Cheina Tom talk to be held at museum

A talk at Llangollen Independent Museum of Local History on Wednesday, March 26, will give people a chance to see the video taken of the one-night-only play The Life and Times of Cheina Tom (or Eight Down, One to Go).

The event was a re-enactment of some of the memories shared in the Your Town Your Story project and was performed by local schoolchildren and groups.

Held at the early time of 6pm, admission to the talk is £3 for adults, to include tea/coffee/soft drink. Children’s admission is free.

 

Leisure Centre launches fitness sale

Llangollen Leisure Centre has sent llanblogger the following leaflet about its latest fitness sale ...

£2 million boost for Chirk station

CLWYD South AM Ken Skates has welcomed the news that Chirk Railway Station will get a £2m Welsh Government cash boost.

Transport Minister Edwina Hart confirmed yesterday (Thursday) that Chirk is one of five stations across Wales which will share £12m to improve access – and Labour Assembly Member Mr Skates said the announcement was ‘fantastic news’ for the town.

The £2m will deliver a ramped footbridge – providing an accessible route to platform one (for south-bound trains) for the first time. 

The project will also provide an accessible drop-off point, disabled car park spaces and improved station signage.

Mr Skates said: “I understand work will start in May and is expected to be completed by end of 2014 – this is fantastic news for Chirk and will make a real difference to the lives of the many passengers who use this award-winning station.

“Hard-working campaigners have for years called for improved access at the station, and – like them – I am glad that these long-awaited plans are now able to get off the ground thanks to major investment from the Welsh Labour Government.”

The £12m programme is funded by £7m from the Welsh Government and £5m from the Department for Transport. Network Rail will be carrying out the work.

Mr Skates said he hoped the improvements at Chirk could also have a positive effect on tourism in the area with the expected increase in footfall.

He added: “I would like to congratulate those who have lobbied for this, particularly the Friends of Chirk Station, and I am delighted their hard work and dedication to improving the town is to be rewarded."

Intrepid Mike and Co. to splash out for Sports Relief

*Mike Edwards at the Cheshire Sprint Tri last June
when he swam 400m, cycled 20k and ran 5k.

An intrepid Llangollen man is taking on a daunting physical challenge this weekend to raise cash for Sports Relief.

Mike Edwards, former chair of community group Keep Llangollen Special, likes to keep himself fit with regular swimming and cycling sessions.

And he’ll be needing all his stamina to stay ahead of the game tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon when he makes a big splash in the swimathon being staged in aid Sports Relief in the pool at Wrexham’s Waterworld.

Joined by his eldest son Christian, Mike aims to stroke his way through 1,500 metres or 60 lengths of the pool.

Christian’s target is a more ambitious 5,000 but, as Mike says: “I’m giving him too many years.”

Swimming alongside the dynamic Edwards duo will be their friends Rachael and Andy Bennion and their son Joss, plus Richard and Nerys Bennion.

Mike added: “We are all also going along to Ty Mawr Country Park on Sunday where my grandchildren, James, Katie and Lucy, Christian's wife Alison and my wife Lis are running the mile event together.

“If anyone wishes to sponsor my swimathon efforts they can at: https://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/michaeledwards

 

UPDATE ...

 

Sport Relief: Will Swimming the Pontcsyllte Aqueduct be Mike’s next greatest challenge?

 

Mike’s boundless energy and indomitable spirit are well-known to fellow members of Keep Llangollen Special Community Group. I’m going to convert my envy into £10 cash to be put in his hand in return for a handshake the very next time we meet, and I challenge Wrexham County councillors to do the same as some sort of gesture of  apology for their counter-productive and myopic decisions to close leisure centres like Waterworld and Plas Madoc. The irony of them praising their constituents’ magnificent efforts to support Sport Relief while voting to close publicly-owned leisure centres will not be lost on the rest of us. Neither will it be forgotten nor forgiven, so please at least match my pledge at https://my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/michaeledwards.

 

Swim like The Man from Atlantis, Mike – we’re immensely proud of you!

 

Martin Crumpton

Chair ΞKeep Llangollen SpecialΞ

 

Second public meeting planned to save Plas Madoc

Residents are being urged to again turn out in force to a second public meeting over the future of Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, as work to save the facility continues.

A meeting of the newly formed Plas Madoc Community Group on Sunday (March 16) was this week hailed a success by chairman Darrell Wright, from Trevor.

Darrell 67, said: “Several new sub-committees were formed to look at different aspects, both of acquiring the centre and of running it.

“With the offers of help we had after the public meeting we’ve now got about 20 people in the group and we seem to have everything covered. There are some really positive vibes.”

The first public meeting at Air Products Social Club in Acrefair on March 13 was attended by 150-200 people and it was decided that the working group including Clwyd South AM Ken Skates and John Gallanders, an expert in community-run enterprises, should merge with the residents’ action group Save Plas Madoc Leisure Centre. 

Darrell and the rest of the team are holding another committee meeting next Thursday (March 27) and are finalising plans for a second public meeting, which they hoping will attract another big crowd.

Darrell said: “We’re all feeling really positive and we’ve got some good momentum going, so we need people to show their enthusiasm again and show that they want this. 

“Word-of-mouth is as good an advert as anything, so we’re hoping people who went away from the first meeting feeling positive will tell their friends and neighbours and we’ll have even more people next time. As we said at the meeting at Air Products, the people are the key to the success of this plan.”

AM welcomes clamp down on PPI market

Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Social Justice Peter Black has welcomed moves by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to clamp down on poor practice in the selling of all kinds of protection insurance.

 

His comments come after the FCA announced plans earlier this month to improve competition and consumer protection in this sector after an eight-month investigation found poor competition, low levels of claims, and people potentially being overcharged by up to £200 million a year for products that they neither need nor use.

 

Mr Black said: “You would have thought that after the miss-selling of PPI for which financial institutions are still being forced to pay out compensation to customer, the industry would have learned its lesson. You would clearly be wrong.

 

“Far too many people still complain to me about things like pre-ticked boxes on websites, overpriced travel insurance from travel agents and tour companies, add-on personal accident insurance, and expensive stand-alone insurance for items like mobile phones and tablets.

 

“That is why I support the FCA in seeking to ban pre-ticked boxes, to insist on the industry providing cooling-off periods so that people can change their minds, and to force companies to come clean about the number of successful claims up front so that customers can judge if an insurance really is value for money or just another rip-off.

 

“As fat-cat financial institutions won’t reform on their own, they must be forced to do so.”

AM ready for Sport Relief challenge

CLWYD South AM Ken Skates will take on a six-mile run in Cefn Mawr this weekend to raise money for Sport Relief 2014.

Labour Assembly Member Mr Skates will tackle the challenge at Ty Mawr Country Park on Sunday (March 23) as part of the biennial charity event run in association with the BBC.

Sport Relief brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people both in the UK and the world's poorest countries, and last time out the total donated on the night of the live TV broadcast topped £50m.

Mr Skates (pictured left) said: “I am really looking forward to the event, and the fact I can take part in my own constituency makes it even better. I know a few other people who are taking part, and it promises to be a great day which will raise thousands of pounds for a wonderful cause.”

Mr Skates has his own sponsorship page and says anyone who wants to donate to Sport Relief still has time to do so.

He added: “My initial fundraising target was £100, but thanks to people’s amazing generosity I’ve managed to get past the £200 mark and I’m now hoping I can push it up even more in the next few days.

“Fifteen pounds could buy vaccines that help protect three children against deadly diseases, every £25 could provide a therapy session for a young person living with HIV and £50 could help a mother living in poverty in Bangladesh set up her own small business and provide for her family.

“I would be extremely grateful for any donations – whatever people can afford will make a difference to someone’s life.”

To sponsor Mr Skates visit my.sportrelief.com/sponsor/kenskates