AM calls for more cold calling protection

North Wales Assembly Member, Mark Isherwood has called for Welsh Government action to ensure more older people in Wales are protected from scams and doorstep crime.

Speaking in Darren Millar AM’s Short Assembly Debate ‘Older People, Scams and Doorstep Crime’, Mr Isherwood highlighted the inconsistent provision and enforcement of no-cold-calling zones across Wales and urged the Welsh Government to address the matter.

 

Mr Isherwood, who in December raised the problem with the First Minister, referre d to Age Cymru’s ‘Scams and Swindles’ campaign which is calling for Welsh Government intervention to tackle the postcode lottery and consequently provide more older people in Wales with protection from criminals who ruthlessly steal from them through scams and swindles.

 

Speaking in the Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood said: “Gwynedd’s zero no-cold-calling zones, although it has one pilot scheme, contrasts with the situation in Monmouthshire, which has zones covering 8,000 houses—21% of the total. In Denbighshire, 12.3% of homes are covered. In Wrexham,  it is 2.41%, and in Flintshire, it is 1.04%. So, there is a huge range of need.

 

“When I recently raised this with the First Minister in the Chamber, I referred to Age Cymru’s call for no-cold-calling zones and for the Welsh Government to intervene to tackle the inconsistent provision and enforcement of these zones across Wales to protect older people. He replied that his programme for government sets out plans to extend no-cold-calling zones.

 

"However, programmes and plans are no substitute for action. If done properly, no-cold-calling zones are cheaper than painting yellow lines on the road and far cheaper than dealing with the consequences of scams and swindles. Therefore, let us tackle the postcode lottery and, perhaps, consider an opt-out scheme across Wales.”

Young 'Uns' Oliver! leaves you wanting more

* The splendid cast of Oliver! line up.

Just like the hungry little lad in the title, Llangollen Operatic Society Young ‘Uns’ production of the evergreen musical Oliver! at the Town Hall leaves the audience begging for more.

Although there are lavish helpings of top-class entertainment from start to finish, it’s hard to get enough of the mouth-watering characterisations and delicious singing from a talented cast of more than 40 youngsters.

So good is it that at times it’s difficult to believe that you’re watching kids not seasoned adults tackling the Lionel Bart masterpiece based on the Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist.

But with the notable exception of Chris Simms who is on loan from the “grown up” operatic society to lay on a marvellously mischievous Fagin, the rest of the actors are five to 18 year olds.

The acting and singing talent just keeps being served up in course after tasty course.

Connor Phillips pads up to neatly portray the overweight and painfully pompous workhouse boss Mr Bumble, ably assisted in the comedy routines by Holly Broadbent as his shrewish assistant Widow Corney.

It’s Bumble who balls out little Oliver for daring to ask for another ladleful of gruel and didn’t the cute, curly-haired Rhys Penge as our orphaned hero receive the bad news with the perfect balance of pathos and indignation?

In fact, young Rhys goes on to shine throughout in his centrepiece role, never missing a line or a lyric and bringing a tear to many an eye as he sings the plaintive Where is Love?

At the grim funeral parlour where he flees to escape the nightmare of the workhouse, Oliver encounters the appalling Sowerberry family, headed by Will Edwards as the oily undertaker and with Megan Howlett as his overbearing wife.

Both are highly proficient in the respective parts as is Zoe Nicholas as their dopey daughter Charlotte. The two girls’ reactions as a feisty Oliver fights to get out of the coffin in which they’ve placed him and are sitting atop to keep him there for everyone’s safety is something to behold.

Another vile character Oliver meets at the undertakers is apprentice Noah Claypole and, although he doesn’t have too big a slice of the action, the part is very convincingly played by Cassius Hackforth.

Poor Oliver’s fortunes hardly improve when he hot-foots it to London after leaving the awful company of the Sowerberrys because it’s there he falls in with the worst of bad company, Fagin who heads a band of junior thieves, and arch-criminal Bill Sykes. The only saving grace is Bill’s long suffering girl and Fagin graduate Nancy.

Operatic stalwart Chris Simms gives Fagin just the right balance of villainy and humour and delights with his interpretation of Reviewing the Situation.

Sykes doesn’t work unless he’s portrayed as a thoroughly evil psychopath, and Wilf Wort does not disappoints in the part. Again, he’s only in his teens but he can certainly act and manages to send a shiver down the spine with the way he batters and eventually murders the faithful Nancy. At one point in the action he even spits at her for real, hopefully missing the excellent Joanna Stallard.

Joanna has a singular talent all of her own. Acting, singing and even dancing are clearly second nature to her and, as Nancy, she is quite simply superb.

Her powerful and deeply moving rendition of As Long As Needs Me was a show-stopper in the truest sense. She also leads the exuberant action in the drinking song Oom-Pah-Pah which is performed with such gusto by the entire cast that some of the audience would love to have got up on stage and joined in too.

Also well up there with the stars of the show is Charlie Hackforth as the Artful Dodger. He simply radiates confidence as Fagin’s cheeky chappy apprentice and reaches out over the footlights in way which belies his years.

All the supporting roles are very competently filled and when the whole cast team up for the chorus numbers it’s a colourful and melodic spectacle to remember.

Providing the backing for all this is a live four-piece orchestra skilfully led by musical director Elen Mair Roberts who also provides a mean violin solo to accompany Fagin in Reviewing the Situation.

This Oliver! – the Young ‘Uns’ 25^th annual show - is a fine tribute to new artistic director Christine Dukes. She had the same role with famous Youth Theatre at the Stiwt in Rhos for 14 years, and this wealth of skills and experience shines out.            

Oliver! opened on Thursday night and still has two performances to go today – a matinee at 2.30pm and the evening show at 7.30pm. Catch one of them if you can!

Tickets are available door or, if you’re lucky, from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre (01978  860828), Jades Hair and Beauty, Gwyn Davies, Butcher, or Stella Bond (01978  860441). Tickets cost £8 for adults and £5 for concessions.

"We need help to take over Plas Madoc"

 

* The recent Plas Madoc protest.

 

Calls have been made for Wrexham Council to fund Plas Madoc Leisure Centre for five years while a community enterprise is set up to run the centre – otherwise it will be gone in 60 days, it is claimed.

 

Mabon ap Gwynfor, a regular user of the centre and speaking on behalf of Plaid Cymru in Clwyd South, said: “The proposal to set up a community enterprise to run Plas Madoc is an interesting one that needs further exploration. Anyone who attended the two demos at Plas Madoc and outside the Guildhall, as I have, will know the strength of feeling.

“But, as someone who was involved in setting up a community venture from scratch, I know from experience how much time it takes. Before the community and staff can make any meaningful decision on this, we need to have a full structural survey, a comprehensive repairs and maintenance schedule, details of employment rights and responsibilities and a fully costed business plan.

“There’s also the little matter of finding a way to bridge the current £500,000 annual deficit. Yes, there may be grants available but grants are dependent on business plans. They will not be available in 60 days.

 

“I note that the council leader says that Wrexham Council doesn’t have the capability to run the centre. With that in mind, I have to ask him how he thinks a community enterprise with no additional income stream would do so. I’m concerned that the council is setting the community to fail and would rather have guarantees that it will continue to fund the centre.

 

“If it won’t do that and the council genuinely wants Plas Madoc to stay open and succeed, it has to provide a parachute to enable the community to make this scheme work.

 

“When the council was withdrawing funding from The Venture and Caia Park Partnership, it did so over a number of years with a gradual taper. Why isn’t this being proposed for Plas Madoc? Why is Plas Madoc only being offered 60 days’ notice?”

 

Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru’s North Wales AM, said: “Like the rest of the local community, I want to see Plas Madoc stay open and with a clear funding structure to help it stay open. The strength of feeling from campaigners suggests there is the appetite for a community-run centre but that would clearly take some time to set up.

 

“The council must now show some support for the community, which feels badly let down by this hurried and frankly chaotic consultation. It makes sense to provide the guarantee of tapered funding while a community enterprise is established to run Plas Madoc. If they won’t provide that sort of funding, then it’s clear that talk of giving it to the community is just a bluff.”

Twenty Club wants you ... to see its new play

* The famous Kitchener recruiting poster which prompted

many men to volunteer for service in World War One.

Rehearsals are now well advanced for the Twenty Club’s forthcoming production of Peter Whelan's classic play The Accrington Pals.

The Llangollen-based group is staging the moving First World War drama from March 6-8 in Llangollen Town Hall to mark the 100^th anniversary of the start of the conflict in 1914. 

The Accrington Pals is based on the true story of how the smallest town in England raised a volunteer force to fight in the war, contrasting life at the front and in the 1916 Battle of the Somme with the women left behind.

For more details visit facebook.com/twentyclub.

Next moves for Cittaslow Llangollen

* The Mayor, Cllr Bob Lube, accepts official Cittaslow status last summer.

Town councillor Phil Thane outlines the next moves in the development of Cittaslow Llangollen:

Last year the working group set up by the Town Council to win Cittaslow status for Llangollen was successful in its aim, and more recently Cittaslow Llangollen was awarded £500 from Denbighshire County Council under the Participatory Budgeting scheme.

Now they need to make Cittaslow useful for the whole town.

Cittaslow status is awarded to the whole town, so even townsfolk who've never heard of it stand to benefit, and anyone who lives or works in town should be able to influence how Cittaslow Llangollen develops.

To make this a reality most of the old working group met with the Town Clerk on Tuesday 14th Jan to discuss how to proceed.

Communications between Cittaslow Llangollen and the wider Cittaslow organisation in the UK and worldwide will be through the Town Clerk, and the membership fee is paid by the council, so clearly they have an interest.

However, it is important that the whole town can have a say so it was decided to form a new community group, 'Cittaslow Llangollen', with an executive committee of 12 members. These will be: Four officers: Chair, vice-chair, treasurer and secretary; two councillors seconded by the council;
six others to represent and organise work on the six Cittaslow goals.

This plan was approved by the council meeting (Jan 21st) and it is hoped that we can organise the first election for Cittaslow Llangollen at the annual Town Meeting on Thursday, March 27 at 7pm in the Town Hall.

Following the election and selection of members, the group will meet to elect its officers and allocate the other roles. A constitution for the new group is being prepared by the original team and the town clerk for the next Cittaslow meeting (12th Feb), but of course once properly set up the new Cittaslow Llangollen group may wish to modify it.

* Format this year for the Annual Town Meeting this year will be that after the Town Mayor’s Report there will be the opportunity to ask questions and raise any issues of concern.

However in order to ensure full answers can be given it would be useful to have questions submitted in advance so that there will be sufficient time to obtain any information required.

Anyone wishing to ask a question or raise any issue should contact the Town Clerk, on 01978 861345 or email llangollentc@btconnect.com   

Chamber discusses town map issue

At their meeting in the Hand Hotel on Monday evening members of Llangollen Chamber of Trade and Tourism discussed the issue of a new town map.

At one of its meetings late last year the chamber expressed its interest in a street map – modelled on the one handed out at last autumn’s Llangollen Food Festival – featuring adverts from local businesses around the edges.

Chairman David Davies said that this had been looked into and a private company had said it could produce one similar for the chamber based on 50 advertisers being charged £50 each for inclusion on the map.

However, he pointed out that Denbighshire County Council featured a Llangollen town map on its website which local businesses might be able to download for free to hand out to customers.

He said that the chamber had also been given a few hundred copies of last year’s food festival map which were available to members.    

Chamber secretary Ian Parry said the county’s countryside services team had produced a local map for Corwen, adding: “If that seems to go down well there they would probably also do one for Llangollen.”

Member Simon Collinge said he would still like to see the chamber having its own map and Mr Davies replied: “That’s maybe something we could do as a joint project.”

Call goes out to support next Plas Madoc demo

The campaign fighting Wrexham Council's plan to close Plas Madoc Leisure Centre has expressed its disappointment at the announcement that the centre will close within 60 days unless the community take it on.

Alison Roberts, speaking on behalf of the Save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre campaign, said: "This proposal only came to light in November. It went out to consultation in December and January and now they're talking of closing it in March. This is based on a flawed consultants' report that has underestimated usage, overestimated maintenance and repair costs and only has a superficial understanding of the importance of this facility for the wellbeing of the entire south of the county and beyond.

"We have attempted, as a campaign, to engage with the council by requesting meetings but been rejected. We have tried to get an independent surveyor into Plas Madoc to assess the true costs of the centre - again that has not been forthcoming.

"The idea of the community running the centre would have more merit if the council had involved the community in this consultation. Instead it has disregarded the community's views completely and appears willing to ride roughshod over our wishes. 

"Let's be clear. We do not believe that the council is serious is wanting the community to successfully run Plas Madoc - the timescale makes it all but impossible to organise an orderly and effective transfer. There are huge issues to discuss in terms of organising financing, employment rights, a business plan and other major matters that would take many months to organise for a large company let alone a community that would need to set up a social enterprise from scratch.

"The community has made it clear that what it favours is for the council to find the £96,000 annual savings it expects to see from closing Plas Madoc from another source. That could be from reserves, it could be by cutting non-frontline services or it could be through community councils stepping up to the plate. This is what's happened with other council services, such as libraries, community centres and lollipop ladies. All these were offered to community councils - why didn't they offer Plas Madoc to local community councils to bridge the gap?

"Cllr David Griffiths described leisure as a discretionary service but it has huge uncosted benefits for the community in terms of health and well-being. We could name some other council costs that are also discretionary that this council is not cutting - why? It appears we have council leaders who know the price of everything but the value of nothing."

Ms Roberts added: "The council leaders and officers' attitude throughout has been to railroad this closure plan through with the minimum of time to assess the options. The legacy of such a blinkered approach, if we allow them to succeed, will be hugely damaging for the surrounding area. 

"We do not accept that Plas Madoc has to close. We believe there are plenty of good people who want to see Plas Madoc survive and thrive. We believe that many councillors across the political spectrum feel the same way. It is now time for those councillors to have their say and ensure that the Executive Board on Tuesday votes down this proposal.

 

"With that in mind, we're urging everyone who wants Plas Madoc to survive to get down to the Guildhall for 1pm on Tuesday, 11th February, to make sure this proposal doesn't go through. We will be entitled to watch the Executive Board make their decision and will be carefully monitoring who votes for and against."