llanblogger's video of the raging River Dee

llanblogger took this video film of the River Dee as a raging torrent yesterday (Tuesday) following the heavy rain.

We hope readers enjoy it ...

Llan could become "last town in Wales to be ruined by a supermarket"

Warning from anti-Sainsbury's campaigner

to government official

Unless the Welsh Government has a re-think about calling-in plans for a new Sainsbury’s, Llangollen will become known as the “last town in Wales to be ruined by a supermarket”.

That is the warning from anti-supermarket campaigner Martin Crumpton in a letter to John Saunders, the government official who last week outlined the reasons why the controversial application for the site of Dobson & Crowther printworks in Berwyn Street – approved by Denbighshire planning committee last Wednesday - would not be held up while it was reviewed by Cardiff.

In a nine-page letter, Mr Saunders, of the decisions branch of the government’s planning division, told Mr Crumpton that none of the agencies asked for their views on the application had raised any objections to it.

These included the government’s own transport experts, historic buildings body Cadw and the Countryside Commission.

Consequently, Mr Saunders said in his letter he saw no reason to call-in the application, which the developers claim will create 109 full-time equivalent jobs.

But now Mr Crumpton has sent a letter back to Mr Saunders, which we bring you here, unedited:

“Dear Mr Saunders, there are seven criteria for considering a call-in request.

- in conflict with national planning policies;
- raises issues which would have wide effects beyond their immediate locality;
- gives rise to controversy beyond the immediate locality;
- affects sites of scientific, nature conservation or historic interest;
- raises issues of national security; or
- raises novel planning issues.

In your letter, which I received on Saturday, you gave your explanation for refusing a call-in in clinical detail. You have dismissed the claim that the issue goes beyond local interest, and though I certainly dispute this and have provided evidence to the contrary, most especially regarding controversy, it was a matter for your judgment.

Similarly, you dismissed my claims of negative impact on the scientific, nature conservation and historic interest of the area, but I can see the statutory consultees have not supported my views.

You have not commented upon my assertion that the effect on tourism will be widespread and damaging. Perhaps there are no statutory consultees for this.

You may also recall that, in the last category of novel planning issues, I even raised the issue of secondary or indirect discrimination on those elderly, disabled and with no means of private transport who would be disenfranchised if the proposed Sainsbury’s has the predictable effect of driving their nearest store, the Co-op, out of business. Are there no statutory consultees for these vulnerable groups? Again, you made no comments regarding this criteria.

However, most importantly, nowhere in your letter – which I’ve re-read several times – have you addressed the issue of conflict with national policies, for which I have provided incontrovertible evidence (and I do so again as an attachment).

Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain why breaches of national policy were not considered, and perhaps you might agree that they should have been, and so reconsider your decision as a matter of urgency. If you agree to give this your consideration, I would ask you to contact Denbighshire County Council and prevent them issuing Decision Notices until your deliberations are complete.

I would wish to add that, had the LDP in Denbighshire not been delayed from 2011 until 2013, it would have – and will – incorporate the national policy restriction of limiting edge-of-town new stores to 500m2, instead of the 1858m2 planned.

It is no fault of the residents that the new LDP has been so disastrously delayed. It is a loophole exploited by the developer that Denbighshire continues to follow an out-dated and expired UDP.

Consequently, unless you reconsider, Llangollen will earn the epithet of being The Last Town In Wales To Be Ruined By A Supermarket. I’m sure you would not wish that.”

12th century brought to vivid life near castle

 

 

* From left, re-enactors Rhodri Bach, Nahir ap Neb and Switht in a vicious skirmish.

 

 

 

* Group members known as Llewellyn,

front, and

Killi, seated, prepare a meal on an open

fire at the encampment.

 

* Llwyd ap Tegid outside her
authentic linen tent.

* Helen of Antioch busy outside her tent.

 

 

 

* The 12^th century encampment in the

shadow of of Castell Dinas Bran.

MORE than 500 people stepped back in time to sample Welsh life 800 years ago in Llangollen over the weekend.

Medieval re-enactment group Cwmwd Iâl were camped just below Castell Dinas Brân, on the area known locally as the Pancake, on Saturday and Sunday.

The North East Wales-based group  were there to depict life as it was in the year 1165 on the day before the legendary Battle of Crogen, which was fought in the nearby Ceiriog Valley between an alliance of Welsh princes and the forces of King Henry II of England.

Although outnumbered, the ambush tactics and valour of the Welsh aided them in their defeat of King Henry's army.

Visitors were able to find out about the sort of things the Welsh fighters ate, their clothes, healing and warfare techniques as well as watch set-piece battles on the hillside.

About 30 re-enactors, all wearing authentic clothing of the period, set up camp in the shadow of the castle with linen tents and cooking fires.

About 10 of them were hardy enough to spend two nights in the tents.

All group members insist on using their 12^th century names, and one of those who slept in the encampment, known as Llwyd ap Tegid, said: “It was very chilly but once you get settled in your animal furs and cloaks it’s quite cosy.” 

Another group member with a story to tell was a lady known as Helen of Antioch.

Keeping in character, she said: “My brother had been fighting in the Crusades and was wounded.

“I went out there to look after him but he died, so I had his body boiled in vinegar so I could bring the bones back home with me to Wales.”

A group spokeswoman  known as Heulwen said: “It has been a very successful weekend.

“We set up our encampment and demonstrated  a range of activities for people who came to see us.

“On our open fires we cooked rabbit stew and pheasant.

“We have also had a number of skirmishes to show fighting techniques of the period.

“We have also been teaching young visitors to our camp to fight with wooden swords and sticks, which they enjoyed very much.”

She added: “Over the weekend we must have had a total of about 500 people coming to see us.”

The event was organised by Denbighshire’s Countryside team.

A modern marquee housed fun children’s activities and information about the local area, part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and close to a World Heritage Site.

There were walks up to the castle from The Pancake throughout the day.

A special bus service ran between the town and the encampment.

Youngsters ready to tuck into Llan's big food event

 

* Salad days at Ysgol Y Gwernant, with from left, pupils Lily Anderson,

Tomas Griffiths, Courtney Phillips and Ben Hacking with Denbighshire Healthy Schools Co-ordinator Paula Roberts and School cook Joy Pingram.

Schoolchildren are learning all about healthy eating as they get ready to take part in an annual food fiesta, Hamper Llangollen 2012.

The Llangollen Food Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21, but earlier that week, on Tuesday, October 16, there is a special all-day children’s event at the festival site at the International Eisteddfod Pavilion.

It will see 150 Year Five and Six children from seven local primary schools enjoying workshops ranging from the best drinks and foods for sportsmen and women to nutrition to preparing, cooking and eating a meal as well as instruction on sausage-making and bee-keeping.

The festival is supported by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd through the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

Robert Price, Cadwyn Clwyd Agri-Food Project Officer, said: “It’s really important to involve young people in the festival so they can learn about how food is produced and about the importance of a good diet.

“The work being done in schools by Paula and her colleagues is vital and they make the business of food, health and nutrition fun while still getting their message across to the children.”

This year’s Hamper Llangollen will also feature three of Wales’s top chefs, Graham Tinsley, the star of ITV’s Taste the Nation and a former captain of the Welsh Culinary Team, S4C favourite Dudley Newberry and the ever popular Dai Chef, who is returning to the event after an absence of several years.

Schools involvement in the event has been a regular feature, according to Denbighshire Healthy Schools Co-ordinator Paula Roberts who has been at one nof the participating schools, Ysgol Y Gwernant, in Llangollen, this week.

Paula, who works with all Denbighshire’s primary and secondary schools, said:“The school has just passed the third stage of the Welsh network of Healthy Schools Scheme and is very committed to the project and the food festival fits in very well with the scheme.

“Health and well-being are very important and all the schools involved are fully signed up to the scheme and it’s a lot of fun as well and the pupils learn about how to prepare a nutritious meal.

“Children who have school meals every day will get 30 per cent of their nutrition from those meals and school cooks also work very hard to make sure they provide tasty and nutritious menus.”

Ysgol Y Gwernant Cook Joy Pingram said: “We provide a full range of meals for the children including vegetarian and salad options and they really enjoy them and all the menus are very carefully worked out.

“We have a School Nutrition Action group or Snac, with a pupils from each year and staff members and they talk about the food and give us ideas about what they would like to try.

“It’s not chips with everything and they are very good for trying different foods and we even had a competition to design a healthy meal and we cooked it and served it to the whole school.”

Ten-year-old Tomas Griffiths said: “I like cooking at home, especially chocolate brownies but I don’t think they’re very healthy.”

Courtney Phillips, nine, said: “I like pizzas and salads and the lasagne we had in school this week. I’d like to learn how to cook it.”

Robert Price added: “In addition to many favourites, we have lots of new food producers wanting to come this year.

“Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

“The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular – I can’t imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting.”

Get Llan "on the march" to save hospital, says AM

llanblogger exclusive

An Assembly Member wants to get Llanbgollen people on the march to save the town’s closure-threatened Cottage Hospital.

Plaid Cymru member for North Wales Llyr Gruffydd says he would like to see a similar protest effort to the one organised to preserve Flint’s community hospital, which saw 1,500 people march through the town last week. 

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recently unveiled its controversial plan to shut Llangollen hospital and replace it with a new health centre on the site of the derelict Woodlands hotel off the A539. 

But the news caused a wave of protest locally, with a call for a referendum of residents being made at a heated public meeting in the Hand Hotel.   

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will see a series of public briefing sessions on the plan being staged by officials of the health board at the Hand.  

But Mr Gruffydd, who is supporting the campaign to save the hospital, has arranged his own public meeting at the same venue the following evening. 

He said: “A campaign meeting to fight the current proposals to close the Llangollen Community Hospital will be held at the Hand Hotel, on Thursday evening (September 27) at 7pm. 

“The plan is to form a group to push the campaign forward. 

“You might have heard that 1,500 people marched through Flint to save their community hospital last week. This will have made a significant impact.

“Flint is a town of 12,000. If we could get an equivalent from in Llan to march that would mean getting over 400 people marching!

“We’ve got over 800 signatures on the petition already.

“To do this we need a committee to organise things.

“If you want Llangollen to have a similar impact then please join the meeting. It would be good to have your input.”

Government may support major cycling event

The Welsh Government is considering lending its support to next year's Etape Cymru cycling road race which passes over the Horseshoe Pass.

 

This year's event took place earlier this month and was a huge success. 

 

Now, Clwyd South Assembly member Ken Skates has called on the Welsh Government and council officials in North Wales to secure the future of race.

* Ken Skates AM - questions.

The event attracted 1,200 riders, including local Olympic medallist Chris Bartley, as well as drawing in many hundreds of spectators along the route.

However, there is uncertainty as to where the race will be held in 2013 with a start and finish point yet to be agreed.

The AM raised the issue with the First Minister in the Senedd t6oday (Tuesday).

Mr Skates said: “The Etape Cymru road race was a huge success this year, drawing in over a thousand riders and scores of people coming out onto the roads in Denbighshire to watch and enjoy the racing.

“It’s clear that the event has huge potential. Cycling is one of the most popular sports in the UK and the roads of North Wales are absolutely perfect for top-level racing of this kind.

“The 92 mile race takes in some of the most stunning landscapes in Europe along The Horseshoe Pass, The Garth and Worlds End and can help promote Denbighshire and North East Wales as a top-level holiday destination, boosting cycling tourism in the region.

“If we worked hard to grow the event it could be a real money-spinner for the local economy, but crucially it needs support, vision and energy to make it a success.

“The local Council in Denbighshire need to get fully behind the project and officials in the Major Events Unit at the Welsh Government need to better understand its growth potential.

“There is still some work to do to secure the future of the event and ensure it has a venue and sponsorship for 2013. This needs to be sorted out quickly in order to capitalise on the potential of the event and establish it as a major feature on international road cycling calendar.”

 

The First Minister said the Etape Race would be one of the events the Major Events Unit would consider for support.

TV show featuring hospital battle is delayed

The screening of a TV show featuring the battle to save Llangollen Cottage Hospital has been delayed until next month.

In August an ITV Wales film crew turned up in Abbey Road headed by political editor Adrian Masters.

* The film sequence is shot outside the hospital last month. 

They were there to interview Llan campaigner Martin Crumpton for a report on a forthcoming episode of Sharp End, the station's flagship political programme, about the controversery surrounding the health board plans to shut down the town's Cottage Hospital.

Mr Crumpton has been campaigning against the closure proposal, which is currently out to public consultation until October 28.

ITV said at the time that the segment, which was shot on the pavement opposite the hospital, would be screened in late September.

But producer Greg Lewis has been in touch with llanblogger to say: "Just to let you know for reasons beyond our control the programme Wales This Week: Who Runs Wales? is now being broadcast on Tuesday, October 9, at 7.30pm."