Views about Welsh Ambulance Service sought

PEOPLE in Wales are being invited to share their experience of the Welsh Ambulance Service – Emergency Medical Services, Patient Care Services and NHS Direct Wales – and make suggestions about how it could improve.

 Chief Executive Elwyn Price-Morris said: “We are committed to ensuring that the people of Wales are actively involved in decisions about their care, and that their involvement is at the heart of service planning and delivery.

“Capturing service user experience is important in helping us find out what people think of our service. By including patients and the public in the Trust’s work, it can help to change and improve the way care and services are delivered.”

Patient stories already captured are shared routinely at Board meetings, and organisational learning is shared among colleagues – but the Trust is keen to hear from even more people.

The appeal is being made by the Partners in Healthcare team, whose role it is to engage with service users and stakeholders and educate the public about how to use the service appropriately.

Search for ‘Have Your Say’ at www.ambulance.wales.nhs.uk or email Partners in Healthcare at ppi.team@wales.nhs.uk

Alternatively, phone 01792 311773 or write to the Welsh Ambulance Service/NHS Direct Wales, FREEPOST NAT6805, Swansea, SA7 9ZZ.

David pops the question before Caro Emerald concert

 

 

* David Jackson and Elise Davies.

 

A YOUNG Wrexham man perfectly captured the harmonious atmosphere of the occasion by proposing to his girlfriend before Thursday night’s Caro Emerald concert at Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

 

As an audience of thousands looked on, 28-year-old David Jackson, of Ruabon, went up on stage and down on one knee to romantically pop the question to Elise Davies, 26, who works full-time as an event co-ordinator for the festival.

 

When a shocked Elise, who had been carefully kept completely in the dark about the impending proposal, recovered enough to say “yes” the delighted crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

 

Elise, who lives in Ruabon with her future husband, said: “I had no idea David was going to ask me to marry him, especially in such a public place.

 

“I was absolutely gobsmacked when he did it and couldn’t speak for a few seconds but then I said yes because the whole thing was so romantic.”

 

The couple first met when they were both pupils at Ysgol Ruabon and eventually started dating.

 

They have been together for the past seven years and are expecting their first baby in November.

 

Elise, who has worked at the eisteddfod’s headquarters in Llangollen Pavilion for the past three years, said that although she knew David, who works as a graphic designer at a firm on Wrexham Industrial Estate, was going to the Caro Emerald concert with other members of the family, she didn’t have tickets herself until a few hours before.

 

“During the afternoon the eisteddfod’s musical director Eilir Owen Griffiths came into the office and gave some front row tickets to myself and my colleague, Sue McEvoy, which I thought was very nice of him,” she said.

 

“However, what I didn’t know was that he was actually in on the proposal thing and wanted me to have a seat from where I could easily get up on stage.

 

“Just before Caro Emerald was due to start the concert and when the place was absolutely full the presenter Sian Thomas said she had a special announcement to make.

 

“She asked David to come up on stage. I thought he was sitting in one of the rows behind me with his mum, Sue Jackson from Acrefair, and my mum Linda Davies, from Gyfelia near Bangor-on-Dee, but he appeared from behind the stage.

 

“He walked to the front and invited me to come up and join him. That was the first time I had any idea of what was going on.

 

“He gave a nice little speech about how much he loved me and then he popped the question.

 

“I said yes, of course, although it took me a few seconds to take in what was happening.

 

“The audience loved it and there was lots of clapping and cheering.”

 

Elise added: “I was absolutely gobsmacked about it all and I still can’t really believe it. In fact, it feels like it all happened to someone else.

 

“It was so romantic – but not really like David at all.

 

“But he later told me he’d actually been planning it all since last year’s eisteddfod when he was watching the Jools Holland concert.

 

“It was also so nice of him to propose at the eisteddfod because he knows Llangollen means so much to me.

 

“We haven’t named the day yet and probably won’t start planning the wedding until after our baby is born.

 

“I’d like to thank everyone at the eisteddfod who was involved in planning what was a fantastic moment for us.” 

Paraglider helped down from hills

This was tweeted by Llangollen Fire Station earlier this evening (Friday) ... 

 

7:30 tonight crews from Llangollen, Chirk and Wrexham assisted with helping a paraglider down from trees on a Llangollen mountain.

Performers' peace link-up at Eisteddfod

 

 

* Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod President Terry Waite CBE

with Ludmila Stebenkova, left, chief conductor of the Krasnoyarsk City Children’s Choir, from Russia, and Oksana Cherkas, leader of the

Barvinochok Ukrainian Dancers.

 

 

PERFORMERS from the Ukraine and Russia put aside their countries’ political differences to unite in music today.

 

The symbolic meeting between a dance group from the Ukraine and a choir from Russia came this morning (Thursday) when they performed side by side at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in which are both competing this week.

 

Eisteddfod President Terry Waite CBE, who greeted both groups of young people in their colourful national costumes, told them: “We know you have your problems at home but today you have come together in the spirit of music and dance. The future is in your hands.”

 

The historic meeting took place in the amphitheatre on the eisteddfod field and began with the 30-strong Barvinochok folk dance group from Kiev in the Ukraine going through an energetic routine.

 

Following them on stage were around the same number of young singers from the City Children’s Choir from the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk who sang two powerful numbers.

 

At the end of their respective performances members of each group gave the other loud cheers and warm applause.

 

There were encores from the dancers and the singers at the request of Terry Waite and the delighted crowd who gathered to watch.

 

Oksana Cherkas, leader of Barvinochok Ukrainian dancers, said: “We are very happy to meet with the group from Russia today.

 

“Despite what is happening back home it is good that we can get together like this, enjoy each other’s performance and put politics on one side.”

 

Ludmila Stebenkova, chief conductor of the Krasnoyarsk City Children’s Choir, said: “It is good that we have been able to meet together in this way and come together as friends.

“This shows that music and dance comes before politics.”

 

Speaking through interpreters, Terry Waite told the two groups: “Today we have seen two peoples united through music.

 

“Over the years we have had many groups at Llangollen who have had their political differences but they have come together in performance, which is what the eisteddfod has always been about since it was first held in the aftermath of the Second World War.

 

“The future is in your hands and we hope that one day there will be more occasions such as the one we have seen today when you perform together in harmony and peace.”

 

Barvinochok from the Ukraine was founded in 1976 and today has over 500 children and young people aged from three to 23 in its ranks.

 

Dance styles the group specialises in include classical, traditional Ukrainian, modern and global culture.

 

Over the years, Barvinochok has received recognition and won awards at a host of international festivals and competitions in countries such as Russia, Hungary, Germany, Greece, France, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy and Cuba.

 

Barvinochok’s first appearance at Llangollen came in 2009 when they won a certificate of merit for taking second place to a group from Slovakia in the choreographed folk dance competition.

 

Krasnoyarsk City Children’s Choir from Russia are making their Llangollen debut.

Founded in 1971 in the 1970s, the choir regularly tours the Russia, the Czech Republic, Mongolia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine.

 

It has also visited the USA as part of a project called Friendship Ambassadors and co-operates with the Krasnoyarsk State Academic Symphony Orchestra.

Track extension reaches Corwen railhead

George Jones of Llangollen Railway gives this latest update on the track extension to Corwen ...

"As of Tuesday, 8th July, the track extension at the Dwyrain Corwen East station site has received its top ballast. 

Thanks to consistent supplies of ballast from Penmaenmawr quarry, the top ballasting of the extension has proceeded apace and the job is complete ahead of estimates. 

The 03 shunter brought the SHARK and two tipper wagons onto the station site to spread the ballast and place ash on the north side of the station site. This is the furthest west a train has proceeded so far. .

The railhead was extended at the Corwen East station site during week ending 28th June and the stop block now sits by the access gate at the end of the phase 1 station site and the Toad mess van is in residence.  

The services of the hired in tamper machine are now needed by the end of July, when further ballast supplies will be required to top up the formation once it is aligned and packed.

In the meantime, there is plenty of spade work for the volunteer work force to fettle up the stone dropped but it may be that we can soon have another golden fishplate moment at the end of the line to celebrate the achievement. 

Estimates for the building of the temporary platform with scaffolding are coming to hand from contractors, but a start date for construction has yet to be determined. 

There also remains the matter of building the graded access ramp off the embankment onto the approach road.

However, the footpaths from the car park have now been given a top coating and the poor weather approach is complete. The nature reserve access below the station site has been seeded with wild flowers and is closed to allow for germination. 

The ‘snagging’ list continues to be worked on. The piping of culverts 25g & 25h which take surface water off the A5 has been completed and work on the road surface drainage has been tackled by Highways. Some 800 fishplates on the extension have all been greased, but further work is necessary to complete the list of items requiring attention. 

With a range of work still to be completed, the date for the start of passenger services still cannot yet be given but the recent achievement brings the opening ever nearer.

The party is standing on the old under bridge 30 which disappeared as part of the Corwen Flood Alleviation Scheme – the spot where the 03 shunter is seen in the picture above. We did get there, but it has been a real challenge.

Gorillas on the prowl at the eisteddfod

 

* Gorilla girls, Chelsea Jackson, left, and Nicha Duffey.

A three and a half tonne Uri Geller-inspired gorilla made from spoons is wowing visitors to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. 

 

The celebrity and entertainer who was a friend of late pop king Michael Jackson challenged the team at the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry to make it.

 

The 12ft-high (3.6m) statue is made from 40,000 spoons and has taken almost five months to build.

 

Spoons for the silverback have been donated from across the world, as well as local schoolchildren.

 

Mr Geller, a friend of Prince Michael, himself donated a spoon once owned by Winston Churchill.

 

The giant silver primate is spending the week at the Llangollen Eisteddfod before starting a UK tour, where it will make stops at hospices and hospitals such as Manchester children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

 

Llangollen Eisteddfod goer Chelsea Jackson, 17, from Rhos, who is a student at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Wrexham, said: “I didn’t realise it was made out of spoons. I think it’s really clever and I think it’s quite inspiring. I think it will inspire young children to be more creative.”

 

School pal Nicha Duffey, 17, added: “I think it’s very imaginative, and I think it’s crazy but in a good way.”

 

Managing Director of the British Ironworks Centre, Clive Knowles, is a keen supporter of the Llangollen Eisteddfod.

 

He said: “The Llangollen Eisteddfod is something totally unique. I think it‘s a wonderful voice for humanity, full of love, and it brings people from all over the world together through music to understand each other better.

 

“We transported the gorilla to the Llangollen Eisteddfod as part of our sponsorship of the event. We’ve also provided beautiful Victorian tables, chairs and benches.”

 

Many of the spoons for the impressive sculpture have been sent from as far away as China, India, Kenya, Tahiti and Armenia.

 

Clive added: “The spoons were mostly sent in by healthy children, so they could do something to make poorly children happy.

 

"Uri challenged us to make a gorilla out of spoons, and we showed him that we were up to that challenge. Uri is just an enormous personality. He came down to the British Ironworks Centre for the unveiling of the gorilla with Prince Michael of Kent.”

Ceinwin's on a roll with her baking collection

 

* Ceinwin on the eisteddfod field with her rolling pin collection.

 

YOU might say that for the past 30 years or more grandmother Ceinwen Clark has been on a roll when it comes to collecting.

 

For, when she’s not busy working as a volunteer with the floral committee at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod she’s out at antique fairs and car boot sales up and down the country indulging her passion for collecting rolling pins.

 

Over the decades she’s been building her amazing collection, which she keeps at her home in the Denbighshire tourist town, and she’s managed to gather together over 300 in a wide range of shapes, sizes and vintages.

 

And when her hobby came to the attention of producers of the musical Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Bryn Terfel, which kicked off this year’s Eisteddfod on Monday night, she was the obvious choice to supply a suitable rolling pin to Sian Cothi as a prop to make her role as Todd’s murderous pie-making assistant Mrs Lovett as authentic as possible.

 

Ceinwen, who has been a stalwart of the eisteddfod’s floral team for over 20 years, recalled that she began her long obsession with rolling pins about 30 years ago when she was visiting a coffee morning in Anglesey.

 

She said: “I saw a very big rolling pin on show which had a hook at one end. I asked what that was for and I was told that it was to hang it up in the kitchen.

 

“This particular one had come from one of the big country houses on the island and must have been used by the resident cook.

 

“As soon as I saw it I was hooked myself. I paid something like 50p for it and haven’t looked back since.

 

“I’ve now collected over 300 pins in all shapes, sizes and sorts.

 

“Most of them are made of wood and have got all different kinds of handles on them. There are also pins which are weighted with lead inside to give you a more even rolling action.

 

“I have some special ones that are made of ceramic. I believe these were brought back home from abroad by sailors. They have people’s names inscribed on them along with scenes of the South Seas and sailing ships. I think they must date back well over 100 years.

 

“I also have quite a few smaller pins, including one with my name on it which was specially made for me by the Eisteddfod’s life president Bob Attenborough who is a friend of myself and my husband Ronald. Ronald has also been a volunteer on the floral committee for the past five years.”

 

Ceinwen, who has two sons, three grandsons and a granddaughter, added: “I have a special pin for making waffles, which has the correct honeycomb pattern on it and another that is one-handed and made for disabled people to use.

 

“Our house is now getting pretty full of rolling pins and Ronald has told me we don’t want any more of them – but I’m not sure I can stop myself buying them.

 

“The word is also getting out about my collection. At one car boot sale I go to regularly they now call me Mrs Rolling Pin and when the Eisteddfod was looking for a pin for Mrs Lovett to use to make her pies on Sweeney Todd they came straight to me.

 

“I was glad to help but I thought I’d have a bit of a joke with it. The first one I offered Sian was very big and so heavy she could hardly lift it up.

 

“When she told me it was much too big, I brought out a tiny one which she said was too small. But all the time I had a medium pin hidden behind my back and when she saw that one she said it was just right.”

 

Ceinwen actually does do lots of baking, which means she regularly uses pieces from her vast collection.

 

“As we grow our own fruit at home I make lots pies from things like rhubarb, apples and raspberries,” she explained.

 

“My favourite pin to roll the pies is the one my mother had years ago but I do use other ones too because it would be a shame not to with so many at home!”

 

Ceinwen obviously has the collecting bug because, apart from the rolling pins, she has also amassed hoards of old fashioned flat irons, glass fishes, cobbler’s lasts, models of red double decker buses and, perhaps most unusual of all, glass eyewash vessels.