AM presses for modern rail links to region

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales, Aled Roberts, has welcomed yesterday's announcement that the Welsh Government will be investing in improvements to the transport network in north Wales.

 

Mr Roberts (pictured below) said: “I very much welcome the announcements and I am also pleased that the A55 is being put forward for further improvements under the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

“It’s important now that all north Wales representatives at Assembly and local government level work together to pursue the case for electrification and modernisation of rail links in the region; there is also a need for us to make sure that the cross-Pennine route does not end at Chester and I would urge the Welsh Government to work to ensure that north Wales is included in that route.

 

“I have been involved in direct discussions with the Minister regarding investment in capacity issues on the Wrexham – Chester line which currently puts a constraint on Holyhead-Cardiff links and is also holding up improvements to the services from north Wales to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

 

“The challenge now is to ensure that opportunities created by the transfer of powers over the rail franchise are realised and that north Wales will be able to gain full advantage from these latest developments."

Dementia friends group is promoted

Paul Jones from the elderly mental health team at Denbighshire social services is promoting the dementia friends group which meets at St Collen’s Community Centre in Llangollen every third Wednesday of the month, from 10am-3pm.

Paul said: “We are tasked with building dementia friendly communities.

“We do this by delivering dementia friends sessions in the hope of educating people and removing the stigma that may come with hearing the word dementia, working one to one with individuals to help them access their community and we also set up and run dementia friendly social groups.

“The groups give people a chance to come and talk in a non-judgmental environment where people affected by dementia can come in confidence.

“Service information is available and there are activities with lunch provided. The groups are very relaxed and are open to everybody as another one of our aims is to limit isolation.”

He added: “We are currently in the process of reaching out to people in Llangollen to let them know of the social groups existence and what it is we are trying to do.

“We have held sessions at fire stations, taxi services and town councils, therefore helping people who have dementia access there town.”


  

St Collens Community Centre,  

Regent Street, Llangollen, LL20 8NU 

Non-denominational Group 

Every 3^rd Wednesday of the month 10am – 3pm 

£5 to include refreshments and a light lunch 

 

A chance to meet new people 

Massage taster, Games, Reminiscence 

 

An opportunity to meet some of the local services in a friendly, informal setting and gather some information and ask questions. 

 

·       For further information contact  

01824 706469 

Prince Charles to visit Eisteddfod's opening day

 

* The Eisteddfod's famous opening parade.

 

This year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will have a royal visitor when the Prince of Wales calls on the opening day of the annual event, Tuesday, July 7.

 

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will be there in the afternoon for the opening day Parade of Nations led by Eisteddfod President Terry Waite, CBE.

 

The Royal couple are scheduled to arrive by helicopter and make their way to the Royal International Pavilion just after 4pm, escorted by the Lord Lieutenant, Mr Harry Fetherstonhaugh and Mrs Davina Fetherstonhaugh.

 

He will introduce the Royal party to Eisteddfod Chairman, Gethin Davies, and other Eisteddfod officers before chatting with competitors who are taking part in the parade.

 

The Prince and the Duchess will then watch as the Parade sets off on its annual route into the town and back to the Pavilion before leaving at about 4.45pm.

 

The Eisteddfod is no stranger to Royal visits – in 1953 a visit to the Eisteddfod, was one of the first of the Queen’s official engagements after her coronation.

 

This is the third time the Prince of Wales has been to the Eisteddfod. He and Diana came 30 years ago in 1985 while in 2006 he came with the Duchess of Cornwall and other Royal visitors have been Princesses Margaret and Anne.

 

The Queen was also at the Eisteddfod in 1992 to open the Royal International Pavilion and one person to have seen all the Royal visits is Chairman Gethin Davies, 76, who is thrilled at the prospect of the Prince’s return.

 

The retired solicitor, who has been involved with the event since he began selling programmes for it back in 1951, said: “I remember the very first time the Queen came in 1953 when I was a teenage usher while still a pupil at Llangollen Grammar School.

 

“It is a great honour to have Prince Charles here again 30 years after his first visit. He has really seemed to enjoy coming here in the past and we’re very pleased to have the honour of his presence here for the third time.”

 

This year’s Eisteddfod also has musical royalty with the first ever appearance in North Wales of American song-writing legend Burt Bacharach who will play a curtain-raising concert on Monday night.

 

Prince Charles’s former Royal harpist Catrin Finch will perform on Wednesday evening at a concert to celebrate South American music and the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the Welsh colony n Patagonia.

 

At the Thursday night concert heart-throb tenor Alfie Boe will be joined on stage by Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Antoine, on Friday night the immensely popular Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright will perform and TV choirmaster Gareth Malone will be on stage for the Choir of the World competition on Saturday.

 

For the final concert, Ali Campbell, the voice of UB40 who sold 70 million records, will be reunited on the eisteddfod stage with two other founding members of the group, percussionist, trumpet player and vocalist Astro and keyboard player Mickey.

 

Children’s Day and the Parade of Nations, led by Eisteddfod President Terry Waite will take place on the Tuesday afternoon before the evening Heart of Llangollen concert.

 

Wednesday’s programme will include a new competition for the International Young Musician of the Year as well as the Children’s Choir of the World while Thursday’s competitions will see another first, the International Voice of Musical Theatre Trophy.

 

The Blue Riband event, the Choir of the World for the Pavarotti Trophy, is decided on Saturday night as well as the Open Dance competition and Sunday sees the Eisteddfod let its hair down for Llanfest before the climactic final concert.

 

* For more details on the 2015 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

 

Time to complete residents' survey

Denbighshire County Council is inviting people to complete its 2015 residents' survey.

The survey is a way for the council to find out what people think about council services and issues in their local community.  

The council carries out the survey every two years.

In the survey, residents are asked what their communities are like as places to live, and how satisfied they are with council services in general.

After carrying out the survey, the council brings the responses together in a report, which helps them understand:

• how much people know about us and its services 
• their experiences of contacting the council and complaining to it 
• what people think the council should focus on during the next four years

You can complete the 2015 residents' survey online at:

Complete the 2015 residents' survey

When you complete the survey, you will be asked to provide your postcode.  This is so that the council can ensure it gets a good spread of respondents from across the county.

Two events planned at St Collen's

Llangollen International Musical  Eisteddfod 

and St Collen’s Parish Church Llangollen 

 

Annual Eisteddfod Service 

Sunday 12 July 2015 at 11am 

 

Preacher: The Right Reverend Libby Lane 

Bishop of Stockport 

 

Theme: ‘For those in peril on the sea…’ 

 

Donations to the Mission to Seafarers 

AM asks government to help save D&C

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has asked the Welsh Government to help save one of his constituency’s biggest employers. 

  

He met the remaining staff at Dobson & Crowther on Friday after the Llangollen company went into administration and made 55 out of 79 workers redundant. 

  

Mr Skates, who is based in the town, has written to the Welsh Government economy minister Edwina Hart about the closure. 

 

The Welsh Labour AM (pictured right) said: “I am working with others to do whatever possible to save Dobson & Crowther and find a new employer for people in Llangollen. 

  

“After a positive meeting with David Shaw from administrators Baker Tilly last week, I am encouraged by the level of interest being shown in the business and I assured the employees I will do everything in my power to help. 

  

“We need to keep Dobson & Crowther in Llangollen, and I have asked the Welsh Government to help us achieve that.” 

  

Mr Skates has secured an assurance that details of the 55 employees laid off will be passed to any company which buys the business, and also welcomed ‘positive’ news regarding the development at Dobson & Crowther’s former site. 

  

Sainsbury’s was due to open a store there in time for Christmas, creating 130 jobs, but announced last month it was pulling out of the project. The supermarket giant is now looking to sub-let the brand new premises, which are almost complete. 

Mr Skates said: “I have spoken to Sainsbury’s within the past week and there is plenty of interest in the site, with early discussions under way with a number of both food and non-food businesses. While these are initial talks, there are certainly positive signs.” 

  

He added: “There seems to be some misunderstanding about what would have been the Sainsbury’s site, with some opponents of the project happy to peddle the myth that we’ll have an empty building on the edge of town.  

  

“Sainsbury’s is tied into a contract, so will lose money every day that the building is not occupied. It’s in their interest to sub-let the premises, so it will be finished and it will be filled by a business – or a number of businesses – which will create jobs for Llangollen.” 

  

Dobson & Crowther was forced to restructure last year after the loss of its biggest customer, and was later let down when its main supplier went bust. 

Skates to meet Betsi Cadwaladr bosses

Assembly Member Ken Skates will meet NHS bosses next month to relay constituents’ concerns about Wales’s biggest health board.

Welsh Labour AM Mr Skates will welcome Betsi Cadwaladr chairman Dr Peter Higson and interim chief executive Simon Dean to Clwyd South on July 31.

He said: “The Welsh Government moved to address concerns over the NHS in North Wales by meeting the Health Inspectorate Wales and the Wales Audit Office, and then acted decisively to put Betsi Cadwaladr into special measures. This will mean its management will now be subject to rigorous monitoring, which is aimed at driving up standards.

“Some of my constituents are understandably concerned about recent developments, but the action taken should be seen as a commitment by the Welsh Government to improve the health board’s performance in every area. Dr Higson has even welcomed the move and the significant additional support it will lead to.

“I am grateful that Dr Higson and Simon Dean are keen to meet and discuss the issues affecting my constituents and address their concerns over the health service.”

Mr Skates added: “I must once again stress that Betsi Cadwaladr being put into special measures is no reflection on the NHS staff on the frontline, who do a wonderful job and run a health service the vast majority are satisfied with.”

The recently published National Survey for Wales found more than 93% of patients are satisfied with the care they receive from their GP and at hospital in North Wales, and patient satisfaction remains higher than in England. Betsi Cadwaladr came out with an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 – the second-highest in Wales.