"Wicked stage" talk enthralls church group

Theatre stalwart speaks in Llan 

Members of the “This and That” social group at Llangollen Methodist Church were treated to a talk by well-known stage entertainer Heather Game at their meeting in the Memorial Hall on Monday evening.

Mrs Game has been a stalwart of the amateur stage in North Wales and the Midlands for the past 50 years and her long career also included a venture into the professional world when she did stints on television and in films.

For many years she ran her own stage production company based in Shrewsbury and she is also the author of a book entitled “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” which chronicles her life and career.

Her hour-long talk was based on her book and included many interesting and amusing anecdotes which at times brought hearty laughter from the audience.

In one of her first appearances on stage, in a village hall production playing the title role in Snow White and Seven Dwarves, she told of how members of the WI were perched precariously on their knees to play the dwarves when an inadvertent shove in the ranks brought the last one in line sprawling against the scenery.

In another amusing tale Mrs Game recalled how while wearing hair braids built around wire inserts in a subsequent production, one of these sprung up as she was being lifted in a dance sequence and smacked her male partner in the face.

There were also stories from Mrs Game about the joys and tribulations of on-stage kissing sequences.

She told how on one occasion she ended up herself wearing the stick-on moustache of the man she was kissing and, on another, how her face turned bright yellow when it ended up smeared with the stage make-up  of the actor playing the King of Siam.

After overseeing – and appearing in - many successful productions at the old Music Hall theatre in Shrewsbury, Mrs Game ceased leading her production company a couple of years ago.

However, she still sings regularly with a number of local companies and tours the region to give her highly entertaining talks.  

Views sought on new natural resources body

Environment Minister, John Griffiths is keen to hear views on how the new body that will manage Wales’ natural resources should operate and exactly what powers and duties it should have.

Monday 13 August 2012

The Minister has launched an eight week consultation which invites further views on specific aspects of the powers and functions of the new body that is due to become fully operational on 1 April 2013.
The new body will replace the Environment Agency Wales, The Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission for Wales. Its aim is to ensure the most sustainable and effective management of Wales’ natural resources, to deliver a more streamlined way of working and to cut unnecessary duplication to a minimum.
It is estimated that over ten years the body will deliver up to £158 million in benefits before costs, freeing up resources for front line delivery.
The Minister said:

“This new body has a vital part to play in ensuring the health of Wales’ environment and its economy, so it is vital that we get the detail right.
“The new body must maintain the crucial work of three existing bodies in protecting Wales’ natural environment, maintaining its cultural and historic landscape and ensuring access to its countryside and coast. Importantly, it also needs to develop to meet the challenges of the future.
“I want to ensure that the new body has clear duties and powers necessary to deliver for Wales. This additional consultation will provide us with further views to shape the new body and I would urge those parties with an interest to feed into the process."

The consultation is split into two parts. The first looks at the overarching duties of the new body and specifically those relating to natural beauty, conservation, access, protection of historic landscape and forestry. These are areas where a number of duties have to be brought together and reconciled, rather than simply transferred.
The second part of the consultation will consider the legal and working arrangements of the body. These include: cross-border issues; regulation and enforcement, monitoring and sampling of cross-border sites and impacts; emergency response including the transfer of powers under the Control of Major Accidents and Hazards Regulations (COMAH); and transitional arrangements e.g. measures to transfer ongoing prosecutions, existing decisions and permits to the body.
The consultation builds on previous consultative work which looked at arrangements for establishing the new body and considered how it should best be directed. It will run until 5 October 2012 and its results will help to shape the Second Order, which will come into effect on 1 April 2013, when the body becomes fully operational.

Plan to close Llan Hospital slammed as "creeping privatisation" by AM

* The audience at last Thursday's meeting in the Hand Hotel. 

"Downgrading local service"

Plaid Cymru’s North Wales Assembly Member Llyr Gruffydd has described plans to close a community hospital and put patients in private care homes as “creeping privatisation” in the NHS.

Mr Gruffydd, who was speaking after a well-attended public meeting in the Hand Hotel last Thursday to discuss plans to close Llan Cottage Hospital, said: “The local health board’s proposal is to close the existing community hospital and use private care homes to take patients who can’t be treated at home.

"To me, that sounds like a creeping privatisation in our NHS by the Welsh Government as well as downgrading local services.

“We all want to see a better NHS and I’m happy to accept that some of the proposals to centralise care are for the better. But the proposal for Llangollen and its surrounding communities will mean the loss of beds and could cause greater problems at district general hospitals like Wrexham Maelor, which will face bedblocking.

"Dr Eamonn Jessup, chairman of the North Wales Local Medical Committee representing 200 GPs, has said: ‘This loss (of hospital beds) will bring a service that is currently frequently gridlocked, with no beds for the patients that it needs to serve, further to its knees.’"

Mr Gruffydd added: “Of course it’s not just the town of Llangollen affected by this planned closure. People from Corwen and other parts of the Vale will have to travel that much further, especially as Ruthin hospital is also being downgraded.

"Transport poverty is as big a problem as fuel poverty for this part of Denbighshire and affects those most likely to face ill-health and need to access medical services.

“Clinical issues are said to be driving this – but there are also financial issues and political pressure from the Labour Government in Cardiff.

"What isn’t being included is the impact of patients being more remote from loved ones – friends and family – while recovering. Medical experts say this is an important part of recuperation but I see no mention of this factor in the consultation document.

“Supporters of this closure are trying to spin the change as ‘enhancing the service’. I would suggest to local residents that they don’t buy that – we want to improve the NHS, we want a fitter, healthier population but the reality is that we have an ageing population living longer.

"Until those long-term strategies are in place we will need community beds at a local level.”

Big toy sale heads for the Llan this weekend

 

Traders from across a wide area will descend on the town’s Pavilion this Saturday (August 18) for the annual  North Wales and Llangollen Toy & Train Sale.

From 10.30am-3pm, visitors can browse at over 60 tables offering items from some  of the top names in the toy world, including Dinky, Corgi, Matchbox, Britains, Efe, Lledo, Hornby Trains, Bachmann, Lima and many more.

Organiser Chris Dyer, from Somerset, said that this year more than ever the focus of the sale will be on value for money.

Chris added: “We all look forward to our annual effort at Llangollen, with its wonderful setting and great value, and our bookings from traders have been very heavy.

“The excellent parking facilities and the great in-house café all help the show, and this year for the first time in many years we do not clash with Thomas weekend on the Llangollen Railway, which suits the age profile of most of our customers.

“They will be able to visit Llangollen, come to the Toy & Train Sale and also take a trip on the railway – what a great day out!”

Admission to the sale is £1.65 for adults, with children and OAPs paying £1.25.    

* Llangollen Pavilion where the big sale will be held.

Olympians to get warm welcome home

As the 2012 Olympics draw to a close, First Minister Carwyn Jones has announced a homecoming event for Welsh athletes who were part of Team GB.

 

* Welsh Olympians will be welcomed home in style. 

The announcement comes as the world awaits the closing ceremony of the Games where the Olympic Flame will be extinguished, signalling the end of the event.
The Welsh Government and National Assembly for Wales are organising a joint welcome home celebration event for Welsh Olympians and Paralympians on the 14th September.
 The First Minister said: “Everyone in Wales can be truly proud of what our athletes have achieved as part of Team GB. Their determination and drive has been truly inspirational and made a huge contribution to Britain’s record medal haul.
“The UK can congratulate itself on what it has achieved at these Olympics, from the wonderful creative vision of Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony, through to the flawless sporting events themselves; these have been the greatest Games ever.
“Wales has played its part, from hosting the training camps of a number of nations ahead of Games, to welcoming the world to the Millennium Stadium for the 11 Olympic football matches. We have strong Welsh links to Team GB's world beating cycling team, who held some of their pre-Games training at the Velodrome in Newport.
“That is why we are organising a homecoming event in Cardiff for both our Olympian and Paralympic heroes on the Friday the 14th September. We will release more details of the event closer to the time, but I call on everyone who can to turn out and give them the welcome home they deserve.”

Library medals to be won

The Olympics may be over later today (Sunday) but children can still win their own gold medal by completing the Story Lab summer reading challenge in the local library.
It’s not too late to start and it’s all free.
Children just need to go along to the library and ask to join in.
They’ll receive their special collector pack and then each time they visit the library to borrow books they’ll collect bronze, silver and gold stickers for their packs.
Everyone who completes the challenge by visiting three times will receive a certificate and a fabulous gold medal.
The challenge runs until September 15 in every library in Denbighshire, including Llan, and there are great games and video on the Story Lab website www.story-lab.org.uk

Plan aims to tackle heart disease

Bearing in mind the current debate about health facilities in Llan, local people may be interested in the following announcement by the Welsh Government:

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has launched a major new plan, which will focus on prevention, earlier diagnosis and treatment to reduce incidence of cardiac disease in Wales.

‘Together for health – a Cardiac Delivery Plan’ outlines how services will be improved across Wales.
Circulatory disease is the largest cause of deaths in Wales, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths every year. Of these, 4,700 are from coronary heart disease.
Reducing the incidence of cardiac disease is a key commitment in the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government and its five-year plan for the NHS, ‘Together for Health’.
Together for health – a Cardiac Delivery Plan aims to:

• Prevent cardiac disease through educating people about the importance of healthy lifestyles and to manage existing conditions with medication;
• Detect disease sooner through identify those at risk of avoidable cardiac disease, manage that risk effectively and detect cardiac disease where it occurs;
• Provide fast, effective treatment and care to improve long-term outcome for patients; and,
• Provide on-going support to help patients manage the impact of cardiac disease.

Ms Griffiths, who is Assembly Member fr Wrexham, said:

“There have been significant improvements to cardiac care in Wales in recent years. While fewer people die prematurely from heart attacks in Wales now, it still remains one of Wales’ biggest killers.
“We must do more to prevent avoidable cardiac disease, identify those at risk and manage that risk well. Where cardiac disease does occur, we want to focus on prompt diagnosis and the best treatment.
“This new plan outlines how we as Government, the NHS, and individuals themselves have a role to play in reducing cardiac disease.”

Cardiologist and Medical Director of NHS Wales, Dr Chris Jones, said:

“Coronary heart disease is a largely preventable condition with a risk of occurrence that increases with age.
“That risk can be reduced by simple lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, drinking alcohol sensibly, exercising regularly and eating a healthy, balanced diet to reduce the risk of obesity – a major contributory factor increasing the risk of diabetes and eventually cardiac disease.”

Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation said:

“We welcome the publication of this consultation, particularly in light of the financial pressures on the health service. We will expect this plan to outline how the Welsh Government will tackle early prevention and ongoing care of heart disease and will actively engage in the consultation, to ensure that people in Wales receive the best prevention support and ongoing cardiac care.”