Businesses invited to apply for growth funding

Denbighshire County Council is inviting small and medium sized firms across the county to apply for a share of a £170,000 pot of funding being made available to encourage business growth and development.

The business grants totalling £50,000 in 2015/16 and a further £120,000 in 2016/17 are there to assist SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) where banks and other lenders have refused support for varying reasons.

At present there are no grants available either from the Local Authority or Business Wales and it is likely that any future funding from Business Wales will be focused on repayable finance. Businesses still require assistance where banks are not willing to lend and this is evident from the continuous enquiries for funding and requests from advisory services.

The scheme is open to businesses in the manufacturing, tourism (Activity, Hospitality & Accommodation), food and drink producers, science and opto-electronics and retail (where there is no direct competition) sectors.

Under this new scheme, the Council could offer up to 50% of the project cost, with a maximum grant of £5,000 available. The funding could be used for a variety of projects:

  *   Capital Items - One off purchase of an item that will remain in the business such as Equipment, machinery, IT hardware.
  *   Marketing Items - Creating new websites or additional website functions such as introduction of e-commerce, promotional literature i.e. design work for brochures and leaflets, promotional videos.
  *   Specialist training for upskilling of owner or employees can be included as eligible expenditure.
  *   Professional fees (e.g. ISO achievement) to acquire accreditation or higher accreditation for the business, to allow them access to tender opportunities
  *   Shop frontages and improvements - including bilingual signage and occupying empty premises.

Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire said: "This new funding pot offers businesses in the county the opportunity to grow their business which hopefully in turn will see increase in turnover.  The funding could also assist in creating new jobs, encouraging take up of empty shops and assist in staff training.

"This is a great opportunity for businesses in the county to invest in their businesses. Using this funding available could pay dividends in the future and we would encourage all small and medium enterprises to consider how they could use this funding to progress their business and submit an application".

"As a council we have made working with our businesses a priority and this innovative approach is testimony to that despite difficult financial constraints, we appreciate that a thriving business sector is key to improving the economy in Denbighshire".

* For further information, please contact the Council's Economic Development team, on 01824 706701 or via the website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/business

Vote for your favourite crime fighting scheme

People across North Wales are being urged to vote for their favourite crime fighting schemes - using money seized from criminals.

 

The successful groups stand to win £3,000 each from a pot of money set up by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick CB QC (pictured below).

 

There is a total of £42,000 up for grabs with two groups from each county set to be rewarded.

 

In addition, one group that works throughout North Wales will receive a grant of £6,000.

The only condition is that the successful groups have to pledge to run projects to tackle anti-social behaviour and combat crime and disorder.

 

The ‘Your Community, Your Choice’ scheme was launched by Mr Roddick and Assistant Chief Constable Richard Debicki  in partnership with the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT).

 

It is being jointly funded by money recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, using cash confiscated from offenders, and the Commissioner’s Fund.

 

A shortlist of applicants has been chosen by a special panel and the public will decide which groups to support with a vote via the two websites and a dedicated email address. Voting  takes place until November 27.

 

Commissioner Roddick said: "This scheme takes money away from the crooks and gives it to the people to improve the quality of life in their communities by helping them to combat crime and disorder or anti-social behaviour and that is very appropriate.

 

"The money is going where it’s going to make a difference in reducing crime and in improving the quality of the communities which suffer the crime."

 

The message was reinforced by Assistant Chief Constable Debicki who said: "It is a very good thing for community groups to be able to access pots of money in order to be able to reduce crime and disorder within their communities and improve the quality of life for the community in their area.

 

"It sends a really positive message that money taken from the pockets of criminals is being recycled. This is turning bad money into good money that's being used for a constructive purpose.

 

"We really value our relationships with the public and we recognise that we can’t reduce crime and disorder on our own.  It’s a partnership and a joint effort with other agencies but absolutely crucial and critically is the public themselves.

 

"The public often are the ones who know what the things are that will work best in their area and for them to be able to bid into a pot of money is a really positive thing."

 

According to PACT chairman David Williams, it was also a very democratic process because the public will be able to decide who gets the money.

 

Mr Williams said: "One of the real pluses of the scheme is that ultimately it’s the public who has the voice and who will say which projects will go forward and are worthy of this important money.

 

"And very appropriately, one of the conditions is that the people who apply for this money have to be doing something that combats anti-social behaviour or addresses crime and disorder in some way.

 

"The aims Your Community, Your Choice scheme also coincide with the objectives of the Commissioner's Police and Crime Plan so it creates a virtuous circle."

 

For more information on how to vote ring 01745 588516 or go to www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk or www.north-wales.police.uk

Dee Valley gets share of £6M funding boost

Three of Wales’s most distinctive landscapes, including the Dee Valley, are set to benefit from more than £6m worth of investment, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced.

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley along with the Elan Valley and The Gwent Levels are the three funding recipients.

All are recognised as areas of great beauty – and they all have the potential to use their natural landscapes and wildlife, distinctive buildings, local traditions and stories and even industrial archaeology to increase tourism and boost jobs through carefully planned conservation and renovation activity.

Visitors, on an annual basis, flock to the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Project, many to see the iconic Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site.

The project will concentrate on ensuring the visitors’ experience can be enhanced while, at the same time, preserving the area’s unique landscape to inspire future generations.

The funding for all three areas aims to give people at the heart of these rural communities the power to play an active role in deciding how these extraordinary places will be looked after and managed for their benefit in the future.

The latest investment will see 3,000 training opportunities created, as well as a similar amount of volunteering opportunities.

Making the announcement, Richard Bellamy, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Wales, said: “Our stunning landscapes define the very character of Wales and are as much a part of who we are as our castles, language and rugby. They are as much loved by the people who call Wales home as by tens of thousands of tourists who visit them.

“These fragile places must be conserved. However, if carefully managed, our landscape and countryside can also play a vital role in growing our nation’s economy.

“Thanks to National Lottery players we now have the chance to support three stunning areas, each with their own individual character and rich man-made heritage. They will now be looked after in a holistic and appropriate manner, harnessing their economic potential to the benefit of everyone who lives and works there.”

Welcoming the announcement today, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Natural Resources, Carl Sargeant, said: “These areas are being rightly recognised, not only for their beauty but for the significant role they play in representing the Wales people think of and love – and come to visit."

Plaid leader speaks of her vision for Wales

* Leanne Wood with Mabon ap Gwynfor.

No maternity unit will be downgraded in north Wales under a Plaid Cymru – The Party Of Wales Government next year.

 

That was one of the key messages delivered by the party’s leader, Leanne Wood AM, at a packed meeting in Llangollen on Thursday night. 

 

Addressing a packed conference room at the Hand Hotel, Leanne Wood said: “We are committed to long-term investment in our medical schools to train home-grown doctors.

 

"This is because 95% of doctors who complete their training in Wales stay in Wales. Through seriously addressing the recruitment crisis, Plaid Cymru can pledge that we will not centralise or downgrade any service where safe levels of staffing can be secured.

 

“Furthermore, Plaid Cymru will end Labour’s plans to close maternity services in the north Wales.”

 

Leanne Wood visited the town as part of her leadership tour of Wales. In her address Ms Wood outlined a detailed programme of what a Plaid Cymru Government would do to improve the lives of people in Wales after the Assembly elections next May.

 

She said: “People are crying out for better outcomes in their schools, hospitals, their workplaces and their communities and Plaid Cymru is ready to deliver in those matters.

 

“Our key pledges at this election are in health, education and job creation.”

 

Mabon ap Gwynfor, the Party’s Assembly Candidate in Clwyd South, said: “This was a really positive meeting and it was great to see so many new faces come along and join.

 

"We increased the vote at the last election by 20% and there is a real sense of momentum in this area. The context of the Assembly election is different to an UK election. The focus is on Wales and delivering our local services.

 

"Leanne painted a positive picture of how Wales will improve under a Plaid Cymru Government, which matched the aspirations of all those who attended the meeting.”

 

Anne Morris, who was attending her first Plaid Cymru meeting, said: “This was the first time for me to meet any political leader in the flesh. Leanne is very likeable, knowledgeable and ‘ordinary’, and by that I mean just like one of us. I’m tired of being ruled by the privileged classes.

 

"Go Leanne! Let’s make a difference and take hold of Wales.”

Llanblogger exhumes some spooky tales ...

* Plas Newydd, home of the Ladies of Llangollen, features in the list of spooky tales. 

As today is Halloween, llanblogger has been digging through the Paranormal Database for spooky tales from Llangollen, and here is what we exhumed ...

Fairey Dance

Location: Llangollen (Clwyd) - Castell Dinas Bran Type: Fairy Date / Time: Unknown

An innocent shepherd here was caught up in a fairy dance - he couldn't stop 'strutting his funky stuff' until the following day, when his master found him in a field. The location is also a contender for the resting place of the Holy Grail.

Man in Apron

Location: Llangollen (Clwyd) - Hand Hotel Type: Haunting Manifestation Date / Time: 1980s

A former worker at the hotel reported seeing a man wearing a leather apron in the cellar. The figure was tapping on a barrel, and the witness thought him to be a real person, until told that he was the only person down there. The building is also reported to be haunted by a woman in grey and another figure that stands by the organ.

Ladies of Llangollen

Location: (Clwyd) - Plas Newydd Type: Haunting Manifestation Date / Time: Unknown

Well known for their love of traditional Welsh dress and entertaining the Gothic poets, Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby are reported to drift around their shared former home.

Flying Pigs

Location: Llangollen (Clwyd) - Skies over area Type: Cryptozoology Date / Time: 2 September 1905

Witnesses reported a large flying creature over the town; it resembled a pig of tremendous size, with stumpy webbed feet.

Owain Glyndwr

Location: Llangollen (Clwyd) - Valle Crucis Abbey Type: Haunting Manifestation Date / Time: Owain reports unknown, golden figures in the 1930s Owain Glyndwr, the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales, is said to be one of the phantoms reported at the abbey. Another story is that during the 1930s, one person spotted the front of the ruins bathed in a circle of light, with figures wearing golden clothing and helmets. The witness was with their aunt, who could not see anything. Finally, religious chanting has been heard in the area, though no source of the song can be found.

* http://www.paranormaldatabase.com/wales

Bryn Terfel to star in Eisteddfod evening concert

 

* Opera legend Bryn Terfel.

 

Opera superstar Bryn Terfel is planning to celebrate the 70th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in style - sharing the bill with a good friend who's also a world class tenor.

 

The popular bass-baritone will be the star of the evening concert on Thursday, July 7, alongside his supremely talented Maltese opera colleague, Joseph Calleja whose voice has been compared to the legendary Caruso.

 

Tickets will be going on sale on Monday, November 2.

 

* Joseph Calleja.  

The show is being sponsored by the award-winning care organisation, Pendine Park, who are also backing the opening Tuesday night when mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins will be performing a concert adaptation of Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen.

 

It's already been announced that Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra are returning to Llangollen next year to bring the curtain down on the festival with a foot stomping party on Sunday, July 10, sponsored by the Village Bakery.

 

The Wednesday night concert will be a celebration of musical theatre featuring the Kerry Ellis, dubbed the First Lady of the West End, and the musical theatre boy band Collabro who won Britain's Got Talent in 2014.

 

They will be joined by talented Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre, the CBC Voices from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra under the direction of John Quirk.

 

The Friday night concert, Heart Of Llangollen, will showcase the best of the international competitors. It will also include the Dance Champions competition and a Caribbean Carnival Extravaganza.

 

The competitions draw to a close on Saturday night with the famous Choir of the World contest with the prestigious Pavarotti Trophy up for grabs. The audience will be entertained by the popular vocal group, the Swingle Singers, while the judges deliberate.

 

Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said: "As the Arts and Business Cymru Business of the Year, we're delighted to be sponsoring the Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins concerts in what promises to be a fantastic programme next year.

 

"The festival is one of the jewels of our cultural crown in Wales and the message of promoting peace and harmony in a troubled world is more relevant than ever."

 

According to Bryn, who took to the Llangollen stage to celebrate the Eisteddfod’s 60^th anniversary as well as starring in Sweeney Todd two years ago, he always looks forward to appearing at what he describes as a unique festival.

 

This time Bryn and Joseph Calleja will be accompanied by the Sinfonia Cymru orchestra conducted by Gareth Jones.

 

Bryn said: “The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a wonderful event and I’m grateful to be given another chance to perform on stage there again - and the fact I will be joined by Joseph Calleja is an absolute dream come true.

 

"The last concert I appeared in with Joseph was in his homeland Malta, so it’s great that Joseph will be coming to my homeland this time around.”

 

Bryn, who has just celebrated his 50^th birthday with a one off special concert at the Royal Albert Hall alongside special guests Sting, former royal harpists Catrin Finch and Hannah Stone and Only Men Aloud , added: “I’m sure this will be a concert that will live long in the memory; I’m certainly looking forward to it and obviously always enjoy performing in North Wales.

 

“The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is such an important festival and I'm honoured to have been asked to perform at the 70th festival.

 

“I have appeared at Llangollen four or five times now and I always find the Llangollen audience so knowledgeable and amazing. The dedicated staff and volunteers, who put so much hard work into making the festival the success it is, deserve so much credit.

 

“It’s going to be a special night and I can’t wait to see my good friend Joseph Calleja enjoy the experience of Llangollen. I know he will fall in love with the town, festival and the people who make it happen.

 

"It's appropriate that as I'm celebrating my 50th year I'll be appearing at the festival's 70th celebration. I always enjoy returning to Llangollen and I'm delighted that I'll be joined by Joseph Calleja.

 

"He is reciprocating in a way as I appeared at the wonderful festival Joseph organises every year in a town square in Malta which is attended by around 15,000 people. In fact we have a budding locker room collaboration as we are both booked for a concert in Beirut shortly after Llangollen at the end of July."

 

The festival's musical director, Eilir Owen Griffiths, said: “We are so excited now we can confirm that Bryn Terfel and Joesph Calleja will star in our 70^th festival gala concert. It will be a wonderful evening of music."

 

“In addition, the 2014 winner of the Eisteddfod’s 2014 Voice of the Future competition, mezzo-soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies, will be joining Bryn and Joseph on stage alongside Sinfonia Cymru.

 

“It’s fitting as the chamber orchestra will be celebrating their 25^th anniversary as the Eisteddfod celebrates the 70th festival. It’s just going to be a very special evening.

“And my dream is that Bryn and Joseph will conclude the night with the Pearl Fishers duet. The audience and I really will be in heaven if that were to happen.”

 

To book tickets and for more details on the 2016 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

MP congratulates Chirk station friends

In the House of Commons yesterday (Thursday) Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones praised the work of the Friends of Chirk Station.

She said: "The Friends of Chirk Station are an outstanding group of people who have done so much to beautify Chirk Station through art work, lovely floral displays and keeping the station neat and tidy.

"It is terrific to have a group of local people prepared to take on the role as adopters of a railway station in the way that Christine Ashford and the other members of the Friends of Chirk Station have.

"I am delighted also that the Labour Welsh Government has awarded a massive grant to this project so that by the end of November, the footbridge will be open and the station will be fully accessible by people with disabilities."