Pontcysyllte Aqueduct shortlisted for major award

Pontcysyllte  Aqueduct near Llangollen has been shortlisted in 2015/16 Heritage Site of the Year awards run by BBC Countryfile Magazine.

 

The list, nominated by BBC presenter John Craven, also includes famous sites in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire, Shropshire and Northumberland.

 

People are invited to vote for their choice of winner via the magazine's website.

 

Sites in the running are:  

 

PONTCYSYLLTE AQUEDUCT, WREXHAM
This engineering masterpiece was Britain’s longest, highest aqueduct when one of my heroes, Thomas Telford, completed it in 1805. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it still carries the Llangollen canal over the Dee Valley in a 307m-long cast-iron trough, held by 19 pillars of 30m. Cross by narrow boat or on foot – you’ll need a head for heights.

  

DUNLUCE CASTLE, COUNTY ANTRIM

The ruins of this magnificent medieval fortress perch on top of the steep, sheer cliffs of a rocky promontory along the gorgeous Antrim coast. Not far away is the Giant’s Causeway, so two top heritage sites in one! The views are stunning, its bloody history is well told, and fans of Game of Thrones may recognise it as the seat of the House of Greyjoy.

WHITBY, NORTH YORKSHIRE
The scene of childhood holidays to which I never tire of returning. History is round every quaint corner. Captain Cook lived here and explored Australia in the Whitby- built HMS Endeavour; it was Bram Stoker’s backdrop for Dracula; and at the top of its famous 199 steps stand the dramatic remains of Whitby’s Benedictine abbey, dominating the skyline.

HADRIAN’S WALL
Having trekked along parts of it through landscapes seemingly as wild as when the Emperor ordered it to be built in AD 122, how could I exclude this 73-mile wonder? Stretching from the Solway Firth to Wallsend (of course) it remains a lasting achievement of Roman endeavour. Together with the Antonine Wall, 100 miles north, they make up one of Britain’s 25 world heritage sites.


STOKESAY CASTLE, SHROPSHIRE
My favourite little gem from the Middle Ages (and not due to family links – long-past owners the Earls of Craven were no relation!). Too small to be a real castle, it’s defined by English Heritage as “quite simply the finest, best-preserved fortified medieval manor house in England”. On seeing it, I promptly fell for its charms, which have changed little since it was built in the late 13th-century.

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates, who is also Deputy Tourism Minister, said: “We are incredibly lucky in Clwyd South to have two National Trust sites as well as the magnificent Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the first trans-national UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“The aqueduct is an engineering masterpiece and stretches for 11 miles through some of the most important industrial heritage anywhere in the world.

“I’m delighted Pontcysyllte Aqueduct has been recognised and nominated for this award by the BBC and such a tremendously well-respected broadcaster as John Craven, and I would encourage my constituents to vote and help ensure another success story for Clwyd South.

“This is a great start to 2016 – the Year of Adventure in Wales.”

You can vote for the winner here:

http://m.countryfile.com/explore-countryside/places/heritage-site-year-201516

AM calls for smaller class sizes

Speaking on the first day of a new school term yesterday, Aled Roberts AM (pictured) has said that parents’ wishes for smaller class sizes have been ignored for too long.

 

Over 71,740 infant pupils in Wales are currently taught in classes of 25 or more, with 59% of infant classes having over 25 pupils.

 

Despite the fact that class sizes are growing, in July it was revealed that over 800 teachers and support staff are being made redundant across Wales, which will have a major impact on pupils and their learning. 

 

Going into the Assembly election, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have made clear that they would cap class sizes for infants at 25. 

 

The party says it would ensure that schools have the funding to employ more teachers so that class sizes can be capped at 25, to protect the quality of education for pupils.

 

Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Education and Assembly Member for North Wales, said: “Many children are going back to school today and will be taught in classes of well over 25 pupils.  That is simply too big for a teacher to have the time to give children the individual attention they need.

 

“Time after time I speak to understandably worried parents whose main priority is for their children to be taught in smaller classes. Parents’ views have been ignored for too long. 

 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats would work to ensure that infant classes normally contain no more than 25 pupils, prioritising the largest classes first.  We would invest in more teachers, to give them the time to focus on a child’s individual needs which we believe is central to raising standards.

 

“The average class size in Wales is higher than nearly all other developed countries.  That isn’t good enough and our pupils deserve better.

 

“This policy is a key signal that the Welsh Liberal Democrats are on the side of pupils and parents.”

Police pioneer flood evecuation system

A new software solution to help identify occupied or evacuated properties devised by North Wales Police came in to play during last week’s severe weather.

Exodus was readied for use in both St Asaph and the Dee Valley when properties were at risk of flooding. 

Fortunately in these events the water receded before it was actually activated, but the system has previously prompted interest from other multi-agency partners across the UK and as far afield as America.
PC David Abernethy-Clark of North Wales Police (pictured), who devised the system, said: “In an emergency situation every minute counts.

Exodus enables us to coordinate resources much more quickly and efficiently for those areas at risk of flooding so that we can prioritise our evacuation efforts and save lives.

“Once we have the at risk area defined the system calculates how many emergency responders are needed or how long it would take to visit each and every property within it, should the number of emergency responders be fixed.  It means that we can very quickly assess the need to scale up or down the response depending on the amount of time we have before the flood is likely to happen.”

All properties in an affected area are allocated a ‘homeowner pack’ containing posters for displaying externally – one to say that the occupants remain in residence, another to say that they have evacuated, plus an information sheet to be handed to any police officer with information of how they can be contacted.

PC Abernethy-Clark said: “The packs also contain a third poster which indicates that the property needs further investigation, this would be used when we’ve knocked on the door and no one answers.”

This colour coded scheme means that as an area becomes flooded any emergency responders returning by boat, can see at a glance the status of each property.  They will then target those properties that are occupied or in need of further investigation, to make sure that people are safe, offer them the chance to evacuate and if need be to rescue them.

“We have already had interest in the system from other multi-agency partners, UK police forces and from Universities in America and Canada. It’s a system which could be used anywhere and I’m sure that following the events this week in parts of England and Scotland we may get more interest,” said PC Abernethy-Clark.

The system will not just be used during floods, it could be used whenever there is a need to evacuate property.

New Year greetings!

llanblogger wishes a Happy New Year to all its readers ...

Latest ambulance figures on target

The standard emergency ambulance response to the most acutely ill patients was five minutes and 30 seconds, latest figures show.

 

Statistics for November, the second month of a year-long pilot to test changes to the way the Welsh Ambulance Service responds to patients, show that 70.8% red calls were responded to within eight minutes.

The expectation is that at least 65% of responses to the most life-threatening emergencies – known as red calls - should arrive within eight minutes.

The new figures for November also show:

• More than a third of ‘red’ patients received a response within just four minutes;
• There were an average of 1,223 emergency calls per day;
• All health board areas, with the exception of Hywel Dda University Health Board area, achieved at least 70% within eight minutes.

Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “I’m pleased to see the Welsh Ambulance is achieving the new response time target and helping to deliver excellent patient outcomes, as the pilot continues.

“These figures reveal the demands placed on the ambulance clinicians, clinical contact centres and hard-working first responder volunteers who work tirelessly to save people in life-threatening situations.

“The new system is helping to ensure people with an immediately life-threatening condition receive a response within eight minutes – this is helping people to get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

“I recognise that more needs to be done in some areas and I expect the service to build on these early results and continue to improve to ensure people who need the life-saving skills of ambulance clinicians do so in the quickest time possible and get the best possible outcomes.”

Two honoured for services to Llan community

Two people have received the British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours List for their services to the community in Llangollen.

Thomas Delwyn Roberts, 79, receives a BEM for voluntary service in the town, where he has been involved in the Rotary Youth Exchange Programme arranging visits between local children and children from India.

He is a volunteer driver helping the housebound, helped raise £600,000 to build a community centre in Trevor and volunteers for the Llangollen Eisteddfod.

A magistrate and lay preacher, Mr Roberts is also a Deacon in the Welsh Baptist Chapel.

Also receiving a BEM is Mrs Rosemary Corbett Thomas, District Cub Scout Leader, Llangollen, for services to the Scout Movement in the Llangollen District.

* For details of the full Honours List in Wales, see http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/new-years-honours-list-2016-10667164

Prospective candidate hears of flooding concerns

 

* Simon Baynes on the Chainbridge near Llangollen on Wednesday.

 

Simon Baynes, Prospective Welsh Conservative Assembly Member for Clwyd South, says farmers and residents have expressed their concerns to him about flooding. 

 

Water levels are currently receding but a few days ago there was extensive flooding in several areas.

 

Yesterday (Wednesday) Mr Baynes visited Llandrillo, Cynwyd, Corwen, the Chainbridge Hotel and Llangollen.

 

He said he spoke with local residents and was relieved to see water levels were down even though the River Dee was still flowing very strongly.

 

On Monday, Captain John and Mary Ormrod, who farm near Bangor-on-Dee, showed him the widespread flooding across their land from both the River Clywedog and the River Dee.

 

In Bangor-on-Dee, local resident and retired magistrate Michael Bishop commented on the water level under the bridge and discussed the flood avoidance measures that have been taken in the town in recent years.

 

Mr Baynes said: “Farmers I have spoken with are particularly concerned about the upstream management of the River Dee and very keen that Natural Resources Wales should better manage the river, its tributaries and surrounding land in a way that will mitigate flooding downstream.

 

“It is important that the Welsh Government, like the Westminster government, provides generous emergency relief where needed and constantly reviews its flood prevention measures.

 

“If you are concerned about further flooding, you can sign up for Natural Resources Wales Floodline Warnings Direct service. Please call Floodline on 0345 9881188."