Christmas carol concert staged at the Town Hall

* Llangollen Silver Band provides musical accompaniment for the carol concert.

Churches in Llangollen came together for their annual Christmas carol concert at the Town Hall this evening (Sunday).

Favourite carols, including Once in Royal David's City and Come All Ye Faithful, were interspersed with seasonal songs and readings.

Providing musical accompaniment was Llangollen Silver Band and there were selections from the newly-formed Youth Choir and the singing group Stage to Stage accompanied by a three-piece band.

The evening came to a rousing finale with I Wish It Could be Christmas Everyday and Merry Christmas Everybody.

A collection was taken on behalf of the charity Embrace the Middle East.

Police boss slams report into North Wales force

* North Wales PCC Arfon Jones.

The latest inspection into North Wales Police has been blasted as "inaccurate, wasteful and stressful" by the man elected to hold the Force to account.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, a former police inspector, claims the report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary fails to recognise the work done by the Force to improve.

The report, by HM Inspector of Constabulary Wendy Williams, follows one last year which rated North Wales Police as ‘good’ but this time says it ‘requires improvement.’

But Arfon Jones doesn’t believe the headlines of the report are supported by its findings and content.

He adds that seemingly continuous inspections are actually getting in the way of North Wales Police doing their job and requires a team of three including two police officers to work on them full-time and diverts others from their duties.

According to Mr Jones, HMIC take no account of the priorities which saw him overwhelmingly elected as Commissioner earlier this year.

It is the second such report in two years and for the first time included an assessment of how well Forces tackle the problem of abuse of authority for sexual gain by members of its workforce.

This year’s report found that North Wales Police was good at treating the people it serves with fairness and respect but has limited capacity to seek out and assess intelligence about potential corruption and could do more to recognise the signs of ill health involving mental health issues, including stress at work.

Arfon Jones said he was pleased that HMIC had recognised that NWP is good at treating people it serves with fairness and respect and had acknowledged and commended the significant efforts of North Wales Police officers and staff.

But he added: “I don’t believe the ‘requires improvement’ judgement reflects the tremendous work carried out across North Wales on a daily basis to keep our communities safe and they should not be disheartened by this report.

“North Wales Police is the most improved Force in England and Wales in terms of victim satisfaction and I don’t believe the headlines of the report are supported by its findings and content.

“The reference to a ‘drop in performance’ since 2015 is inaccurate as it is not comparing like for like – the subject areas of the 2015 inspection were not a part of the inspection this time round.”

He was also critical of the number of inspections being carried out, their expense and their focus and he said: “The Force is having to make a significant amount of investment of both time and resources just to respond to the inspection regime.

“The public of North Wales would be surprised by the sheer volume of inspections and the level of resources being diverted from the front line just to prepare for these inspections.

“HMIC continue to highlight areas they believe require investment without any apparent appreciation of the competing pressures, including financial pressures, that we face.

“The irony is not lost on me that they express concerns on the area of stress at work with no apparent awareness of the stress caused by their inspection regime.

“It’s particularly frustrating that the Police budget is being top sliced to fund HMIC’s significant growth in resources.

“But they fail to give any consideration to the priorities that I set out in my Police and Crime Plan.

“The legislation is clear. I hold the Chief Constable to account and HMIC should let him get on with delivering an efficient and effective police service that the people of North Wales deserve.

“I appreciate that it is important to have a system of rigorous appraisal of the Force but it should not be to the detriment of our vital frontline services.”

Advice on safe toy buying this Christmas

Denbighshire Trading Standards are reminding businesses and shoppers to help keep children safe by selling and buying toys that are deemed safe.

David Smith, Lead member for Public Realm in Denbighshire said: "Trading Standards officers across the county keep watch for unsafe toys being sold or imported.  Officers regularly inspect shops to check that toys on sale meet current safety legislation.

“Retailers must only supply toys which are safe and meet stringent safety standards.  If the toy is labelled with the ‘CE’ mark it means it meets the requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations."

The advice is:

·        Don’t buy toys without a genuine “CE” mark

·        Always buy from reputable shops and traders

·        If buying over the internet, buy from reputable web sites to reduce the risk of being supplied with unsafe and possibly counterfeit toys

·        Look for safety signs in addition to the “CE” mark (e.g. the British Toy and Hobby Association ‘Lion mark’)

·        Don’t let children play with broken toys as they may no longer comply with safety standards

·        Don’t forget to keep older children’s toys away from the toddler or baby

·        Always remove plastic bags before giving a toy to a child

·        For electrical products, always ensure the plug is a three-pin, made to BS 1363. If it doesn’t include this information, then don’t buy the product.  Any safety advice should be always be in English, and should advise on both charging the product and how to use correctly.

Councillor Smith added: “Toys are generally much safer than they used to be, but there are still non-compliant toys being sold which is why Trading standards is offering the following toy safety tips to keep your children safe.”

* For advice on your consumer rights call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh Language.  Reporting an online fraud can be done on the Action Fraud website.

Go-ahead for Vicarage Road homes scheme

* The Vicarage Road site.

After a lengthy debate county planners earlier today gave the go-ahead to a controversial scheme to build 95 homes on land off Vicarage Road in Llangollen.

And the area's Assembly member Ken Skates says he is "bitterly disappointed" by the decision.

The scheme, by Castlemead Group Ltd, raised a storm of protest from people in the area who objected mainly to the extra pressure they feared would be put on access roads to the 3.7 hectare site.

But, following negotiations, Castlemead agreed to upgrade Willow Street before construction begins.     

The site incorporates land originally granted planning permission in the late 1990s which has an existing planning permission for 50 dwellings.

The scheme proposes a mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached dwellings.

And a condition of today's approval was that 10 per cent of these are affordable homes rather than the four originally proposed.  

An officers’ report to the planning committee said there were around 100 objections to the application on the grounds of the impact on existing roads, insufficient infrastructure to serve the development and the extra burden it would place on local schools and health services.

The report, which recommended the application for approval, goes on to show that a number of these concerns have been addressed.  

It says: “The proposal includes upgrading of an existing access road to the site (Willow Street).

“This upgrade is proposed to take place prior to the construction of any dwellings.

“Separate parking spaces are proposed to be provided within the site for seven adjacent dwellings (1-7 Castle Buildings). It is proposed that the site will be accessible from both Willow Street and Hill Street.”

The report points out that current pupil numbers for the two primary schools serving Llangollen  - Ysgol Gwernant and Bryn Collen - indicate both are at capacity. But it adds that the developer is to make a contribution of £172,000 towards education provision.

Officers also say that there is no evidence to suggest that the development as proposed would lead to a requirement to build additional healthcare facilities or improve the newly built health centre. On this basis no contributions have been sought from the developer.

The report adds: “A development of this scale will inevitably lead to increased levels of noise and disruption for occupiers of neighbouring properties.

“However, having regard to the scale, location, separation distances and design of the proposed development in relation to the existing site and neighbouring properties, it is not considered that the proposals would be so unreasonable in terms of impacts on residential amenity to justify refusal of permission.”


* Clwyd South AM Ken Skates, who has previously raised concerns over the development, said he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ with the decision and would fight for safeguards for residents.

He added: “People have been worried about this development in its various guises for a long time, which has been conveyed to the council in no uncertain terms. I asked for an urgent meeting with the developers earlier this year, but they weren’t interested.

“I’m bitterly disappointed with this, as I know many others who raised serious concerns will be.”

Boost for job-creating business grant

* Dominic Haynes and Llyr Jones of the Dangerous Food Company.

A business grant which has already helped scores of businesses to create jobs has been increased.

Denbighshire County Council’s Business Development Grant scheme has awarded more than £71,000 to 17 Denbighshire firms since April.

The cap of the grant has been raised from £5,000 to £10,000 and the limit on applicants’ annual turnover has increased from £250,000 to £500,000.

The scheme, which forms part of the council’s Economic and Community Ambition Strategy, offers funding to new and existing businesses to create employment, improve business competitiveness and create a vibrant local economy.

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, leader of Denbighshire, said: “Raising the cap for our business grant scheme will allow us to help even more firms in Denbighshire.

“The scheme is a funder of last resort, so by the time an applicant approaches us they have already tried to secure other sources.

“The scheme has already had a real impact, directly helping to create 19 jobs and safeguarding another 17.

“Doubling the maximum grant and the turnover limit will enable us to directly release additional business investment and expansion within the county. 

“This will lead directly to the creation of additional employment opportunity for local residents that otherwise would not be realised.

“I would encourage eligible businesses in the county to apply for a grant before the end of the financial year.”

Dominic Haynes and Llyr Jones, who launched St-Asaph-based Dangerous Food Company less than three years ago, used a £2,300 grant from Denbighshire County Council to purchase a walk-in fridge which enabled them to quadruple their order capacity and expand.

The grant has also been expanded to include businesses looking to exploit digital technology to help stimulate local innovation, improve competitiveness and help reach new markets.

* For more information or to apply for a Business Development Grant of up to £10,000 from Denbighshire County Council visit Denbighshire.gov.uk/business or contact 01824 706896.

Church stages Christmas tree festival

Llangollen Methodist Church is currently staging its annual Christmas Tree Festival.

The colourful collection of trees, pictured below, has been made by schools, clubs and businesses in the area.

Visitors are invited to vote for their favourite festive creation.

The church will be open for tree viewing next Saturday (December 17) from 10am-3pm and Sunday between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.

Filmstar bear's terrific response

AN ART teacher has been overwhelmed with the response to her one-of-a-kind teddy bear which has been spreading festive cheer in Denbighshire.

Sarah Chapman, aged 57, from Llandegla, created Carys, the six-foot bespoke bear which stars in Denbighshire County Council’s Christmas shopping video.

The two-minute  film has been produced to showcase the wide range of local shops in the county and as well as telling the story of Carys’ magical journey, features a family completing their Christmas shopping in Denbighshire with all gifts bought from local traders.

Making the bear took Sarah 50 hours, seven metres of material and 10kg of stuffing.

The mum-of-two started making rag dolls and soft toys when she was still at school near Brecon, South Wales, and now runs her handmade teddy bear business, Bilberry Bears.

Sarah said: “I have done a lot of different jobs over the years and never had any formal training as an artist.

“A few years ago I had the inspiration to make individual fabric bears.

“I’m slowly building up the business, it is just me, there is no big production line.”

Sarah was approached by Frozen Moon Productions, who produced the film on behalf of the Council, to make a bear costume modelled on one of her creations.

She said: “I was pleased to be asked but I went into a panic, I’ve never made a 6ft bear costume before.

“It was very stressful but the reaction has been fantastic. People love Carys and everyone says the video is fantastic. It is a really heart-warming story and it supports local businesses which I love.

“I have been overwhelmed. I have had a lot of lovely responses. People have been showing a real interest after the film.”

Sarah, who has been teaching art at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Wrexham, for 12 years also writes poetry and makes greeting cards.

She said: “It is great to work with the children. I love it. I learn as much from them as they do from me.

“They have seen the film and all the children have said they love it.”

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “This is a fantastic film with a heart-warming story and a really important message – shop locally this Christmas.

“All the businesses featured are based in Denbighshire and the film shows the huge range of products and services available.

“As a Council we want to see local businesses succeed as this ensures money spent locally stays in Denbighshire and helps create a thriving economy.”

More than 50 children, from Rhyl, Prestatyn, Ruthin, Bala, Corwen, Denbigh and St Asaph, aged six – to 17 from Denbigh Stagecoach also performed in the film.

For a chance to win Carys, who has now been transformed into a smaller bear, visit Denbighshire County Council’s Facebook page or to view the clip visit the Council’s YouTube page.