Llangollen Community Garden is a growing success

* Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones, left, helps community gardener Sam Rex-Edwards with the planting.

* Warren Davies cultivates one of the growing areas watched by fellow group members and an open day visitor. 

A green-fingered bunch who have turned an overgrown plot into a thriving garden proudly showed off their handiwork to the public yesterday (Saturday).

A constant stream of people turned up to see the job done by members of Llangollen Community Garden on a site of around half an acre close to Plas Newydd.

Once the kitchen garden of a nearby grand house, the area has been leased by the group from Denbighshire County Council since late last summer.

Since then, the 25-strong organisation, which was originally set up with the help of Friends of the Earth, has spent months transforming the site from a wilderness of overgrown trees and weeds into a carefully cultivated garden.

The land is on two tiers, with the higher section being used to grow flowers and the lower part being turned over to vegetables.

According to Catherine Vesey, who has helped co-ordinate the project, the first crop of onions, potatoes, broad beans and peas should be ready for picking in a few weeks’ time.

She said that, throughout Saturday, more than 20 people had visited the garden open day, including Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones.

“She turned up in her wellies and stayed for a couple of hours to help us with some planting,” added Catherine.

“She also pledged her support for The Bee Cause, which we are promoting. This aims to persuade the UK Government to back measures to protect bees which are currently under threat.” 

Garden sessions are held every weekend and on selected weekday evenings, with group members taking it turns to help with the work.

More details of the Community Garden can be found online at www.llangollengarden.co.uk, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LlangollenCommunityGarden or by text/calling 07525 016503.

Railway stages its teddy bears' picnic

Llangollen Railway is hosting a teddy bears' picnic tomorrow (Sunday).

The poster below gives details of what visitors can expect ...

Search begins for county's sporting champions

Denbighshire is on the lookout for the county's top sporting stars for this year's Community Sports Awards.

This follows on from an extremely successful 2012 event, when three out of the nine Denbighshire Community Sport Award finalists went on to win national awards in Cardiff.

Nominees must live in Denbighshire, or be affiliated to a Denbighshire club relevant to their nomination and have achieved their success in the last 12 months up to the application closing date - Friday July 19th 2013.

A council spokesperson said: "Over the last month many sporting seasons have come to an end and as a result, we can now reflect on the sporting year.

"Clubs have been holding their presentation evenings, where players are awarded for different accomplishments during the year.

"The sporting season is also beginning for other sports such as tennis and cricket and we look forward to seeing what their season brings forward. We would like clubs to forward the names of players they wish to nominate for an award." 

Categories include Sports performer, Junior Sports performer, Coach of the year, Team of the year, Volunteer of the year, Disability Sport Award, Young Inspiration Award, Lifetime achievement Award and, after feedback from last year's event, a new award has been added to the list which is the ‘Sport in School award’.

An individual or team will also be chosen from all the previous category winners for their outstanding achievements/contribution to sport and will represent Denbighshire for the next year as a Community Sport Ambassador 2013.

For information on the criteria of each category, to look at pictures and the winners list from last years event, or to make an online nomination for this years event, then please visit www.denbighshireleisure.co.uk/sportawards.html

One of the highlights of last year's event was a double scoop for Aaron Evans, who has Cerebral Palsy.  Aaron won the Disability Sport Award and has also been Denbighshire’s Community Sport Ambassador for 2012.

He then also went on to win Sport Wales young coach of the year award in recognition of his voluntary work visiting primary schools throughout Denbighshire.

In this role he shared his experiences as a past disability footballer and captain for Everton FC and Wales, and introduced youngsters to new Paralympic sports.  Aaron has also now become a mentor for the Denbighshire Young Ambassador scheme in 2013.

He said: "To have been recruited as a volunteer with Denbighshire Leisure staff has been an amazing experience, to be able to give something back to my local community and to broaden people’s horizon about disability sport has been fantastic, and it was an honour to be recognised for my achievements.”

Denbighshire Leisure service staff are also looking for suitable organisations that would like to link to their brand to the community sport awards as a category sponsor and a ‘sponsorship package’ can be sent for more information.

For more information on the awards and details on how to nominate or sponsor next year's event please contact Matt Hilliker on 07798742290 or matthew.hilliker@denbighshire.gov.uk or visit www.denbighshireleisure.co.uk.

Inspector gives the nod to county's planning blueprint

Another milestone has been reached in the history of the Denbighshire Local Development Plan  (LDP) - with the Inspector's report deeming the document to be 'sound'.

The Local Development Plan allocates land to meet the needs of the County for uses such as housing, including affordable housing, employment, retail and leisure as well as providing protection for our high quality environment and landscape.

Councillors in Denbighshire will discuss the LDP at a Full Council meeting taking place on 4 June.

The Local Development Plan makes provision for 7,500 new homes over the 15 year period 2006 – 2021.  

The council successfully argued that this was the appropriate level of growth for the county in the face of pressure from Welsh Government and the building industry that the figure should be significantly higher.  

Of the 7,500 new homes over 1,400 have already been built and a further 1,750 have planning permission.  The Inspector identified through the examination that additional sites should be put forward to ensure the remaining housing supply could be met.  

The council put forward 21 additional sites which the Inspector has included in the final Plan along with another four sites not put forward by the council.  

All sites included in the final Local Development Plan have been submitted by landowners during the preparation process and consulted upon.

The Key Strategic Site at Bodelwyddan forms an important part of the Local Development Plan strategy and will provide 1,715 new homes, 26 hectares of employment land as well as a new primary school, community facilities and open space.  

There are also significant development sites located in Rhyl, Meliden, Rhuddlan, St Asaph, Denbigh, Ruthin and Corwen.  Smaller development sites to meet local needs have also been allocated across the county.

A new settlement tier for hamlets has been introduced which will allow limited affordable housing development in very rural areas for people with a local connection to the area. 

Affordable housing provision will be required on all sites of 3 or more homes starting at 10% and rising progressively to 30% as house prices rise in the future.  

All permissions for conversions of rural buildings, infill developments and exceptions sites outside of development boundaries will only be permitted as affordable homes to meet local needs.

The re-use of brown field land is promoted through the Plan, along with the regeneration of Rhyl.  A zone protecting and promoting tourism uses has been allocated along the coast and appropriate, sustainable tourism initiatives are encouraged throughout the county.  

In order to protect and enhance the landscape, the redevelopment of caravan parks to reduce density and improve landscaping is encouraged. The development of new static caravan sites will however not be permitted.

The St Asaph business park will continue to provide high quality employment land to boost the local economy along with policies to encourage appropriate employment development in the County’s towns and more rural areas.  Retail development will be concentrated in town centres to assist in regeneration and ensure they remain vibrant and able to meet the needs of the people of Denbighshire now and in the future.

Open spaces are protected; including land on the Park View Estate in Rhyl that has been a key ambition of the local population for many years; and policies are included to ensure that new developments include open space.  

Areas of high landscape value are protected from inappropriate development including the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, the Area of Outstanding Beauty around Cynwyd and Llandrillo and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site.
Once adopted, the Local Development Plan will be monitored on an annual basis to ensure that the policies are delivering the desired outcomes, and meeting the agreed targets.  

Copies of the Inspectors Report can be found on Denbighshire County Council's website  (www.denbighshire.gov.uk) and at all council libraries, one stop shops and Bodelwyddan Community Centre.  

If the LDP were to be ratified by councillors on 4 June, copies of the full Plan would be available at the same locations.

Free smoke alarms uptake urged by AM

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has called on his constituents to get a free smoke alarm fitted by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

 

If you live in North Wales, the local fire and rescue service is offering a free smoke alarm and installation service. They will also conduct a home fire safety check and assess whether vulnerable people need extra support.

 

Statistics show that individuals are six times more likely to die from a fire in the home if they do not have a smoke alarm.

 

The AM is urging every constituent without a smoke alarm to take up the offer.

 

Mr Skates said: “It is a tragedy that even today house fires still take the lives of far too many people.  Yet with the right safety advice and by installing a smoke alarm, individuals and families can greatly increase their chances of surviving a fire if one occurs at their home.

 

“That’s why I’m urging every constituent who doesn’t have a smoke alarm fitted in their home to take up this offer and call North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to get one installed.

 

“The home fire safety visit they do takes about twenty minutes and can be arranged at your convenience. Fully trained fire and rescue service staff, who always carry an identification card, will help supply and install free home smoke detectors or ensure that your existing alarms are in good working order.

 

“They can also help provide advice on how to make your home safe from fire and assist you in preparing an escape plan to help you and your family make your way safely out of the property in the event of a fire starting.

 

“They can also help provide specialised equipment for deaf and hard of hearing people and assess whether you are at high risk and may benefit from specialist equipment to help keep you safe.

 

“I’d urge everyone to get one installed as soon as possible.”

 

All of the above is FREE of charge and can be arranged by:

 

·        Filling in an online enquiry form at www.freesmokealarm.co.uk

 

·        Calling 0800 169 1234 at any time of the day or night to register

 

·        Texting 88365, prefixing the message with the word HFSC

 

Twelve top tips for fire safety at home:

 

1.     Fit smoke detectors on each level in your home. Keep them free from dust and test them once a week. Consider buying a 10-year alarm, otherwise change the batteries every year.

2.     Make a fire action plan so that everyone in your home knows how to escape if there's a fire.

3.     Keep the exits from your home clear so that people can escape if there's a fire. Make sure that everyone in your home can easily find the keys for doors and windows.

4.     Take extra care in the kitchen - accidents while cooking account for over half of fires in homes. Never leave young children alone in the kitchen.

5.     Take extra care when cooking with hot oil. Consider buying a deep-fat fryer which is controlled by a thermostat (if you don't already have one).

6.     Never leave lit candles in rooms that nobody is in or in rooms where children are on their own. Make sure candles are in secure holders on a surface that doesn't burn

7.     Make sure cigarettes are stubbed out properly and are disposed of carefully, and never smoke in bed.

8.     Get into the habit of closing doors at night. If you want to keep a child's bedroom door open, close the doors to the lounge and kitchen. This may well help save their life if there is a fire.

9.     Don't overload electrical sockets. Remember one plug for one socket.

10. Keep matches and lighters where children can't see or reach them.

11. Take special care when you're tired or when you've been drinking.

12. Don't leave the TV or other electrical appliances on standby as this could cause a fire. Always switch them off and unplug when not in use.

  

Support latest Buy Local day tomorrow

Keep Llangollen Special (KLS) is running its latest Buy Local day tomorrow (Friday).

It’s another chance to patronise smaller independent businesses in the town in a bid to ensure money stays in Llangollen rather than being spent elsewhere.

Various participating shops and traders will once again have special offers during the day.  

KLS chair Mike Edwards said: “We postponed the event from last week – it is normally held on the second Friday in the month - to coincide with the Federation of Small Businesses own buy local week, which calls for residents and communities to support their local independent shops and suppliers.  

“KLS has now been holding our Buy Local initiative for over 12 months and the events continue to build up impetus because they are fully supported by our local independent businesses and many local residents.  

“I would appeal to all residents of Llangollen to support our local shops because they provide high quality and fresh goods at competitive prices.  

“The majority of residents can walk down into town, whether you live on the A5 side of town or the Abbey Road area. So why travel to distant locations with all the hassle of the traffic and the hidden cost of fuel to get there? 

“Residents can also be assured that if they spend locally their money recirculates in the Llangollen and Dee Valley economy and will not be exported to some distant corporate HQ in the south of England if you buy from a supermarket.” 

First Minster quizzed over elderly care costs

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has questioned the First Minister over Welsh Government action to address the substantial care costs many elderly and disabled people are faced with.

 

Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Isherwood referred to the UK Government’s Care Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech last week which  is aimed at joining up health and social care and will protect families in England from the "catastrophic" bills that can be run up,  and asked what is being proposed in Wales to deal with the problem.

He said: “One of the proposed Bills in the legislative programme announced in the Queen’s Speech was the Care Bill, which, among other things, proposes to cap care costs and extend the threshold for financial assistance from some £23,000 to £118,000 to protect people from catastrophic costs.

“My understanding is that that is England only, although, presumably, Barnettised money will come to the Welsh Government. How does the Welsh Government propose to address this particular problem, on a similar basis or otherwise, to protect people from those catastrophic costs in Wales?”

The First Minister told Mr Isherwood that the Welsh Government will “keep a close eye on the Care Bill in England”.

 

He said: “This is an issue on which we have to accept that there is a substantial cross-border flow of people who, potentially, will need to access care, and so, putting Wales in a better or worse position, as people might see it, will have an effect on where people would seek that care. Therefore, we will have to keep a close eye on the situation in England as we formulate our policy in Wales.”