AM concerned over health board's financial position

The Daily Post os reporting today (Wednesday) that Conservative Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar has voiced concerns about the latest financial position of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which has just controversially closed Llangollen Cottage Hospital.

See the full story at:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2013/03/13/concern-at-nhs-finances-in-north-wales-says-am-55578-32976498/

Walkers' weekend planned for Llan

A walking weekend will be staged in Llangollen in early May.

Trekkers will be able to choose routes of varying length, all taking advantage of the area’s scenic beauty and rich history.

The weekend will be on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5 and organiser Mike Smart said: “Llangollen has a wealth of history, heritage and a beautiful landscape. In fact, it is a walkers' wonderland.

“Those taking part can choose from short, medium and long challenging walks led by professional guides who will share their local knowledge of colourful history, heritage and folklore whilst guiding you through some of the most beautiful countryside in North Wales.

“Walks range from a two-hour historic town walk to one going across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Thomas Telford's 1805 industrial masterpiece 127ft high above the stunning Dee Valley.

“There is also a challenging 14-mile high moors wilderness walk with a steam train ride back.”

All walks start from the Tourist Information Centre in Llangollen.

Prices range from £5 to £9. For more details on the weekend and to book, visit: TREKsmart.net/llww

Former town clerk Ian Parry, who has been involved in bringing the event to the area, said: “We achieved Walkers are Welcome Town status for Llangollen about four years ago and the first year we organised a successful walking weekend based at the Pavilion.

“Main reason for seeking that status was to attract more walkers to the town and help the local economy.

“Now that I have retired I felt I should organise something to ensure Llangollen does not lose its accreditation as a Walkers are Welcome Town.”

He added: “I did set up a small Llangollen Walking Group as part of the Walkers are Welcome initiative and I need now to arrange a meeting of the group to see if we can organise some other walking events.

“If anyone is interested in joining our group they can contact me on 01978 753897, 07785 541445, or by emailing parry.ian@btinternet.com.”

£40 million boost for Welsh apprenticeships

Businesses are being encouraged to realise the full potential of apprentices for the Welsh economy as the Deputy Minister for Skills, Jeff Cuthbert, today outlined spending plans for an additional £40 million over the next two years for apprenticeships in Wales.

 

The spending plans include expanding the number of apprenticeship places, with a focus on increasing the number of Higher Level Apprenticeships, and incentives to encourage businesses, particularly small to medium businesses, to take on apprentices.

The announcement follows a report from the Business and Enterprise Committee’s Inquiry into apprenticeships last autumn, which found that although we have a strong apprenticeship programme here in Wales not enough businesses are using the programme and are losing out on the opportunity to attract high calibre apprentices and in turn support business growth.

The spending plans include:

* Creating 5,650 additional apprenticeship places, 2,650 of which are Higher Level Apprenticeships, Level 4 and above

* An enhanced wage subsidy of £3,900 over 52 weeks for employers taking on young apprentices aged 16-24 through the Young Recruits Programme, this will also be expanded to include Higher Level Apprenticeships

* A one off payment of £500 for small and micro businesses to cover the time and costs they said were a barrier to recruiting apprentices

* And £3.4 million to support those who wish to complete their training through the medium of Welsh and a commitment to engage more people onto apprenticeships within the STEM sectors.

The plans also include action to address the gender imbalance that currently exists across specific apprenticeship sectors and to strengthen the relationship between employers, schools and work based learning providers to promote apprenticeships as a valued career option.

Jeff Cuthbert said: "Apprenticeships play an integral role in our economy. They increase the skill set of the workforce and make Wales a more attractive place with which to do business.

"This is why I want more businesses to realise the potential of apprenticeships and why we have committed £40 million over two years to increase and support apprenticeship delivery.

"The skills developed by an apprentice are skills for life. This makes an apprenticeship programme as valued as a place at a top university, and I want people to be aware of this.

"The programme continues to support young people, the group that has been worst hit by the recession. Apprenticeship programmes keep them engaged in education, employment and training and make sure we are maximising their opportunities for employment.

"My chief desire is that apprenticeships, underpinned by high quality qualifications and the wider curricula, become the ‘gold standard’ for vocational competence in Wales - where the achievement of an Apprenticeship Certificate is recognised, valued and highly prized by all as an endorsement of the skills, professionalism and ambition of our country within the global economy."

The spending plans also include a commitment to increasing the provision of Welsh language and bi-lingual Apprenticeships. The number of programmes currently available through the medium of Welsh will be assessed and work will be undertaken with Work Based Learning Providers to specifically focus on emerging demands relating to Welsh medium apprenticeships.

The announcement comes during Apprenticeship Week (11-15 March). There will be over 30 events taking place across Wales throughout the week to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the economy.

The Apprenticeship Programme is funded by the Welsh Government with the support of the European Social Fund.

Cyclists warned over hi-tech thieves

Cyclists are being urged not to give too much information away as thieves may use technology to target valuable bikes.

The warning comes after Staffordshire Police revealed that some of the victims of bike theft in their area had been using websites and mobile phone apps to log their routes.

The technology allows users to view each other’s routes and track their rides. Some riders also share their routes on social networking sites such as twitter and facebook, inadvertently alerting would-be thieves to their addresses.

Thieves can use the technology to pinpoint homes and steal high-performance bikes from sheds, outbuildings, garages or cycles racks on cars.

Now Community Safety Partnerships in the area are warning to take precautions, which include:

• Check privacy settings of apps
• Check privacy settings on cycling smart phone applications and websites
• Avoid using twitter and Facebook to share routes
• Opt to start the tracking function away from home address and stop again before returning home

Llan residents feel "let down" by hospital axe

The Leader is reporting today that Llangollen residents feel let down by the closure of their community hospital after 137 years.

See the story at http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/120716/residents-feel-let-down-as-llangollen-hospital-closes.aspx#.UT7uMcplwvM.twitter

KLS lashes out over hospital closure

Community group Keep Llangollen Special (KLS) has attacked health chiefs and politicians over the closure of the town’s community hospital. 

KLS chair Mike Edwards (pictured below) said: “As the Welsh Government released their much heralded framework Vibrant and Viable Places, we are totally dismayed at the double speak from politicians who say things like, ‘The Welsh Government’s vision is that everyone in Wales should live in well-connected vibrant, viable and sustainable communities with a strong local economy and good quality of life’.  

 

“They claim to place health and well-being high in their priorities together with stressing the importance of town centres being vibrant and viable places.  

“Exactly how will the closure of our community hospital, which was conveniently located for Llangollen residents, achieve these aims because it will clearly increase vehicle journeys for patients and their family and friends support network? 

“This proposal by BCUHB breaches the Welsh Government's policies in relation to sustainability which are enshrined in Planning Policy Wales and fails to take into consideration the views of residents and damages the environment of an AONB by increasing vehicle journeys out of the area to Mold, Wrexham and Chirk etc. 

“It is extremely sad that Llangollen Hospital has closed after 137 years, but to add insult to injury neither the health board nor the local GP Practice have had the decency to keep patients in the loop and communicate with them as to when changes would actually take effect.  

“If you turned up for a blood test at the hospital on Monday morning you would have found it closed! 

“BCUHB have proceeded with stealth leading to the view that they wished to push through their decisions before the Health or First Minister could intervene and stop the proposals.  

“However, lack of action from the Health Minister or the First Minister could also persuade people that WG are actually culpable in this plot to rob Llangollen of its Community Hospital. 

“Welsh Government and public bodies claim to want decisions to involve and be led by communities, but they actually push their plans forward regardless and totally disrespect those very local communities and their residents.”

llanblogger gets BBC TV mention

* Huw Edwards hosts BBC1s Wales Report in which llanblogger was mentioned. 

llanblogger has had a mention on nationwide TV in Wales.

Our news site figured in a studio discussion on the future of the media during last night’s edition of BBC1's Wales Report presented by Huw Edwards.

Main theme was how hyperlocal news sites such as llanblogger are now operating alongside more traditional Welsh newspapers,  many of which are experiencing an on-going decline in circulation.

In some places they have actually replaced newspapers, and the programme contained a short film on the Port Talbot Magnet, a news site being operated on a voluntary basis by professional journalists after the local paper closed.

One of two experts interviewed in the studio was Ken Skates, Labour Assembly Member for Clwyd South and himself a former newspaper journalist in Wrexham.  

Asked by Huw Edwards about the media situation in his constituency, he said there were a number of good hyperlocal news site, in Wrexham and “just down the road in Llangollen where we have llanblogger”.

While stressing the importance of such sites Mr Skates (pictured below, right) said he wished to see them regarded as part of the wider news provision rather than an alternative to established newspapers.

Huw Edwards posed the question whether the fall in newspaper circulations might be a quality issue.

But the other studio guest, Professor Ian Hargreaves, a former national newspaper editor and now professor of digital economy at Cardiff Business School, said this was not the case and that falling newspaper sales was down to advertising – any regional newspaper’s lifeblood – moving online.

He added that to combat this, news organisations must adapt to the way they do things in the digital age.

Ken Skates said there were “some excellent journalists” in Wales but many young people were moving out of the country because there were better  job prospects outside the country.

Part of the answer to this drain, he said, was for more resources to be invested in training opportunities for journalists such as apprenticeship schemes.

Both guests rejected the idea of extra money for training coming from the Welsh Government and Prof Hargreaves said more schemes for young journalists were needed like the one he was involved in at Cardiff Business School.

He also had a message for council officials on how to handle the new age of digital journalism.

“If they see someone coming along with a video camera to record a council meeting they shouldn’t kick them out but rather say thank goodness that someone is taking an interest in what they’re doing,” he said.