Concerns over neonatal report "delay"

Concerns are growing about the delay in publishing the findings of the North Wales neonatal review.

 

The review was announced after Betsi Cadwaladr health board decided, against clinical advice, to move neonatal intensive care to Arrowe Park on the Wirral.

 

The First Minister ordered the review by a team from the Royal College of Paediatricans earlier this year with the intention of reporting back by September.

 

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru AM for North Wales, said: “Betsi Cadwaladr board made a decision back in January that mystified most people, in particular experts in the field such as the BMA, RCN and RCM.  As a result of pressure from campaign groups, the relevant unions and politicians such as myself, the First Minister was forced to order a review into the decision.

 

“The decision is critical for the future of neonatal care in the North because it would reduce the number of intensive care cots from the current 11 to just four. These would be purely to stabilise babies needing intensive care before transferring them to England. There is no doubt that clinical expertise will be reduced in Glan Clwyd and Wrexham hospitals if this switch takes place.

 

“I and many experts in the field have grave doubts about whether this will put both the babies that are moved and those needing critical care who remain in North Wales at greater risk. There are also concerns about the additional travelling difficulties for parents and families for babies facing long-term intensive care in Arrowe Park, especially if they have to come from further west.”

 

Mr Gruffydd urged the First Minister to speed up the decision: “Carwyn Jones took the decision to call in this switch back in March. Our understanding is that the review panel  handed him the report more than a month ago.  The switch to Arrowe Park is due to start in January 2014 and the ongoing delay and uncertainty is having an effect on both staff morale and security.

 

“I would therefore urge the First Minister to come clean about his intentions about neonatal intensive care in North Wales. It’s time for some decisive action rather than dilly-dallying.”

 

Profiling Rachel's Llan pictures

Keen local amateur photographer Rachel Morris has produced a portfolio of atmospheric pictures of Llangollen subjects.

llanblogger will be serialising them over coming weeks because we believe they deserve a wider audience.

Here we bring you the first three images, complete with their titles underneath the pictures.

* 1. Autumn Dee.

* 2. Baileys.

* 3. Berwyn Street.

Tourism in focus next month

Denbighshire Tourism Forum is being held on Wednesday 6th November at Ruthin Castle. 

The event is a morning of workshops and participation which will help decide the content of the Denbighshire Destination Management Plan.

This is a business-led action plan to ensure that visitors to our region have the best possible experience whilst they are here.  

Registration is at 10am, Forum starts at 10.30am and lunch and networking from 1.30pm.  If you would like to attend contact 01824 706223 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01824 706223 FREE  end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email dcc_tourism@denbighshire.gov.uk

Lift off for Return to Forbidden Planet

Tickets are now on sale for a local theatre group's debut performance.

Llangollen Musical Theatre Group is staging Bob Carlton's hit musical 'Return to the Forbidden Planet' at the Llangollen Pavilion from Thursday 28th - Saturday 30th November.

The show is a jukebox musical which combines the story of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' with a soundtrack of 60s and 70s classics including 'Good Vibrations', 'Born to be Wild' and 'G.L.O.R.I.A.' performed by a cast of local actors.

Stand out moments include Stuart Dillon's performance of 'She's Not There', Justine Bradey's haunting delivery of the Moody Blues classic 'Go Now' and the finale featuring the whole cast collaborating on a medley of 'The Monster Mash' and 'Great Balls Of Fire'.

The cast will be joined on stage by a live ten-piece rock and roll band, and supported behind the scenes by a production team consisting of over 20 volunteers.

The show's Producer, Katherine Brown, said: "Return to the Forbidden Planet is the perfect way to brighten up those dark November nights. It's an incredibly ambitious first production for us to stage, from the quantity of songs to the scale of the set we're building at the Pavilion, but we're confident our team can pull off a fantastic show."

Tickets, priced at £8 for adults and £6 for concessions, are now on sale from the Llangollen Pavilion, Gales Wine Bar and Shop, SFTW Barbers and online at www.LMTG.co.uk.

Fame could be on cards for local schoolkids

SCHOOLCHILDREN are being urged to get their entries in as the deadline looms for a Christmas card competition which will be judged by the First Minister of Wales.

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates and MP Susan Elan Jones are encouraging pupils at all junior schools in the constituency to get into the festive spirit and show their artistic side.

 

The winning design, which will be picked by First Minister Carwyn Jones, will become the Labour pair’s official Christmas card and will be sent out to constituents, businesses, schools and voluntary groups in Wrexham and Denbighshire.

 

AM Mr Skates said: “Anyone who wants to take part needs to get their designs in soon as there are less than two weeks before the deadline. The talented children in Clwyd South always throw themselves into this competition and we get some fantastic entries, and I’m hoping this year will be no different.”

 

MP Ms Jones added: “The competition closes on Friday, November 1, so the sooner the children get cracking the better!

 

"We run the competition every year and it’s a good opportunity to engage with young people in Clwyd South, and a fun way for them to learn a little bit about who represents them.”

 

Children should ask their teachers to send their designs to Mr Skates’ constituency office at Unit 19, The Malthouse, Regent Street, Llangollen, LL20 8HS.

Llangollen Operatic casting for The Mikado

LLANGOLLEN Operatic Society has put out the call for people to get involved in its next production.

From May 14-17 next year, the award-winning society will be staging its own take on Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado at the Town Hall in Llangollen.

The show will present the evergreen light opera in a modern-day setting and feature a host of characters with “real attitude”, according to a society spokesperson.

Among the parts up for grabs are the Mikado (bass or bass baritone), Nanki-Poo, his son (tenor), Ko-Ko, Lord High Executioner (comic baritone), Yum-Yum, a ward of Ko-Ko (soprano), Katisha (contralto) and Peep-Bo (soprano and mezzo soprano). 

More details of the production and what parts are on offer will be unveiled at an open evening at the Operatic Studio off Castle Street in Llangollen on Tuesday, November 12, starting at 7.30pm.

This will be followed by open auditions at the Town Hall in Castle Street on Tuesday, November 19.

·        For further details, call the society’s artistic director, Chrissie Ashworth, on 07970 449843.  

Crowds come flocking to Hamper Llangollen

Foodies came in record numbers for a taste of the 2013 Hamper Llangollen food festival over the weekend, providing a big boost to the local economy.

With Llangollen Pavilion packed to capacity, visitors had the opportunity to browse stalls offering everything from hand-produced liquors to spice infused honey and home churned butter to delicious decorated cup cakes.



Celebrity chefs, including Graham Tinsley Harri Wyn Jones and Dai Chef and were on hand throughout the weekend to demonstrate the very best cooking techniques and some of their own award-winning recipes.

This year’s festival is being supported by Cadwyn Clwyd whose contribution came via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

The event has now been officially recognised as one of the top 10 food festivals in the UK.

Sisters, Rashelle Smith, 26, and Renee Smith, 27, of Ruabon showcased their Yours Truly Vintage Catering business at the Festival and drew a large crowd as they cooked up a Spanish chicken and chorizo paella in a huge open pan.

* Rashelle and Renee Smith with their Paella from Yours Truly.

 

 

Rashelle said: “This is our second time at Llangollen and the feedback we have had has been excellent. We have been so busy and it has to be good for our business.”

Renne added: “People tell us they are drawn to our stall thanks to the cooking aromas. I have to say we are really pleased with the sheer number of people here and the amount of interest shown in our produce and business.”

Among the new products being launched there this year was Britain’s oldest biscuit.

* Aberffraw Biscuit Co's James and Natasha Shephard with Ella Jones.

 

The ancient recipe for the Aberffraw biscuit dates back to the 13th century when it was first baked in the Anglesey village of the same name.

It’s now been brought back to life by former journalist James Shepherd and his wife Natasha, who live in Llansannan.

James said: “It has certainly been a learning curve and Natasha and I are delighted with the way our biscuits have been received by visitors to the festival this weekend.

“The event itself has given us the chance to seek advice from similar small enterprises and entrepreneurs as well as Cadwyn Clwyd.

“It has also given us a real platform to promote our exclusive brand of biscuits to a really wide audience and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to exhibit at what is one of the UK’s top food festivals.”

There was also a comeback from the woman who co-founded the festival – but this time as one of the exhibitors.

Sue Haygarth, from Buckley, was instrumental in setting up Hamper Llangollen when she worked for Denbighshire County Council’s Regeneration and Investment officer.

Sue chose this year’s event as the launchpad for her own one-woman business making mouth-watering macarons – her company is called KarmaSucre.

According to Dewi Davies, the Regional Strategy Director of Tourism Partnership North Wales, Hamper Llangollen  is a key part of their recipe for economic success in the region.

Recently the festival has also won a special award from Llangollen Town Council for its contribution to the commercial life of the town.

It’s estimated the event pumps nearly £400,000 into the local economy every year with £156,000 being spent at the event and a further £234,000 being spent in the town and the surrounding area.

The Food North Wales campaign launched by Tourism Partnership North Wales is aimed at building on that success and showcasing the very best in regional produce.

Mr Davies added: “It’s vital we raise awareness of our food and its authenticity. We are increasingly finding that visitors to the region like the look of our food, they like the taste of our food and they are spreading the word and telling others about the quality of the food on offer here in North Wales.

“It is fabulous to see Llangollen in the sunshine, the car park full and the pavilion packed to the rafters with festival goers, some of whom have travelled a considerable distance.”

He added: “We should not lose sight of the fact that high quality food and drinks are increasingly important to our visitors and the Hamper Llangollen Food festival certainly showcases the quality products we have on offer.”

Cllr Hugh Evans, the Leader of Denbighshire County Council, added: “I have nothing but praise for all those involved with the Festival including the exhibitors who have put on such a fantastic show.

“The sheer volume of people who have come along to visit is proof of what a wonderful event this really is. It is clearly something we should all, in North Wales, be very proud of.”

It was a sentiment shared by Gareth Evans, company secretary of rural development agency, Cadwyn Clwyd, who supported sponsored the event.

He said: “The festival is now a very important event in the calendar and people are not just browsing, they are spending their hard earned cash and buying the quality goods on offer.

“I have watched the Festival grow and expand since the first  event was held way back in 1999.

“This is clearly a very sustainable industry that can only be good for the region and rural North Wales in general.”

Carolyn Thomas, chair of Flintshire County Council, chair of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Cadwyn Clwyd director, said the Hamper Llangollen Food Festival was a brilliant example of co-operation.

She said: “Flintshire and Denbighshire work closely together to promote the area along with our colleagues from other North Wales authorities.

“This wonderful event showcases the very best of what we have on offer right across the region.

“The Festival highlights the very best of North Wales and shows just what the community has to offer.

“We can and must learn from each other and continue to showcase North Wales to the world. The Hamper Llangollen Food festival plays an important part in doing that.”