£1.8m to help safeguard Corwen from flooding

Wales's Minister for Natural Resources and Food Alun Davies has approved £1.8m for Denbighshire County Council’s proposed flood alleviation scheme in Corwen.

The scheme will help protect 80 properties, and the A5 trunk road from the threat posed by  Nant Cawrddu and Nant Pigyn.

The Minister made the announcement on the same day that he travelled to St Asaph to meet residents who were badly affected by the flooding of November 2012.

Mr Davies said: “My visit to St Asaph is a stark reminder of the very real and increasing threat that flooding poses to communities across Wales , and of the long term issues that the type of  flooding that we saw last November can cause.

"The Welsh Government is committed to managing the risk of flooding for communities across the whole of Wales. That is why we are investing £180m into flood and coastal erosion management over the life of this Assembly; it is why we drawing down an additional £60m of European funding to supplement our own investment;  and it is why we are maintaining our investment in flood risk management despite a reduction in our overall budget.

"Over the last 10 years the Welsh Government has provided £14.5 m for flood alleviation schemes in Denbighshire. But last year’s events only serve to highlight the challenges we face and I very much welcome the ongoing work of Natural Resources to investigate long term solutions to reducing flood risk in St Asaph.

"As part of the Welsh Government’s  ongoing commitment to flood risk management I am today announcing £1.8m for a flood alleviation scheme that will help protect homes and businesses in Corwen, another Denbighshire community that has recent experience of  flooding, and  I will continue to support appropriate flood risk management schemes that offer increased protection to communities across Wales who are vulnerable to flood risk.”

Ombudsman highlights failings in health board's record keeping

The BBC website is reporting this morning (Thursday) that the Ombudsman has found failings in patient record keeping by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which covers Llangollen.

See the full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23606737#?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Faery magic comes to the pavilion this weekend

Llangollen Faery Festival flies into the town's Royal International Pavilion this weekend.

 

Organisers say it will be a fun packed two day event for youngsters and anyone who wants there to be a little more magic in this world.

 

Taking place on Saturday and Sunday, the festival will offer lots of fun things to see and do.

There are wing and wand making workshops, storytelling, talks and exhibitions for the grown ups and a Faery Market where craftspeople will be selling all sorts of magical fairy inspired gifts. 

 

From face painting to putting your wishes on The Wishing Line, there will be plenty of children's activities and - entry for under 12's is free.

 

There will be talks from people such as Mary Curtis, author of The Goldfish Who Jumped, and Dan Baines, creator of the cleverest fairy hoax since the Cottingley Fairies fooled Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  

 

When Dan declared his fairy pictures a fake, 20,00 people emailed him claiming fairies are real and he was hiding the truth!  

 

Dan now makes props for film makers like Guillermo Del Torro and he will be telling his extraordinary story.

 

Fiona Maher, author of The Last Changeling, a fairy story for adults, will be reading from her book.

 

On Saturday evening there's a Grand Faery Ball where the grown ups can don their fairy finery and dance to three live acts -  Charlotte Oram, The Bear Beats Band and Drowsy Maggie.

  

Tickets are available at the gate and online via llangollenfaeryfesti.wix.com/llangollenfaeryfesti

Lib Dem AM slams `back to grammars' plan

Aled Roberts AM has blasted the Welsh Conservatives’ proposals to extend grammar schools as a “rose tinted Tory view of the past” and has accused the party of failing to operate in the “here and now”.

 

Mr Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Education, said: “Once again the Welsh Tories are throwing around policy ideas without any idea how they would implement them.  They are refusing to operate in the here and now, instead reflecting on their rose-tinted Tory view of the past when many children were written off at 11.  Their current proposal would instead see children cast aside when they’re 14.

 

“A recent report showed that the odds of pupils entitled to free school meals securing a place at a grammar school were nearly five times lower than for other pupils.  Creating more grammar schools would merely extend the attainment gap that already exists between pupils from affluent and less affluent backgrounds.

 

“Wales needs to target efforts on raising teaching standards and further restructuring would simply distract these efforts.  It would be interesting to know how the Tories would afford this re-structure, bearing in mind that at the last election they wanted to slash the education budget by 20%.

 

“Not so long ago the Welsh Tories called for people to be charged to use the NHS if they injure themselves doing ‘irresponsible’ activities, such as ‘skiing or rock-climbing’;  a policy they appeared to drop in a matter of hours. 

 

"It’s all very well grabbing a quick headline, but to be taken seriously they really must start thinking their policies through.  There are real practical difficulties with this proposals, particularly in rural areas.  We believe, as a principle, that there is no difficulty in pupils of all abilities achieving their potential under the comprehensive system as long as the proper processes are in place to keep standards high.”

Railway volunteer pens children's books to help pay for Corwen extension

*My Railway in the Valley is on sale to help raise cash for

the Corwen extension.

Books written by a Llangollen Railway volunteer are raising money for the heritage line’s extension to Corwen.

Keith Scott has penned three books especially for youngsters and all inspired by the railway.

The first two, entitled My Railway in the Valley and More About My Railway in the Valley, are aimed at children between the ages of about three/four to seven and are short stories involving animals and children having adventures on the railway. They sell at £3 per copy.

My Railway in the Valley includes the story of Scrap the cat, who lives in a signal box, and a story about an old engine called Florence. Kim’s story is based on the dog of one of the railway volunteers which used to regularly visit the railway.

More About My Railway in the Valley features the big railway gala, a race between Lucky the horse and a little engine and a spectacular rescue of two boys from the river in a storm.     

The third story, out this year and entitled The Crumbling Wall, is a science fantasy thriller set on the railway where alternative worlds collide with near disastrous consequences. A station waiting room is the doorway between two realities.

Anyone over the age of about 10 should enjoy the book, which costs £5 per copy.

All three books are available in the station shop and sometimes on the trains themselves.

Enquiries about buying the books can be made by emailing: kas1310@mail.com

Next Buy Local Day this Friday

Keep Llangollen Special has its next Buy Local Day this Friday, August 9.

Local people are encouraged to support businesses in the town by buying their goods from them instead of going outside the area.  

Welsh Government earmarks cash for affordable homes

Housing Minister, Carl Sargeant has announced that the £20 million the Welsh Government has allocated to help mitigate the effect of the UK Government’s welfare benefit changes will be used to build 357 smaller affordable homes across Wales.

 

The funding will help Registered Social Landlords focus on building more one and two bedroom properties which will enable some tenants affected by the ‘Bedroom Tax’ to downsize.

 

The Minster said: "The Welsh Government is hugely concerned that many already hard pressed households are facing hardship due the changes in welfare benefit rules brought in by the UK Government. Local authorities report that over 35,000 households in Wales are affected by the Bedroom Tax.

"Since the rules relating to housing benefit and size of household changed on 1 April this year, we have seen increased demand for smaller, one and two bedroom properties.

"Despite the tough financial climate, the Welsh Government has invested £20 million in the Smaller Properties Programme and each local authority has been asked to identify schemes which could benefit from the funding.

"I am determined to do what I can to support tenants so that there is the least possible damage to our communities, but recognise that these new homes are only a fraction of what is needed to counter the impact of the UK Government’s benefit changes.“