Urgent Care Centre on site, co located with traditional Emergency Care.” 

Additionally, the hospital is also constructing a purpose-built vaccination centre for North East Wales within Plas Gororau. 

As the plans continue to be developed the Health Board will communicate any further updates with patients and the community. 

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan said: “It is fantastic that Welsh Government has been able to provide funding to help Wrexham Maelor expand their services. The new outpatients building will be a huge benefit to patients and the community by positively impacting the experience of patients, reduce waiting times for those waiting for appointments, free up Emergency Department capacity and help relieve pressures on the hospital. I look forward to visiting the new site when it is open.” 

First details of town's 2022 Christmas Festival revealed

* Sion Corn will be star guest at this year's "bigger and better" Christmas Festival. 

The group of volunteers who organise the Llangollen Christmas Festival have had their first planning meeting for this year’s event.

The 2022 festival will take place on the Saturday, November 26 and they say the plan is to make it bigger and better than ever.

Things kick off with a grand parade through town at 1pm followed by an afternoon of family fun and entertainment.

There will also be plenty of festive atmosphere for people to soak up, they promise.

The group's Austin Cheminais said: "Come and chat to Sion Corn and take a picture as we’re not charging to see him this year. Visit the the craft stalls and do some Christmas shopping and try the tasty treats available from local producers.

* The town centre gets lit up during a previous festival. 

"You can also enjoy the fairground rides, marvel at the Christmas lights and our firework display, practice your circus skills, enjoy a Punch and Judy show, and visit the stages in the Town Square and Market Street throughout the afternoon for some outstanding music and entertainment.

"Of course, there will also be the chance to do your Christmas shopping in Llangollen’s wonderful selection of local shops and stores.

"Keep your eye on social media for more information."

* If you are interested in helping the festival team, contact Chem at chemshouts@gmail.com

St Collen's singers feature in BBC programme

 

* Members of the congregation singing for the TV cameras. 

* Father Lee explains the background to his Hymns and Pimms sessions.

* Above and below: St Collen singers take part in the televised session.

Scenes shot at St Collen's Church for a BBC TV programme hit the screen earlier this afternoon.

A film crew was recently at the church to record sequences for a BBC's Songs of Praise programme entitled "Sacred Walks on the Wales Coast Path," hosted by Aled Jones.

The scenes filmed in Llangollen centred around the regular Hymns & Pimms musical sessions which priest-in-charge Father Lee Taylor began hosting online during the 2020 lockdown and went on to become popular across the UK and abroad. 

Members of the congregation were shown singing a number of favourite hymns and the old favourite I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside. 

While Father Lee explained the background to Hymns and Pimms and number of church members told how important it had become for them as a morale booster in the depths of the pandemic.

Later the congregation were shown enjoying glasses of Pimms outside the church.

Three local roadworks alerts

 

Latest local roadworks alerts from one.network are:

Berwyn Street, Denbighshire 22 August - 24 August   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Traffic control (multi-way signals)   Description: MJ QUINN ARE TO UNDERTAKE TEST ROD AND ROPE, CLEAR OF POSSIBLE DUCT BLOCKAGES IN VERGE/CARRIAGEWAY. ...   Works location: JUNCTION OF CHAPEL STREET, TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN ROAD, BERWYN STREET...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.   Responsibility for works: Openreach   Current status: Planned work about to start   Works reference: BC005MQ1W00BDUK1WC9L005V

 

Hall Street, Denbighshire

22 August - 24 August

 

Roadworks, Delays possible

 

Traffic management: Traffic control (multi-way signals)

 

Description: MJ QUINN ARE TO UNDERTAKE TEST ROD AND ROPE, CLEAR OF POSSIBLE DUCT BLOCKAGES IN VERGE/CARRIAGEWAY....

 

Works location: JUNCTION REGENT STREET TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, HALL STREET...

 

Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.

 

Responsibility for works: Openreach

 

Current status: Advanced planning

 

Works reference: BC005MQ1W00BDUK2WC9L005V

Market Street, Denbighshire 22 August - 24 August   Roadworks, Delays possible   Traffic management: Traffic control (multi-way signals)   Description: MJ QUINN ARE TO UNDERTAKE TEST ROD AND ROPE, CLEAR OF POSSIBLE DUCT BLOCKAGES IN VERGE/CARRIAGEWAY....   Works location: JUNCTION OF CASTLE STREET TO JUNCTION OF BERWYN STREET, MARKET STREET...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.   Responsibility for works: Openreach   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: BC005MQ1W000BDUKWC9L005V

St Collen's features in Songs of Praise TV show tomorrow

 

* A member of the film crew outside the church.

Scenes shot at St Collen's Church for a BBC programme will hit the screen tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon.

A film crew were recently at the church to shoot sequences for the BBC's Songs of Praise programme centred around the regular Hymns & Pimms musical sessions which vicar Father Lee Taylor began hosting during the 2020 lockdown.

Members of the congregation were shown singing a number of favourite hymns ending with the well-known Calon Lan in the original Welsh.

Later it was time for glasses of Pimms to be served outside in the church grounds. 

The sequence will be shown on Songs of Praise tomorrow at 1.15pm in an episode entitled "Sacred Walks on the Wales Coast Path."

Llangollen Round Challenge raises record sum for Cancer Research UK

* From left: Nadine Isaacs from Cancer Research UK, challenge organiser Judy Smith, Simon Baynes MP and organisers Jason Morley and Sandra Woodhall. 

Cancer Research UK has received its largest single North Wales donation of the year so far after collecting  a cheque for £100,723 from organisers of this year's record-breaking Llangollen Round Challenge.

The total means the fourth challenge, held over the last weekend in May, raised a record amount for the charity.

The often gruelling 35-mile run/walk through the beautiful yet tough terrain of the hills surrounding the town saw a record 500-plus participants who either walked or ran around it.

The event, which operates thanks to a small army of volunteer helpers, can be completed in either one or two days and also saw another record set for the route being completed in the fastest time.

Since being launched in 2012 by members of the Llangollen Ramblers group and based roughly on the Alpine Walk Tour of Mont Blanc, the amount raised for Cancer Research UK by the challenge has climbed steadily from £33,000 to the latest total which will be further boosted by government returns on charity donations.

The 2022 challenge attracted over 500 entries from across the UK and abroad and saw 238 walkers or runners finishing it in a single day with another 189 completing it in two. 

A fresh record was set when the first person back at the event's Llangollen Leisure Centre base was certified to have covered the whole 35 miles in just seven hours.

The fastest woman completed it in just seven hours and 34 minutes. 

The two oldest people to complete the course were aged 90 and 87.

As usual 80 volunteers manned checkpoints along the route where those taking part were served with water supplied free by local businesses and cakes presented by home bakers in the area.

More helpers were back at base checking in participants and handing out their times.   

Nadine Isaacs, relationship manager (North Wales) at Cancer Research UK, said: "Forty years ago the cancer survival rate was one in four. Today it is two in four but Cancer Research UK's mission is to reduce this further to three in four.

"Without the support we receive from fundraisers such as you we could not continue with our research."  

Helping challenge organisers hand over the big cheque to Nadine in Riverside Park this morning (Friday) was Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes who congratulated them on what he called their "fantastic achievement".

BBC star calls in at Llangollen Railway

* Gethin Jones takes a selfie with railcar driver Dewi Davies.

Visitors to Llangollen Railway had the chance to do so some celeb spotting earlier this week.

On Tuesday the heritage attraction welcomed the production company STV Studios which had chosen it as one of the locations in the Dee Valley for a future episode of Celebrity Antiques Roadtrip. 

The popular programme, which attracted nearly 14 million viewers in 2019 from across the BBC and other Freeview channels, sees two teams of antiques experts and celebrity guests visit various antique shops on a mission to buy items to then sell at auction. 

Each team also stops off to film a sequence about a local industry, person or event which is historically unique and significant to the area they are visiting. 

Llangollen Railway says it was delighted to be chosen at the historic location and be given the chance to explain the role it has played in the past, present and future of the Dee Valley.

One of the visiting celebrities was former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones who now regularly fronts the BBC magazine show Morning Live. 

He took a selfie of himself with driver Dewi Davies in the cab of the diesel railcar in use on passenger train services.

The railway says it will keep people posted about when the finished episode will be broadcast. 

Story of A Level success at Ysgol Dinas Bran

* Above and below: Students celebrate their A Level successes.

There were scenes of joy and relief at Ysgol DinasBrân today as A Level students celebrated their exam results.

A school spokesperson said that for all students this has been an extremely difficult year given the previous two years. 

For students in Year 13, the pressure has been "immense" with A -Levels being decided on external examinations of which students have had no prior experience.

Staff and students had worked tremendously hard. Results were "excellent" with early indications that nearly all have achieved their first choice place for university.

"We are extremely proud of the students and their achievements and would like to highlight some fantastic achievements," said the spokesperson.

* Zoe Adams achieved 4 A* grades and will now be studying Biomedical sciences at Oxford University.

* Luke Reardon 3A* and 1A and will now be taking a gap year before accepting his place to do Medicine in Cardiff University.

* Adam Wolsey 3A* and 1A will be taking a year out and looking to apply to University next year

* Jaimee Evans 3A* and will now be studying Chemistry in Imperial College London

* James Reardon A* and 2 A grades and will now be studying History and Politics in the University of Birmingham

* James Norman 4 A grades and will now be studying Media Studies and Creative Writing in Bangor University

* Sara Davies 3 A grades and will now be studying International Relations/Economic & Social History at University of Glasgow

* Carys Edwards 3 A grades will now be studying Physiotherapy in University of Central Lancashire

* Lowri Ellis 3 A grades will now be studying Geography at Bangor University.

Royal plan hailed as part of £50m vote of tourism confidence

* An artist's impression showing how the riverside elevation of the Royal Hotel. could look.

The £6.5 million plan to redevelop the iconic Royal Hotel in Llangollen has been held up an an example of a £50m vote of confidence  in the North Wales tourism and hospitality business.

It was quoted by North Wales Tourism chief executive Jim Jones as he launched the search for entries in this year's Go North Wales Awards to be staged at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on Thursday, November 24.  

The Oscars-style ceremony will be hosted by radio and TV presenter Sian Lloyd.

According to Mr Jones, times are still tough for the sector but there was “light at the end of the tunnel”.

People were tightening their belts because of inflation and the cost of living crisis so the number of staycation visitors was down.

While the start of the summer season had been “fairly busy”, bookings for August, September and October were unusually slow in contrast to last  year when it had been extremely busy.

On the plus-side there was optimism that the tourism and hospitality industry in North Wales would eventually return to and then exceed pre-pandemic levels when it was attracting record number of visitors and annually pumping £3.6 billion into the region’s economy.

Mr Jones said: “There are challenges at the moment so it’s great to have the opportunity to celebrate as well by staging the Go North Wales Awards which will showcase the best we have to offer.

“Importantly, it is also a chance to recognise all the work, the sacrifices and the investment that’s been put into the tourism sector.

“The reasons why North Wales is such an attractive destination for visitors are still there.

“We can therefore be optimistic that tourism and hospitality is well place to lead the region on the road to economic recovery.”

“There are lots of positive things happening so we do have reasons to be cheerful.

“My conservative estimate is that at least £50 million is being invested in the region by key tourism and hospitality operators.

“Zip World are launching have launched Underground Golf at Llechwedd in Blaenau Ffestiniog while another of our major success stories, Adventure Parc Snowdonia, in the Conwy Valley is investing £5 million to make it an all-year-round destination, particularly for business events, conferences and team-building courses.

“The Belmont and the Queen’s hotels in Llandudno have been bought up by a company called Everbrite and they’re investing in them.

“Meanwhile, £6.5 million plans to redevelop the iconic Royal Hotel in Llangollen have been given the go-ahead.

“When you add it all up, that’s a lot of investment and a really positive indicator for the future. It’s essentially a massive vote of confidence in North Wales.

“We always said it’d take two to three years to get back to where we were.

“For obvious reasons, we have been relying on the domestic market in recent times but now we have the international market that is just starting to open up

“It’s our job is to make sure that we’re out there promoting our investments and our assets that we have in North Wales and shouting form the rooftops.

“We are already re-establishing our links with the Asian market and our relationship with Japan is particularly strong and we’re building on the twinning of Conwy and Himeji castles a few years back.

“We have now forged similar links between Llandudno and the Swiss skiing resort of Champéry.

“All these things are helping us raise our profile internationally but we’ve got to do more and promote ourselves as the Adventure Capital of Europe.

“When you think about it, we have an incredible amount to offer visitors, right across North Wales.

“Hopefully, with support from the likes of Welsh Government, we can re-establish ourselves as a confident region and bring people into North Wales to come to stay and spend their money.

“That’s why events like the Go North Wales Awards are so incredibly important because it’s a chance to shout about the best of the best.

“We are hugely grateful of all our sponsors because quite simply the awards could not happen without their support.”

The window for submissions in 16 categories of the Go North Wales Awards is open until Monday, October 10, and more details can be found at www.gonorthwalestourismawards.website

Categories up for grabs are:

Go Hotel Award 2022

Go B&B / Inn Award 2022

Go Self Catering Award 2022

Go Holiday Park Award 2022

Go Caravan, Camping or Glamping Award 2022

Go Attraction Award 2022

Go Activity Award 2022

Go Best Event Award 2022

Go Food and Drink Award 2022

Go Tourism Supplier Award 2022

Go Skills Award 2022

Go Responsible and Sustainable Green Award 2022

Go Pet Friendly Award 2022

Go Young Person Award 2022

Go Best Newcomer Award 2022

Go North Wales Judges Award 2022

 

 

Latest Citizens Advice column

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice is:

Q: The cost of energy and food is so high now. With the kids home from school for the summer, I’m having to pay more for lunches and snacks. I’m worried about how I’ll put food on the table. I’m on a prepayment meter and I’m really scared we’re going to be left without any gas or electric if I can’t top up. What can I do? 

A: First of all, I’m really sorry to hear how tough things have been for you. You’re doing the right thing in reaching out for support and there are things you can get help with. 

As a prepayment meter customer, your energy supplier will be able to give you temporary credit if you can’t afford to top up your meter. They might add this to your meter automatically, but if they don’t, you can call them and ask them to do this. 

If you run out of temporary credit, speak to your supplier to explain your situation. They may give you extra temporary credit if you’re struggling with living costs. There are other reasons why they might give you extra credit too, including if you’re disabled, have a long-term health condition, or you have children under the age of 5. You’ll have to pay back anything extra you get, but you can agree how to do this in a way you can afford with your supplier. 

As you say, the cost of living is really high but there is help available. If you pay council tax and you’re in bands A-D, you should get a payment of £150 automatically. It could take until the end of September, but if you've not had it already you might need to make a claim. You can check how to do this on your council's website. 

You might also be able to get a fuel voucher, which you can use to add credit to your meter. Contact your local council about this. 

There’s more government support coming from October, including a £400 payment to help you with your energy bills. If you have a prepayment meter, you’ll be given vouchers in the first week of each month from October, via SMS text, email or post. Make sure your energy company has your up-to-date details. 

To help manage other costs, it’s also worth checking you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to. There are benefits calculators you can use online. On the Citizens Advice website, there’s advice on how to reduce living costs and information on other ways to increase your income. 

The school holidays can be a really tough time and we know the food shop isn’t stretching as far. Contact your local council to find out what extra support you can get over the holidays. If you can’t afford to buy food, your local Citizens Advice can help you get a referral for a food bank. 

We know this is an extremely worrying time and everyone’s situation is different. Don’t struggle alone. If you need further support, contact your local Citizens Advice or call the national advice line: 0800 144 8848.

Roadworks planned for Princess Street

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Princess Street, Denbighshire 19 August - 23 August   Roadworks, Delays unlikely   Traffic management: Some carriageway incursion   Description: Stop tap Renew 32mm Job in Footway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )...   Works location: OUTSIDE 9 PRINCESS STREET...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Hafren Dyfrdwy.   Responsibility for works: Hafren Dyfrdwy   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000013142858

Family fun day marks opening of Pengwern's new Community Hub

* Ten-year-old Jimmy McGreary helps Cllr Roberts cut the tape to open the Hub.

* Jimmy with his winning design for the Hub's logo.

* A demonstration of hairbraiding in a new Hub building.

* Drosi Bikes' pop-up workshop.

* Local entertainer Chris Burton provides the music.

* Cllr Roberts holds up the £78, 400 cheque that made the Hub scheme possible.

* The team involved with the project. 

A full programme of fun activities was held to celebrate the official opening of the new Pengwern Community Hub yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. 

Families enjoyed trying out nature projects, colouring and crafts, macramé, bracelet, keyring making, hairbraiding and a photo booth.

Locally-based Drosi Bikes held a pop-up session featuring free bike health checks and there was also music entertainment plus a buffet lunch and refreshments. 

Denbighshire County Council secured over £78,000 of funding for the project from the National Lottery and Rural Futures to develop Pengwern Community Centre into a community hub space that aims to meet the needs and aspirations of the surrounding area and Llangollen generally.

South Denbighshire Community Partnership (SDCP) has employed a part-time project coordinator for the project to initially consult with the community so that everyone has the opportunity to have their say and share their thoughts of what services and activities are most important to them, their families and their community.

To the cheers of the crowd, the Hub was officially opened by Denbighshire County Council chairman, Cllr Arwel Roberts.

He said: "This has been a vision of county council housing for three years and with a pandemic appearing in the middle of that it's great to see the end result.

"It's a big thank you to the National Lottery for assisting in the development of this scheme.

"Well done to all the council officers who have been involved in this and to all those in the local community who took part in the public consultation process.

"This is an exciting time for Pengwern and I hope that now the buildings are in place they will be much used by the community."

Helping Cllr Roberts to cut the blue ribbon was 10-year-old Jimmy McGreary, of Year 5 at Ysgol Y Gwernant, who was the winner of the children's competition organised to design the official Pengwern Community Hub logo.