More firefighters' strikes planned

The Chief Fire Officer of North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is renewing a plea for the public across the region to ‘take extra care’ at home and on the roads following the Fire Brigades Union’s announcement that firefighters in England and Wales will take further industrial action next week Thursday 12th June from 9am for 24 hours and again later this month on Saturday 21st June from 10am until 5pm.

Chief Fire Officer, Simon Smith, stressed: “This time we will see the first 24 hour strike by the Fire Brigades Union which will increase the level of risk to the public and therefore I am asking people to extra vigilant about their safety.

“I would like to thank the public for their cooperation in heeding our messages during previous strikes which clearly made a difference to the demand on our services and I would ask for the same level of cooperation once again.

“The first strike also coincides with the start of the UEFA World Cup so it will be at a time when the risk to people’s safety will also be more significant as they are likely to be out socialising or at home entertaining family and friends – which means attention to fire safety in and around the home, as well as road safety, is of even more importance.

“The call for people to be extra vigilant and to think more carefully about the situations they may be putting themselves into is therefore a very serious one. Regrettably it is likely that during the strike period we won’t be able to respond as we normally would – prevention is best, so we are asking everyone to take these simple steps to ensure their safety and those of loved ones;

• Ensure you have a smoke alarm and test that it is in working order – fit one in your caravan before caravanning.
• Do not mix drinking and cooking – it can be a recipe for disaster. Lots of us enjoy a drink when watching our favourite sporting match but be responsible and do not leave cooking unattended. If you are hungry after a night out, get a takeaway or make a sandwich - do not get the chip pan out or leave cooking unattended.
• Don’t drink and drive – walk, get a lift, taxi or if in a group organise a driver and take turns to drive. Avoid any unnecessary journeys and pay particular attention to road safety  – if you are unfortunate enough to be in a collision we may not be able to get there to help you as quickly as we normally would
• Don’t drink and BBQ – the chef should always wait until the cooking has finished before enjoying a drink, and never use any flammable liquids to start or revive a barbecue that is going out. Do not leave a barbeque unattended and always allow embers to cool before disposal.
• Switch off any unused electrical appliances before you go to bed, including your TV, and close all doors – make sure you have an escape plan in the event of fire
• Ensure you extinguish smoking materials and take extra care with naked flames.
• Grass fires can spread quickly during dry weather, putting lives and property at serious risk so avoid using naked flames when out and about and dispose of smoking materials with care.
• Remember setting fires deliberately is a crime for which you can be prosecuted – if you have any information about a deliberate fire please call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
• If a fire does start - get out, stay out and call 999. Don’t be tempted to tackle a fire yourself.”

Safety advice on all the above and additional guidance for the public and businesses is available on the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service website www.nwales-fireservice.org.uk and social network sites on Facebook www.facebook.com/Northwalesfireservice  and Twitter @NorthWalesFire  (#takeextracare), as well as through the local news.

The number of firefighters from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service expected to make a protest by striking is high and will result in a reduction in the resources available. As a consequence, the fire and rescue service will not be able to provide the same high level of response as it normally would – it will continue to respond to emergency calls by prioritising the deployment of the available resources at its disposal and focussing on the protection of life

Chief Fire Officer Simon Smith reassured the public “North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has arrangements in place to continue to provide a service during strike action” but warned that, “because of the circumstances, services may be limited.”

“The Service’s business continuity arrangements will ensure a speedy and safe return to normal services on conclusion of any period of industrial action.”

Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies, Chairman of North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Whilst we understand the concerns of staff which have led to their decision to make a protest in this way, we have a duty and an obligation to ensure that the provision of services remains as unaffected as reasonably practicable. This is a dispute between the Fire Brigade’s Union and the Government in England and Wales over proposed changes to pension arrangements. However our number one priority is to ensure public safety.”

Members of the public who may need to call the fire and rescue service regarding a non-urgent matter during a period of industrial action are requested to consider waiting until strike action ends to make that call.

Latest roadworks bulletin

Latest roadworks in the area notified by Denbighshire County Council are;

A5 from area boundary to Queen Street, Llangollen, temporary traffic lights from June 23-27 to allow gully repairs.

Outside Dobson & Crowther, Berwyn Road, Llangollen, temporary traffic lights from June 23-26 to allow gas works.

A5 Regent Street, Llangollen, temporary traffic lights from June 9-13 to allow retaining wall works.

A5 from area boundary to Queen Street, Llangollen, until June 26 stop/go to allow cyclic maintenance work

A5, Canoe Centre, Berwyn Road, Llangollen, from June 26-July 7 temporary traffic lights to allow water works.

Police appeal following A5 assault

An appeal for witnesses is being made following an incident on the A5 on Wednesday, June 4 involving a cyclist and a motorist.

 

At around 11am a motorist travelling from Llangollen is believed to have been assaulted by a cyclist after both stopped at the side of the A5 road near Berwyn.

 

The motorist sustained minor injury however police remain keen to trace witnesses and anyone who may hold information.

 

PC 1751 Mark Roberts who is investigating said: “At the time of the incident, a number of motorists passed by so it’s possible that people witnessed the assault.

 

"Furthermore, the cyclist is believed to have been riding with a group of up to 12 individuals – some of whom were described as wearing yellow high visibility jackets which possibly had a blue band at the lower part of the jacket.

 

“I appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to please contact me or my colleagues at Llangollen police station on 101 quoting reference number R083184.

 

Alternatively, individuals with information can contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.

 

Plas Newydd fete will be held tomorrow

* The grounds of Plas Newydd - setting for tomorrow's summer fete. 

Llangollen Rotary an Inner Wheel Clubs are staging their annual summer fete in the grounds of Plas Newydd tomorrow (Saturday).

One of the organisers, Enid Law, said: “Its an afternoon out for all the family.

“The children can enjoy  the Punch and Judy and Magic Show and this year we have a children’s roundabout.

“There will be plenty to buy at the stalls - plants, cakes, toys and bric-a-brac and many more.

“Prizes can be won at the sideshows  and the grand raffle will be drawn.

“At 2.30pm a special ceremony will take place when  King Ben from Ysgol Bryn Collen and Queen Angharad from Ysgol Y Gwernant will be crowned by the Mayoress, Mrs Lube.

“Following the crowning all children in fancy dress will form a parade led by Chem, Llangollen’s town crier.

“Why not end the afternoon with delicious home-made refreshments in the tea tent."

The fete opens at 2pm. Entrance is free and all proceeds are to be shared between Macmillan Cancer Care, Wales Air Ambulance and local charities.

Special offer unveiled at Llan Leisure Centre

 

Llangollen Leisure Centre has asked us to promote the following offer ...  

 

 

 

Eisteddfod helps Kosovan family track down relative's 1966 appearance

 

* Ramadan, left, and Myrvete Gashi with their son, Lutfi.

  

THE big-hearted backroom team at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod have helped a family uprooted by the bitter war in Kosovo to recall happier times when one of its members performed at the world famous festival almost 50 years ago.

 

It was back in 1966 that a young man named Sali Krasni appeared with the Yugoslavian folk dance group Rugova at Llangollen.

 

Sali died in his sixties about 25 years ago but members of his family never forgot how fondly he used to speak about his thrilling trip to north Wales.

 

Sadly, all pictures and mementos relating to the memorable occasion were lost when the family home was destroyed by the brutal war in Kosovo in the late 1990s, which saw forces under Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic attempt to suppress the ethnic Albanian majority's independence campaign.

 

* Sali Krasni, from the
1967 programme.

Like many ethnic Albanians, Sali’s family saw no alternative but to flee their native country and seek asylum in Britain 16 years ago.

 

Over the years Sali’s daughter, Myrvete Gashi, often thought how wonderful it would be if any records of his Eisteddfod appearance could be located.

 

So on a recent holiday visit to Llangollen from their home in Enfield, north London, she and three other members of the family decided to call into the Eisteddfod office at the Royal International Pavilion, Llangollen, to see if any trace of it could be found.

 

And their luck was in because the day they chose for the unscheduled visit just happened to be the one day of the week when the Eisteddfod’s two volunteer archivists, Jean Audrey Speare and Helen Roberts, were in the office.

 

They delved back through the records and soon came up with some fascinating pieces of information relating to the appearance of Sali and his folk group.

 

Not only did they uncover photos of the group, including Sali, in an old festival programme but also a newspaper of the day featuring a picture of him.

 

The archive team provided their unexpected visitors with copies of the originals before a colleague took them on a guided tour of the pavilion, which will once again come alive with the Eisteddfod in July.

 

The Eisteddfod’s Festival Support Co-ordinator Christine Dukes, who greeted the group from Kosovo, said: “They just walked through the door of the office and said they had called in on the off chance that we might have some details about their relative who appeared at the festival in 1966 as they had lost everything during the war in their country.

 

* The family look through the old records with the help
of the archives team. 

“Jean and Helen looked back through the archives and came up with a programme showing pictures of the folk group. They also managed to find a copy of a local newspaper of the time which had in it a picture of their relative.

 

“We arranged for them to get copies of everything and then I took them on a tour of the pavilion.

 

“Of course, I explained that the whole site would have looked very different back in 1966, which was before the pavilion was built.

 

“We were very happy to be able to help them and, luckily, they came on the only day of the week that our archivists, who are both volunteers, are in the office.”

 

Along with Sali’s daughter, 65-year-old Myrvete, was her husband Ramadan Gashi, 69, their married daughter, 36-year-old Lendita Olloni, and son Lutfi Gashi, 45.

 

Lutfi, who lives in Enfield, north London and works as a joiner, said: “Our family had a very bad time in the war in Kosovo in the late 1990s and came to England as asylum seekers 16 years ago.

 

* Sali Krasni appeared with the
Yugoslavian folk dance group Rugova.

“We lost our home in a village called Drenovc when it was destroyed by the bombing and had to leave the country for our own safety.

 

“It was because of this that we lost everything relating to the appearance at Llangollen of my grandfather, Sali, with his folk group in 1966.

 

“But I remember he often would talk with great fondness about his time at the Eisteddfod and my parents and I said that one day we would come to north Wales to try to find out more about it.

 

“We came to the office in Llangollen to see if they could find anything and we were very lucky that they found for us some lovely pictures of my grandfather which they arranged for us to have copies of.

 

“It was very good to be able to find out some information about him after all this time and the family is very grateful to the very kind ladies in the office who did so much to help us.”

 

He added: “After going to the Eisteddfod site we spent a night in Llangollen and also visited other attractions in the area including the steam railway.

 

“It is a very nice town and it was good to see the place from where my grandfather brought back so many happy memories.” 

 

The curtain raiser for this year's Eisteddfod will mark the return of opera superstar Bryn Terfel to Llangollen.

 

The acclaimed bass baritone will be playing the lead in a special English-language production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street featuring an all-Welsh cast.

 

This year's will also feature concerts by Dutch jazz sensation Caro Emerald and veteran British rockers Status Quo as well as a world premiere of a new work, Adiemus Colores, by top composer Karl Jenkins.

 

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 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 for the Pavarotti Trophy on the Saturday night is the blue riband event of the week-long festival which will close with a Sunday night concert by Status Quo. 

 

To book tickets and for more details about this year’s Eisteddfod go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

 

Libs Dems slam "misleading" broadband claims

During a debate in the National Assembly on the digital economy, Welsh Liberal Democrats called for an end to "misleading" broadband claims which they claim often see customers paying for high speed broadband contracts which do not reflect the speed of service they were advertised.

 

Eluned Parrott, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Economy, said: “I am very concerned that many people in Wales may not be getting a fair deal from their broadband provider.  Customers are paying for high speed broadband contracts but in reality they only receive very slow broadband speeds which do not match the level of service that was advertised.

 

“Many businesses and individuals have contacted me to say that the current system is very unfair, because companies are able advertise that their broadband service is ‘up to’ a certain speed even if the majority of customers will receive a lower speed in practice. 

 

“The EU is taking steps to ensure that operators must be more transparent about the actual broadband speeds provided and end misleading advertising.  Under current OFCOM rules, advertised speeds must only be achievable by 10% of a provider’s customers, which is clearly unfair.

 

“The measures being proposed by the EU would help end excessive claims of internet companies who claim to deliver more megabytes than they actually do.&nb sp; Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government on these measures to ensure that we can bring an end to the unfair treatment of customers by powerful telecoms companies.”