Skates welcomes £1.25m health commitment to Corwen

Assembly Member Ken Skates has welcomed a commitment that £1.25m will be spent to improve NHS facilities in Corwen.

Plans for enhanced health and social care services took a major step forward earlier this year when the Clwyd South AM secured an assurance that Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board had ‘prioritised the development of improved facilities’ in the town.

Mr Skates has since continued to push for investment and recently wrote again to BCUHB chief executive Gary Doherty to ask for an update.

“Having been involved in the successful campaigns for new health centres in Llangollen and Chirk, I’m pleased to have been able to secure a promise of investment in Corwen too,” said Mr Skates, who had pledged to deliver continued spending on health if re-elected in May.

“I’m delighted that the health board has earmarked £1.25m for improvements to the existing premises in Corwen, and I’m pleased it is also exploring potential new sites.”

Mr Doherty said BCUHB had met representatives of the town’s GP practice and its patient participation group on May 19 and held a follow-up meeting on July 14 – which also included Denbighshire County Council – to ‘explore opportunities for joint working between the health board and local authority’.

Mr Doherty explained that Denbighshire County Council said it does not have any suitable buildings in the Corwen area, so the recent discussion had ‘focused on original plans to for the refurbishment of the existing site’. 

AM receives word on delayed rail scheme

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has received confirmation from Network Rail that work on a delayed rail scheme to improve train times between Wrexham and Chester will start in March next year.

The scheme includes doubling the rail track between Rossett and Saltney junction, and has been continually delayed in recent months, much to the frustration of passengers.

Network Rail have indicated that they will carry out the final commissioning work during late March and early April 2017.

Concerns were raised with Mr Isherwood by local rail users wanting to know when the new track layout will be brought into use.

Mr Isherwood (pictured) received confirmation of the dates after pursuing the matter with Network Rail

Mr Isherwood said: “I am delighted that a date has now been given, although it is disappointing it has taken so long. Last October the project appeared nearly complete, with two lines of track in place and a lot of infrastructure done. Local rail users told me that at that time the Network Rail Project Engineer was saying that the work would be completed on time and on budget and passengers had expected trains to be using the two tracks during last winter.

“They further told me that work came to a stop when it was discovered that signalling cable needed replacement - something outside of the Network Rail budget for the job despite the £44m allocated by the  Welsh Government . The delays have been incredibly frustrating for passengers who travel between Wrexham and Chester.

“Whilst the new track might only allow one extra train per hour between Wrexham and Chester, it will provide extra rail capacity to handle trains when there is delay on the line.  Conclusion of the project will reduce inconvenience for passengers who otherwise have to wait at Wrexham for a train to clear the long section before the next one proceeds.

“Rail users have told me that the continuing delays are causing frustration and they are concerned that the benefits from this commissioning are unlikely to be released until later in 2017.

“I will be keeping a close eye on progress, ensuring that my constituents aren’t further let down.”  

The commissioning dates for the work are:

Package 1 – March 2017 - To connect the new signalling infrastructure into the existing systems at Chester and Wrexham. Network Rail will be taking full possession of the railway between Friday 24 March 2017 and Saturday 1 April 2017.

Package 2 – April 2017 - To enable line speed increases of 90mph, as well as connecting some additional new signalling infrastructure. Network Rail will be taking full possession of the railway between Shrewsbury and Gobowen from the early hours of Sunday 9 April 2017 until the early hours of Monday 10 April 2017. 

Llan goes for gold in Great British High Street competition

Llangollen is in the running to win up to £10,000 in prize money as part of the search for Britain’s best high streets.

Although there is still a month to go until applications close, the town is one of the first areas off the starting block to challenge for honours in the small market town category.

Now in its third year, the competition celebrates the great work that is being done to revive, adapt and diversify the nation’s high streets and is an opportunity for councils, businesses, community groups and volunteers to learn from the very best.

Last year’s competition saw a record-breaking 230 entries and attracted over 200,000 public votes, with Bishy Road in York, a former finalist, crowned Britain’s best.

Entries from the Wales were strong, with Prestatyn shortlisted to go through to 2015’s public vote for the coastal community category.

Welsh Assembly Member and Minister for Infrastructure, Ken Skates, is supporting Llangollen’s entry for the Great British High streets competition 2016.

He said: “Powering the retail sector and supporting thousands of jobs, high streets are a vital part of the fabric of Britain.

“That’s why I want to celebrate the hard work being done across Wales and support Llangollen’s application.

“I’m confident that Llangollen should thrive in this competition and  the local community should seize the opportunity to win up to £10,000 for the high street.”

Michael Edwards from Keep Llangollen Special said: “As an inland tourist destination in an AONB and UNESCO World Heritage Site we have a vibrant High Street with many independent convenience stores.

“Fingers crossed our entry will be successful so Llangollen will get recognised as a great place to live, shop and work.”

New to 2016, the competition is also looking for individuals to win a ‘high street hero’ award.

With categories for store managers and employees from national or independent retailers to under 25s and market traders, high streets are able to enter the individuals who are making a difference to their local community.

Nominations for both places and individuals are now open across England, Wales and Scotland.

The top three shortlisted in each category will be announced in October. 

They will then go through to a public online vote and be visited by the Future High Streets Forum judging panel made up of industry leaders from across retail, property and business.

The Great British High Street competition is run by the Department for Communities and Local Government and sponsored by Boots, the British Council of Shopping Centres, Ellandi, Holland and Barratt, Marks and Spencer, the Post Office and Wilko.

Details about the competition can be found at: www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk
 
The deadline for entries is Friday, September 9.

The public can support their local area on twitter by following @TheGBHighSt or using the hashtag #GBHighSt.

Police warn of quarry pool swimming danger

A campaign aimed at highlighting the dangers of swimming in quarry pools has been launched by North Wales Police.

Working in partnership with construction materials company Hanson, which operates five quarries in North Wales, the campaign warns children and young people to stay away from water-filled quarries as schools close for the summer.



The warning comes after North Wales Police were recently requested to carry out a safety audit at one of Hanson UK’s quarries in the Mold area due to concerns of people trespassing.

Superintendent Jane Banham, Head of Community Safety at North Wales Police said: “Sadly over recent years there have been tragedies in the region whereby people have gotten into difficulty after entering quarry pools.

“The water is extremely cold and the hidden dangers are immense which can quickly lead to something altogether more serious.

“Although it can be very tempting to jump into the nearest pool or lake to cool down on a hot day, or to swim in the water at disused quarries, the water depths are huge – up to 60 metres – and it can be very difficult to get out due to the steep faces.

“As well as the dangers associated with swimming at unsupervised and often remote places, jumping from the rocks also puts people in danger.

“Swimming at disused quarries is a very dangerous practice and I would appeal to all youngsters and anyone else to please stay away.”

Members of the public are also being reminded that quarries are private properties and anybody found swimming or on the rocks would be trespassing.

Supt Banham added: “We want people to enjoy themselves over the summer but to keep safe. Not only is the water temperature freezing but it can also contain hidden hazards such as debris, weeds and reeds that you may not be able to see from the surface.

“The water can also be very deep and swimmers can easily find themselves out of their depth. If you are thinking about going swimming in such places please think again, consider the dangers and don’t trespass.”

Hanson Communications Manager David Weeks added: “We work very hard to ensure our sites are secure and carry out regular patrols of the boundaries to check and repair fencing. The fences and warning signs are there for a reason – please respect them.”

Hanson are also planning to add dye to the water at its site near Mold to act as a further deterrent to swimmers.

PC Hazel Goss, from the Eastern Community Safety Department said: “We’ve been working closely with Hanson UK to try and deter people from trespassing on their land to access the quarry pools.

“Over the years we’ve even had reports of families ignoring the dangers to spend the day at these quarries, even taking picnics with them. Clearly this is unacceptable and this is why we have launched this awareness campaign to highlight the dangers.

“We are also urging parents to educate their children about the dangers of trespassing and to avoid swimming in any pools or lakes and to also be aware of where their children are and what they are doing this summer.”

Balloons come floating back into Llan

Llangollen will once again be the home to the only hot air balloon festival in Wales, creating a spectacular sight over the stunning Dee Valley and beyond over the weekend 17/18 September.

The town has been a mecca for balloons of all shapes and sizes since 1997 although this year will see a number of new attractions.

There's the inaugural Wales International Balloon Festival Great Balloon Race, which is guaranteed to generate a spectacular site as pilots set off in pursuit of the 'hare.'

The Red Devils parachute display team will also be making a controlled jump for the first time at a major ballooning event.

With plenty of other activities taking place on the festival field, it promises to be a fantastic couple of days for the whole family.

For more information go to: http://walesinternationalballoonfestival.co.uk/

Your views on cycling facilities sought

Cyclists and pedestrians are being asked to give their views on facilities and routes available within the county of Denbighshire.

There isn’t long left for the public to have their say as the current consultation closes on Friday, August 19.

Denbighshire County Council uses consultations to hear what their residents think of the areas that they live, work or visit in the county.

The Active Travel Wales Act 2013 commenced during September 2014 requires local authorities to continuously improve facilities and routes for pedestrians and cyclists. It also requires them to prepare maps identifying current and potential future routes for their use.

The Act also requires new road schemes (including road improvement schemes) to consider the needs of pedestrians and cyclists at design stage.

To have your say on the facilities available for pedestrians and cyclists in Denbighshire, head over to the Denbighshire County Council website and view the current consultations where you can complete the online questionnaire.

You also have the opportunity to download a map of travel routes currently being used in your local area.

Red Arrows fly over town

Graham Timms took this fantastic picture of the famous Red arrows aerial display team overflying Llangollen Pavilion this lunchtime en route to an air show.