Segway adventure trail planned on edge of town

Planning permission is being sought for a segway adventure trail on the edge of Llangollen.

 

An application for planning permission for the scheme, on land to the north of Cilmedw Farm, was submitted to Denbighshire County Council last Friday. 

It calls for the creation of a segway adventure trail, demolition of existing building and erection of replacement building to provide facilities for a segway centre and, as a white water rafting centre, the formation of vehicular access and creation of car park and associated development.

* People ride on segways.

The planning brief has been prepared by Owen Devenport Ltd, chartered town planning consultants of Colwyn Bay.

 

According to the planning brief, the site of the application is situated to the west of the A5 and to the north west of the White Water Hotel, and is located close to the edge of Llangollen amongst a cluster of development associated with the town and set around the A5. 

The site is currently agricultural land which slopes up from the A5 towards the northern and western sides of the site in line with the land form of the area, which is defined by the wooded slopes that form the western side of the Vale of Llangollen. 

The brief explains: “The proposal is a full application for the creation of a segway adventure

trail and a white water rafting centre which involves the following elements:

• Creation of a segway track (with a grass surface);

 

• Demolition of existing agricultural building on site and erection of a replacement building of a similar size and scale which will provide facilities for the segway centre, and will also be used as the base for the applicant’s whte water rating bsiness;

• Creation of a new access and formation of a parking area (gravel surface);

• Provision of wood chip path between parking area and building;

• Formation of soakaways to serve the building."

The brief goes on: “The site has been chosen due to its sheltered location and position amongst existing development, which together with the low-impact nature of the design reduce the visual impact of the proposal.

 

“The proposed replacement building will be located on the site of an existing agricultural building of a similar size and height, and will be timber clad. This along with its modest scale and form will ensure that it forms an unobtrusive feature, and that it will have a similar visual impact to the existing building. 

“The proposal would make a positive contribution to the area’s economic character as it would provide employment and would be an additional attraction that would assist in attracting and retaining visitors. 

“A new access will be provided for the site onto the road bordering the northern section of the western edge of the site, this will then allow access onto the A5 via the existing junction.” 

 

Well-known local campaigner Martin Crumpton, of Berwyn, who led the initial opposition to the Sainsbury’s supermarket on the Dobson & Crowther site off the A5 and also battled plans for the closure of Llangollen Cottage Hospital, is now opposing this new scheme and is asking for it to be called in by the Welsh Minister responsible for planning. 

Writing to a county council planning official yesterday (Thursday), he said: “Notice of this planning application arrived today, which means there is very little time to formulate a full, thought-out objection, which will follow, but I want to have the Minister’s attention initially drawn to the fact that this development will destroy an identified, active badger sett."

Mr Crumpton is also asking all recipients of the notice to help build a successful objection to what he calls “further decimation of AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and World Heritage land”.

 

Full details of the application can be found online by going to:

http://planning.denbighshire.gov.uk/lg/GFPlanningSingleResult.page and putting in the reference number 03/2013/1014.

Dinas Bran celebrate fantastic set of A level results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen is celebrating another fantastic set of A level results.

And successful students are now plotting their courses to universities all over the country where they have been offered places. 

They will be studying a range of subjects from - Medicine to Law, Languages to Speech and Drama, International Politics to Vetinary Science. 

All students did well but there have been some exceptional performances, notably: Bethan Chandler 2A*s, 2As and a B – Durham; Elysha Cookson, "As, B – Warwick; Charlotte Evans A* and 3As, Oxford; Layla Morris, 2As, B, Liverpool; Alice Newport, 3As and a B, Liverpool; Adam Saunders, “As, B Cardiff; Beth Savage, 4As, Warwick; Larissa Davies, 2As, B, Manchester; Matthew Tipuric, 2As, B, C, Sheffield; Louise Cielecki, London Central School of Speech and Drama; Connor Jones, Cardiff, Amy Carter, Manchester and many more.

Headteacher, Alison Duffy, congratulated all students on their successes.

She said: “They have been a fantastic group of students who have given so much to the school, working with younger students and getting involved in charity events, our amazing choir and so on. 

"They really brought a new dimension to the school and we will miss them all.  All of our students now have the opportunity to build on the excellent foundation they have had here, as they move to a new stage in their lives.  We wish them well for the future.  Congratulations to you all.
  
"Our school welcomes students from Ysgol Dinas Brân as well as other areas to our Sixth Form where they quickly settle in and have done brilliantly. 

"The signing up date for Sixth Form for September 2012 is on Friday, August 2, between 10.00am and 12.00pm.  We look forward to seeing you then."  

* Early indications show that A Level results have improved overall at Denbighshire’s secondary schools in 2013.

The county council says that more students achieved A*- C grades at A Level improving to 77.7% this year; this is 1% higher than last year.
Significantly more students in Denbighshire were entered for post-16 qualifications in 2013 than in previous years.

There has been an improvement in pupils achieving the top A and A* grades, up to 22.1% which is nearly 2% higher than the 2012 figure,  however this is below the Wales average of 22.9%.  The county's school results are:
 
Grades         A*- C                 A*-E                 A& A*
2013                 77.7%                98.2%                 22.1%
2012                 76.7%                98.9%                 20.4%
2011                 73.0%                97.7%                 22.5%

170 candidates were awarded the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification's Advanced Diploma. This is an average of 94.5% - well above the Welsh average of 82.7%.

Councillor Eryl Williams, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, said: “Education remains a top priority in Denbighshire and I am extremely pleased to see our A level results continuing to rise.  “I would like to congratulate the students who have achieved the results they need and I wish them every success in their future education and careers.”

* Commenting on today’s A Level results in Wales, Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for North Wales and the party’s Spokesperson on Education said:

 

“Today’s results are the culmination of years of hard work by Welsh pupils and teachers.

 

“I am, however, concerned that the percentage of Welsh pupils who attained the highest grades has fallen for the fourth year in a row and is lower than rates in England and Northern Ireland. This is something I will be pursuing with the Education Minister when the Assembly reconvenes next month.

 

“I wish every student well in obtaining a place at either their chosen university or an alternative via the clearing system.

 

“Many will also be going on to study apprenticeships and I wish them well in their future endeavours.

 

“This is an important day in the lives of prospective Welsh graduates, employees and even future employers, and I have every confidence that the work they have put in so far will lead them on to exciting and interesting times ahead.

 

“I also want to offer encouragement to those who didn’t do as well as they had hoped.  They must remember that there are still a great number of options available to them and I urge any people who are unsure about their next move to speak to an available careers adviser who will be able to assist them and give them advice about their future plans.

 

“I am pleased that so many young people were successful in achieving the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma.

 

“With an overall A Level pass rate of 97.6%,  the same as last year’s, this is a day of celebration for students in Wales.”

Call MEIC to help with exam stress

 

 

Emotional support is on hand for pupils across Wales who are feeling the stress as they wait for their exam results, Communities Minister Jeff Cuthbert has said.

 

MEIC, the Welsh Government funded advocacy and advice service for children and young people, is highlighting the support it offers to those waiting for their GCSE and A-Level results.

 

It has started a Facebook campaign to make pupils aware that whatever their problem, they are there to listen.

 

MEIC is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can be contacted by phone, SMS text and instant messaging.

Since going 24/7 in January 2011, just over 17,000 children and young people have contacted MEIC.

The Welsh Government provides £850,000 a year to support the service.

MEIC can be accessed online at www.meiccymru.org or by calling 080880 23456.

Jeff Cuthbert said: "This can be a very stressful time of year for young people as they wait for their exam results and they think about the options open to them as they prepare for the next stage of their lives.

“We want to make sure they know they are not alone and have somewhere confidential, anonymous and free to discuss their concerns and help solve their problems.

“MEIC has shown it can make a real difference to people’s lives and it ensures children and young people across Wales have a voice and are listened to."

County council set to launch new website

Denbighshire County Council has announced that it is launching a new website www.sirddinbych.gov.uk | www.denbighshire.gov.uk soon.

A council spokesperson said: "As part of our priority of  modernising the council to deliver efficiencies and improve services for our customers, the new website will make it much easier for our customers to access and use our services.

"We’ve introduced a wide range of new improvements including new online content that’s clear, concise and easy to understand, new and improved services for our residents, businesses and visitors, better website navigation for quicker access to services, and a fresh and modern design.

"Our website will be temporarily unavailable on Tuesday, August 20 whilst we make these improvements.

"We understand the inconvenience that this may cause and we would like to apologise to customers in advance for this temporary disruption to service."

Golden Mold Cape on show just up the road

* The golden Mold Cape. 

 

The Mold Cape, one of the British Museum’s top 10 treasures and one of Wales’s most iconic archaeological objects is now on display at Wrexham County Borough Museum.

 

The cape was found by workmen digging stone from a stone cairn just on the eastern outskirts of the town in October 1833.

It was brought to the notice of the antiquarian authorities by the local vicar and in the absence of a museum in Wales was acquired by the British Museum shortly afterwards.

Research into the cape and its significance has continued ever since. It is now thought to date to the Early Bronze Age between about 1900 and 1600BC, and to have been associated with a female burial.

This summer’s exhibition is only the second time the complete reconstructed cape has returned to north east Wales. Its first visit to Wrexham Museum in 2005 attracted over 11,000 visitors. This visit is in association with Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.

The museum has attempted to place the cape in its archaeological context by looking at other sites of similar date in the immediate area. The exhibition will also reveal for the first time the results of recent research into the cape and its place and significance within wider understanding.

Councillor Neil Rogers, Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, said: “I am delighted that the cape is making a return visit to Wrexham Museum.

"The cape is one of Wales' most important cultural artefacts and I would urge everyone to take the time to see the amazing cape for themselves.

"I would also like to thank both the British Museum and Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museums Wales for facilitating the loan and in the case of the latter for working so closely with Wrexham Museum to develop the exhibition itself."

Capes Beads & Burials will be open to the public   until Saturday September 14.

The museum will open from 10am until 4pm on Saturdays to cater for the expected crowds and will also be open on the August Bank Holiday.

The Mold Cape Spotlight Tour has been financially supported through the Art Fund Prize as part of the British Museum’s Partnership UK programme.

The Capes, Beads and Burials exhibition has been jointly funded by Wrexham County Borough Council and Amguedda Cymru – National Museum Wales.

Search for builders of historic narrowboat

* The narrowboat Cressy which was built at Pontcysyllte Boatyard in about 1915.  

Hanes-Llangollen-History has been contacted by Professor Timothy Peters of the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, Birmingham University, who is researching canal history.

At the moment he is anxious to find more information on the men who originally built the narrow boat Cressy, which was rebuilt in the 1930s by Tom Rolt, who was instrumental in re-opening the canal system, much of which had fallen into disrepair. 

Cressy was built at the Pontcysyllte Boatyard (now Anglo-Welsh) in Trevor in about 1915 and Professor Peters would like to hear from anyone who remembers the men who worked there at the time or who has a family member associated with the boatyard.

He has discovered a list of men who worked at the boatyard during the period 1890-1920.

Their names are: Stephen Robert, Alfred Moses Jenks, Edward Gillens, Theophilus Mellor, Richard Evans, Jas Stacey, Evan Davies, John Peter Dainty, Jonah Evans, Henry Price and E. Fisher.

Tom Rolt bought Cressy in 1939 and adapted and fitted her out to make a permanent home for himself and his first wife, Angela.

He had had his first trip on Cressy with his uncle and cousin 10 years earlier.

After he bought Cressy, Tom and Angela Rolt made a journey of some 400 miles along the canals of central England.  He got to know the network of canals and the life and culture of the people who used them.  You can read about Cressy's journey in Rolt's classic book on canals, Narrow Boat. See also the map of 'Cressy's' journey, which was retraced by narrow boat 'Heron' in 2010, as part of the Rolt Centenary celebrations.

Professor Peters is working with the Llangollen Museum on this project and any information should be sent to Peter Jones, Llangollen Museum, Parade Street LL20 8 PW Tel: 01978 862862, email: enquiries@llangollenmuseum.org.uk

County council to carry out Welsh language audit

Denbighshire County Council has announced it is to carry out a county-wide audit of the Welsh language, to try and halt the decline in the number of Welsh speakers in its communities.

The 2011 Census data notes that 24.6% of Denbighshire residents can speak Welsh, with 18.6% able to speak, read and write in Welsh. 

This compares to 20.7% of residents being able to speak, read and write in Welsh in the 2001 Census, a decline of 2%. 
. 
Hywyn Williams, Corporate Director for Communities and Learning, said: "Nationally, efforts are being made to enhance the Welsh language through  the publication of the Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Measure (Wales) 2011,  the appointment of a Welsh Language Commissioner,  the imminent introduction of Welsh Language Standards and the publication of the Welsh Government’s  A Living Language:  A Language for Living, a Welsh Language Strategy.

"The Council feels it is timely to undertake a full audit of the use of the Welsh Language within our community, to respond to the situation locally.  The findings from the audit should pave the way forward in order to develop a strategy to secure the growth of the language well into the future.

"Other key developments within the County such as the adoption of the Local Development Plan, the Modernising Education Strategy and our Regeneration & Economic Ambition Strategy will present challenges and opportunities in terms of the development of the Welsh Language.

"The risk of a further decline in the use of the Welsh Language is a real one, and if no action is taken, in all likelihood, the 2021 Census will confirm this decline.

The audit will look at four key areas:

1) Education provision, which will include the provision of Welsh Medium and Bilingual Education across the Authority, childcare provision, informal learning provided largely through the statutory Youth Service and broader Youth Support Services, pre-school provision and Adult Learning Provision

2) The support provided for families.  This to include the information that is provided for families and the information and support provided for the most vulnerable of families, together with the support for families to develop the Welsh Language within the home context and the support provided for non-Welsh speaking families, where their children are educated in Welsh medium/bilingual education.

3) The support for the Welsh Language and culture within communities which includes the support for voluntary sector organisations, business support and key policies that shape the future of communities such as the Local Development Plan, Modernising Education Policy and housing provision

4) Services provided directly and indirectly by the Council to include internal working arrangements, our ability to respond through the medium of Welsh and bilingually to residents and visitors, the way the Council promotes the use of the Welsh Language, the minuting of meetings, translation facilities, the use of social media, and the place of the Welsh Language in policy development

Councillor Huw Jones, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for the Welsh Language said: "Our intention is to begin the audit in September and we will consult widely with interested groups and individuals such as Menter Iaith, Urdd, the business and voluntary sectors.

"The audit work will be carried out by an independent organisation and we expect to have clear recommendations as to how  Denbighshire should take the important matter of promoting and facilitating the acquisition and use of the Welsh Language within its community further through a robust action plan, which will lead to a greater number of residents able to use the Welsh language confidently by 2021".