Skates calls for help to set up foodbank

* Ken  Skates with volunteers at a recent collection at
Tesco in Cefn Mawr.

ASSEMBLY Member Ken Skates is calling for community groups to help him set up a foodbank in his Clwyd South constituency.

Mr Skates is keen for more of the volunteer-run projects to open across Wrexham and Denbighshire in conjunction with national charity the Trussell Trust.

He said: “Every day people in Clwyd South and across Wales are going hungry. Trussell Trust foodbanks provide three-day emergency supply parcels with nutritionally balanced food, but they can only continue to do so with the support of the public and community groups.

“Rising costs of food, fuel and energy drinks combined with static income, high unemployment and changes to benefits are causing more and more people to go to foodbanks for help.

“The Trussell Trust forms partnerships with churches and community groups to open new foodbanks and currently has almost 400 in operation nationwide, including centres in Oswestry, Rhosddu, Mold and Denbigh. Their goal is for every town to have one, and I feel strongly that we need a foodbank in the heart of Clwyd South.”

Mr Skates added: “Sadly, schemes like this are becoming more widespread, but some 13 million people are currently living below the poverty line in the UK and food poverty is rising under the Tory-led Westminster Government.

“I have long been a supporter of the amazing work the Trussell Trust does and the fantastic work the volunteers do, and would love to see a centre up and running in my constituency.

“If anyone would like to discuss the possibility of setting one up in Clwyd South I would urge them to contact me by emailing Ken.Skates@Wales.gov.uk or by calling my office on 01978 869058, and we can take it from there.”

For more information visit www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects.

700 join Plas Madoc demonstration

The BBC news website is reporting this evening that 700 people joined a demonstration outside the Plas Madoc leisure centre protesting against plans to close it and the Waterworld centre in Wrexham.

For the full story see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25696072

Call goes out for First Responders

THE Welsh Ambulance Service is appealing to the people of North Wales to make a difference to family, friends or neighbours in distress by becoming a Community First Responder.

The Trust is to host an open evening on Tuesday, January 21 in Colwyn Bay in a bid to recruit new volunteers from Flintshire, Wrexham, Conwy and Denbighshire.

First responders are volunteers who give up their spare time to attend appropriate 999 calls and give first hand emergency care to people in their own community.

All volunteers will be trained by the Welsh Ambulance Service to administer basic first aid, oxygen therapy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator.

First responders do not replace the normal response of a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle or an emergency ambulance, but support the patient until they arrive.

Claire Hurford, who will train the new recruits on behalf of the Trust, said: “Every second counts when you are trying to save someone’s life, and Community First Responder schemes are hugely beneficial in helping the ambulance service provide the best possible pre-hospital care for patients.

“Many of our volunteers have taken experiences that life has thrown at them, such as seeing a loved one suffer a heart attack, and have moulded them into a positive outlook to help family, friends and neighbours.

“You can make a big difference by just carrying out a few simple skills that we can teach you. If you are proud of the community in which you live, becoming a first responder can really help the heart of your village or town keeping beating long into the future.”

The two-hour event at Porth Eirias Watersports Complex in Colwyn Bay will start at 7pm.

After a brief introduction, visitors will get a detailed overview of the Community First Responder scheme, before hearing first hand from an existing first responder.

Those who would like to pursue it further will be given an informal interview and assessment on the evening.

“Community First Responders play an important role alongside frontline ambulance staff in making sure patients get appropriate help quickly and efficiently,” said Elwyn Price-Morris, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service.

“Community First Responders are a key partner in the chain of survival and very much part of the whole Welsh Ambulance Service family,” he added.

If you would like to attend the open evening, call Claire Hurford on 01248 682028 or email Claire.Hurford@wales.nhs.uk so that you can fill out a pre-attendance questionnaire and make a note of important documentation you will need to bring.

Visit the ‘Community First Responders’ section of the Welsh Ambulance Service website for more information.

Chance to sing with Bryn Terfel on offer

 

 

* Legendary Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel.

 

A search has been launched for a talented young singer to perform with opera superstar Bryn Terfel at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

 

The hunt is on for a young boy to play Tobias Ragg in the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd which will bring the curtain up on this year’s star-studded Eisteddfod in July.

 

Auditions will be held in February in Cardiff and at the Eisteddfod’s home in Llangollen where Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths will also be searching for two more ‘unknowns’ to join an all-Welsh cast for the performance on Monday, July 7.

 

He said: “As well as young Toby, we’re looking for two 18-25-year-olds to play the key roles of Anthony Hope and Johanna Baker, the two young lovers in this fantastic production.

 

“Somewhere out there is a young lad who doesn’t know it yet but in a few months he’ll be on stage with Bryn Terfel in front of a packed Royal International Pavilion – what a prospect.

 

“We have an all-star Welsh cast lined up, led by Bryn, and now we’re holding open auditions for these three key roles – Star Wars did it and if it’s good enough for George Lucas then it’s good enough for me.”

 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Sondheim is set in 19^th century London and tells the story of the crazed barber who murders his clients and supplies the bodies to his accomplice, piemaker Mrs Lovett.

 

Sondheim’s multi-award winning classic was first performed on Broadway in 1979 and has since been a regular production across the world and on the big screen in 2007 when superstar Johnny Depp played Todd and Helena Bonham Carter his accomplice.

 

Bryn Terfel has played the role before, in 2002 in Chicago but hasn’t sung it since 2007 although he will be fronting a performance of it by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lincoln Center in New York in March.

 

It will be the first time he has performed on the International Eisteddfod stage since he opened the 2006 festival and that was his first appearance at Llangollen in a decade.

 

He said: “I’m absolutely thrilled I’m able to appear at the 2014 International Eisteddfod. I’m a proud Welshman and the International Eisteddfod is unique, the atmosphere, the colour, the audience, even the flowers, it really is a very, very special event.”

 

Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “It’s brilliant to have Bryn back this year and what an experience for those who come through the auditions to be on stage with him.

 

“I feel the Eisteddfod has a duty to encourage young talent in Wales and what an opportunity for those young up and coming singers, possibly complete unknowns, to come and star in this production. Giving young people the platform and a stage is something I really believe in and that’s why last year I’ve created the Children’s Choir of the World.

 

“It’s very exciting and the orchestra for the performance, the Sinfonia Cymru, is a very young orchestra also, conducted by maestro Gareth Jones.

 

“We need to be leaving a legacy and giving an opportunity for young people to shine.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the auditions in February, in Cardiff and Llangollen, should contact the Eisteddfod office by e-mail to events@international-eisteddfod.co.uk for more information.

 

Sweeney Todd will be the curtain raiser to six tremendous days at Llangollen which kicks off on Tuesday, July 8, with the Parade and a galaxy of international talent at the Carnival of Nations concert.

 

It will showcase spectacular circus acts from across the globe including Cirque du Soleil's Bruce Bilodeau, acrobats from the Chinese State Circus and Spellbound, winners of Britain's Got Talent.

 

The following night will see the return of Karl Jenkins, the highest selling classical composer alive today, with the world premiere of his latest masterpiece, Adiemus Colores.

 

He will conduct his Latin American themed work with American tenor Noah Stewart, Venezuelan trumpeter Pacho Flores and Latvian accordion player Ksenija Sidorova to the accompaniment of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Orchestra.

 

The multi-award winning Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald will be making her Llangollen debut on the Thursday evening.  Earlier this year her second studio album, The Shocking Miss Emerald, went to No 1 in the UK album chart.

 

The Friday night concert, Spirit of Unity, will feature the Cape Town Opera, Africa’s premiere opera company, famed for their "vibrant vocalism and high-octane stage performances".

 

Appearing with them will be Wales’ representative in Cardiff Singer of the World, Gary Griffiths, the Wales Millennium Centre Only Kidz Aloud Chorus under the baton of celebrity conductor Tim Rhys Evans and British Sinfonietta, one of the UK's leading independent professional orchestras.

 

The Choir of the World competition on the Saturday night is the blue riband event of the week-long festival and remains one of the foremost choral competitions in the international choral calendar.

 

Saturday will also feature a competition to find the dance champions of 2014 and to top the evening off Richard and Adam, who shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent, will appear as special guests.

 

Bringing the house down on Sunday night will be legendary British rockers Status Quo who released the first of their 100 singles almost 50 years ago and are still Rocking All Over The World.

 

To book tickets and for more information on the 2014 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Chamber receives reply to bank closure letter

Llangollen Chamber of Trade and Tourism recently wrote to the head of the HSBC Bank objecting to the closure of the local branch later this year.

This is the reply, addressed to secretary Ian Parry, the chamber has just received from a senior executive:

Dear Mr Parry

Thank you for your letter dated 2 December, to which l am replying on behalf of Mr Stuart Gulliver, our Group Chief Executive. I trust you will accept my response as Head of Customer Relations for the bank. May I please assure you that Mr Gulliver is aware of the concerns you have raised about the forthcoming closure of our Llangollen branch.

I appreciate that the decision to close this branch has come as a disappointment to you and your members who use the facilities. We do take our commitment to local communities very seriously and it is never an easy decision to make when closing a part of our business. It was therefore only after careful consideration and with great regret that we made the difficult decision to close the branch.

We constantly monitor the levels of activity at our branches and use this information to make decisions about how we are represented. At Llangollen, we have very carefully assessed the sustainability of the premises, where the lease has expired, and undertaken a full study of customer activity at the branch with an evaluation of the options available to us that might help to restore a healthy level of business.

Unfortunately, the branch is simply not achieving the level of business required and we therefore have taken the decision to close.

While we recognise the value of our services to our Llangollen customers, we also have a commitment to managing our business sustainably, efficiently and cost effectively, for the beneñt of both our customers and our shareholders.

Changing banking habits mean that our customers are increasingly using telephone and internet banking, with a knock-on effect on the footfall within our branch network. In fact, more people will do business with us today on the internet and through our call centres than will visit our entire branch network. Sometimes, as is the case with Llangollen, we will make a decision to close a branch in response to these changing banking patterns.

We are very conscious of the impact a branch closure can have on some of our customers and We are determined to do as much as possible to limit the impact of this closure on the local community. Our branch staff` are speaking to our customers, advising them on alternative ways of banking such as using the internet or automating incoming payments, to reduce the reliance on these facilities.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your concerns with us. Again, I am sorry that we have had to take this very difficult decision, but I hope that I have explained both the reasons for it, and the steps We are taking to help those customers who are affected.

Yours sincerely

David Lewis

Head of Customer Relations

Lib Dems slam government over NHS waiting times

A record high number of people have been waiting over 36 weeks for the start of their treatment in the Welsh NHS, according to figures published today.

 

By the end of November, a total of 13,269 patients had been waiting over 36 weeks until the start of their treatment. 

 

And Welsh Lib Dems say this is despite the Welsh Labour Government’s target for 100% of patients to be seen within the 36 week period.

 

The Lib Dems also say the Welsh Government has a target for 95% of patients to wait less than 26 weeks until the start of their treatment. 

 

This target was also missed, with only 88% of patients being seen within this time, they claim.

 

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: “No one should be forced to wait over 36 weeks until the start of their treatment. Yet here in Wales, under a failing Labour Government, over 13,000 people have to wait over that time. That is disgraceful.

 

“Waiting for the start of their treatment is a very stressful time for any patient.  Reducing these long waiting periods has to be a priority for this Welsh Labour Government.

 

“Whether it is inadequate cancer care, poor ambulance response times or lengthy waiting times, the Welsh Labour Government is failing to offer the health service that patients in Wales need and deserve. This poverty of ambition is letting patients across Wales down. 

 

“NHS staff are working incredibly hard to help patients, but their attempts are being hampered by an incompetent Welsh Labour Government.”

Latest roadworks information

According to the latest roadworks bulletin from the county council, there were will be temporary traffic lights on the A5, opposite the Tyn Y Wern, Llangollen, from January 13-24 to allow works to a retaining wall.