Gardening club's summer show is next Saturday

Llangollen & District Gardening Club has its Open Summer Show in St Collen's Community Centre on Saturday, August 23.

There are classes for vegetables, flowers, fruit, floral art, arts and crafts, photography, cookery, preserves plus special classes for juniors.

A club spokesperson said: "The show is open to anyone and there are competitions for all ages and abilities, whether it's entering a photograph you've taken, baking a cake or showing your beans.

"Schedules and entry forms are available around town or can be downloaded from our website www.llangollengardeningclub.co.uk.

 

"The doors open at 1.00 pm (admission 50p - under 13 years free) when visitors can see which entries have been awarded prizes by the judges. There are also plants to buy, a raffle and refreshments. At 3 pm Dr Rhys Davies will be presenting the trophies.

 

"The committee would like to thank the many businesses in town which have kindly sponsored the show."

 

Open Doors returns next month

The popular Open Doors international event giving free access to a range of landmark sites and events is returning to Denbighshire in September.

 

It includes over 100 venues, walks, tours and events to join in throughout each weekend in the month and involves Llangollen along with Corwen, St Asaph, Bodelwyddan, Denbigh, Rhuddlan and Ruthin.

 

A string of events, talks and tours will be delivered by local enthusiasts, archaeologists and storytellers.

 

 

Town museum seeks volunteers

Llangollen Museum is currently looking to recruit some new volunteers.

 

A spokesperson said: "If you have some spare time and an interest in history and heritage, volunteering with us would be a great way to meet new people and learn some new skills.

 

"If you are interested in our volunteering opportunities, pop by the museum Thursday-Tuesday 10.00am-4.00pm to find out more! If you live in the Denbighshire area, particularly in Llangollen, please spread the word."

 

Wiggle Etape Cymru to wheel through Llan

The Wiggle Etape Cymru closed road cycling race is returning to North East Wales, with Denbighshire and Wrexham Councils working closely with event organisers Human Race to deliver a successful event in the cycling calendar. 

This is the fourth year for this award-winning race to take to the region's roads and the 85 mile route takes in the stunning scenery of Wrexham county and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

The event will take place on Sunday, 14 September and will be a closed road event. The route is broadly the same as the 2013 event, however some changes have been made this year to reduce the impact on certain areas, these changes mean that there will now be people affected who were not last year as they were not previously on the route.

The event starts (and finishes) at the Bangor on Dee Racecourse before heading through or near Eyton, Crabtree Green, Ruabon, Acrefair, Llangollen, Horseshoe Pass, Bryneglwys, Carrog, Pentre-Celyn, Graigfechan, Llanarmon yn Iâl before heading back into Wrexham county and through/near Minera, Penycae Rhosllanerchrugog, Marchwiel, and Cross Lanes.

The official map can be found on the residents tab at: www.humanrace.co.uk/events/cycling/etape-cymru, together with times and other useful information. The answers to various FAQ’s can also be found here.

The majority of the region's A roads will remain open. However, there will be traffic management along any stretches of the route which crosses any 'A' roads. 

Councillor Huw Jones, Denbighshire's Cabinet Lead Member for Leisure, said: "This event is fast earning a reputation as a prestigious event in the cycling calendar, with increasing number of participants making their way to North East Wales to compete in the race. 

"We have some of the most breath-taking scenery as a backdrop and some great hills to provide a great challenge to the cyclists. This is a great opportunity for cyclists, as well as supporters to take advantage of the race to explore North East Wales and see what's on offer."

This year the event will also welcome ex Welsh rugby captain and legend Gareth Thomas on board as the ambassador for the ride. Gareth will be riding to support one of the official charities of the event, Macmillan Cancer Support. Many riders will also be supporting the local charity Nightingale House Hospice, who will also be benefiting through providing a number of paid for volunteers to support the running of the event and cheer on the thousands of cyclists.

If you’d like to join Gareth, along with hundreds of other Wrexham and Denbighshire residents who are set to take part on Sunday 14 September, then please sign up at www.humanrace.co.uk/events/cycling/etape-cymru.

Anyone with any specific enquiries should contact Human Race by e-mail: cycling@humanrace.co.uk or call their Customer Services Team on 0208 391 3913 (Monday-Friday 9am-5.30pm)

Another A-mazing year for Ysgol Dinas Bran

* Dinas Bran students celebrate their A level results.

Delighted Year 13 students celebrated excellent A level results at Ysgol Dinas Bran today.

100% of entrants achieved the prestigious level three threshold (two A level passes or more); well over half of all grades awarded were at A*-B and more than three quarters were higher level passes.

Among many successful students were George Wort who achieved an incredible five A* grades in Chemistry, ICT, Maths, further Maths and Physics.  

George will now go onto study Computer Science at Jesus College, Cambridge University.  

Another high-achiever was Iestyn Watkin who was awarded two A* grades in Maths and Physics, an A grade in Chemistry and a B grade in English Language. 

Iestyn also achieved an A grade in the Extended Project.  He will now progress to study Natural Sciences at Girton College, Cambridge University.

Wilf Wort, brother of George, achieved an A* grade and three A grades and Polly Harrison three A grades and a C grade.  

Wilf has successfully secured a place at Durham University to study English Literature and Polly will take up History at Keele University.

The vast majority of students who applied achieved their first-choice place at university – a real testament to the quality of their results.  Headteacher Martyn Froggett said: “We congratulate all students on their tremendous results.  

"They have worked exceptionally hard and can be proud of their achievements.  We wish them all the very best for the future.  

"A big thank you too to the staff and parents who have supported them.  It is a great year for the school – to achieve a 100% pass-rate is simply fantastic!”

A county council spokesperson said: "Early indications show that the approximate A Level (Level 3) pass rate at Denbighshire’s six secondary schools in 2014 shows an improvement of 2% up from 96.8% to 98.8% and there have been some excellent individual achievements across all schools.

"In addition to the A Level results, 99.4% students were awarded the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification's Advanced Diploma."  Councillor Eryl Williams, Denbighshire's Cabinet Lead Member for Education, said: “We would like to congratulate all students on their individual results.  "Education remains a top priority in Denbighshire and I am extremely pleased to see our A level results continuing to rise."

 

* Celebrations all round.

New regional emergency planning service formed

Councils in North Wales have joined forces to provide a new regional emergency planning service, the first of its kind in the country.

The team will bring together the six councils’ emergency planning teams ensuring a coordinated local authority response to any major incidents in North Wales such as flooding, severe weather, power cuts, transport or industrial accidents.

The service will assist the councils to fulfil their role in preparing with the emergency services and other organisations, plans to assist in a co-ordinated, multi agency response to a major emergency.

The 14-strong team will operate from two hubs based at Mold and Conwy and will be managed by the Regional Manager Phil Harrison, former Emergency Planning Manager for Wrexham and Deputy Regional Manager Jonathan Williams, formerly Emergency Planning Manager for Conwy.

He said: “We have brought together the expertise from all the North Wales Emergency Planning teams to harmonise all the various plans, reduce repetition of effort and ensure that the response from individual councils is timely and robust.

“As always we will continue to work closely with colleagues from other agencies involved in emergency response and recovery such as the police, fire, ambulance and Natural Resource Wales.”

Colin Everett, Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council, the lead authority for the new regional scheme, said: “Severe weather which has caused, for example, flooding emergencies in North Wales, requires a coordinated response from the emergency services and councils.

"It is essential that we are ready to respond to such incidents and any other type of emergency situation. Planning ahead is the most effective way to ensure that if emergencies do happen they have as small an impact as possible on local communities.

“Our new approach in North Wales has streamlined the service and will ensure that we use our resources in the most efficient and effective way to deliver a first class response for residents and businesses.”

Have your say on how cash bonanza is spent

 

* New life in the country, Cadwyn Clwyd Chairman Andrew

Jedwell with Manager Lowri Owain and Project Support Officer Lowri Edwards.

 

A regeneration agency is in line for a six-year £7 million cash bonanza to boost the economy of rural North East Wales.

Cadwyn Clwyd is launching a month-long consultation process to explore the best ways of spending the money in the rural areas of Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham. And you can have your say in Llangollen next week. 

The cash is part of an overall pot of £47.5 million for Wales and Cadwyn Clwyd has previously secured £14 million in European funding to run similar programmes in Denbighshire and Flintshire for a number of years.

Their remit has now been extended to the rural areas of Wrexham County Borough, taking in the large area south and west of North Wales’s biggest town.

The new projects could see over £2 million each go to Flintshire and Wrexham while Denbighshire receives just under £2 million.

The money comes through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) through the Welsh Government’s Rural Development Plan and is part of a six-year plan to revitalise rural communities and their economies.

It has been backed by Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates, the Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, who said: “The fact that more people in Clwyd South could soon benefit from additional European and Welsh Government money is fantastic news.

“This major investment would represent a huge vote of confidence in the area and help galvanise some of our rural communities. I am excited to see how and where the money could be spent, and I would encourage my constituents to take part in the consultation process and have their say.

“Cadwyn Clwyd has already done some fantastic work in Clwyd South and Denbighshire, and across North East Wales as a whole, and I look forward to their excellent programmes being extended to include Wrexham and to benefit many more people in our part of the world.”

Lowri Owain, the Manager of Cadwyn Clwyd, said: "As a company, we’ve been very successful in attracting funding and in helping to get projects realised and we work with a wide range of projects.

“We hope this will be an extension of the successful series of programmes which we have been running in Denbighshire and Flintshire and which now has the potential to continue through to 2020.

“If we can secure this funding then it will represent a massive vote of confidence in the work we have been doing across all aspects of rural life from tourism, food production and job creation to improving community facilities and encouraging the arts.

“It will mean we can continue to foster innovation and develop the local economy in rural North East Wales.

“We are working in partnership with the three County Councils representing Denbighshire, Flintshire and now Wrexham and that has been vital to the bid and will be equally important for the future.”

Cadwyn Clwyd has helped secure the future of major local events like the Hamper Llangollen and Mold Food Festival as well as launching the Prince of Wales’s favourite community enterprise, Pub is the Hub in Wales for the first time in Wales before rolling it out across a total of eight local authority areas in Wales.

Other successful initiatives have seen them work with local food producers as well as help launch the Pwllglas Community Shop near Ruthin, winner of a Rural Community Ownership Award for 2014, while their bursaries have given a kickstart to small businesses and young entrepreneurs, first in Flintshire and then in Denbighshire as well.

They are currently helping Corwen set up its own hydro renewable energy project and they have funded a survey into climate change in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Lowri Owain added: “We would encourage local people with ideas to come to speak to Cadwyn Clwyd and to attend the consultation events being held over the coming weeks.

We have a great chance of securing this money and now it’s up to the public to decide what the community’s needs are and how this money can best be used.

“If we can help to develop projects further we will do all we can to provide technical support and assistance to find funds.”

Cadwyn Clwyd Board member and Flintshire County Councillor Carolyn Thomas, from Treuddyn, the Chair of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, said: “It is hugely important to rural North East Wales that Cadwyn Clwyd are able to continue their work.

“This new consultation process is a vital part of the preparation for the next six years and it is key that organizations and individuals engage with it.

“Cadwyn Clwyd has funded schemes that have brought communities together, working on initiatives they have developed from local groups through the support of their project officers who have taken people’s ideas and helped turned them into reality.

“Their expertise and know-how has brought organisations, communities and agencies together, provided access to funding and played a vital role in the ongoing regeneration of our countryside.”

Cadwyn Clwyd’s programme of consultation events covers all three counties and is as follows:

Denbighshire: Royal International Pavilion, Llangollen, on Thursday, August 21, 6-9pm.