Ambulance service backs campaign to cut road death toll

* The Welsh Ambulance Service’s Road Safety Champion

and clinical team leader Dermot O’Leary taking part in

a mock road traffic collision exercise along

with other emergency service partners.

THE WELSH Ambulance Service is backing a European day of action to reduce the number of people killed in road accidents.

European road safety network TISPOL has launched a campaign in the hope that September 21 will be the first European Day Without A Road Death.

Project EDWARD calls on all road users to reflect on their behaviour and attitude in a bid to reduce the number of serious accidents.

Clinical Team Leader Dermot O’Leary has witnessed first-hand the impact that road traffic collisions (RTCs) have on patients, their families and members of the emergency services who attend them.

Last year 105 people were killed on the roads of Wales, while a further 1,081 were seriously injured.

Dermot said the emergence of technology and the use of devices such as mobile phones and sat navs has led to an increase in potential distractions for road users.

He added that drug driving was also on the rise, which can seriously impair a driver’s reactions.

Dermot said: “People don’t realise just how dangerous RTCs are. In a collision your weight increases between 30 and 60 times.

“Despite it being against the law you still see a lot of people driving with a phone in their hand and hands free is not really any better, as you can’t do two things at once.

“The unfortunate thing these days is we’re seeing a huge increase in so-called legal highs and the use of recreational drugs and people think that it’s okay to get behind the wheel.

“The cost that people don’t see is the emotional cost. You’ve got the emotional cost to the family because they’ve lost a loved one and you’ve got the emotional cost to the people who attend the RTC.

“One thing I always say to people is if they could be in my shoes, crawl into a crashed car and look into the face of somebody and think ‘Am I going to be able to save you?’ then they might think drink or drug driving is an issue.”

Dermot, who is based in Rhyl, takes part in Deadly Impacts Roadshows along with other emergency service partners to teach college students about the dangers of the 'Fatal Five' - excessive speed, anti-social driving, no sea tbelts, drink or drug-driving and using a mobile phone whilst driving. 

Dermot said: “Part of the problem you’ve got with the age group 15 to 24 is that road traffic death is the biggest killer.

“The kind of cars they drive in aren’t the latest ones with side impact protection and multiple airbags, they’re the older cars as it’s the first ones they can afford to drive.

“I cover what happens to their body in a collision and show them the sorts of injuries you can receive.

“We follow that up with a session whereby I’ll then show them the equipment I’ll use like tubes and cannulas.

“We put someone in a Kendrick Extrication Device so they can feel what it’s like to be extricated. It’s the closest thing to feeling it that we can give them.”

Dermot has pledged his support to Project EDWARD a nd is calling on people across Wales to take heed of the safety messages issued by the emergency services in order to prevent road deaths.

He said: “At the end of the day if you stick to speed limits, you wear your belt, you don’t drink drive, you don’t drug drive, you’re not fiddling with your mobile phone and have 100 per cent concentration then in theory you don’t have a collision.

“That’s the idea behind a day without a road death, it’s about getting everyone across Europe to wake up to that.”

* You can join the Trust in making TISPOL’s pledge to help reduce risk and improve safety on road journeys by visiting the Project EDWARD website.

Nominations sought for Clwydian Range award

Nominations from Llangollen are being sought for this year's Clwydian Range & Dee Valley AONB Award.

Every year the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) selects an individual or group whose contribution to the landscape and communities of the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley AONB have been outstanding.  

The award, which is held annually, invites nominations from  businesses/individuals that operate within the AONB and provide a good quality service sustainably, along with enhancing the AONB.   

Previous winners of the award include The Raven Inn, Llanarmon yn Ial, Michael Skuse, Rod Waterfield, Woodlands Skill Centre, Bodfari, and Richard Jones, Countryside Skills.
 
Nominations should include a brief explanation as to why you think the business/individual should be considered for  the award.

They can be emailed to: karen.holthofer@denbighshire.gov.uk, or posted to: Karen Holthofer,
AONB Communications Officer, Information Centre, Loggerheads Country Park, Ruthin Road,
Denbighshire CH7 5LH by September 13.

The award will be presented at the AONB Partnership Meeting due to be held on Friday October 21.

Woman killed on Horseshoe Pass is named

* Cassie Dulson.

North Wales Police has confirmed that the woman who sadly died following the collision on the Horseshoe Pass on Monday September 5 has been named as Cassandra Jayne Dulson, also fondly known as Cassie.

She was 24-years-old and came from the Ruabon area of Wrexham.

The family say that Cassie was dearly loved and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her.

Cassie’s family are being supported by North Wales Police and officers continue to appeal for witnesses to contact them on 101 quoting reference number U134728.

County says thanks for supporting Tour of Britain

Denbighshire County Council has said a big “thank you” to the county’s residents for supporting the Tour of Britain as the event kick started its visit to Wales in Denbigh earlier today (Wednesday).

Stage 4 of this year started on the High Street before heading towards the former North Wales Hospital site and looping back into the town near the leisure centre and Denbigh High School before leaving the town and heading towards Bodfari.

The race then temporarily left Denbighshire and into Flintshire, heading through Mold,  Pontblyddyn, Coed Talon, Treuddyn before it re-entered Denbighshire near Llandegla. It then travelled along the A5104 through Bryneglwys and on to the A5 at Corwen before turning for Cynwyd and Llandrillo.

A host of activities took place in Denbigh town centre before the race began and thousands of people and school children lined the streets to welcome the cyclists to town.

Leader of Denbighshire County Council, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “We are absolutely delighted by the level of support shown on the day. Denbigh Town Centre was full of supporters ready to give the cyclists a warm Welsh welcome. We also had people supporting the race at other points around Denbigh and in the south of the county.

“The Tour of Britain organisers always t ell us that cyclists are delighted to receive such strong support in North Wales and they are pleased to see the crowds out in force.

“The event is a great opportunity to showcase the county and the North Wales region.  North Wales is fast earning itself a reputation for hosting and staging major events, with the Tour of Britain a prime example of how councils across the region and organisers work together to deliver spectacular events. 

“We know that the support provided by the people of Denbighshire in recent years has been phenomenal and we want to encourage the same level of support again this year."

 

Businesses support county's media campaign

* Pete Carroll, right, of Pro Adventure outdoor shop,

Jan Deeprose of Lily Rose Interiors, and

Steve Jones of Stans Supermarket.

A trio of thriving Llangollen businesses are helping to spearhead a new drive to persuade people to support local businesses.

Stans supermarket, the Pro Adventure outdoor shop and Lilly Rose Interiors have all just joined the small and growing band of official ambassadors for the #LoveLiveLocal social media campaign.

The campaign is being supported by Denbighshire County Council to promote independent local shops, small companies and service providers and help them make the most of social media marketing.

The big idea behind the campaign is that if a customer loves the product they have just bought at their local gift shop or is delighted with the restaurant meal they had, they can spread the word over Twitter or Facebook, simply adding #LoveLiveLocal, to help their business friends and neighbours.

Denbighshire Council leader Hugh Evans has invited businesses across the county to engage with the campaign, use the hashtag to promote themselves and ask their customers to use it too.

He said: “There are so many fantastic businesses here in Denbighshire in all sorts of sectors from food and hotels, to shops selling uniquely made crafts and providers of first class services and unforgettable experiences.

“We need to get the word out and make sure as many people as possible get to know about them and use them.

“We call on the people of Denbighshire to show community spirit by supporting this bid to safeguard the future of our high streets.

"Small businesses help create a thriving regional economy and provide vital jobs for local people.

"That’s why we really want people to share their positive experiences and boost our

#LoveLiveLocal campaign by passing on the message about how much they love

shopping locally.

"It's part of our ongoing drive to develop and expand the local economy, promote shopping locally and encourage businesses to further explore the benefits of using social media."

Among those throwing their weight behind the campaign is Stans supermarket on Berwyn Street where manager Steve Jones said: “I’ll be doing whatever I can to support it as an ambassador.

“At Stans in Llangollen we’re very much in favour of supporting other businesses from the area and we stock items from 15 or 16 local suppliers alongside the main brands.

“We also support local causes and in the four years since we opened in Llangollen we’ve donated about £2,500 to schools, football teams and the area’s Tidy Town team.

“I think #LoveLiveLocal is useful as social media is such a valuable marketing tool and getting feedback about local businesses from the people who use them is very important.”

Another new #LoveLiveLocal ambassador in Llangollen is one of the town’s youngest businesses, Lilly Rose Interiors, which opened in Castle Street just four months ago.

It’s run by Jan Deeprose, who lives in the area and used her considerable background in retailing as a springboard to start her own shop selling a wide range of home and house wear, from candles and cushions to crockery and garden ornaments.

She said: “I’m pleased to become as ambassador for #LoveLiveLocal as I know that social media is so vital for businesses these days. That’s why I’m on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“It’s also so important to be doing something to support smaller local businesses, which is what the county council is doing with this campaign.

“Being local is vital these days. I live and work in Llangollen, so I pride myself on knowing my local market and what people want and being able to pass the word about what businesses have to offer through this campaign all helps.”

Pete Carol, who has been running his Pro Adventure business in Llangollen since 1991 and now trades from the former Post Office in Castle Street.

He said: “I’m pleased to be involved as I regularly use social media to help market my business, which is a specialist retailer for people who love the outdoors.

“It’s not just about clothing and we stock items for walking, camping and bushcraft, such as such as axes and knives.

“Through our presence on social media we pick up on local shares and retweets, which is good for business.

“The #LoveLiveLocal campaign is an extension of that and I’m very pleased to be involved in it as it will certainly help to tell people about what’s good about using businesses in Llangollen and Denbighshire.”          

MP calls for bee protection measures

Susan Elan Jones MP has written formally to call on the Government to protect the bee population by supporting a comprehensive ban on neonicotinoids.

The Clwyd South Labour MP (pictured) said: "Bee-keeping is vital in our local area - and we need to be doing more to support the bee population and the production of honey. That's why I want to see the Government following the science. We need a total ban on harmful pesticides, which have a severe effect on our wildlife.

"Since last spring, I have been questioning the Government on another key environmental issue - the banning of microbeads (the pieces of plastic in products like shower gel and toothpaste that causes major damage to the world's oceans). 

"I am pleased the Government has changed its mind and decided to support a ban on these environmental menaces from 2017. However, we need the same sort of action to ban neonicotinoids. I urge the Government to act now."

St Collen's hosts BBC Radio 4's Any Questions

BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions will be broadcast live from St Collen’s Church in Llangollen on the evening of Friday October 21.

Vicar, the Rev Andrew Sully, said: “This is your chance to ask a question and influence the debate.

“For your free ticket please contact me by emailing and andamary@sullystallard.fsnet.co.uk, or calling 01978 860231.”

Doors open at 6.45-7.15pm on the night.

On Wednesday September 21, St Collen’s is playing host to a Peace One Day event starting at 10.30am.

St John’s Church in Abbey Road will hold its animal blessing service at 5pm on Animal Welfare Sunday, October 2.