Wrexham Council has been urged to tackle speeding drivers ‘hammering’ through Ruabon.
Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates and local councillor Dana Davies say many residents have raised concerns about motorists routinely flouting the 30mph limit on the B5605, the busy main road through the village.
Mr Skates said: “A growing number of my constituents are raising concerns about speeding through Ruabon, which has been ongoing for many years and, sadly, shows no sign of slowing down. I know Dana gets a lot of complaints about it, too.
“There is a play area not far off the main road, and parents are rightly worried about letting their children cross it because of cars regularly hammering along. I have asked the council to consider traffic-calming measures to ensure – as far as possible – that vehicles stick to the speed limit, and hope to have a response soon.”
Cllr Davies, leader of the Labour group on Wrexham Council, said: “This is an issue I’ve raised repeatedly and one I get a lot of complaints about. You get cars racing along that main road on a daily basis, and we’re not just talking about a few miles over limit. Something needs to be done sooner rather than later.”
Mr Skates has also asked North Wales Police Chief Constable Mark Polin to consider enforcement action in the village as a deterrent.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Silver Band to hold ladies' fashion night
Tickets cost £3, with this including a free drink and nibbles.
Tickets can be bought from the market at the Fringe or from band members.
The band says it would also be extremely grateful of any donations of unwanted ladies' clothing that could be sold during the evening.
Donations can be taken to the band room on practice nights (Monday 6:45 - 9pm and Friday 6 - 8pm).
Monday, October 3, 2016
MP calls for more government support for charities
* Susan Elan Jones MP at the UK Labour Conference in
Liverpool with a representative of national volunteering charity Volunteering Matters.
Susan Elan Jones MP has called for the Government to think more carefully about it can best support charities during two speeches at this year's UK Labour Party Conference.
The Clwyd South Labour MP, who co-chairs the All Party Parliamentary Committee for Charities and Volunteering, spoke at meetings organised by the Charities Aid Foundation and Common Vision about the future of charities.
Ms Jones proposed new ideas on grants to cover overheads, accountancy changes to support social enterprises and the need for extra support for small, community-based charities.
The MP also called on the Government to scrap the Lobbying Act.
She said: "It was a great pleasure to take part in two very well-attended meetings with many people who work or volunteer for charities. I was very pleased to take part in these events and to work with many national and local charities in this way."
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Dai Chef to recreate Pavarotti meal at Hamper Llangollen
A TOP celebrity chef will recreate the memorable meal he cooked for legendary tenor Lucian Pavarotti.
Dai Chef (left) will be sharing the superstar tenor's gastronomic secrets when he appears live at this year’s Hamper Llangollen Food Festival.
Thousands of foodies are expected to flock to the popular event which will see the Denbighshire tourist town become the culinary capital of Wales over the weekend of October 15 and 16.
During his time at the Bryn Howel Hotel, Dai cooked for a whole host of superstar singers, including José Carreras and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, who came to appear at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
But the high of his glittering career for Dai was spending a week as personal chef to Pavarotti when he headlined during an emotional return to the festival in 1995.
Pavarotti's (pictured right) pilgrimage came exactly 40 years after he had first competed there as a 19-year-old member of the Chorus Rossini choir from Modena, Italy in 1955.
To celebrate the occasion Dai will weave his magic to prepare again the meal he prepared specially for the maestro in that glorious summer 21 years ago.
Dai, who is now executive chef at The Cliffs restaurant in Morfa Nefyn near Pwllheli, said: “At the time Pavarotti came to stay I was executive chef at the Bryn Howel in Llangollen, then one of the top five hotels in Wales.
“I was appointed as his personal chef for the week and used to serve him in the restaurant and his private suite.
“He was there with his father, Fernando, and a full entourage, including his promoter Harvey Goldsmith, and I used to prepare every meal for him.
“On the Sunday night after his smash hit concert at the Eisteddfod, just up the road from the hotel, I created a special meal for him and his 450 guests.
“I’ll never forget what it was. The starter was a smoked salmon and soft cheese roulade and the main course was Welsh sirloin beef flamed in whisky served with cream of wild mushrooms.
“The most memorable part of the meal for me was the dessert, which was a white chocolate and strawberry tart.
“Pavarotti loved it so much he asked me to prepare four more of them, although he didn’t eat them all there and then and took them back to his suite to serve to his friends and visitors.
“The story about this got out and led to a BBC2 TV documentary programme called Four Tarts and a Tenor.
“I must say the tart was so good I still serve it now at The Cliffs.”
Dai added: “This is exactly the meal I’ll be recreating for visitors when I do my live cooking demonstration at Hamper Llangollen, which is a festival I love appearing at as I was one of its original founders.
“Llangollen is actually like my second home because during my time at the Bryn Howel I lived in nearby Chirk and had the dual role of chairman and a second row player with Llangollen Rugby Club.
“I have cooked for other big names from the music world like José Carreras and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa but I’d say that working with Pavarotti was definitely one of the pinnacles of my career.
“It was one of those times when everything was just right – my own abilities, the hotel I was working in and the Eisteddfod – I’ll never forget it.
“Pavarotti himself was a fantastic man. He was at the top of his profession but never forgot his humble beginnings.
“Contrary to popular belief he wasn’t actually a big eater but he did eat often.
“While he enjoyed the larger set-piece meals I’d say his favourite dish, which I prepared for him often at the Bryn Howel, was a simple soup or potage made from a tiny bit of pasta with something like little pieces of lobster, fillet steak or asparagus.
“I’d so that for him in the morning and he’d eat bits of it throughout the day perhaps with some fresh bread and cheese on the side and a sprinkling of the balsamic vinegar from his home town of Modena.
“He told me his mother used to make it for him and he loved to eat it during his downtime in his room with his father. It was his comfort food, if you like.
“I also remember getting in boxes of fresh lemons, which he used to help his voice.”
Dai added: “Throughout the week the paparazzi were hanging around the hotel trying to find out what he was eating but I never told them anything as I was sworn to secrecy.
“All sorts of things were happening, like the old guys from the Modena choir who came with him singing in the car park of the hotel and some big Welsh cob horses being bought in to go through their paces for everyone.
“It was a real festival week with real celebrities and I want to recreate a little of that atmosphere with the meal fit for Pavarotti I’ll be preparing at Hamper Llangollen.
“I love the Llangollen event because, unlike some food festivals, it’s not in a marquee but in a proper setting with a big stage, which gives it a real sense of theatre when you’re doing cookery demonstrations.
“I also look forward to Llangollen because of all the old friends I meet there.”
Dai was born and raised in Aberystwyth and trained at a culinary college in Haverfordwest.
He gained his initial experience in the kitchens of some of the largest hotels in London’s West End and by the age of 21 he was the youngest chef saucier – in charge of the creation of delicious sauces – at the world famous Carlton Club in St James’s.
Later, Dai became head chef at the White Hart restaurant in Lewes, Sussex, and for a time was the personal chef of the owner of Simpson’s in The Strand, which is based in the same building as the capital’s iconic Savoy Hotel.
He then returned to Aberystwyth to run his own restaurant and during a 12-year period starting in the 1990s was executive chef at the Bryn Howel Hotel.
In 1996, Dai captained the Welsh team at the Culinary Olympics when it won a bronze medal for its culinary skills, and soon afterwards he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at Glyndwr University in Wrexham.
After spell as a chef trainer – many of his pupils are now working in some of the world’s finest restaurants – Dai took another hands-on role as chef director at the Ship Inn at Red Wharf Bay on Anglesey and was later executive chef at the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre.
At The Cliffs, which has just undergone a £1 million refurbishment, he is in charge of a six-strong kitchen team and co-ordinates the preparation of up to 100 meals a night.
Hamper Llangollen chair Colin Loughlin is delighted Dai Chef is returning to the food festival again.
He said: "Dai is an exuberant character and a talented chef which is a recipe for success at the food festival.
"His appearance this year will be all the more memorable because he's recreating the meal he cooked for Luciano Pavarotti which will stir a great deal of interest.
“We're looking forward to a really special event this year. Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.
“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.
"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting."
Labour duo praise primary school after visit
Children at a community primary school played host to their MP and Assembly Member.
Susan Elan Jones and Ken Skates visited Ysgol Acrefair and met Rebecca Turner, who became headteacher 12 months ago.
The Clwyd South politicians were full of praise for the school and staff.
Ms Jones said: “It was a very enjoyable visit, and I would like to thank Mrs Turner and her team – and especially the children – for such a lovely warm welcome. It’s clear that the relationships between staff and pupils are very positive, which contributes hugely to the children’s high levels of enthusiasm to listen and learn.”
Mr Skates said: “Ysgol Acrefair’s last Estyn report rated both the school’s performance and prospects for improvement as ‘good’, and while that was a few years ago it is obvious that the many positives highlighted then still apply now. The children are happy and well-behaved, and the school has a wonderful, friendly atmosphere.”
Mrs Turner added: “We were delighted to welcome Ken Skates and Susan Elan Jones to discuss our exciting plans to provide a greater range of support and activities for parents and children and the wider community of Acrefair.”
Susan Elan Jones and Ken Skates visited Ysgol Acrefair and met Rebecca Turner, who became headteacher 12 months ago.
The Clwyd South politicians were full of praise for the school and staff.
Ms Jones said: “It was a very enjoyable visit, and I would like to thank Mrs Turner and her team – and especially the children – for such a lovely warm welcome. It’s clear that the relationships between staff and pupils are very positive, which contributes hugely to the children’s high levels of enthusiasm to listen and learn.”
Mr Skates said: “Ysgol Acrefair’s last Estyn report rated both the school’s performance and prospects for improvement as ‘good’, and while that was a few years ago it is obvious that the many positives highlighted then still apply now. The children are happy and well-behaved, and the school has a wonderful, friendly atmosphere.”
Mrs Turner added: “We were delighted to welcome Ken Skates and Susan Elan Jones to discuss our exciting plans to provide a greater range of support and activities for parents and children and the wider community of Acrefair.”
Friday, September 30, 2016
County urges people to join #LoveLiveLocal campaign
Denbighshire Council is encouraging residents to get involved in their #LoveLiveLocal campaign and be in with a chance to win prizes every month until Christmas.
The council wants people to share pictures of lovely purchases they’ve made locally to the hashtag #LoveLiveLocal on Twitter or share pictures with them on Facebook and they will automatically be entered in the draw to win a six-month membership to any Denbighshire gym and leisure centre.
The campaign has the backing of many local businesses across the area and the support of local politicians.
Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: ‘It’s really important that people get behind the businesses in their local towns and villages. Sharing the wonderful things that can be bought locally is one way to do this. In the run up to the festive season, the more people who are posting and talking about shopping in Denbighshire the better.’
The campaign aims to build up a network of user experiences of Denbighshire businesses and if you visit the hashtag you can see what a wonderful array of products and services are available in the county but we want it to become bigger and better and that relies on the public to share their positive experiences using the hashtag to create that online community.
It also has the backing of our local business champions.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Upgrades planned for county leisure centres
Leisure centres across Denbighshire are set to undergo a digital revolution, with a programme of investment being introduced to expand and improve digital services county-wide.
Customers will see an enhanced service with the digital developments providing opportunities to make our leisure centres more modern and fit for the 21st Century.
The first project is the installation of three ‘fast track kiosks’ at Denbigh, Ruthin and Llangollen Leisure Centres.
These will complement the facilities already in place at Rhyl Leisure Centre and Nova, Prestatyn and will allow existing members to book into and register for activities in seconds, without the need for any delays at reception.
In September, all seven leisure centres (Llangollen, Corwen, Ruthin, Denbigh, St Asaph, Rhyl and Prestatyn) will have wi-fi installed.
As more of the fitness suites migrate onto “the cloud” and many customers use their own personal devices to track their fitness progress, improved connectivity for mobile and smart devices has become a necessity. In response to customer demand, wi-fi will become available in specific areas in each site.
October will see the relaunch of the denbighshireleisure.co.uk website. With a new cutting edge look, the redesigned site will provide improved, but simpler access to information for customers, via an improved layout. Popular information, such as swimming and class timetables, will be available in a few simple clicks.
By the end of 2016, the website will also incorporate facilities for online booking of activities and online booking for fitness membership, with both of these initiatives currently being finalised.
Councillor Hugh Irving, Acting Cabinet Lead Member for Leisure, said: “We are delighted to be introducing a range of brand new developments at our leisure centres. They will be of great benefit to existing and brand new customers, with the latest technology assisting us in our efforts to improve the customer experience.
“More and more people expect to receive services at the touch of a button. Our latest investments will allow people to benefit from this, whilst also maintaining a more traditional approach through a front desk reception area.
“These latest developments support our commitment to keep investing in our leisure offer in Denbighshire."
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