Bond fan AM plans 007-themed fundraiser

A North Wales Assembly Member and life-long Bond fan is holding a 007-themed fundraiser as part of his 2016 election campaign.

Ken Skates, AM for Clwyd South, is issuing an open invitation to his Bond Ball in Ruabon on Friday, October 30, the same week the franchise’s latest movie Spectre hits UK cinema screens.

* The name's Skates - Ken Skates. 

Mr Skates said: “The evening will include a carvery, Buck's Fizz on arrival, music, roulette and prizes for the b est Bond-themed outfit. You only live twice, so dust off your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or metal-rimmed bowler hat and come along for a great night – I’ll be expecting you.”

The evening will take place at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel and tickets, which include food and drinks on arrival, are £30. Money raised will go towards Mr Skates’ Assembly election fund.

The Labour AM added: “Rather than just asking for people’s money to fund my campaign, I’m offering something in return – a fun night with food and entertainment.”

Mr Skates, the Welsh Government minister responsible for culture, sport and tourism, has been busy taking part in Bond-inspired activities this year to promote North Wales as Europe’s adventure capital.

He has sped across the waters of Pwllheli on a jet-ski, rode the waves of Surf Snowdonia, flow down the world’s largest zipwire in Bethesda and raced around Anglesey Circuit in a supercar.

Mr Skates said: “I’ve been blown away by the number of fantastic adventures across North Wales and am now a fully-fledged devotee of adventure tourism.”

Spectre, the 24^th film in the 007 series, sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as the smooth-talking secret agent. Its UK release date is Monday, October 26.

* If you are interested in buying tickets, email ken4clwydsouth@gmail.com.

Reminder to apply for cash seized from criminals

Time is running out for community groups in North Wales to bid for a share of a £42,000 pot of money seized from criminals.

 

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick CB QC is urging organisations which help tackle anti-social behaviour and combat crime and disorder to get their application in before the deadline on October 2.

 

The scheme has been set up by Mr Roddick, North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT).

 

Two groups from each county stand to receive £3,000 apiece while £6,000 is available for a group that operates across North Wales.

 

The Your Community, Your Choice initiative - otherwise known as the Participatory Budgeting Scheme - is being partly funded by the money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, using cash confiscated from offenders with the rest coming from Mr Roddick (pictured right).

 

Community groups are being urged to apply before the closing date on October 2.

 

Application packs can be found on the websites of the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner and North Wales Police.

 

A shortlist of applicants will be chosen by a special panel and from November 1 members of the public will decide which groups to support with a vote via the two websites and a dedicated email address.

 

Voting will then take place between October 26 and November 27.

 

Mr Roddick said: "Last year we had bids from across North Wales from all sorts of interesting groups doing great things in their local communities and I’m hoping for an even greater response this year.

 

"I would urge organisations to get their bids in now to make sure that they do not to miss out on this opportunity to hit criminals where it hurts most, their pockets.”

 

"It’s a first class scheme which brings the police and the community closer together.

 

"It gives an opportunity for the community to decide how they would like to see the funds we’ve extracted from criminals spent in their community.

 

"It also sends a very good message that crime does not pay and the ill-gotten gains of criminals are going back into the communities from which the money was taken.

 

"This is an opportunity to provide support for some fantastic community organisations in every part of North Wales.

 

"We are inviting the groups to make their applications and explain, if they are successful, how they would spend the money.

 

"What they do will contribute to the Police and Crime Plan to reduce crime and disorder in the area and that is a really positive thing.

 

"Our aim is to make North Wales an even safer place to live, work and visit."

 

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Debicki was equally enthusiastic.

 

He said: “I think the value of a scheme like this is it 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.

 

"The money is from the Police Commissioner’s fund as well as money which has been seized, and assets confiscated from the proceeds of crime.

 

"It's absolutely right and proper that the money taken out of the hands of criminals is put back into the community.

 

"We are very happy to be a partner of the Police and Crime Commissioner in this initiative."

"This initiative should help to give the local community a great deal of confidence that the Police and the Commissioner are listening to their concerns.

 

"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 "The fund will be open for application by email using a standard application form that will be available on both the PCC’s website and North Wales Police’s website.

 

"We have had some particularly high quality applications in the last couple of years and we are looking for a similar quality this time.

 

“Applicants have to be a properly constituted community group or a registered charity and the main criterion is that the project in question helps to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

 

“It 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.

 

"I would highly recommend that applicants considering putting in a bid liaise with their local neighbourhood policing team to discuss their bid and make sure that it is as comprehensive as possible."

 

* Completed applications must be returned via email to participatorybudgetfund@nthwales.pnn.police.uk by the closing date on October 2. For more information ring 01745 588516 or go to www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk or www.north-wales.police.uk

Llangollen on route of all-woman bike ride

Llangollen features in the latest all-women cycle ride which takes place next weekend.

Belles on Bike will be staged next Sunday, September 27.

As usual, the ride is just for women to get used to their bikes and build up their confidence so organisers from Sustrans say it doesn't matter if someone has never been on a bike, or even taken to the saddle for a while.

Riders will gather at Chirk Railway Station at 10.30am where they will meet the all-women team of Sustrans volunteers.

Sustrans volunteer ranger Ani Sutton said: "The National Cycle Network (NCN) that we are using runs along the towpath of the Llangollen Canal, and we are also celebrating 20 years of NCN this year.

"This is also a World Heritage Site so it is a really pretty route.

"We stop and start as many times as is needed, and if you need to stop lots of times, that is absolutely fine.

"No one will mind as the ride is intended to be this way, so don't think you will be too slow. There are places that we do have to walk also such as through tunnels and by moored boats.

"We work our way to Llangollen and have a bite to eat, either in the tea shop or you are welcome to bring your own nibbles, and then we make our way back the same way.

This helps with getting to know the route and confidence building. It is a really flat route along the canal and traffic free other than when we cross a road in Trevor, but volunteers are around to assist at all times."

Ani added: "Wear whatever you want, as long as you are comfortable. It's handy to wear gloves and unfortunately waterproofs may be a good idea to bring along, as we do tend to have a few showers on this route. A drink is also beneficial.

"A new addition to this ride is that we will be joined by a few female Canal & River Trust staff who are also new to cycling.

"The Canal & River Trust are promoting the 'Share the Space Drop the Pace' campaign to encourage cyclists to slow down and for everyone to share the towpath including anglers, boaters, runners, dog walkers etc, so there will potentially be signs at the two of our 'rest points' promoting this campaign."

Skates opens centre's new fitness studio

* Ken Skates AM cuts the tape on the new fitness studio at Splash Magic.

Assembly Member Ken Skates cut the ribbon to declare a leisure centre’s new fitness studio open for business.

The Clwyd South AM was one of the guests invited to the opening of the new Functional Training Studio at Splash Magic in Acrefair, formerly Plas Madoc Leisure Centre.

Darrell Wright, chairman of the Splash Community Trust, said: “It’s an addition to our existing gym and is a bit like a boot camp but indoors. There are monkey bars, ropes, kettlebells, all sorts of equipment to give people a fun and different workout.

“As is always the case with Splash, it’s been a tremendous team effort. The centre has paid for the equipment, and we’d to thank Craig Young from CY Consulting for all his advice.

“We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Kronospan for donating the flooring and Coleg Cambria students for once again lending their expertise to fit it.”

Chris Ryan, Kronospan’s company secretary, said: “Kronospan is delighted to have given Splash Magic our locally made flooring for the new gym area. So many volunteers work tirelessly for this special community-run leisure centre, so we are very pleased that we were able to help too.”

The Splash Community Trust was launched after Wrexham Council controversially closed Plas Madoc and faced a huge public backlash.

The centre was reopened by volunteers in December and has since gone from strength to strength, with all profits reinvested into improving the facilities.

Mr Skates, who was one of the founding members, added: “It’s a pleasure to be opening the new studio, which has been made possible thanks to the generosity and continued support of Kronospan and Coleg Cambria.

“The strides Splash Magic has made in such a short space of time have been amazing, and it’s a shining example to others of how facilities like this should be run.”

Heritage loco marks railway anniversary

To mark the sixth anniversary of her first public working on the line, heritage diesel locomotive D5310 will be in operation at Llangollen railway on Saturday September 26.

D5310 is a Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon (BRCW) Sulzer Type 2 locomotive built at Smethwick in 1958 and entered traffic in January 1959.

It was designed as a mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotive as part of British Railway's Modernisation Plan.

The loco was renumbered as 26010 in BR days and withdrawn in December 1992.

Following extensive restoration and repairs, the Class 26 arrived at Llangollen on September 9, 2009 and has proved to be a very reliable performer.

D5310 will be in operation alongside one of the railway's DMU fleet on the day and will work the 10:40, 13:00 and 15:10 departures from Llangollen.

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   .