Time running out to save hospital, say campaigners

* There's now less than three weeks left to save Llan Hospital, say campaigners, 

A group of local campaigners fighting to save Llangollen Hospital from closure  claim there is now less than three weeks left to save it.

They are inviting people to attend a public meeting, at 7pm in the Hand Hotel in Llangollen on Monday, October 15, to join in the campaign and write letters opposing the plans to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Llangollen resident Maria Haines, who will chair the public meeting on behalf of newly-formed campaign group Keep Llangollen Health Services, said: “People still don’t realise that if these proposals were acted upon Llangollen will not have a hospital nor the proposed health centre for many years.

“We will not have a nurse-led minor injury unit and will not have any hospital beds in Llangollen. We are not precious about our buildings but we are precious about our health services.

“The consultation closes on October 28 so we need to ensure that as many people voice their opposition to these plans now, otherwise it will be too late.

“That’s why we’ve organised a public meeting for people to be able to listen to the arguments against getting rid of these vital services in Llangollen and to write their letters to the health board.”

Local County Councillor Rhys Hughes (pictured right) said: “The proposal to close Llangollen Hospital and downgrade health services in the town and the area will not save the health board any money.

“On the contrary, I’m concerned that it will cost the taxpayer more money as the burden of care will fall on the local authority putting a strain on our social services.

“It also refers to using more care homes, which will inevitably mean more costs either on the patients or on the local authority – either way it seems to be creeping privatisation.

“I would much rather see an investment in Llangollen. By all means build a new health centre, but it should also include a nurse-led minor injuries unit and some beds to care for patients discharged from Wrexham Maelor on their road to recovery.”

People opposing the proposed closure are also invited to sign the petition which has amassed nearly a thousand signatures so far after being placed in shops around Llangollen: bit.ly/UysoJx

The campaign group have set up a website www.llangollenhospitalcampaign.wordpress.com and an e-mail address keepllanhealthservices@gmail.com

Walk arranged to view railway extension work

There is another opportunity for those interested in the progress being made on Llangollen Railway's extension project to take part in a walk from Carrog to Corwen on Saturday (October 13).

 

Departing Carrog station at noon, on Saturday, the walk will proceed via the riverside footpath to the foot crossing over the railway and up on to the A5 road.

 

From the A5, several opportunities are available to view the new line and the work being undertaken through to Plas Bonwm.

 

Access to the new rail head at Bonwm will then allow for walking on the next trackbed section, which is being prepared for track laying after the Over-bridge 28 repairs are completed.

 

The proposed site for a loop line to permit engines to run round the train outside of Corwen will be inspected and onwards to the site of the Phase 1 Corwen East platform.

 

The walk then heads through the site of the proposed Phase 2 terminal station, along the embankment to Green Lane and ends in Corwen.

The walking distance is approximately 2.5 miles and duration is two hours allowing for information and discussion en route.

Outdoor clothing and strong footware are recommended for all those taking part.

Trading standards alert over e-mail con

Denbighshire’s Trading Standards are urging consumers to be on their guard against e-mails received in response to small ads placed when selling motorbikes.

The warning follows a case where a local resident was contacted by e-mail asking for the "best price" for the motorbike for sale and that it was being bought for a present.

The sender appears to offer an amount over the asking price and then requests personal details and asks for funds by transfer.

It is likely that although the addresses and contact details appear legitimate the user is not always based in the UK and can be untraceable.

Ian Millington, of Denbighshire Trading Standards, said: “Although this is the first complaint we have had it seems this type of scam has been around for some time.

“We advise that you should never give personal information or banking details to anyone you don't know.

“If you receive an unexpected call or e-mail, always be cautious and never make an advance payment by any method unless you have taken steps to make sure the person is genuine and the payment is necessary.

"Any offer that seems too good to be true often is. Consumers should steer clear of these scams and should not respond to any spam e-mails as they can find themselves bombarded with other spam mail.

“If you suspect something, report it to the authorities via Action Fraud or Citizens Advice consumer service."

If you have received any such calls then report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or report it on-line at www.actionfraud.org.uk.

For free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues visit www.adviceguide.org.uk or call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06.

Llan will soon be food capital of the UK

Llangollen will soon be the culinary capital of the UK for a whole weekend.

There to greet visitors to  Hamper Llangollen 2012 on Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21, will be a trio of top chefs who have signed up as the stars of the popular food festival.

Organisers are confident the event at the home of the International Musical Eisteddfod is on course to be bigger and better this year.

Graham Tinsley, the star of ITV’s Taste the Nation and a former captain of the Welsh Culinary Team, will be joined in the show kitchen by S4C favourite Dudley Newberry.

Completing the hat-trick will be the ever popular Dai Chef, who is returning to the event after an absence of several years.

One of the main driving forces behind the reborn festival is businessman Colin Loughlin.

Chair of the local committee that runs the event, supported by the rural development agency, Cadwyn Clwyd, Mr Loughlin said: “We have a wonderful array of fantastic food producers clustered in the area and the festival is the perfect shop window for them. A food festival is so much better and more interesting than going to the supermarket because here you can sample the food and talk to the producers.”

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution came via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

Robert Price, Cadwyn Clwyd’s agri-food project officer, said:  “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.”

Hamper Llangollen 2012

• Venue: The Royal International Pavilion, Llangollen
• Dates: Saturday October 20, Sunday October 21
• Times: 10am to 5pm both days
• Entry fee: £5, under 16s free
• Parking: On-site and nearby car parks
• Tickets available on the door

Why not try Dangerpoint at half term?

Thinking of something different to do with the kids over half term?

Why not visit 'Dangerpoint' - a centre which provides hands-on safety education for children and young people.

Based in Talacre, Flintshire, 'Dangerpoint' is an independent charity that was established in 2005 via a unique partnership of public, private and voluntary sector stakeholders - including North Wales Police, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, BHP Billiton and many others.

Dangerpoint is a purpose-built education visitor centre with an interactive and realistic set of safety scenarios, each focusing on a critical environment where safety matters. Safety on the roads, the home, railway carriage, beach and virtual world are all covered, as are many more, by rangers who are specially trained to take the children around the centre and educate them in all aspects of personal and social safety.

Dangerpoint exists with the clear objective of equipping children, young people and other vulnerable people with the life skills, behaviours and knowledge to stay safe, avoid un-necessary risks and enjoy healthy lives.

The centre usually accommodates school visits; however, between Monday 29th October and Friday 2nd November the centre will open its doors to the public from 11am until 4pm.

Entrance fee is £4 per person (booking is essential) and there will be an opportunity to take part in a Danger Detective Quest which will have a spooky theme to coincide with Halloween.

To arrange a visit call the centre on 01745 850414 or log onto their website

£8 million to tackle road bottleneck just over border

A major traffic bottleneck which affects many people from this area travelling into Chester and beyond is to be tackled with an £8 million road scheme, the Highways Agency has announced today (Monday).

As part of a £31 million spending package for the North West of England, the agency will improve the junction of the A55/A483 – known as the Posthouse roundabout.

It says the aim is to reduce congestion by widening the A55 eastbound exit slip road and parts of the circulatory carriageway as well as installing traffic signals to the A483 southbound approach.

Aim of the scheme, according to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, is to support nearby Chester Business Park as well as improving a key junction linking North West England and North Wales.

The scheme also supports the creation of 11,650 jobs and the 1,770 homes by 2020, said the Minister.

Councils scrap highways merger plans

The BBC is reporting today (Monday) that Conwy and Denbighshire councils are scrapping plans to merge highways departments to save money, claiming it would cost more to continue the project.

The report, on the North east Wales website, says:

"The local authorities already share some services, but say the measure would not benefit taxpayers.

The Welsh government has said it wants more councils working together.

Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant wants to meet council officials to see why the merger will not go ahead.

In June 2011, the Welsh government said it wanted more cross-council collaboration and staff-sharing.

Conwy and Denbighshire share a head of highways, and last year claimed they had saved £300,000 by working together on road networks.

However, they say research shows the cheapest way of merging would cost more than £750,000 over three years, with another option predicted to cost more than £1.3m.

Some also predicted the move would not improve the speed at which roads were repaired.

Mike Priestley, the politician in charge of highways in Conwy county borough, said: "Putting two services together costs money, and at this stage - bearing in mind the financial climate that we're in - it just didn't stack up.

"It was going to cost money."

He added that the councils were "not saying it's never going to happen", but "it's just not right at this time".

Conwy and Denbighshire said they wanted to look at more low-key ways of working together.

David Smith, the councillor in charge of Denbighshire's highways, said: "We haven't jumped into bed with Conwy, we're not getting married, but we're still friends and we're still talking together and we still have collaborative projects."

He added that the councils were "still looking for areas where we can work together".

When Conwy council recently decided not to share its chief executive with Denbighshire, the local government minister said he was "profoundly disappointed".

The Welsh government said redesigning services was an essential part of meeting challenges when money was tight."