Floods should make health board re-think shake-up says AM

An Assembly Member claims the chief executive’s complaints that floods on the A55 caused transport problems for staff and patients of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board shows it should reconsider its controversial centralisation plans.

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid member for North Wales, points out board Mary Burrows has just written to David Sissling, director general of NHS Wales, asking his assistance with other government departments to address the A55 flood risk

This, she says, has “yet again put at risk our ability, with Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, to provide continuity of service”.

Ms Burrows adds: “The closure of the A55 in at least two sections on Thursday, 22 November 2012 isolated many communities, affected staff getting home and coming into work and required deployment of our weather contingency plan. The West became virtually isolated.

“The only other road, the A5, which was accessible many hours later, is a single road that became completely overloaded with lorries. It was extremely difficult for ambulances to get to Ysbyty Gwynedd in any reasonable time.

Mr Gruffydd comented: "I share Mary Burrows' concern about the flooding of the A55 and the knock-on effects this had on local health services, in particular the ambulance service.

“There is a need to ensure the Welsh Government continues to improve flood defences rather than reducing spending on this important work for communities across Wales.

“However, we must also recognise that the A55 is vulnerable to one-off events like the recent flooding and traffic accidents. This is another reason why we should be questioning the proposal to centralise health services and, in the case of neonatal intensive care, moving it across the border to Arrowe Park.

“By this proposal the health board is expecting patients to travel ever-greater distances along a road that it is now saying is not fit for purpose.

"I will be raising this matter with the Health Minister and the Community Health Council as part of my objection to the centralisation proposals of the health board and hope that the board will also re-consider its plans.

“We have consistently raised concerns about the proposal to move new-born babies from across the North to the Wirral and last week's flood bore out the dangers of such a reliance on transport out of the community."

Bridge disappears under covers

A llanblogger reader has sent in this picture of the bridge over the Llangollen Railway west of Berwyn Station encased in covers.

The bridge, off the A5, is under repair by the county council and the covers are in place while shot-blasting is carried out.

Flood alert on upper Dee

 

 

The Environment Agency have now declared a flood alert on the upper River Dee, from Llanuwchllyn to Llangollen, including Corwen.

The agency says: "River levels are above normal but flooding of property is not expected at the moment. 

"Lake levels at Llyn Tegid are rising and are expected to do so for the next 15 hours.

"Further rainfall is forecast over the next 12 hours and conditions are expected to deteriorate. 

"River levels at Bala and Corwen are rising and are expected to do so for the next 15 hours. In addition to the area detailed, some localised flooding problems may result from surface water."

For more information, call Floodline on 0845 988 1188, select option 1 and enter Quickdial number 192002 to get more information

Council apologises over recycling scheme snags

Denbighshire's Cabinet Lead Member for Public Realm, Councillor David Smith, has apologised to people experiencing difficulties with the roll out of the new x2 recycling and refuse collection service following a number of problems in the south of the county, which includes Llangollen.

Over the past week, Denbighshire has been changing the service to 16,000 households, including the delivery of 50,000 additional bins, but problems with the deliveries have meant that some households have not received their new bins and information on their new collection times.

Councillor Smith said: "I would like to apologise to anyone who has experienced difficulties with the new service and would like to reassure people we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation.

"We expected some teething problems, but the issues have been worse than expected. We normally pride ourselves on our recycling service, but with this latest roll-out we fully recognise there have been problems and for that we are truly sorry.

"We have had crews out over the weekend in order to clear any backlog of bins that have been missed and also to ensure that people receive their new bins. We are putting every available resource into making sure that this situation is remedied as soon as possible and we would like to thank people in advance for their patience."

For the vast majority of residents in the affected area, this week (w/c November 26) is a recycling week, so the council has asked people to place their recycling out  on the new collection day, rather than their old one.

Residents can put their old-style recycling sacks out if they don't yet have their new containers, and the council says it will collect them.

For the vast majority of residents in the affected area, next week (w/c December 3) is for residual waste (waste that can't be recycled - black bins or pink sacks) so they are asked to put their residual waste out on the new collection day.

The council says it is aware that some people who are now on wheelie bins, wish to be on sacks and vice versa.

A spokesperson added: "We would ask anyone in this situation to contact us and we will try to accommodate people's wishes where we can, but we want to concentrate on the delivery of the new equipment at the moment."

If you have not received your recepticles and/or calendar, and have not already done so, contact Customer Services on 01824 706100 (Welsh line) or 706101 (English Line).

Flooding affects the region

The Daily Post is tweeting this morning (Monday)  that there are problems in both directions on the A5 Corwen at B4401 due to flooding,

The Environment Agency website says there is a still a flood warning in place on the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Chester.

The agency is advising people to keep away from flooded areas, which it says can be very dangerous.

Louisa recalls her marathon Indian trip

* Louisa Jones with the bike which took her 260 miles across India.

 

* Louisa, left, celebrates with a fellow cyclist

at the end of their gruelling ride.

 

* The muddy roads the cyclists had to negotiate.

 

*Indian women smile despite their basic

 living conditions. 

A Llangollen Operatic Society member says taking part in a 260-mile charity ride through India has given her the sort of insight into the country that a tourist trip never could. 

Louisa Jones, 33, was shocked by some of the extreme poverty she saw along the way but amazed at how people with absolutely nothing still managed to keep smiling through their miserable circumstances. 

She returned at the weekend from her gruelling nine-day trek through north-western India as part of the Action for Charity’s Women V Cancer Cycle Challenge to raise cash for three women’s cancer causes. 

Along the way Louisa, who works as a European sales analyst for the Ruabon-based Flint Group printing and packing company, had to contend with pothole-strewn roads and soaring temperatures sometimes over 30 degrees. 

She and around 100 other women from across the UK who took on the challenge set out from the city of Agra – home of the iconic Taj Mahal - and pedalled through the rural state of Rajasthan, ending their momentous journey in the capital, Jaipur. 

To maintain their tight schedule the intrepid cyclists, ranging in age from their twenties to their sixties, needed to average around 40 miles a day.

Their route was far removed from the usual tourist trails and went both on and off road.

Louisa told how at one stage along the road she had been catapulted over the handlebars of her bike after being cut up by a jeep and ended up with a huge and painful bruise on her side. 

Later in the trip, she and many of her fellow cyclists were hit by the dreaded “Delhi belly”.  

Eventually reaching Jaipur, the group celebrated their achievement with champagne.  

Back home, she said: “It was an unbelievable experience and I’m still not sure I have been all the way to India and seen all that. 

“I saw things you don’t witness as a tourist. 

“Out in the rural areas there was poverty with people literally living in mud huts but the things we rode past on the way into Jaipur at the end of the trip will live with me for ever. 

“We went in through the slums and it was just mind-blowing – just a sea of rubbish and in that rubbish there were cows, pigs and dogs. 

“There was also children playing in all the filth, some wearing next to nothing. 

“There were also people’s dwellings amongst all the rubbish. 

“Despite their incredible circumstances it was amazing to see that people were still happy and  smiling at us as we cycled past.”

Louisa, who is also a regular lead performer with Llangollen Operatic Society, added: “I was also amazed by the women on the ride.

“I was amongst the youngest of the group. The oldest lady was 65 and the average age was around 42.

“Many have had or were still recovering from cancer or getting over other personal challenges.  

“Everyone had a story but no one wallowed in it and the support and camerarderie shown was  humbling.” 

In advance of her trip to the sub-continent Louisa raised the cash necessary to guarantee her a place on the ride. 

Thanks to strong support from family, friends and work colleagues she managed to burst through the £2,800 qualifying barrier some months ago and pledges are still coming in. 

She also made a personal contribution of £500 towards her fundraising total, which will be distributed between Breast Cancer Care, Jo’ Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action. 

She said: “I will personally have raised about £3,300 for the three charities and I am told that the three groups, including my own, which recently completed the ride have raised a total of £900,000. 

“I also hear that this has provided half the annual budget for Ovarian Cancer Action, so I think it was all well worthwhile.”  

 

+ To make a contribution towards Louisa’s challenge go to http://www.justgiving.com/louisa-jones2012/eurl.axd/5805f2ef88f5e749aa33e11e94dbaeb7

Flood warning on lower Dee

The Environment Agency says a flood warning is in place on the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Chester.

Latest Information is that river levels are above normal but flooding of property is not expected at the moment.

Flood defences are now in operation and the situation on site is being constantly monitored.

River levels at Farndon are rising and are expected to do so for the next 12 hours.

Levels at Manley Hall are rising.

More heavy rain is forecast this afternoon and overnight which will cause the river to rise further.

In addition to the area detailed, some localised flooding problems may result from surface water.

• For the latest situation call Floodline on 0845 988 1188, select option 1 and enter Quickdial number 192102.