llanblogger takes a short break

llanblogger is taking a short break and will be back with all the latest news and information from the area in about a week's time ...

Dementia arts project coming to Llan

A project aimed at people living in the community with dementia is coming to Llangollen.

 

Lost in Art is will have sessions led by professional artists who are also Dementia Friends.

 

Its aim is to explore the role of the visual arts in addressing issues which can affect people with dementia, including social isolation, confidence, communication and quality of life and wellbeing. 

 

People with dementia often experience poor quality of life due to reduced independence, reduced activity and reduced social contact.

 

This reduction of social contact is often the result of the stigma associated with the condition and in light of this, there has been increased interest into finding activities in which people with dementia can engage with and enjoy without feeling patronised or stigmatised, and which stimulate the participants both mentally and physically, making them feel valued and deemed capable.

 

One such activity is art, and Bangor University’s evaluation of the Lost in Art programme identified a range of benefits which included suggested improvements in communication, mood, and memory.

 

Lost in Art has been running for five years in Denbighshire, funded by Arts Council of Wales and Denbighshire County Council.

 

The project runs in 11-week blocks and has been based at Ruthin Craft Centre and in various locations in Rhyl, where participants were encouraged to engage with current exhibitions. 

 

The participants are sometimes joined at workshops by a family member where they are encouraged to work both together and separately. 

 

The Lost in Art Regional programme builds on these ideas, providing an art programme across four counties for people with dementia to enjoy. 

 

Each project includes a visit by children from a local primary school. 

 

Following a visit to the school by a member of the Alzheimer’s Society, where pupils learn about dementia and become Dementia Friends, the children and their teacher spend an afternoon engaged in artistic activity with Lost in Art members, getting to know one another and enjoying the opportunity for some intergenerational exchanges.

 

No previous art experience is necessary, and workshops will be running over the autumn months in the following locations:  Llandudno, Llangollen, Mold, Rhyl, Ruthin and Wrexham. 

 

* If you would like to join any of the groups, phone Jo McGregor, Project Co-ordinator, on 07973 931097, or Denbighshire's Arts Officer Sian Fitzgerald on sian.fitzgerald@denbighshire.gov.uk 01824 708216   .

 

Crime tsar rules out "go soft" policy

A crime tsar has rejected calls to "go soft" on crimes like burglary and small-scale cannabis offences.

 

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick spoke out after it was suggested by a senior figure in national policing that people whose homes have been burgled should no longer expect officers to turn up at their door to investigate the offence

Chief constable Sara Thornton, who leads the National Police Chiefs’ Council, also said forces might not always investigate complaints about people growing cannabis.Mr Roddick, pictured below, said: "There has been commentary in the press that cutbacks will necessitate police forces to decide not to attend at the burglary of someone's homes.

 

"I wish to make it clear I will never endorse this approach. The violation of one's home is one of the most traumatic crimes that anyone can suffer.

 

"I place security at home amongst my highest priorities. Domestic burglary levels in North Wales have, through hard work and dedication, been reduced to very low levels. Our intention is to continue prioritising this.

 

"We certainly shouldn’t go soft on either of these crimes, burglary in particular, because burglary by definition threatens people’s homes. One of my principal crime policies is that people should feel safe and secure at home. If you don’t feel safe and secure at home, you won’t feel safe and secure anywhere.

 

“So although the Chair of the Chief Constable’s Council has said the police won’t be enforcing burglaries when investigating them, that is not the North Wales Police policy, quite the contrary. North Wales Police will pursue burglars.

 

"Similarly, our policy towards drugs has not changed. The people we serve have every right to expect us to provide a comprehensive and professional service in these cases.

 

"In relation to cannabis, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. In the last week or so there were no less than three reported cases in the newspapers showing how North Wales Police had enforced against three separate growers of cannabis.

 

"In one, there were many plants worth quite a lot of money. In another one, there were only five plants and in the other there were about a dozen plants.

 

"Those examples show that North Wales Police will enforce no matter how many plants you’re growing and each one of those persons was arrested, prosecuted and fined or imprisoned, so that is the answer, yes,  North Wales Police will enforce against them.

 

"Policing is a local matter. It’s the responsibility of the local force. The decision to enforce will be taken locally and not by the national council of chief constables." 

Fresh announcement from Llan doctors

DR A D EVANS & PARTNERS

Announcement re Temporary Number

On Friday 11th September, our existing phone number is due to switch from our Regent St building to the new building on Bishops Walk.  However, we are anticipating that there may be some difficulties with the switch.  We wish, therefore, to inform patients that should they experience any difficulty in contacting us on 01978 860625, we do have a temporary number that they can use.  This temporary number is 01978 862639.

We open in the new centre on Bishops Walk on Monday 14th September.  We are hoping that our usual telephone number will be up and running as soon as possible but we ask that patients use the temporary number in the meantime.

We would like to thank our patients for their cooperation and understanding during this period of upheaval.

Llan Dial-A-Ride to get new vehicle

The Dial-A-Ride service operated by the Rotary Club of Llangollen is driving into a new era.

Using a team of unpaid drivers, the service transports clients who are less able and have difficulty using public transport to hospital appointments and other destinations such as shops or banks.

For the past seven years it has been using the same vehicle which is now in need of replacement.

And thanks to the generosity of The Association of Friends of Llangollen Cottage Hospital, a new run-around for the service is due to take to the road in November.

A spokesperson for the Rotary Club said: “Many of our clients travel only one or two miles to the shops, banks or for instance to the health centre.

“Without Dial-A-Ride they would not be able to carry out these functions which many of us treat as everyday matters.

“Since we started the scheme we have carried out a total of 5,251 journeys, 1,200 of these for clients in wheelchairs.

“We have travelled 30,000 miles to destinations such as Winsford, Abergele, Ruthin and all our local journeys.

“One of our most visited destinations is the Maelor Hospital in Wrexham.”

The spokesperson added: “Our vehicle was purchased with funds from Denbighshire County Council to whom we are eternally grateful.

“But vehicles have a limited life and ours needs to be replaced.

“The good news is that we are to be funded for a replacement vehicle by a new benefactor.

“The local group known as The Association of Friends of Llangollen Cottage Hospital have stepped up to the plate and offered to fund the purchase of the new vehicle.

“It will be around the town in early November and we look forward to it being used by our clients.

“The Rotary Club of Llangollen are very grateful to The Friends for their generosity and we will do all we can to carry on with this most worthy cause.

“A special word of thanks to Rotarian Arthur Hardy who, as chairman of The Friends, has put in the work to ensure the success of this worthy project.”

* If you are interested in becoming a volunteer driver or a new client, contact Llangollen Rotary on 07592 018533.

The day I (almost) met the Queen

Today, on the day Elizabeth II overtakes her ancestor Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest reigning monarch, llanblogger's Phil Robinson recalls the time he (almost) met her.

During nearly 50 years in local journalism I’ve covered more than my share of royal visits and every one of them has been quite a personal, as well as professional, thrill.

One of these visits happened when Her Majesty came to Cheshire Oaks, near Ellesmere Port, back in the mid-1990s.

At the time I was editor of the local paper and was deeply involved in planning our coverage of this momentous occasion.

We put everything together like a military operation over the course of a week or so beforehand but when the big day finally arrived I found myself at a bit of a loose end waiting at the office for our team or reporters and photographers to return with the hot story.

Actually, it was the first time I’d been out of the “front line” for such as a visit and was feeling more than a little frustrated that my colleagues were out having all the fun while I twiddled my thumbs back at base.

So, using the prerogative of rank, I decided to nip along to the shopping centre and see if I could grab a slice of the action for myself.

When I arrived on the scene it was about half an hour into the visit and the entrance to the shopping parade through which the Queen and her entourage had arrived was still buzzing with activity.

More frustratingly it was also cordoned off by police officers and I knew there was no way I was going to get through without an official pass.

These are issued days before any royal visit and, although I’d ensured that my reporters and snappers assigned to the job all had them safely pinned to their jackets, I was without one. I didn’t need one because I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near the event.

Undaunted, I scurried around to another of the entrances to the shopping parade and found it deserted and unpoliced.

It was vaguely at the back of my mind that if I continued through there I might find myself being arrested or shot but, what the hell, I pressed on with my mission to perhaps get a close-up look at Her Maj.

However, it occurred to me that I was much too late for that as there was not another soul in sight.

As I made my way gingerly along the line of shops – conspicuously without a pass – I eventually reached the entrance to a well-known store selling tea and coffee.

Just at that moment a rather well dressed elderly lady walked out of the doorway and turned in my direction.

For a split second I wondered why a pensioner had wandered into the middle of a royal visit.

Then I realised I was just a couple of feet away from Elizabeth II herself.

Should I turn smartly around and head the other way?

Should I dive into the nearest bushes?

Should I brazen it out and walk right up to her and say something?

Damn it, this was the one and only chance I’d ever have in my lifetime of speaking to my sovereign.

So I took the latter option and walked towards her and when I came face to face with her I said cheerfully: “Good afternoon, Your Majesty. Welcome to Ellesmere Port!”

Completely unmoved, she looked directly into my eyes and then down onto my jacket lapel where the absence of an official pass was glaringly obvious.

She completely ignored my hearty greeting and walked straight past me followed by her retinue who were by this time also out of the shop which they had been visiting with her.

I can’t say I blame her for the snub. As far as she could see I was just some idiot who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.   

I was stunned and a little hurt by my treatment but at least I can say I once spoke to the Queen – even if she didn’t reply.    

Beatriz's new food range in memory of her mother

* Beatriz Albo with one of her tapas meals.

A scientist who swapped the laboratory for the kitchen by launching a cooking sauces brand has won a vital grant enabling her to expand her business.

Dr Beatriz Albo is returning to the lab to develop an exciting new range of Spanish tapas meals and delicious aiolis created in memory of her mother.

Beatriz is planning to unveil the new range at the Hamper Llangollen food on October 17 and 18.

She is looking forward to returning to the annual food festival where her innovative Sabor de Amor products made their debut last year.

“Hamper Llangollen was my first food festival, so it is special to me,” said Spanish-born Beatriz, whose Wrexham business has taken off faster than she could ever have imagined.

The popular event in Llangollen’s Royal Pavilion is recognised as one of the UK's top 10 food festivals.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd has provided financial support over the past few years to ensure the festival's long term viability, this was funded through the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

 

Beatriz has just been awarded a grant to develop her long dreamed of range of tapas ready-meals at the new North West Food development Research Centre (NoWFOOD) at Chester University.

“Facilities there are fantastic, they have everything I need to help my business grow,” said the mum of two who inherited her passion for food from her family.

Her grandparents ran a restaurant in Salamanca, Spain, all their lives. Her mother was also an accomplished cook and, following her death in June, Beatriz has developed a trio of flavoured aioli sauces in her honour.

“I want to name them Elisa, after my mother. I’ve worked on the recipes at home and the family all love them. There’s a chilli flavoured aioli, another to go with paella and the third has hints of lime and mint.”

Beatriz, who lives in Brymbo, trained as a scientist, gaining a PHD and working in food research before becoming a teacher. But her first love was cooking and last year she followed her heart and made it her full time career.

She started Sabor de Amor – which means flavour of love – by producing the traditional sauces she grew up with in Spain and which she continued to cook for her family after moving to Wales. They included Sofrito, a perfect base for paella, salsa brava, tapenade and aioli. All the sauces are completely authentic, have no additives or artificial flavourings.

She said: “They are just natural ingredients which we used all the time when I was a child. People love them because of the pure flavour. There is a food revolution going on.

Consumers are looking more and more for additive free products. They want to experience simple, natural tastes and aromas. I started off producing just two sauces and now there are 12 in my range, demand has grown so fast.”

Sabor de Amor supplies local farm shops and Beatriz also attends events such as Hamper Llangollen, for which she has to work full out to ensure she has enough stock.

“I went to one festival where I sold out in the first day and had to cook more sauces overnight ready for the following day,” she said. “They were so fresh that the jars were still warm as I was selling them.”

She hopes the Sabor de Amor range will soon be available in supermarkets and is using her grant and work in the NoWFOOD lab to help achieve that ambition.

Beatriz does all the preparation, cooking and marketing of the brand herself, with occasional help from her children, Albert, 18, soon to study business management at Lancaster university, and Susana, 11, a pupil of St Joseph’s school, Wrexham. Her partner, Paul Keysell, a graphic designer created the Sabor de Amor brand designs.

Information and tasty recipes can be found at www.sabordeamor.com

Hamper Llangollen chair Colin Loughlin believes this year's festival is going to be one of the best ever.

 

He said: “Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

 

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

 

"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting."

 
For more details about Hamper Llangollen 2015 visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com