Operatic members get into a good habit with nun run

* Sister Act producer Tracey Rawlinson and fellow

cast member Louisa Jones limber up for the Nun Run next month. 

MEMBERS and friends of Llangollen Operatic Society are getting into a good habit at the moment as they prepare for their forthcoming Nun Run fundraising event on Sunday March 22. 

The 10km (six mile) fun walk/run will follow a picturesque route around the hills of Llangollen and it is hoped that around 40 participants will don their walking shoes or trainers to raise funds, which will be split between the society and a local charity.

To get in the spirit and ensure it really is an event like “nun” other those taking part are actively encouraged to wear ecclesiastical dress.

Passersby can therefore expect to see sisters, priests, altar boys and maybe even a bishop or two along the route, which will start at Llangollen Sports Club and progress up the Panorama before dropping down Sunbank and following the canal back into town. 

Money raised through sponsorship will make a valuable contribution towards the staging of the society’s forthcoming production of the hit musical Sister Act, which will see its North Wales premier between April 21 and 25th at Llangollen Town Hall.

A donation will also be made to Leonard Cheshire Disability in Dolywern, which is a charity close to the members’ hearts 

Sister Act producer Tracey Rawlinson said: “We have close links with Leonard Cheshire Disability and look forward to visiting the residents and staff each year in the spring to entertain them with songs from our recent production.

“The charity does fantastic work and we hope very much that the Nun Run will enable us to make a small contribution towards their running costs. 

“It will also help us to meet the costs of putting on our show. The costuming in particular will be quite expensive this year with around 30 habits to be made from scratch.”

* To support the society’s efforts by sponsoring a sister, send your donation, made payable to Llangollen & District Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society, to Marcus Ansloos, 5 Emral Brook Close, Ruabon, LL14 6BY, or e-mail mansloos@yahoo.co.uk for further details.

Tickets for Sister Act are also now on sale online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety.

Petition calls for more community beds

Health and social care should be integrated to ease the pressure on the NHS.

 

That's the view of Mabon ap Gwynfor, long time health campaigner and Parliamentary Candidate for Plaid Cymru in Clwyd South.

 

Mr ap Gwynfor said that there were beds available in care homes which could be commissioned by the Health Board for step-down care.

 

He sited Cysgod-y-Gaer in Corwen as an example which had five beds which could be used as community beds for patients from the Dee Valley following the closure of Llangollen Hospital and the loss of 18 beds there.

 

Mr ap Gwynfor made the call as he launched a petition calling on the Health Board and Welsh Government to open more community beds in North Wales.

 

He said: “This is a very difficult winter for the Health Board, with huge ambulance queues; A&E full to bursting with patients waiting many long hours; and a shortage of GPs.

 

"Clinicians are telling us that these difficulties are in no small part down to the closure of community hospitals and the loss of hospital beds.

 

"We know that North Wales has lost some 400 hospital beds in the last five years, with 53 of those following the closure of Llangollen, Flint, Prestatyn, and Ffestiniog hospitals.

 

“The health Board and Labour Government are intent on centralising services, with Lesley Griffiths memorably comparing Wales with Birmingham.

 

"But North Wales is rural, sparse, and has different needs. We need community beds across the region.

 

"Chirk Hospital is providing a brilliant service but its full; and staff at the Maelor are doing great work in very difficult circumstances. That’s why I’ve launched this petition calling for more community hospital beds, and four hundred people have already signed it.

 

“Cysgod y Gaer Care Home in Corwen has beds which the Health Board could commission. This would help ease the pressure on District General Hospitals, and would also help Denbighshire as they are looking for a long term solution to their Care Homes.

 

"It would also start the process of what Plaid Cymru would like to see which is an integrated Health and Social Care provision.”

 

* The petition can be found at http://mabonapgwynfor.com/beds/

Man hurt in crash near Corwen

The Denbighshire Free Press is reporting today that a man was injured in a serious road accident near Corwen.

For full details, see: http://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/144076/man-seriously-injured-in-crash-near-corwen.aspx

Cyclist Mike pedals to epic Italian job

* Mike Edwards in action on his bike.

A KEEN Llangollen cyclist has powered his way to a riding holiday through the spectacular Italian countryside after winning an online competition.  

Mike Edwards will now be teaming up on the Italian job with his equally bike crazy son to pedal the 450 miles from Milan to Rome this September.

* Christian Edwards on the Prudential Ride
London in 2013 in which his time was 6.47.17)

Mike, 70, a retired chartered surveyor, entered the competition on the Ride25 cycling website and heard recently that he had been chosen as the winner.

 

His prize is an epic ride which takes in rolling hills, sunflowers, hilltop villages and historic delights.
 

The tour, which takes four and a half days, also offers the opportunity to see the historic cities of Piacenza, Bologna, Orvieto and Rome.  

Mike will be setting off on the adventure with his eldest son, Christian, 42, who lives in Wrexham and works as a service engineer. Like his dad, he is also an avid cyclist.

Mike said: “I am absolutely thrilled and excited to have won the competition and my son and I are looking forward to riding in Italy in September.

“I have been on holiday to Tuscany several times and those rolling hills and spectacular scenery will be great to view from my Italian bike, an Bianchi Infinito.”
 

He added: “Christian has been cycling for several years. He has completed Ride London, a 100 cycling sportive, and has also done several triathlons including a Olympic Distance 2k swim, 80k bike and 13.1m run.

“I had a big birthday last September with the numbers zero and seven but not necessarily in that order.
 

“I spent most of my working life with the old Wrexham Maelor Council and used to run with Wrexham AAC. I have completed 11 marathons including four London and two Snowdonia. 

“In recent years Chris and I have mainly concentrated on cycling, both mountain bikes - mainly at One Planet Adventure in Llandegla - and road bikes.
 

“Christian and I are cycling buddies as well as father and son. We are both doing Chirk Sprint Triathlon in April and Ashbourne in May when we will be joined by my eldest daughter Claire who is 29 who is making her triathlon debut.

“After Ashbourne Chris and I will concentrate on building up our mileage to be able to ride 450 miles in four days in Italy.

“This will probably take in the Mark Cavendish Sportive which is being held in August and includes the iconic climb of the Horseshoe Pass.”

Garden waste deadline ends this Saturday

The introductory discount Denbighshire County Council offers to householders opting in to its garden waste collection scheme is due to end on February 14.

So far, residents have taken advantage of the discounted early-bird rates to pay for 9,051 bins.

With the discount available for another ten days, sales are expected to approach 11,000 by the time Valentine’s Day arrives.  Denbighshire waste officer, Alan Roberts, said: “Contrary to some reports, the council is very happy with the take-up from residents at this stage.

"Elsewhere, take-up has ranged between 30% and 40% when charges are introduced, so to be at 25% eight weeks before the service starts is very pleasing.”

Around half of all the requests for bins have come via the council’s website and, with a last-minute rush of orders expected, Alan Roberts advised residents to go online to make their payment for their garden waste service.

He said: “We expect the volume of payments to increase in the days before the discount ends and I would strongly recommend using the online payment system to minimise any waiting time.”

The ending of the early-bird discount means that the cost of having a standard 140 litre bin, or equivalent dumpy sacks, emptied fortnightly for 12 months will increase from £22 to £24. The cost of a two-bin service will increase from £34 to £36.

Alan Roberts added: “Because of the high level of sales, householders that have opted into the scheme will find their collection days will remain exactly the same as they have always been for the first six months.

"The next calendar they receive will reflect changes made to increase efficiency given the reduced number of households needing collections.”

The council’s secure online payment page can be found at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste and payments can also be made over the telephone, on 01824 706101, or in person at any of the council’s One Stop Shops.

Get free help to handle debt, says AM

To mark the recent Debt Awareness Week, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood, who chairs the Cross Party Group on Fuel Poverty, called on his constituents to ensure they are taking advantage of free help and support available for anyone struggling with winter energy bills.

 

He said: “Nobody should suffer in silence and there's a range of help and advice for any constituents who are having problems paying their energy or other household bills.”

 

For example, British Gas spent more than £380 million in 2013 helping 1.8m vulnerable households with discounts, free insulation and benefits advice.

 

The company has a successful partnership with StepChange Debt Charity – organisers of Debt Awareness Week - which helps customers by offering manageable payment plans for their energy and other household debts.

 

It also funds The British Gas Energy Trust - an independent charitable trust set up 10 years ago. British Gas has provided the Trust with £75million to help people living in fuel poverty.  The Trust provides grants to help with energy arrears as well as a wide range of advice and is open to everyone, not just British Gas customers.

 

Other support provided by British Gas includes flexible payment plans, referral to the Warm Home Discount scheme which gives eligible customers a £140 discount on their electricity bill, and identifying if customers are eligible for free insulation or boiler replacements.

 

To register for extra help, customers or someone acting on their behalf should call 0800 072 8625 (or 0800 294 8604 if they have a Pay As You Go meter).

 

Mr Isherwood added: “I want all my constituents to understand what help is available for them. Keeping on top of winter bills and managing debt is so important and I'd urge anyone in North Wales, to get in touch with their energy supplier to find out what support is on offer."

 

Skates seeks measures to cure A483 "pinch point"

Assembly Member Ken Skates is hoping the Welsh Government will examine ways of easing traffic at a known pinch-point on the A483.

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, has written to Transport Minister Edwina Hart to ask whether there are any plans to alleviate congestion at the McDonald’s roundabout near Chirk.

“There have been problems there for a long time, and I know the traffic can be extremely frustrating for many of my constituents,” said Mr Skates.

“The Chirk McDonald’s is one of the busiest in Britain and the roundabout acts as an entry point to the Dee Valley, as well as one of two access points for Chirk, so congestion at rush hour can be considerable.”

Response ...

Reference the above story, I am sure residents of Llangollen welcome Ken's intervention in this matter because there are several traffic issues of concern at the moment:

1. The main issue with the A483/A5 is the death trap sections of three lane carriageways between Ruabon and recently enlarged roundabout at Oswestry. The bridge over the Chirk Valley has a particularly bad accident record and requires urgent attention such as a speed limit, average speed cameras and a ban on overtaking to prevent further deaths;

2. The A5 out of Llangollen has for some time had a set of temporary lights causing long delays, but there seems no start imminent on rectify this problem;

3. On the other access/egress road into town, on Mill Street there are also temporary lights causing a delay for residents and visitors. These works are part of the scheme recently revealed to endeavour to improve access to the new Medical Centre particularly for pedestrians, wheelchair and pushchair users. However the scheme which is costing the Health Board £70,000 does not address the pinch point on Mill Street where there is no pavement on one side of the highway:

So there are a number of traffic issues causing immense difficulties for Llangollen residents and no information is being provided by Denbighshire CC to the public about what is being done to resolve the problems. 1 and 2 above are directly within the control of the Highways Department who seem to treat the public with total disrespect and fail to consult or provide information as to what is proposed. I had to resort to a Freedom of Information request to obtain details of the Health Board's Scheme and I call upon the Proper Officer at Denbighshire to provide Council Tax Payers with a full explanation of what is being considered and proposed to resolve these issues which adversely affect residents and Llangollen's role as an inland tourist destination?

 

Mike Edwards

Further response ...

In addition to Mike Edwards’ analytical piece, I’d like to remind and let people know there’s a Community Initiative in progress which might rethink the unthinkable and provide a radical solution which could never in all likelihood come from beyond the community itself.

 

It’s a Crowdfunded scheme which means everyone can contribute with a simple donation and everyone will be able to participate – a refreshing change from the usual approach of a study undertaken without public involvement then shown to the public in what’s usually mislabelled a ‘Consultation’. The details are here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/people-traffic-in-llan

 

The fund is growing steadily. If the required total isn’t achieved, everyone gets their donation refunded. That’s guaranteed.

 

Making our own decisions - what a good idea!

 

Martin Crumpton

 

Chair@KLS