Councillor has more questions about A5 roadworks

* The roadworks on the A5 which are causing more problems,

according to Cllr Stuart Davies.

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies is again asking questions about the long-running roadworks on the A5 heading into town.

He says he is concerned that the works are causing issues for residents.

"Speeding cars and inappropriate vehicles are using Maes Mawr Road and Birch Hill to avoid the hold up caused by the single laning of the A5," he explained.

"I have been pressing those responsible for the works, the Wales Trunk Road Agency who work for the Welsh Government, to let us know what exactly is going on and a time scale for completion.

"I am also calling for them to help address the issues caused by their single laning on Maes Mawr Road and Birch Hill."

Carl Fogarty to guest at Motorcycle Festival

World Superbike king and I'm a Celebrity winner Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty MBE, the most successful World Superbike (WSB) racer of all time, will be guest of honour at the Llangollen International Motorcycle Festival - LlanBikeFest 15 on Saturday, August 1.

The 49-year-old winner of four WSB titles and eight world crowns will open the two day family-friendly event, spend the day meeting fans and provide plenty of opportunities for autographs and photos.

In addition to his unprecedented 59 victories from 219 race starts, he won the fourteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2014.

Carl said: “I’m looking forward to being back in Wales in August for LlanBikeFest. I was at the Llangollen show a few years ago and received a great reception - but now I hear the show is bigger and better, so it promises to be a fantastic weekend for anyone who loves their bikes.”

The site has previously hosted successful bike shows – the last in 2011 – but LlanBikeFest 15 is being organised by a new team of local motorcycle enthusiasts, led by Harry Edwards.

Harry said: “The opportunity to meet Carl will be the icing on the cake for what promises to be a fantastic celebration of every aspect of motorcycling.”

The Llangollen International Motorcycle Festival at the town’s Pavilion is set amid some of Britain’s best biking roads - at the foot of the Horseshoe Pass and its famously bike-friendly Ponderosa Café.

On-site attractions will include displays, stunts, demonstrations, trade and club stands, plus beer, bands and evening entertainment. There will also be ride-outs from the site to explore some of the area’s most beautiful roads and scenery.

Follow the event on Twitter at @llanbikefest and Facebook at Llangollen International Motorcycle Festival. Follow Carl Fogarty on Twitter at @carlfogarty and Facebook at www.facebook.com/CarlFogartyOfficial.

* Book tickets and stands online at www.llanbikefest.co.uk or contact the festival office at 07960 693398 or office@llanbikefest.co.uk.

AM calls for end of uncertainty over disabled funding

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to end the "uncertainty" for the thousands of disabled people and their carers who are anxiously waiting to hear whether funding will be available to enable them to continue to live independently.  

The Independent Living Fund (ILF) delivers financial support to disabled people so they can choose to live in their communities rather than in residential care.

 

Speaking in the Assembly Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood (pictured) said there is real concern among disabled groups that the Welsh Government are not proposing to ring fence ILF.

 

Calling for a Welsh Government Statement on the matter, Mr Isherwood said: “I call for an update on Welsh Government’s intentions for the Independent Living Fund (ILF). The Minister will be aware that, after the responsibility and funding was transferred from the UK Treasury to the Welsh Government for this, supporting disabled people to live independently, disabled groups expressed concern that the Welsh Government was not proposing to ring-fence the fund.

 

“Well, we’re now into March, with less than four months to the final closure of the existing funding on 30 June, and we’re still awaiting a decision following the consultation that ended before Christmas, I understand, which leaves very little time for new arrangements to be put in place. Therefore, there are many anxious existing ILF recipients and carers, fearful about their future ability to continue living independently.

 

“Concerns have been exacerbated by rumours, which may be no more than that, that Welsh Government will delay a decision for 12 months, which, if the case, it’s hard to imagine anything other than the funds being transferred to local authorities against the opposition of recipients, carers, the Wales Alliance for Citizen Directed Support, Disability Wales and other third sector organisations.

 

“I understand that some local authorities, certainly in North Wales, are writing to people regarding their final care plan from the ILF, telling them that, for funding after June, they should contact the local authority social services department, and giving a named person to contact, who’s already left.”

 

Mr Isherwood claims the Minister for Government Business, Jane Hutt AM, failed to address the points he raised and instead laid blame with the UK Government.

  

Mr Isherwood added: “This had been raised with me as Co-Chair of the Cross Party Group on Disability as a matter of serious concern to disabled people and their carers. I’m disgusted that this Minister chose to score cheap political points rather than address this.

 

“As the Scottish Government stated, current funding for this support to disabled people has been transferred from the UK Treasury to them, but this Labour Welsh Government won’t admit that the same applies in Wales. This was transferred to the devolved administrations so they can decide how  ILF users in their nations will be supported. Scotland has appointed a full time ILF Business Manager and embedded a project assistant within ‘Inclusion Scotland’, Disability Wales’ sister body.

 

“It is simply not acceptable that disabled people in Wales are being left in the dark as the closure of the existing scheme fast approaches.” 

Firms warned over cyber threats

A lack of understanding about potential cyber dangers means small and medium sized business in North Wales are putting a third of their revenue at risk.

 

That's the warning from internet security expert Henry Platten (pictured), a former policeman who is now patrolling the virtual world keeping businesses safe.

 

He will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals at the Catrin Finch Centre at Glyndwr University on Tuesday, March 24.

 

The group was established by local solicitors and accountants who collaborate on a non-competitive basis to promote the development of businesses, skills and employment opportunities for professional people.

 

The other keynote speaker will be Neil Ashbridge, the Bank of England's Agent in Wales.

 

Mr Platten, who has also worked as a BBC journalist, set up set up the Flintshire based firm eTreble9 with wife, Danielle.

 

A great deal of their work involves helping firms in North Wales battle cyber threats.

The firm has also created revolutionary scheme to keep children safe online.

 

The eCadets scheme beat rival contenders from all over the UK to win first place in the category for Making the Internet a Safer Place at the prestigious Nominet awards.

 

According to Mr Platten, recent research by the Cyber Streetwise organisation had revealed that small and medium sized companies are putting 32 per cent of their revenue at risk because they are falling for some of the common misconceptions around cyber security.

 

That, he said, leaves them vulnerable to losing valuable data and suffering both financial and reputational damage.

 

Worryingly, two thirds of SMEs didn't consider their business to be vulnerable, and only 16 per cent felt that improving their cyber security was a top priority for 2015.

 

Mr Platten added: "There are many benefits from using social media safely and appropriately - it's a brilliant tool for marketing, recruiting and so on.

 

"But going blindly into social media and integrating it into your business without being aware of some of the risks beforehand can be potentially dangerous.

 

"Without being aware, sometimes people can disclose commercially sensitive information that they may not wish to.

 

"There is a risk of being hacked via social media accounts when people bring their own devices into work and then integrate with the work system.

 

"There are also viruses that can easily be spread through social media and there are reputational risks.

 

"One misplaced sentence on Facebook or Twitter can cause an organisation untold damage in terms of crisis management.

 

"Businesses are at risk of being victims of crime as well with fraud being one of the top ones.

 

"Potentially, if your cyber security isn't up to scratch, thieves can hack in and steal money from your bank account.

 

"One of the ways that that works through is that the email account you have connected to your social media account.

 

"If that’s the same one that you run your life with people who find it very easy to do the hacking can very easily work out your email account attached to your social media account.

 

"Generally you will share some personal information through your social media account which can be used to identify your password and then they simply go through the password process, match it up to your email account.

 

"As soon as they’re in, they see your entire life, who you bank with, your home address where your deliveries are sent.

 

"So an easy way around that is if you have a social media account, have a separate email account that is just for social media and nothing else.

 

"Data now is the most valuable commodity in the world. It’s more valuable than gold or oil.

 

"In looking at identity theft and fraud, small businesses are the prime target because cyber criminals know they don’t have huge internet teams working 24/7 keeping them safe.

 

"That’s why it’s important for small businesses to know how to use the internet and social media it in the right way.

 

"If you understand the risks then you can protect yourself, you can get the maximum benefit without any of the danger coming along as well to make sure that your business can run in a consistent and a smooth way without any avoidable hiccups."

 

Wrexham Business Professionals spokesman Simon Griffiths, of Chartered Accountants Guy Walmsley, said: "We are delighted that Neil Ashbridge and Henry Platten have agreed to share their expert views.

 

"Neil will be giving us a brief update on the latest economic position while Henry will be giving us guidance about how to use the internet safely and appropriately."

Llan man triumphs at Wounded Warrior games

* AJ Pingham with the four medals he won

at the Wounded Warrior games in Las Vegas.

 

A DISABLED ex-servicemen from Llangollen fought his way to four medals – including a gold – at the recent Wounded Warrior games in Las Vegas.

 

Representing Team Great Britain, 38-year-old Alistair Pingham – known as AJ to his friends – triumphed against the cream of disabled athletes from the UK, USA and Australia by storming to gold in the seated discus, silvers in both the shot put and wheelchair basketball and bronze in archery, all of which he tackled from the seated position.

 

* AJ Pingham, third from left, with fellow
members of the GB team in Las Vegas.

AJ, who is originally from Tamworth in Staffordshire and now lives with his wife Joy and their two children in Llangollen, has for the past three years been a teaching assistant in the pupil support unit at Ysgol Dinas Bran in the town.

 

He spent four and a half years serving in the Royal Navy as a marine engineer mechanic, and he says it was the amount of his sport he played during that time that led directly to his disability.

 

AJ said: “I’d been playing hockey for 18 years and played even more when I joined the navy. In fact, I was captain of the navy’s hockey team for three years.

 

“The result of all this was that the ligaments in both my ankles started to deteriorate.

 

“I had an operation in which they attempted to rebuild them. They re-routed tendons from the back, near the achilles tendon, by drilling holes through my ankle bones.

 

“That helped for a time but it also gave me arthritis which has gradually eaten through the cartilage in my ankles to the point where they can’t be replaced.

 

* AJ competes in the archery. 

“I now find walking quite painful. I use a stick and have a specially adapted car.”

 

After leaving the navy, AJ took a job as a lecturer at the former Yale College in Wrexham but was forced to leave that when his disability became too acute.

 

He is now at Ysgol Dinas Bran which he praised for putting in a number of disabled aids to help him do his job.

 

AJ decided to resume his passion for sport as a way of trying to regain a normal life.

 

For a number of years he has played for Chester’s wheelchair basketball team, Cheshire Phoenix, and started his fightback to frontline sport by winning selection for the British team in the inaugural Invictus Games started for injured ex-service personnel by Prince Harry and held last September.

 

He won a gold medal for his country in wheelchair basketball after beating off strong competition from teams from across the world.

 

AJ then overcame a tough selection process to become one of just 21 disabled ex-service athletes chosen to represent Team GB in the Wounded Warrior games staged at the Nellis air force base near Las Vegas in Nevada earlier this month.

   

It was a week of intense competition which saw over 100 athletes, all injured in some way while serving with their countries’ armed forces, taking part in everything from basketball and volleyball to archery, swimming and rifle shooting.

 

While Team GB took a total of 47 medals in all disciplines, AJ came home with an incredible haul of four medals.

 

He said: “It was a fantastic occasion and I was honoured to be part of the team sent over to the States by the charity Help for Heroes.

 

* AJ's fantastic medal haul of four.

“I’m really enjoying myself competing and it’s nice to be able to push yourself to the limit.

 

“I think every injured service person suffers from some form of depression because of the things they suddenly can’t do any more but competing has helped me to beat that depression.

 

“In fact, my wife says that she’s now got her husband back.”

 

AJ is currently training six days a week with the aim of reaching the GB trials for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, when he has an eye on competing in rowing, shot put, seated discus and archery.

 

He also hopes to take part in next year’s second Invictus Games, which are due to be held in the USA.

 

But before all that he has another major hurdle to overcome when both of his feet are amputated to help rid him of his problem ankles.

 

Incredibly, AJ says he’s looking forward to the surgery, planned for some time later this year.

 

He explained: “It will open up a lot of new doors for me as far as competing is concerned, like being able to get blades for running and prosthetics for rock climbing.

 

“When you have pain every day like I have anything to improve your standard of life has to be welcomed.

 

“My son Luke, who is 11 and at Ysgol Bryn Collen, has told me that when I go for a run for the first time after having my feet amputated he’ll be running alongside me.”

 

The purpose-built wheelchair AJ uses for competition was supplied by Help for Heroes but to enable him to continue competing at the highest levels, he is currently on the lookout for a sponsorship deal. 

 

* He can be contacted through Ysgol Dinas Bran on 01978 860669.

Breast cancer change "greatly concerns" patients says AM

North Wales’ Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Aled Roberts says that centralising breast cancer surgery  in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd from April this year as part of the announcement on maternity services two weeks ago has caused great concern to many cancer patients who will be forced to travel long distances.

 

“There appears to be have been no proper consultation with cancer patients from Gwynedd and Wrexham about this change which is the result of consultant-led maternity services being removed from Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and concentrated in Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor,” commented Mr Roberts.

 

“Many patients and their families from the western and eastern extremities of North Wales will be forced to long distances to get to Glan Clwyd and in some cases it may well mean that women will be having life changing breast cancer surgery without the support of their families.

 

“I have been contacted by breast cancer patients who are very worried about these changes and the speed with which they are being implemented. I will be writing today to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to ask whether they have assessed the transport difficulties that these changes will create for many patients. It appears to me that they have considered the medical benefits without giving due consideration to what this may mean for people’s lives.

 

“In the long term I am very concerned that the Betsi Cadwaladr Board may be planning more urgent changes to medical services as a result of problems recruiting staff. Will more services be concentrated in one or two hospitals?

 

"Wouldn’t it be better for the Board to be honest about their future plans? I am planning to raise these issues with senior managers at Betsi Cadwaladr and will report back with their response.”

New garden waste scheme starts March 30

Denbighshire County Council is counting down to the re-start of its garden waste collection service at the end of the month.

Since the announcement of charges for garden waste collections last autumn more than 11,000 households have opted into the scheme.

The first collection vehicles will leave council depots in Bodelwyddan and Ruthin on Monday March 30.  H

Householders that have opted in receive a collection calendar for the fortnightly service and a bar-code sticker for their green bin, or bar-coded tags where garden waste is collected in bags.

The council assures residents that all orders placed by March 16 will be ready for the first collections that start at the end of March.

Residents should refer to their collection calendar which for their actual collection day.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said:  “More than 10,000 orders have been fulfilled and calendars and stickers have been sent out and extra bins or bags delivered.

"Some orders, less than 2% of the total, have been held up due to some inconsistencies but every order placed by March 16 will be ready when the service starts.  "

Anyone who wants to receive the service when it starts needs to place their order by the 16^th, though it’s possible to opt-in to the scheme at any time.”

Denbighshire’s introduction of charges for garden waste collection followed a significant reduction in its grant from the Welsh Government and will reduce council spending by around £400,000 annually from April 1 2015.

The council set an annual charge of £24 to empty its standard 140 litre green garden waste bin every two weeks with an option to have a second bin for an extra £12.

There is an equivalent service in place for residents who use the Council’s green dumpy sacks for garden waste.

The new service will operate for all 12 months of the year; there will be no seasonal break as there has been this winter.

Householders can opt in to the garden waste collection service by making a secure payment online at denbighshire.gov.uk/gardenwaste.

Payments can also be made by calling Denbighshire’s Customer Service centre on 01824 706101 or in person at any of the Council One Stop Shops.