Schemes benefit from seized crime cash

People across north Wales have chosen which community projects are to benefit from the money seized from criminals in the region.

 

Following a public online vote, two projects in each county have been awarded grants of up to £3500 towards reducing crime in their local area.

 

The grants have been distributed under the Participatory Budgeting Fund set up by Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick (pictured right) and partly funded with money seized by North Wales Police under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

 

The fund was launched at the beginning of November and community groups were invited to bid for grants to help cut crime and reduce anti-social behaviour.

 

A total of 73 projects were submitted and later shortlisted to five per county area following a panel discussion involving police, local authority and community representatives.

 

Commissioner Winston Roddick said: “It is only right that money recovered from those who commit crimes against people in north Wales should go back to benefit local communities.

 

“This small grants initiative goes a step further by allowing the public to decide on where and how it should be spent.”

 

The programme was coordinated by PACT (Police and Communities Trust), operated through North Wales Police.

 

North wales Police Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Simon Shaw said: “I would like to congratulate the groups on their success in securing funding for their initiatives.

 

“The worthy recipients cover a wide-range of interesting and exciting projects that will help enhance local communities. What makes this even more worthwhile is that they are being funded by money we’ve taken from criminals.

 

“I look forward to hearing about the development of the winning projects.”

 

The successful groups, by county, are:

 

ANGLESEY:                 Plas Road Allotment Project, Holyhead (£3500); Valley Community Group (£3301)

 

CONWY:                      Llandudno Junction FC (£3500); Llanrwst Junior Football Club (£3300)

 

DENBIGHSHIRE:          Prestatyn Youth Centre (£1150); St Asaph Football Club (£2000)

 

FLINTSHIRE:                Saltney Ferry Scout/Guide Group (£3500); DangerPoint (£3500)

 

GWYNEDD:                 Gwarchod Bermo Watch, Barmouth (£3500); Noddfa Community Church, Caernarfon (£3500)

 

WREXHAM:                 Wrexham Street Pastors (£3500); Groundworks North Wales, Alyn Waters, Wrexham (£3500)

 

County unveils new anti-bullying strategy

Denbighshire County Council's proactive approach to tackling bullying amongst children and young people has been highlighted in a brand new strategy hot off the press.

The council's Anti-Bullying Strategy aims to help schools reduce the frequency of bullying, increase the likelihood that incidents are disclosed to responsible adults and intervene effectively when bullying happens.

The council says it will help reduce bullying by:

·        providing a model anti-bullying policy and guidance for schools, including establishing effective procedures for recording and dealing with bullying incidents;

·        providing targeted training where appropriate, for example with regards to Internet safety and cyber bullying;

·        collecting information about incidents of bullying in schools to inform future policy development;

·        supporting schools in tackling bullying issues, for example directly through existing support such as behaviour support teachers and education inclusion officers or referrals to other external agencies;

·        establishing a mechanism for raising awareness of bullying issues, including sharing effective practice and useful resources.

An example of a proactive approach to tackling bullying has been the establishment of the Prestatyn Community Anti-bullying Group. The Council's Educational Psychology Service is part of the cohort of people that formed this group approximately two years ago. We have wide involvement from the local community.

Safe Havens have been created  in shops in the town centre and the Council provides training for people in the shops to safely engage with young people who feel unsafe in the town when they are out and about.

This venture is becoming quite successful and the intention is to have the community programme run out in other towns in Denbighshire.  This method of community action means that the focus is on protecting the young people throughout the school week, after school and weekends.

Michael Duke, Denbighshire's Principal Educational Psychologist, said: "There are many important categories of bullying, including bullying around racism, sexual orientation, gender-based, bullying of people with long term health conditions and cyber bullying.

"In Denbighshire, the Council has been active in training students, staff, parents/carers and other professionals for some years in the dangers of the Internet and safe use of social networking sites.  This is an increasing problem nationwide and is difficult to trace, requiring schools to be particularly vigilant and innovative in finding solutions.  

Dr Melaine Ackers, an Educational Psychologist with Denbighshire County Council said: "We are spending a lot of time working with schools to address any concerns or issues they may have, but also to raise awareness of issues around bullying and trying to prevent it from happening in the first instance. The situation in Denbighshire is no different to any other part of the country, but with new communications channels available, we need to be more alert to how bullying can happen and be more creative in our approach to tackling the issues."

Sky man backs bid to save leisure centre

Sky Sports commentator and Wrexham Supporters' Trust president Bryn Law is the latest person to add his voice to the campaign to save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

The commentator, who was raised in Ruabon, said: "I'm aware of the threat to Plas Madoc. It would be a very great shame if it had to close.

 "The leisure centre and pool played a big part in my life when I was growing up in Ruabon. I'd never seen a pool with a slide and wave machine before I made my first visit on the very same day I moved house from Liverpool. Our new neighbours took me and my brother whilst my parents unpacked.

 "I've played football and badminton in the gym and I still go to the pool with my children when I come over to North Wales to visit my parents. At a time when we're all being encouraged to live more healthy lifestyles, I'd have thought it would be a better decision to improve not remove facilities. Good luck with the campaign."

His passionate plea is another boost to the growing campaign to save the leisure centre.

Clare Wright, speaking on behalf of the campaign to save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, said they were grateful to Mr Law for speaking out on this important issue: "The level of support from people from beyond the immediate area is fantastic as they realise the threat to this unique leisure centre. Bryn speaks for many when he says how important it still is to him and his family.

"The full council is voting on the clo sure on February 26th and the campaign group will be holding a mass meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday, Feb 20th, at the Air Products Social Club in Acrefair to discuss our next move. We are clear in our minds that the future of Plas Madoc is in the hands of individual councillors and they must do the right thing next week. If they do not, we will hold them to account in their communities."

Santander pulls out of agency branches

The Daily Post's website is reporting this evening that the bank Santander is pulling out of five agency branches in north Wales, including Ruthin.

See the full story at: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/santander-pull-out-five-north-6719759 

Group formed to save Plas Madoc

A group of experts and community representatives has been formed to work on an urgent plan to save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

The team has been brought together following a meeting of campaigners, local councillors, third sector organisations, Wrexham Council officers and experts in energy conservation and social enterprises.

The meeting on Sunday to form a plan of action was called by Clwyd South AM Ken Skates and organised by Cefn Mawr councillor Derek Wright.

Labour AM Mr Skates said: “People are extremely anxious about the possible loss of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre because of the UK Government's austerity programme, but Sunday’s meeting has provided us with Plan B and an alternative to closure which I hope Wrexham Council will help us deliver.

“I am extremely grateful to those people who gave up their time to attend what was a last-minute event to look at alternative ownership models for Plas Madoc. I know many more people would have liked to attend and I will be seeking their views and assistance this week.

“We agreed to form an efficient working group and to tap into the required expertise needed for a viable business plan for the future of this popular facility. We will need time to develop the plan, but the desire, knowledge and energy needed to save the centre is definitely evident.

“I am keen to see the centre remain open while Plan B is developed and I hope everyone, regardless of their politics, will be able to come together in a constructive way as a matter of urgency. I also urge current service users to stay loyal to Plas Madoc while we invest time and effort in trying to protect it.”

Mr Skates added: “Above all, one message is clear. UK austerity and welfare reforms are devastating the country, so now more than ever before we need to stand up for our most vulnerable communities, otherwise they will crumble. That means we must be united and put all our energy into delivering solutions to impending public service cuts.

“By 2020, Wales will be getting 20% less from Westminster than we were getting at the start of the decade, so alternative ownership and operational models for council-run services need to be initiated right now.”

Redundancy story comments disputed

A community group is disputing comments reportedly made to media outlets by a local county councillor in stories about redundancies planned at Llangollen printworks Dobson & Crowther.

The company is due to move to a new factory to be built on nearby farmland at Cilmedw allowing Sainsbury’s to develop a new superstore on its current riverside site.

A turf-cutting ceremony due to be held at Cilmedw on Friday was cancelled. This was due to bad weather, according to developers J-Ross.

Separate stories appeared last Friday on the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-26192993 and in the Daily Post http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/llangollen-up-30-workers-face-6711941 about redundancies at the factory.

In the Daily Post story there was confirmation of a redundancy situation by Dobson & Crowther managing director Paul Holden.

In both stories Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies is reported to have blamed “the process caused by opposition to the development” for slowing the opening of the new factory.

But the comments have prompted criticism from community group Keep Llangollen Special (KLS) which opposed the superstore plan.

A statement from Martin Crumpton, chair of KLS, says: “Cllr Stuart Davies has blamed opposition to the plans for the downward fortunes of the printworks. By opposition, he specifically blames the Keep Llangollen Special community group.

“Neither we, nor any other opponents of the developments, have had any bearing on the state of the company’s business.

“Neither we nor any of the plans’ opponents have protracted the granting of planning permission in any way – no judicial reviews, no injunctions, only exercising our legitimate rights in objecting on behalf of the majority of Llangollen’s residents. Until Friday we were unaware the company’s prime customer was cancelling its contract.

“We saw the job cuts coming and warned him long ago and several times this would happen. We will not shoulder any further transfer of blame by the councillor and feel that the time has come for him to consider his position before the community is put at further risk.”

Cllr Davies told llanblogger he did not wish to respond to the KLS statement.

READER REACTION:

It seems perverse to blame the proposed redundancies at Dobson & Crowther on opposition to the Sainsbury’s superstore. Final planning was granted in December 2012, so why did the developers only start building the new factory in January 2014?  In any case, if the redundancies are the result of a lost contract, a new factory, or the lack of it, is a bit of red herring.

 

Gill Thomas

Linking memories – a bridge through time

A new project on the famous Chain Bridge at Llantysilio has begun. 

The bridge has gone through three reincarnations in its lifetime, the first dating back to 1817.

It is believed, through work carried out by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), that it is possibly the oldest cast iron chain link bridge in the Western world.

Now, after its closure in the 1980s, a new project is underway which focuses on the historic bridge.

The £350,000 Heritage Lottery funded project will involve a series of events with local communities and schools. 

Samantha Jones, Heritage Officer for the project, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the local area. I am keen for as many people as possible to be involved in the project. One way people can get involved is through helping us gather memories of the bridge and we are looking for volunteers to help us with this.”

On Friday, February 21, there will be a free training event which is open to everyone.

The event is being held at the Llangollen Town Hall running from 10.30am to 3.30pm.

The day will provide an opportunity to learn more about the project along with presentations by heritage experts who will speak about digital archiving, guide volunteers in the use of various recording kit and equipment along with helpful tips on interviewing techniques.

Volunteers will also have the chance to practice their interviewing skills with assistance from the experienced professionals. Speakers will include Helen Rowe and Nikki Vousden from RCAHMW; David Crane from the Llangollen Museum; and local heritage professional Lorna Jenner. 

If you are unable to attend this date but still want to get involved or have a story you want to share please contact the Chain Bridge team.

* For more information or to book your place please contact Samantha Jones at chainbridgeheritage@gmail.com or call 07936590867.

You can keep up to date on the project via Facebook, Twitter and our Wordpress site, www.chainbridgeproject.wordpress.com