Llan's own Friday fireworks spectacular

* The fireworks above Llan on Friday night.

* Olympic fireworks in London the same night.

With perfect timing, a brilliant cascade of fireworks lit up the night sky above Llan in the middle of Friday's Olympics opening ceremony.

As the parade of athletes began in the Olympic stadium down in London, a spectacular barrage of colourful pyrotechnics was staged above our town at around 11pm.

It is believed the firework show, which came from the hills behind the Eisteddfod field, was held to mark a local wedding.

If anyone knows who the happy couple are please let llanblogger know at llanblogger@gmail.com

Details revealed of North Wales police commissioner election

On the 15 November 2012, for the first time ever, voters across England and Wales will elect Police and Crime Commissioners who will be accountable for how crime is tackled in their police force area.
The Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council, Colin Everett, has been appointed as the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) for the Police & Crime Commissioners Elections (North Wales Area). This means that he is responsible for the overall conduct of the election in the North Wales area. He has appointed Gareth Owens, Head of Legal and Democratic Services to act as Deputy Police Area Returning Officer.
Along with Flintshire, there are five other Authorities in the North Wales area, namely Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham. The Local Returning Officers for these areas are list below:-
Richard Parry Jones Anglesey County Council
Iwan Davies Conwy County Borough Council
Mohammed Mehmet Denbighshire County Council
Colin Everett Flintshire County Council
Dilys Phillips Gwynedd Council
Helen Paterson Wrexham County Borough Council
The method of voting to be used in these elections is called 'Supplementary Voting', where each eligible elector can vote for up to two candidates, by marking their ballot paper once in each of two columns. Full details of how this system will work is outlined on the Home Office website.
The number of votes cast will be verified on the evening of Thursday 15 November, and the counting of votes will take place the following day.
More information
For more information about this new type of election, how to stand as a candidate, how votes will be counted, etc., please visit the Home Office website – link below.
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/police-crime-commissioners
Further information is also available on the North Wales Police Authority website - link below.
www.nwalespa.org
The Electoral Commission has also produced guidance for candidates and agents. Please visit the Electoral Commission website – link below
www.electoralcommission.org.uk
For specific queries regarding registration, eligibility to vote, and postal/proxy voting, you should contact your local Elections Team at …………………………………………..
Further information will be published over the next few months

Hospital referendum demand is now confirmed

* River Lodge could also be a

referendum question.

The chair of Llangollen Preservation has now confirmed he is calling for a vote by the people of Llan on the issue of whether the local Cottage Hospital should be allowed to close, as announced recently by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

But Martin Crumpton has made it clear he is demanding the referendum in his own name rather than his capacity as chair of the group.

He also says other questions might be on the ballot paper, such as whether Llan should quit Denbighshire in favour of Wrexham and if people  support the community development of River Lodge in the town, which could be earmarked as the site for a new health centre.

The health board says in a report Llan Hospital could close to be replaced with a new community health facility on the site of the River Lodge, which is owned by the Welsh Government and was recently the subject of a hearing by Assembly Members into its acquisition by the former Welsh Development Agency.   

In  statement issued this afternoon (Thursday) Mr Crumpton says:  “We are invoking our Right under Schedule 12, Part III, para.18(4) and (5) at page 2275 of the Local Government Act (1972). In Wales it is Schedule 12, Part V, para.34(4) and (5) at page 2279, to hold a referendum on certain key questions, the first of which will be to obtain a mandate to oppose the proposed closure.

“I am currently consulting with interested residents over other questions to include, but these may include:

“Leaving Denbighshire in favour of Wrexham   CBC

“Support for Powys Fadog‘s Community Centre   project at the Riverside Lodge

“When the final template letter has been agreed, at least six residents who are registered electors will issue their requests to both the Town Clerk and Denbighshire’s County Clerk by, or before the end of the first week of August.

“Our standpoint is that if we wait for the Town Council to meet and consider its response, which will be no more than a weak statement, we will have lost nearly a month’s organising and preparation time from which we can take action rather than issue bland statements.

“Regrettably, we have no confidence that the public consultation – which will begin before the next Town Council meeting in any case – because there is no assurance that our views will be acted upon.

In a statement on Facebook yesterday (Wednesday) Mr Crumpton said there would be inadequate time for the Town Council to consider the hospital closure question as the health board is due to begin its public consultation process on August 20.

But Town Clerk  said in a letter to Llangollen Preservation that, with the council meeting in both August and September, there would be “adequate opportunity” to consider the proposals.

Police warning after spate of burglaries

North Wales Police are asking residents in Llan and Corwen to be extra vigilant following a spate of burglaries at homes in the area over recent days.

The latest incident occurred overnight at a house in Gwyddelwern, where car keys were stolen from a hook by the front door.

Community Safety Inspector Julie Sheard said that there have been several other reports of keys and cars being stolen in this area.

She said: “Over recent years car manufacturers have made vehicle security a priority with more sophisticated systems in place to stop thieves being able to take the car. As a result criminals have resorted to more elaborate ways of stealing vehicles.

“It is very important that vehicle owners are aware of this and take extra precautions to limit becoming a victim of car key burglary. The people who want these vehicles are professionals and the cars are either stolen to order or to be used in other crimes.

“Offenders have been known to cruise locations looking for the vehicles to target and follow them back to their overnight address so we are urging everyone to be more vigilant.

“Homeowners are reminded to always ensure their windows and doors are secure when they leave their properties or go to bed and not to leave their car or house keys on display or near to the letterbox. Vehicle owners are also reminded not to leave any items on display and to always lock their vehicle when left unattended.

Police advice to minimise the risk of car key burglary are:
• Park your vehicle in a secure garage overnight.
• On entering the house lock the front door behind you.
• Never leave your car keys near a door or window. Criminals can hook keys through open windows and letterboxes. Keep them in a safe place away from doors and window where they can be seen. People have stolen keys without even entering the premises.
• Invest in a good quality home security system.
• Install security lights to the front and rear of your property and consider installing CCTV cameras.
• Gate your driveway if possible.

For more information on protecting your home, vehicle or any other property please contact your local crime prevention officer at North Wales Police on 101 or visit the Advice and Support section here.

Anyone seeing anything suspicious should make a note of the details and contact the police immediately on 999.

Group presses ahead with referendum threat on hospital closure plan

* The Town Council has made its official response

to Llangollen Preservation.

A pressure group fighting plans to close Llan Cottage Hospital says it will go ahead with its threat to force a referendum on this issue.

The announcement comes in the wake of the Town Council’s written response to Llangollen Preservation’s recent call for the council to declare its official position on the closure proposal announced by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The letter, from town clerk Gareth Thomas, also deals with the request by the group for a public meeting to discuss the planned closure.

Placed in the public domain after being posted on Facebook by Llangollen Preservation, it says:     

“Re Llangollen Community Hospital

I refer to your email dated the 22nd July 2012.

In respect to your enquires I can confirm that the Town Council have not received any formal notice of closure from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and as such have not formulated any response in advance of the formal consultation period. This also applies to individual Councillors.

Once the formal consultation has been received by the Town Council, Members will consider a response at the next convenient meeting. Members will of course consider the best method for taking account of local views at that stage. The Town Council will be meeting in both August and September and therefore, there will be adequate opportunity to consider the proposals being put forward by the Health Board.

In response to your request for a Public Meeting, under the 1972 Local Government Act, as amended by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, you will be aware; there is provision in the legislation which allows any six local government electors form the community to convene a meeting. You will of course have to comply with the necessary statuary requirements imposed by the legislation including notification of all electors.

Yours sincerely,

Gareth Thomas

Town Clerk”

In its Facebook responses to the letter, Llangollen Preservation says:  “The letter says they'll ‘consider the matter’ at the next Council Meeting. Big deal.

“The consultation by Betsi starts August 20th, and their next meeting is the third Tuesday. That’s a month lost …

“… We will now force a referendum and there's nothing they can do about it.

“Send your questions for a referendum to chai@keepllangollenspecial.org.uk by Friday, and we'll start the ball rolling.” of Form

Firefighters join forces to promote smoke alarms

The three fire and rescue services in Wales have come together to launch a new online facility to promote ownership of smoke alarms and to help save lives.
Members of the public can already call 0800 169 1234 to request a free home fire safety check but now a new website is being launched which will make it even easier for residents to stay safe from fire.
What's more, the new site is smart phone friendly so that people can simply register whilst on the move.
www.freesmokealarm.co.ukis being launched today (25^th July) at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show where anyone calling in at the fire and rescue service stand can log online to register for a free check - or simply scan a quick response code and register using a mobile phone.
Martin Henderson from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, who is the communications lead for the Chief Fire Officers Association in Wales, said "We have come together again to give one strong message to residents across Wales that smoke alarms really do save lives.
"All three Welsh fire and rescue services have one common objective which is at the heart of everything we do - to work together for a safer Wales.
"With this in mind, in addition to a wealth of collaborative working ongoing across Wales, we have launched this new facility to make it easier for anyone in Wales to get in touch with their local fire and rescue service to arrange a home fire safety visit.
"The new standalone site allows us to work together to highlight the importance of a home fire safety check, giving our potentially lifesaving messages one voice which we hope will more likely be heard.
"The site was piloted in North Wales where it has already become established within search engine ratings. As residents are able to go straight to this one site, there are fewer clicks from thought to delivery of service - making for a better customer experience. And it can be accessed via the main individual websites of the three fire and rescue services.
"The added functionality on smart phones, allowing residents to register for a home fire safety check while out and about, helps us to keep up with the latest technology, hopefully putting us ahead of the game as it is essential to keep connected to our communities."

Next Buy Local day planned for August 10

* Book Local day is planned for Augsut 10.

Llangollen Preservation has its next Buy Local day planned for Friday, August 10.

According to a spokesman for the organisation, the last Buy Local event, held recently,  was met with great enthusiasm by Watkin & Williams, Courtyard Books and The Oak Chest jewellers and followed similar endorsements by local greengrocers and butchers the previous month.

The spokesman said:  “We even grabbed the editorial of Country Life! (see our website: www.keepllangollenspecial.org.uk).

He added: “Our next Buy Local day focuses on our cafés, the ideal way to socialise, relax, and enjoy the whole shopping experience in Llangollen.

“We’re changing the day from Saturday to Friday so more people can enjoy it, and we’ll be putting up posters closer to the day.

“The Courtyard Café (behind Barclays) is offering free toasted teacake with every hot drink  and May’s Pantry offers a free tea or coffee with every cooked meal for the day.

“Maxine's Café & Bookshop offer - for every  child’s meal purchased - free entry into the Play Centre ‘Dragon’s Den’, and the Village Bakery offers a free Welsh cake with a tea or coffee.

“And it doesn’t stop there. If you take one of our leaflets to the Cottage Tearooms on Ham and Eggs Square, you’ll get a pot of tea or filter coffee and a teacake for just £2.

“Our leaflets will be circulating at all the participating Buy Local shops shortly.”