Vote for schemes to support with collared villains' cash

* Winston Roddick, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, with Assistant Chief Constable Richard Debicki and Dave Evans, P.A.C.T project manager.

 

Voting lines are open for people across North Wales to choose which local community group they want to support - using cash seized from criminals.

A total pot of £42,000 is up for grabs as part of a new scheme set up by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick to reward groups which help tackle anti-social behaviour and combat crime and disorder.

 

The Your Community, Your Choice initiative is being supported by North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT).

 

Two groups in each of the six counties will get £3,000 apiece and a £6,000 prize will go to the winning  organisation that operates across North Wales.

 

People will be able to vote via the websites of the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner and North Wales Police from November 10 to December 12.

 

The prize money includes cash confiscated from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with the rest coming from the Police Commissioner.

 

Mr Roddick said: "This scheme has been designed to benefit community groups across North Wales and at the same time hit villains where it hurts them most - in the pocket.

 

"This is a first class scheme which brings the police and the community closer together and  gives an opportunity for the community to decide how they would like to see the funds we’ve confiscated from criminals spent in their community.

 

"The message to criminals is abundantly clear - we will seize their ill-gotten gains and use the money for the benefit of the communities from which the money was taken in the first place.

 

"We have had some fantastic entries which underlines how much excellent work is happening across North Wales in terms of reducing crime and disorder and making  North Wales an even safer place to live, work and visit."

 

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Debicki was equally enthusiastic.

 

He said: “This is an excellent scheme which allows members of the public and local organisations right in the heart of communities to bid into a fund and to be part of the solutions to crime and disorder in their area.

 

"It is deeply satisfying that money taken out of the hands of criminals is being put back into the community in this way.

 

"Our aim is to drive home the message that crime doesn't pay and that the Police and the Commissioner are listening to people's concerns and then acting on them.

 

"This is about the local community and local organisations working together and working with the police to put things in place at a local level in order to tackle the issues which matter to the public most."

 

PACT manager Dave Evans explained "We want to see as many people as possible voting for the schemes they would like us to support.

 

"We are delighted that we have had some particularly high quality applications from across North Wales.

 

“The Your Community, Your Choice initiative gives us the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of community groups and also importantly gives our local neighbourhood policing teams the opportunity to engage with those groups and support them with those projects that they want to run."

 

Details about how to vote for your chosen community group can be found at www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk or www.north-wales.police.uk
 

Finalists        

 

Locally

 

The Plas Madoc Association of Volunteers want to run a  three month pilot project, Social Inclusion Futsal League, at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre for teams across the Wrexham area. This will comprise of a weekly competition, the aims and objectives of the league are to reduce crime, engage local young people, offer opportunities for training and C.V. building as well as an overall sense health and well-being.

 

North Wales

 

DangerPoint is a safety education and life-skills charity based in Talacre, Flintshire. Working regionally DangerPoint was set up via a public and private partnership to improve safety health and wellbeing of children and young people across North Wales and to encourage them to make positive life choices and not become involved in crime and antisocial behaviour. The Prevent project will build on the Key Stage Three programme aimed at young people in secondary schools, and will target specific groups of young people from youth justice teams and pupil referral units across north Wales.

 

The Flick Project is part of the VI-Ability Educational Programme which aims to use to use the motivational power of hockey to create safer, stronger and more respectful communities across six local authorities in North Wales through the development of young people’s potential. The activities will include late night rush hockey coaching and wellbeing sessions in targeted areas. Rush hockey is a new and exclusive product of Hockey Wales, and is a new way to play the game that is faster, more intense and focused.

.

North Wales Deaf Association has been working with the Deaf community and with people with hearing loss since 1994. They wish to run five crime prevention workshops in three locations across North Wales. These workshops will be designed to be easily accessible to people with hearing loss and will be designed to cove crime prevention topics which have been identified from feedback received whilst working in the community. 

AM aims to save commuter trains service

At a meeting this week between Arriva Trains Wales and Aled Roberts AM, the local Assembly Member called for the withdrawal of proposals to cut the 7.47 commuter train service from Wrexham to Birmingham which also serves Chirk and Ruabon in May next year.

 

Regular meetings are to be arranged between Arriva Trains Wales and the Lib Dem Assembly Member for North Wales which he hopes will ensure that local people have plenty of time to make their views known on any proposed changes to timetables next May.

 

“I met with Arriva Trains Wales today to voice local concerns that Wrexham will lose a commuter service when we should be getting more direct commuting services,” said Mr Roberts.

 

“We need transport priorities that get people to work.

 

 “Following the loss of a direct commuting train service that linked Llandudno and Manchester, I am concerned that North East Wales is being ignored by Cardiff-based planners in the Welsh Government and Arriva Trains Wales.

 

“The 07.47 train which provides a direct link without any changes between Wrexham and Birmingham is one of our busiest commuter trains serving Telford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham in time for the working day. Its likely replacement will leave about 15 minutes earlier and then wait at Shrewsbury which makes it very inconvenient for those who want to commute using public transport.

 

“I understand that the train which forms the current 07.47 service to Birmingham is to be transferred to the Cambrian line so that there is a new hourly service from May 2015 linking Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.” 

Town marks Armistice Day

* Standards are lowered during the Armistice Day ceremony.

Llangollen town centre briefly came to a standstill this morning (Tuesday) as people gathered for a short Armistice Day ceremony, marking the point at which the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War at 11am on November 11, 1918.

At the Town Hall clock struck 11, John Lawton of Llangollen branch of the Royal British Legion read out the Ode of Remembrance followed by the Kohima Prayer, which says: "When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,  For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today."

British Legion standards were lowered as the ceremony, which was attended by the Town Mayor Cllr Bob Lube, took place.

* John Lawton of Llangollen Royal British Legion during the ceremony. 

  

KLS chair answers Sainsbury's statement on new store

Martin Crumpton, chair of Keep Llangollen Special, has issued this statement in response to the llanblogger story on Monday in which Sainsbury’s said it would be going ahead with its new superstore in Llangollen despite rumours that it was halting new store openings as part of an overhaul of its business to fight falling sales. 

“We need not be unduly dismayed by this bullish response from Sainsbury’s PR machine.

“The supermarket giant may well find itself owning a shell on the outskirts of Llangollen, but it won’t have escaped their notice they will never achieve the profitability originally scoped for the project.

“Their own results will show that on Wednesday, as well as the Denbighshire-commissioned report, Mixed Use Sites Assessment Study, which reveals an apparent shortfall of 1,400 square metres (paragraph 9.3, http://bit.ly/dccmixed) which predates the opening of town-central Stans Superstore, Llangollen.

 

“Ours is an evidence-based response. The results of our house-to-house survey, reaching around 90% of households, are here: http://bit.ly/klssurv

 

“It’s up to them to decide the shell’s future use, whether to landbank it, make it less retail, more a distribution hub since their nearest home delivery centre is Rhyl, or even sell it on to the manufacturing sector, but it’s up to us, Keep Llangollen Special community group and the residents, to ensure that it operates at a loss by beefing-up our Buy Local campaign and assisting the thousands here who will find the site inaccessible, to convert to online shopping and home delivery, which is currently provided free by Tesco just a few minutes’ drive or bus ride away in nearby Cefn Mawr.

 

“National Small Business Saturday takes place on December 5th and once again, Buy Local Day will coincide with it. More initiatives and partnerships are to be confirmed. Meanwhile, if you’re considering online shopping but need some practical help, contact researcher@keepllangollenspecial.org.uk and you can help defend Llangollen too.”

Search is on for next Pavarotti

 

* Luciano Pavarotti performing at Llangollen.

 

The search is on for the next Pavarotti as Wales’s top international music festival launches a hunt for the singing stars of tomorrow.

 

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, where the late, great Luciano Pavarotti made his worldwide debut as a teenager, is to introduce a trio of major new solo competitions next year.

 

They are aimed firmly at rising young musical stars, under the age of 28, and each has a generous first prize of £1500.

 

They are the International Voice of the Future, International Voice of Musical Theatre and International Young Musician and are part of an impressive list of major new competitions for the Eisteddfod’s midweek programme.

 

The idea for them came from Eisteddfod Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths who said: “We’re very excited about this because it shows the Eisteddfod is investing in the future of these young artists.

 

“Pavarotti made his international debut on the stage at the International Eisteddfod and then went on to become a worldwide star and we are looking for these stars of the future, we are looking for another Pavarotti.”

 

Pavarotti was 19 and alongside his father, Fernando, was part of the Chorus Rossini, the Modena Choir which won the Male Choir competition in 1955 and the visit to Llangollen left an indelible impression on him and he famously said that if he could win the first prize with a small choir from Modena, he could do anything.

 

It’s that inspiration that Eilir Owen Griffiths is looking to kindle through the new competitions and he added: “It’s part of my ethos and probably comes from my background of working with students at Trinity St David’s University over the past eight years.

 

“This year we gave three young singers the chance to sing with Bryn Terfel in a performance of Sweeney Todd at Llangollen and that was a magnificent occasion and a wonderful opportunity which they seized.

 

* Lauren Morris.

“It’s fantastic if a festival of the stature of Llangollen can give opportunities to young people to have a stage on which to show their ability and to gain experience.

 

“I see many students who do well and also many who struggle and if we can give exposure to their talent then that could make a difference and that is so important.

 

“We are looking for strong individuals. Because the prize money is substantially higher than we have offered in the past then we are keen to ensure that the standard is of an international level.”

 

The trio who sang with Bryn Terfel were Berwyn Pearce, from Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd, great-nephew of another legendary Welsh opera singer, Sir Geraint Evans, Lauren Morris, from Solihull, and Dewi Wykes, 14-year-old from Gellifor, near Ruthin.

 

 * Dewi Wykes with opera star Bryn Terfel.

They were whittled down from over 80 hopefuls who went through auditions in Cardiff and Llangollen before being hand-picked by Bryn Terfel himself.

 

Eilir Owen Griffiths said: “One of our roles at the Eisteddfod is to provide an opportunity for young talent to flourish and there can be no bigger opportunity than to sing alongside a legend like Bryn Terfel.

 

“The enthusiasm that those auditions generated and the standard of the singers was also a reason for introducing these new competitions in singing and musicianship.”

 

The Eisteddfod will also introduce two new ensemble competitions in 2015, an Open Band and a Vocal Ensemble and also a new Open Floor Dance and the Musical Diector added: “In recent years we have seen a revival in interest in brass bands and this will provide an opportunity for them to compete and also for the many folk bands who come to the Eisteddfod to accompany dance groups.

 

* Berwyn Pearce.

“The Vocal Ensemble is aimed at small groups singing unaccompanied so they could be barbershop quartets or acapella groups while the Open Floor Dance gives an opportunity for dancers of any style, whether it’s folk, modern, contemporary or urban.

 

“It’s a very exciting concept that we could have a brass band competing against a band who accompany traditional Indian dance or Scottish Highland dancers taking on hip hop poppers.”

 

The closing date for all Choral, Dance Group and Ensemble competitions is Friday, November 21, while for Solo events it is Friday, March 6. Friday, November 21 is also the closing date for non-competitive applications.

For more details on the 2015 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, including information about competitions, go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Officers meet to find answer to off-roaders issue

Council officers have met with police and a countryside agency to hammer out a solution to the issue of off-roading in the Dee Valley, Llantysilio and Berwyn Mountains.

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies, who was there to represent the views of people in his ward, said: “The officers’ working group meeting last Friday included officers from Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham Councils, Natural Resources Wales and North Wales Police.

“The aim was to find a way forward to deal with issues arising from off-roading that are being reported by local residents and landowners.

“The big issue facing the area remains the illegal use of off-road areas in open countryside by illegal vehicles.

“I made my views known about calls for the closures of unsurfaced public roads, which is a legally based process that can only be undertaken under set circumstances often at considerable cost, especially if challenged.

“Basically, they are highways and in these times of budget cuts I could not support the spending of possibly hundreds of thousands of pounds on the process of closures where the outcome is uncertain. There has already been a failed attempt to do this by Powys County Council.”

Cllr Davies believes there are three issues involved, which are:

Classification of the highways so that users have no uncertainty as to what is legal or not and appropriate times or means of use.

Enforcement against those who are using vehicles in the countryside in an unlawful manner, the management of which is the remit of the North Wales Police.

Engagement and management of users to promote considerate use with respect and regard for the needs of other users and local communities.

He added:  “As for classification, work is to be done by Denbighshire officers, supported by other agencies and off-road user groups, to produce a Green Road Code to identify routes legally available for vehicles and set standards for their reasonable use and management.

“North Wales Police are already doing work on enforcement, with other operations planned.

“Police officers at last Friday’s meeting, supported by the other group members, confirmed their commitment to securing a reduction and elimination of the unlawful use of motor vehicles in the area.

“As part of this process a local PCSO successfully stopped and served notices on three motorcyclists riding on the moorland at the Horseshoe Pass last weekend.

“The meeting identified specific sites where off-roading is a significant issue and over the next few months a number of specific multi-agency action days will be held to find, stop, and deal with persons using a vehicle in contravention of the various laws in these locations.

“The ultimate penalty is that not only a fine can be issued but the vehicle used for such activity can be confiscated and destroyed.

“In terms of engagement and management, DCC officers, other agencies and off-road user groups are working together to educate users to better manage the use of unsurfaced roads and for users to support and assist in their future maintenance.

“Sophisticated logging devices developed for National Parks to record vehicle activity have been acquired by DCC with grant funding from Wales Government.

“These have been installed during since the beginning of the year in all affected areas and `honeypot’ spots and have given a good understanding of the levels of usage and type of vehicles using these areas.”

Cllr Davies went on: “My view is that if we could manage all three of these points, then this would go a long way to mitigating issues arising from the increasing popularity of off-road tourism in the area and would extend the visitor season, helping local tourism-reliant businesses.

“The latest Local Development Plan, which is just about a year old, designates the Llangollen area as a tourism destination and says that considerate use of the unsurfaced road network is already a popular component of the many features of the area that weekend and short break visitors find attractive. Legal unsurfaced road use falls in to this category.”

County consults on elderly care

Last week, Denbighshire launched it's 'Cutting our Cloth' campaign, asking residents for their views on the proposed budget cuts facing the Authority.

The council needs to find £17 million over the next two years and has published a list of proposals which will be debated by councillors in December before setting the final budget in February. 

This means that the council has to consider making what it says are "some difficult choices" and one of the things being considered is to carry out a consultation on the future provision of in-house care services in the county. 

The council funds over 500 older people to live in care homes across Denbighshire, with just 54 - or 10% - of those living in the three council-owned care homes at Awelon, Ruthin, Dolwen in Denbigh and Cysgod y Gaer in Corwen.   

An authority spokesperson said: "Older people frequently tell us that they want to live in their own homes as they get older, not move into residential care, so we want to explore how we can develop alternatives to this such as Extra Care Housing Schemes.

"The provision of 'standard' residential care - not nursing care or specialist elderly mental health care - which is only what local authority owned homes can provide, is rapidly reducing in demand as alternatives such as Extra Care Housing Schemes are being developed in partnership with other housing associations and housing providers in key communities across the county.

"Part of the consultation would be about what they think about the council supporting the development of more of this type of provision as an alternative to the three council-owned residential care homes, which are a significantly more expensive to run than equivalent services provided by either independent developers or organisations such as housing Associations or charitable  organisations. 

"In relation to the 54 individuals living in Awelon, Dolwen and Cysgod y Gaer, many of them may require alternative accommodation as their needs increase for nursing or specialist elderly mental health care.

"The council has given a commitment to ensure that they will not close any council-owned care home if there are individuals living there whose needs cannot be met in alternative provision.

"We recognise that any change can be upsetting for those involved and that is why we are considering starting a consultation during which, we will meet with residents and their relatives or representatives to explain how services could be provided and to gather their views on any changes. Part of any consultation will include a review of how any proposed change would potentially impact on each individual resident. 

"The local authority would like to reassure all service users and their relatives or representatives that when a consultation is agreed by members, we will work with them and support them throughout the process. 

"The consultation would include people living within the three Extra Care Housing Schemes, Gorwel Newydd, Rhyl, Nant y Mor, Prestatyn and Llys Awelon in Ruthin, where domiciliary care services are provided by the council. These housing schemes for older people are owned by housing associations, not the local authority, and so the consultation would purely be about the provision of care services within these housing schemes.

"Arrangements for housing support or any other services in the building will not be affected so will not be included as part of this consultation.

"It will also look at the day care provision at Hafan Deg in Rhyl, which currently has ten service users and ten members of staff."

A summary of the council's proposals can be found at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/consultations, together with a short online form for you to complete. You can submit your response online.

Alternatively, you can e-mail: public.relations@denbighshire.gov.uk or write to: Cutting Our Cloth, Communications Department, Denbighshire County Council, County Hall, Wynnstay Road, Ruthin, LL15 1YN or you can leave your comments at any council reception area. 

If you wish your comment to be considered by the Council at its December  meeting, it should arrive with the council no later than November 27.