Police appeal after two Llan properties broken into

Investigations are under way after two unoccupied properties in Llangollen were broken into.

 

Two others, one in Llansannan and another in Ruthin, were also targeted by offenders.   

 

North Wales Police say nothing is believed to have been stolen from the first property in Llangollen which was broken into on January 22.

 

An untidy search was made after the offender or offenders gained entry by forcing a window.

 

On Thursday, January 24, a second property in Llangollen was broken into.

 

An untidy search was again made, however at this time it is unclear if anything was taken.

Police believe that the incidents in Llangollen are linked.

Jewellery was amongst items taken from a property in Llansannan which was targeted sometime between 2.19pm and 2.24pm on Monday, January 21, after a door at the rear of the property was forced.

 

On the same day, between 3.30pm and 3.50pm, a property was broken into in the Ruthin area.

 

Offenders gained entry to a garage and house and stole items from inside.

A person, possibly male, was seen near the property in Llansannan around the time of the offence and was described as being tall, wearing a dark coloured coat/ jacket and a brightly coloured red woollen hat.

 

Similarly, a male described as wearing a red coloured bobble hat was seen travelling in the vicinity of the property in the Ruthin area a short time after the offence had occurred.

 

The male was with another on a motorbike. Both were described as being aged between 20 and 30 with one possibly wearing a blue lumber style jacket.

Police are keen to trace the men and are appealing to anyone who may have seen them to get in touch.

“In all cases the offenders have targeted properties which were unoccupied at the time, and once inside made an untidy search,” said Inspector Siobhan Edwards.

 

“We believe the same individual/s are responsible for the incidents in Llangollen and different offender/s are responsible for the offences in the Ruthin area and we remain extremely keen to speak to anyone with information.”

Insp Edwards added: “I’d like to reassure residents that inquiries are well underway. House to house investigations have been undertaken and our work is continuing. As well as making this appeal, I also want to urge people to remain vigilant and report anything they may deem suspicious to us immediately.”

Anyone who may have witnessed anything suspicious or who may have information regarding the burglaries should contact North Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111Householders urged to remain vigilant.

Llan Operatic attracts new faces for next show

* Appearing for the first time with Llangollen Operatic Society will be, from left, Luke Meyers, Paul Bailey, Stephanie Cottam and Laura Haliwell.

LLANGOLLEN Operatic Society has attracted a record number of new faces for its next production, the evergreen Cole Porter musical Anything Goes.

Ten fresh performers will make their debut with the society when the show takes to the Llangollen Town Hall stage with a 30-strong cast from Tuesday-Saturday, April 16-20.

The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London in the 1930s.

Billy Crocker is a stowaway in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh.

Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy Number 13 Moonface Martin aid Billy in his quest to win Hope.

Taking the role of Billy Crocker is newcomer Paul Bailey from Sarnau near Bala, while local girl Dani Chamberlain – fresh from her success playing Wendy Darling in the Llangollen pantomime Peter Pan – will notch up an Operatic first playing Hope Harcourt.

Other Llangollen first-timers will be Steph Cottam as Bonnie, Luke Meyers as a steward, Brett Jones playing a photographer, George Nelson as another cameraman and Andrew Sully as the ship’s purser.

Andrew’s day job is vicar of St Collen’s Church, Llangollen, and he has previously appeared in productions for the town’s 20 Club drama group.

To prove the show will be a family affair, Andrew’s daughter Joanna Stallard is playing one of the Angels alongside Laura Haliwell and Alysha Cookson.

Show director Chrissie Ashworth said: “At a time when some other amateur societies are struggling to attract new members and some are actually closing it’s great to see we have so many new people appearing in Anything Goes.

“Most of the new members are also young people, which is also good to see as it is so important that societies like ours get new blood, enabling us to hopefully carry on for many years to come.”

Before signing on to play Billy Crocker, 33-year-old Paul Bailey had previously appeared in a number of amateur productions in Leeds and Manchester, mainly performing as tenor leads in Gilbert & Sullivan musicals. 

He said: “G & S pieces are mostly singing so coping with lots of dialogue as I’ll have to do as Billy Crocker is going to be a bit of a challenge but I’m very much looking forward to doing it.

“Landing the role of the leading man was unexpected but is a fantastic opportunity.”

Director Chrissie Ashworth added: “The Llangollen society last performed Anything Goes in 1999 when it was a great success, so we’re all looking forward to doing it again.

“We chose it because it is a funny show with plenty of action and plenty of chorus participation.

“It also features lots of marvellous Cole Porter songs such as I Get a Kick Out of You, You’re the Top and It’s De-Lovely.”

AM's concern over media job cuts

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has expressed his concern at the proposed job losses and restructuring at Media Wales.

The AM who recently chaired an Assembly Task and Finish Group into the future of the Media in Wales said plans to cut 16 editorial jobs and outsource content to a new centre in Liverpool was devastating news.

He said Media Wales papers like the Western Mail were ‘part of the Welsh DNA’ and that continually cutting resources to national and local titles would damage Welsh democracy.

He added: “Trinity Mirror's announcement that 16 editorial jobs are to be lost at Media Wales is very worrying indeed.

“I understand one of the proposals is to close down the features department and create a unit based in Liverpool to produce generic content for a Welsh audience. This will only serve to damage the unique Welsh identity and flavour of the paper.

"Unfortunately this is part of wider problem in print journalism and we have seen a slow drip of editorial cuts at Media Wales titles and other established newsprint groups over the last 10 years.

“This is particularly worrying for Wales because papers like the Western Mail are part of the Welsh DNA. The steady erosion of a vital platform for unique Welsh journalism and the loss of good people at important papers should be a concern to us all.

“The Management at Trinity Mirror needs to enter into serious negotiations with the NUJ.

“We should be under no illusions, cuts like these are steadily damaging Welsh democracy. If we stand by and let the national, regional and local printed press in Wales wither on the vine, then scrutiny of our politics and our public life will be much the poorer.”

High satisfaction rating for Welsh health services

Asked what they thought about health services in Wales, people gave them a score of 6.5 out of 10, which compares favourably with other European countries.

That is the main message from the latest statistical bulletin, covering January-March 2012, presenting results from the National Survey for Wales, produced by the Welsh Government.

Other key results are:

·         92% of people who saw a GP in the last 12 months and 92% of people who had a hospital appointment in the last 12 months were fairly or very satisfied with the care received

·         31% of people who made an appointment with a GP found it difficult to make a convenient appointment. Of those, 42% said this was because they had to wait a long time for an appointment

·         97% of people who saw a GP agreed that they were treated with dignity and respect; 95% of people who attended a hospital appointment agreed they were treated with dignity and respect

·         Of people who attended A&E in the last 12 months, 23% said they travelled by ambulance. 84% of people who attended A&E found it easy to travel there

·         24% of people agreed that they were kept informed about how local health services were performing. 59% would like more information about how local health services are performing.

Sale agreed for empty Oakleigh

* Oakleigh has been sold after lying empty for over two years. 

llanblogger exclusive

Oakleigh, the former mental health resource centre on Abbey Road, Llangollen, has just been sold after lying empty for over two years.

Agents Legat Owen, whose Chester office has been handling the disposal of the imposing property in front of the Eisteddfod field, has told llanblogger that its owners, the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB),  accepted an offer for it yesterday (Monday).

Asking price for Oakleigh has been £350,000 although Legat Owen said the terms of the agreed sale would remain confidential.

This latest development comes at the end of a formal bidding process which closed on January 18.

A statement from the agents says: “We are pleased to be able to confirm that following a competitive bidding process BCUHB have today accepted an offer for the sale of Oakleigh.
 
“Solicitors are in the process of being instructed to prepare contract documentation with a view to progressing towards an early exchange of contracts and completion
 
“The terms of the agreed sale are confidential between the parties.”

The property has been empty since September 2010 when it was sold off by the board as surplus to its requirements. 

Legat Owen’s details for the sale show that Oakleigh covers 306 square metres (3,293 square feet) on a site of 0.28 hectares (0.69 acres).  

The description continues: “Oakleigh comprises an attractive two storey period propertyfof brick construction under a pitched timber framed roof with clay tile covering.  

“Internally the property retains many of its original features.  

“The property has a rateable value of £10,000 and is available for sale freehold.  

“The property offers potential for a variety of alternative uses subject to securing the appropriate planning permission.  

“Planning permission has recently been granted for a change of use to a residential dwelling.” 

A Freedom of Information request submitted to BCUHB by llanblogger last year showed the annual cost of maintenance and security of the property while it remained empty was £500 a year. 

Oakleigh has often been mentioned in connection with proposals by BCUHB for major changes to health services in Llangollen.

Legat Owen said it is not able to give any details of the buyer.

Businesses asked to back a new campaign

Businesses in Llangollen are being asked if they would like to “take it slow” by giving speedy help to an exciting new initiative.

Over 50 shops, restaurants, pubs and other firms are being invited to help start a local Slow Food group in the town.

Slow Food is an international organisation that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment by promoting local, seasonal produce and reconnecting people with where their food comes from. 

It is a not-for-profit movement in which local groups, run by volunteers, organise a variety of events alongside local food and drink producers and chefs. 

Membership is open to individuals, however businesses and other organisations can also become Slow Food supporters and/or partners to help organise and promote group activities.  

Each group determines its own aims and activities, which could include ideas such as: 

- Helping to develop kitchen gardens in local schools 

- Sensory taste education workshops for children and adults 

- Local gastronomic tours: visits to local farms, food artisans, specialty stores and wineries 

- Tastings and dinners to highlight local and/or heritage products in the area 

- Running cookery classes and taste education courses 

- Exchanges with other Slow Food groups 

- Maintaining and promoting heritage foods and drinks 

·        If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, or would like to be kept informed of our progress, e-mail

slowfoodllangollen@gmail.com, or phone or text Sal on 07786 623802.

Organisers also want to hear from anyone in Llangollen who is already a member of Slow Food UK.

Irish link could boost north Wales tourism, says AM

Clwyd South Assembly member Ken Skates says a new tourism initiative launched by the First Minister could bring big benefits to North Wales.

Visiting Dublin last week First Minister Carwyn Jones launched a new campaign with Visit Wales, the Welsh Government’s tourism arm, to boost visitor numbers from Ireland by at least 10% over the next five years.

Speaking during the week when Wales play Ireland in the Six Nations, Mr Skates said investment in port facilities in Holyhead could help bring in additional ferry-based tourism through North West Wales and Liverpool.

He also said airport access from Manchester and Birmingham was vital to increasing the share of visitors and holidaymakers who come to North East Wales.

He said: “I’m fully supportive of the Welsh Government’s aim to increase the numbers of Irish visitors to Wales by 10% over the next few years. North Wales relies heavily on tourism so I’m keen to ensure the campaign focuses on attracting visitors from the emerald isle to destinations right across the region.

“North Wales is potentially very accessible from Ireland, but we need to see a big focus in improving ferry port capacity in areas like Holyhead. We need to see a coherent strategy to invest in turnaround facilities and moorings at our ports and develop a stronger partnership when visitors come via the port in Liverpool.

“New partnerships with Stena and Irish Ferries need to be constructed with highly targeted marketing initiatives about what our region has to offer visitors from Ireland, one of North Wales’ most important international markets.

“We also need to exploit longer haul cruise markets. A recent Assembly report we did highlighted that cruise tourism is the highest growth sector in the developed world, growing at an average rate of 8% over the last 40 years.

“Airport access to North East Wales is another crucial issue. Daily flights from Ireland to Manchester and Birmingham mean North Wales is already within easy reach by plane but this needs to be co-ordinated with marketing and promotions to attract short-stay visitors and longer-stay holidaymakers.”

In 2011, a total of 148,000 visits to Wales from Ireland were recorded, with a total expenditure value of £33 million. According to the International Passenger Survey, the average length of trip lasted 4.1 days, with Ireland accounting for around 17% of all international visits to Wales.

Mr Skates added: “Many visitors from Ireland will come to South Wales for the rugby this week, but we need to show them there is another side to our great country.

“From Snowdonia National Park to the stunning Clwydian Range to the magnificent views on the coastal path, North Wales is a region waiting to be discovered by Irish visitors.

“What we need now is a planned programme of infrastructure investment and targeted marketing to help sell the region to Irish and international visitors on a global stage.”