Band tuning up for Picnic in the Garden

* Last year's successful Picnic in the Garden at Plas Newydd.

Llangollen Silver Band will be holding their popular Picnic in the Garden event at Plas Newydd next Sunday, June 26, from 4 – 6.30pm.

The event will feature all three of their bands  - training, youth and senior bands - performing sets alongside other musical guests.

Band spokesman, Robert Stock, explained: “In addition to brass music provided by our three bands, we’ll have string performances from Florence Harvey, Lucy Mwale and Elizabeth Mwale.

"We’re also delighted that Ysgol Bryn Collen’s Drama Group will again be joining us, following their successful performance alongside us at a concert in Llangollen Methodist Church back in March.

"They will be performing a selection of favourites from musicals such as The Sound of Music, Annie and Cinderella Rockafella.”

Tickets for Picnic in the Garden are now on sale at the cost of £5 and are available to purchase at the Council Office on Parade Street, Tourist Information Centre, Glyn the Butchers on Castle Street, and from band members. Tickets can also be purchased on the gate.

Concert goers are asked to bring along a folded chair, picnic and umbrella. 

A cake stall will also be available to purchase a range of homemade treats.

Should the weather on the day be particularly poor, the even will be held at Llangollen Town Hall instead.

Check the band's twitter page at www.twitter.com/llanband for any announcement regarding to where the event will be held.

Rock star heads hand hygiene campaign

* Rock star Mike Peters is to lead an Olympic-style baton tour around North Wales.

Rock star Mike Peters is to lead an Olympic-style baton tour around North Wales, as part of a Hand Hygiene crusade to help prevent the spread of life-threatening infections.

The Alarm front-man is among a team of NHS patients and staff who will carry the Hand Hygiene baton around the region, championing the message: 'Clean hands save lives'.

Mike, 57, from Prestatyn in Denbighshire, is battling leukaemia and so has learned first-hand the importance of hand washing when it comes to staying infection-free.

The Hand Hygiene baton will tour North Wales during nine days of events organised by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, including visits to Ysbyty Glan Glwyd at Bodelwyddan, Wrexham Maelor Hospital and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

Mike will take the baton on a tour of wards at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and speak to patients about the importance of hand hygiene, from 9.30am on Friday July 1. 

Four symbolic Hand Hygiene batons are being passed around communities across the UK this summer, in a campaign organised by the Infection Prevention Society (IPS), and delivered in North Wales by the BCUHB Infection Prevention team.

The tour was launched in Scotland on May 5 to coincide with the World Health Organisation's World Hand Hygiene Day, and will finish on September 26 in Yorkshire. 

It will be in the Wrexham area on June 27 and 28, Bodelwyddan area on June 29 and 30, and July 1 and Ysbyty Gwynedd from July 3 to 5. Full details of the tour will be revealed at a later date.

The idea is to spread the message, not the bugs, says the Infection Prevention team at BCUHB. 

Mike hopes his visit to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd on July 1 will help catapult the important message that ‘Clean Hands Save Lives’ into the national spotlight. 

During a glittering career Mike, 57, has shared the stage with A-listers Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Bono and Neil Young, while The Alarm has achieved 15 UK top 40 hits and sold more than five million records worldwide. 

Despite his illness he continues to tour, both at home and overseas, spurred on by the passionate support of his army of fans.

The married dad of two who lives with wife and manager, Jules, and their two sons, Dylan, 12 and Evan, nine, near Dyserth, Denbighshire, knows from personal experience how important hand hygiene is, particularly for those with low immunity levels, the very young, frail and elderly. 

He is a staunch supporter of Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Ysbyty Gwynedd, without which he says he would not be alive today.

Mike was diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995. Chemotherapy treatment forced it into remission, but the cancer came back in 2005 in the form of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. 

Further treatment kept the disease at bay until last year when it recurred. In a crushing blow for him and his family Mike was told he had developed a resistance to the life-saving drugs he was on and doctors had to urgently change his treatment regime. 

He is now on a trial drug to which his body is so far responding positively. He has regular treatment and check-ups at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor.

Mike says after years of suffering from cancer and going through times when his strength and immunity levels were dangerously low, he knows how easy it is for a commonplace infection to develop into something more serious and potentially lethal.

He said: “I had absolutely no hesitation when asked to support the infection prevention campaign because I know first-hand how effective it is when it comes to saving lives. 

"Simple preventative measures like washing your hands regularly can make a huge difference, stemming the spread of bacteria and viruses and so protecting the vulnerable.”

Tracey Cooper, the Assistant Director of Nursing in charge of infection prevention at BCUHB, will hand the baton to Mike before he takes it on tour around Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

She said: “It’s the year of the Rio Olympic Games and we’re all up for a challenge, but we’ve set ourselves a very specific goal here in North Wales – we want to stop potentially fatal infections from getting out of the starting blocks. 

"We’re over the moon Mike has agreed to be an ambassador for us.”

Infection Prevention Nurse, Kathryn Chapple, who has organised a week long hand hygiene events programme for BCUHB, added: "Mike’s visit will be a highlight of our campaign. 

"He has a large fan base here, among staff as well as patients. He will tour the various departments and visit wards.”

Experts estimate that eight out of 10 infections are spread by touch. 

Nurse Kathryn Chapple said: “That’s why washing your hands properly is one of the most important things you can do to help prevent and control the spread of many illnesses. 

“An efficient hand hygiene routine can significantly reduce the risk of contracting colds, flu, food poisoning and stop healthcare associated infections being passed from person to person. We recommend people wash their hands frequently, not just after going to the toilet, or before meals, but regularly throughout the day.”

The message was firmly reiterated by Mike’s wife Jules who admits to having become a ‘hygiene obsessive’.

She said: “I don’t want to sound paranoid of anything, but as a carer I know how bad it can get. 

"When Mike was first diagnosed I was terrified of people coming near him or even visiting him in hospital because of the risk that they could spread on infection. 

“He has so many adoring fans and has always made himself so accessible to them. I urged him to start doing ‘fist bumps’ instead of handshakes to minimise the risk.

“We all pick up invisible bacteria during the course of the day, just by touching things around us – hand rails or door knobs, for instance – and these bacteria are easily passed from person to person. 

"If you are in full health you may have the ability to fight off colds and other viruses picked up in this way, but if you are vulnerable in the first place they can become life-threatening. 

“Passing on an infection is so easily done just by shaking hands with or hugging someone when you have not washed your hands.  

"But it is also easily prevented by one simple measure – hand washing. If there is not a washroom nearby then carry an anti-bacterial cleanser. I am always telling Mike and the boys to carry anti-bacterial hand gel round with them and to use it regularly.”

Jules’s determination to support the hand hygiene campaign is strengthened by her experience of having spent a traumatic month in isolation in hospital after picking up a virus while on a fund-raising climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. 

It was in aid of world leading rock and roll charity the Love, Hope, Strength Foundation which Mike co-founded following his cancer diagnosis.

The foundation promotes music related, outreach and awareness programmes for leukaemia and cancer sufferers, survivors and their families. It builds cancer centres, funds medical equipment and supplies, raises awareness about cancer and campaigns for more potential donors to sign up to the organ and bone marrow registers.

It has seen Mike perform at famous summits around the world, from Mount Snowdon, on his home turf, to the top of New York’s Empire State Building, the world’s highest rock concert on Mount Everest, a dawn concert at Mount Fuji, Japan, and the ‘roof of Africa trek’ to Mount Kilimanjaro. 

It was following that trip when Jules suffered a blood clot which caused her leg to swell up, coupled with a mystery virus, which nearly killed her, and resulted in her having emergency treatment in Liverpool’s Tropical Disease Centre isolation unit. 

She said: “It was a very frightening time, during which I had to be quarantined from everyone including Mike and the boys, all my family, and friends, for a month. 

“I put myself in the hands of the doctors and followed their advice to the letter because I knew that was the best thing I could do. 

"I was very lucky to come out of it alive and one thing it has taught me is how easy it is for what seems like a small insignificant infection to escalate out of control. 

“That’s why the Hand Hygiene campaign is so important to us as a family, because it can make such a massive difference. It is amazing to think that such a simple task can have such a huge impact, but all the evidence is clear, washing our hands regularly really does save lives.”

The Hand Hygiene tour is the largest campaign of its kind held by the Infection Prevention Society and coincides with the 2016 World Health Organisation Clean Your Hands offensive, leading up to an infection prevention conference in Harrogate this September. 

You can follow the Hand Hygiene tour on Facebook and Twitter by searching @BCUbeatthebugs or #IPSTorchTour16

For more information visit www.ips.uk.net

Llan MP's tribute to murdered colleague

WHILE taking sensible precautions for their own safety MPs should never forget they are there to represent individuals and communities and cannot do that by hiding themselves away.

That was the message from Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones as she paid warm tribute to fellow  Labour MP Jo Cox who was murdered on the streets of her Yorkshire constituency last Thursday.

Ms Jones (pictured) said: “The tragic news about the murder of Jo Cox has shocked the whole country.

“It is clear that Jo was a person who cared very deeply about other people, both in this country and across the world.

“She had a career of distinguished service as an aid worker and a campaigner before she entered Parliament and she was every bit as dedicated in her work as an MP.

“Jo was also a mother to very young children. I know many people across our country and the world will hold her family and close friends in their thoughts and prayers at this very traumatic time. 

“Many of us were very moved by the words of Jo's husband after her death that we can best remember Jo and honour her life by standing up against the hatred that led to her death.”

Ms Jones added: “Regrettably, there often seem to be much hatred, fear and extremism in politics in our country today. However, there is also much that is good.

“One thing that I believe that we must cherish is the right of individual constituents to meet with their Members of Parliament.

“Of course, MPs and everyone in the public eye must take sensible security precautions, but we MPs should never forget that we are here to represent individuals and communities.

“And we can't do that by hiding away from people.

“Yesterday (Friday) I visited the museum in Cefn Mawr and then held a constituency surgery in Llangollen Library with Ken Skates AM.

“I will continue to do all I can to help and represent my constituents to the best of my ability.

“Democracy and tolerance are precious treasures in our country and across our continent. We must never let the voices of hatred and extremism threaten them.” 

Archive material now at touch of button

Information held in Denbighshire’s archives is now only a click away, with a new website launched to help people delve into the county’s history.

The new interactive website, one of the first of its kind in Wales,  can be found by visiting: archives.denbighshire.gov.uk

The site has been 18 months in the making, developing and enhancing online services for researchers.

People can access  details of collections held at Denbighshire, selected digital images, order digital copies, book to use the service and make online payments.

Archivist Sarah Roberts, said: “More and more people are using online resources for research to discover who lived in their house or the history behind their local area, church or schools.

“The new developments are in direct response to the changing needs of our researchers and online audiences."

Councillor Barbara Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Modernisation, said: “These changes have only been possible because of the dedication of staff and volunteers working with the service. The website looks fantastic and provides users with an interactive platform to engage with the service in new ways."

The website has been supported by the National Archives and the Museums, Archives and Libraries Division of Welsh Government.

Church's requiem will mark Somme centenary

ST COLLEN’S Church in Llangollen has arranged a special commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme in World War One.

At the church at 7.30pm on Thursday June 30, Glyndŵr University Community Choir, conducted by Owen Roberts, will perform Faurés Requiem.

There will also be readings by pupils from Ysgol Dinas Brân. Admission free with a retiring collection.

After the concert, a lit candle will be placed at the war memorial in Castle Street until 7.30am next day when whistles will be blown to mark the actual time the Battle of the Somme began on July 1 1916.

There will be a short Service of Remembrance at the war memorial at 11am.

Open evening

* St John’s Church in Abbey Road, which is associated with St Collen’s, has just had a programme of modernisation work completed.

This included new central heating, a new kitchenette and a disability toilet have been added.

Vicar, the Rev Andrew Sully, said: “We’d love to show people what’s been done and so are holding an open evening on Tuesday June 28 at 7pm.

“Our hope is that members of the community will be able to meet here for occasional one-off meetings or for more regular group meetings during the whole year, now that we have central heating.”

AM challenges First Minister over new home numbers

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has challenged the First Minister over house building in Wales this week, claiming that the number of private units granted planning permission in Wales has decreased while England has seen a substantial increase.

Speaking in the Chamber Mr Isherwood (pictured) said: “Given that, in England, Local Plans produced in consultation with the community have been the cornerstone of planning reforms, how will your Government engage with the Home Builders Federation regarding the statement in its Welsh election paper, ‘Building Communities, Boosting Investment’, that, because of the many improvements in England, in terms of reduced regulation and greater land availability, the relative attraction of investing in the requisite land and skills in Wales has reduced over recent years?

“The results can be seen in the most  recently published data on planning permissions, which show that, since the start of 2013, the number of private units granted planning permission in Wales has decreased by 4 per cent, whilst increasing by 49 per cent in England.”

The First Minister replied: “Well, we have seen significant increases in the number of houses being built in Wales over the past two years. It seems to me that, in England, the plans there are designed to block housing development and not to encourage housing development.

"What there needs to be, of course, is a properly regulated development plan so that people are able to see where development will take place. I don’t believe that local development plans, of themselves, are sufficient over a wider economic area, which is why strategic plans, to my mind, have a great deal of force and are a great deal of help when it comes to planning for the future.”

Mr Isherwood added: “So it seems he still won’t listen to those who actually build the homes needed to tackle Labour’s housing supply crisis in Wales. Last year Wales was the only UK nation to see a fall in the number of new homes registered.” 

Young Llan performer is West End smash

A TALENTED young performer from Llangollen has won glowing praise for his part in a West End concert celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Childline charity.

Cassius Hackforth was one of the young stars from across the UK chosen to take part in A Fabulous Musical Afternoon at the Arts Theatre, which also saw an appearance by musical legend Marti Webb. * Cassius Hackforth when he appeared in the Young Uns' production of Half a Sixpence The show was a fast-paced review of the classic musicals of the last 60 years programmed by Robert Page and presented by a company of over 30 performers. Cassius, who attends Ysgol Dinas Bran and played Bulfrog to great acclaim in last year’s production of the musical Honk! by Llangollen Operatic’s Young ‘Uns junior section, took to the stage in the second half of the show. And, according to a critic from the London Live Review, he virtually stole the show. The report says: “The solo performance of the day did not belong to the West End stars. It belonged to a young man called Cassius Hackforth. “Putting children in a show is always a risk on a bill of top West End talent.   “However, Chay had proved in the first act that the Facebook winners were some of the best young singers in the UK.   “Cassius has already bagged a lead role with the National Youth Music Theatre. This performance of Different from Honk was totally mesmerising and he owned the theatre.   “In fact, it was so fantastic that Sylvia Young who was attending the show offered him a free Summer Place at her famed Summer School. A bright future is surely ahead for Cassius.”