Council sends out fish seller warning

Denbighshire’s Public Protection officers are warning consumers across the county to beware of salesmen trying to persuade householders to buy fresh fish.

There have been reports to Denbighshire Trading Standards and North Wales Police in the last week of traders selling door to door in the Dee Valley area, asking residents, including older people, if they would like to buy fish.

Emlyn Jones, Public Protection Manager said: “We have concerns regarding the matter, especially as to whether the fish sellers are registered as a food business operator which is a legal requirement for all food businesses, and indeed if they are adhering to all food safety and hygiene regulations which applies to such businesses, including the display of the relevant food hygiene rating for the business.

“When buying fish from door to door salesmen, the purchaser very often has no way of knowing how the fish have been stored and whether they are safe to eat.

"These type of sellers commonly use non-refrigerated vans, and there may be issues with the labelling, quality and descriptions of the fish and they may pressurise residents to buy more than they actually need.

“As with any doorstep caller we would urge people not to be tempted to buy and ask them to leave. The best place to buy fish is from a reputable fishmonger at an established shop or stall or even with a trader with a regular pre-arranged round.”

* Anyone wanting advice on doorstep trading, or to report an incident, can contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language) which gives free, independent and impartial advice on all consumer issues, or the police on 101. 

The council says any person feeling intimidated or threatened by any doorstep seller should shut the door and call the police emergency number 999. 

Plas Newydd gearing up for April 1 opening

* Plas Newydd opens for the new season on April 1.

Three of Denbighshire’s popular heritage attractions are gearing up to open their doors for the 2017 season.

Plas Newydd in Llangollen, Ruthin Gaol and Nantclwyd  y Dre in Ruthin will open to the public from April 1 and have a number of exciting family-friendly events lined up over the coming months.

Ruthin Gaol and Nantclwyd y Dre have retained the Visit Wales Hidden Gem Award  for the second year running and Ruthin Gaol and Plas Newydd also got the thumbs up from TripAdvisor users, having achieved a  Certificate of Excellence following a host of positive reviews from visitors in 2016.

Final preparations are now underway to ensure the venues are looking their best for the season opening.

Denbighshire’s Heritage Service says it would like to thank all the volunteers, including pupils from Ysgol Tir Morfa in Rhyl, who have helped tend the gardens at Nantclwyd y Dre and Plas Newydd throughout the winter months.

First event of the year will take place at Plas Newydd this Saturday March 18.

The pre-season Primrose walk around the grounds with the gardener costs £3 and includes a primrose to take home.

Nantclwyd y Dre will host its first event a Beastly Bug Hunt for all the family on Monday May 8.

Ruthin Gaol hosts Captured on Camera on Thursday June 1 where visitors will have the opportunity to create their own ‘WANTED’ poster. 

In the run-up to the opening in April and to celebrate Year of Legends in Wales, the gaol is sharing stories of some of its most colourful characters via an online blog at www.ruthingaolblog.wordpress.com.

* More information about the venues and forthcoming events can be found at:

www.plasnewyddllangollen.co.uk

www.nantclwydydre.co.uk

www.ruthingaol.co.uk

Fringe returns for 20th edition this July

Llangollen Fringe Festival will return for its 20th edition this July.

From its small beginnings back in 1998 the festival will see over 5,000 people visit the town for 11 days of music, theatre, dance, literature and more.

Starting out in a tent on a farmer’s field Llan Fringe, as it is affectionately known, has grown to encompass the entire town and over the years has gained a reputation for attracting famous and sometimes controversial names to its picturesque corner of North East Wales. 

Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst were both early guests at the Fringe, with the latter giving a workshop in ‘spin painting’ – some of the works produced have since gone on to sell for thousands at auction.

As well as numerous performances from famous bands and musicians from around the world, including Gruff Rhys, The Buzzcocks, Wilko Johnson, Cerys Matthews, Charlotte church, Yat Kha and Lee ‘Scratch' Perry (pictured), the Fringe was also one of the first events to host a performance by notorious international drug smuggler Howard Marks, as well as a photographic exhibition by the German terrorist gang member, Astrid Prohl, both creating considerable controversy at the time.

The festival has evolved quite considerably in the past 20 years.

Whilst still boasting a prestigious line up of acts and celebrity names, its events take place in many locations in and around the town centre – this year for example, you can catch a play at Plas Newydd stately home, a jazz quartet on the Canal Boat, a Soul Band on the Steam Train or a magical concert at Llangollen Town Hall or Valle Crucis Abbey.

The first acts will be revealed on Friday April 7, with a limited amount of early bird festival tickets going on sale the same day.

Head to http://www.llangollenfringe.co.uk and sign up for the mailing list to receive an exclusive chance to buy early bird tickets before the 7^th!

Llangollen Fringe 20^th Anniversary Festival takes place from Thursday 13^th to Sunday 23^rd July.

Llan photo club helps enhance Wrexham's image

* An image on Wrexham captured during Positography.

* One of the pictures taken during the event of Wrexham town centre.

More than 50 photographers both professional and budding amateurs spent  last Sunday morning taking positive photographs of Wrexham.

Organisers from Llangollen Friendly Photography Club  set up the event to counter what they describe as the recent national negative media coverage of the town.

Their aim was to promote Wrexham's positive side and they called the event “Positography”.

The club's Andy Humphriss said: “Photographers came from far and wide to attend the event, with a wide range of ages from eight to 80, different  skills, different interests and a wide spectrum of cameras, phones and  tablets. Everyone was so positive and focused on achieving fantastic
images of the town.

“We hope to have a pop-up gallery of images in the not too distant future.

"We must thank King Street Coffee Company for opening up their shop especially for our event and Wayne Price at Calon FM for the fantastic publicity.

"I’ve made so many new friends all with the same ambition - to add a little light to Wrexham.”

When asked if this will become a regular event, the club's Paul McNulty said: “I certainly hope so. We we had some very enthusiastic interest from one of the local tour guides on the day.

"He saw the opportunity to promote the tourist side of Wrexham’s economy and has invited us to a walking tour of the local area.

"Everyone from Sunday’s event really enjoyed themselves and are all wishing for another day out in Wrexham, camera in hand.”

* For more information on joining the next “Positography” event or to view their work, contact the organisers on Facebook via their “Llangollen Friendly Photography” group or the “Wrexham Matters” Facebook group.

Outstanding viewing figures for chamber website

Llangollen Chamber of Trade and Tourism's new website has achieved some impressive figures.

At their recent annual meeting chamber members were told that the site attracted over 200,000 unique visitors during 2016 and notched up over five million hits, which they described as "outstanding".

The website features Llangollen’s wide range of businesses together with a popular diary which is used by local organisations to publicise their events.

Chamber chair David Davies said: “We are delighted at the attention our website attracted in 2016 and this shows a great investment on behalf of our members.

"The annual subscription is £52 so for just £1 a week members are featured on a top-ranking, international website. The address Llangollen.org.uk is also displayed on our street banners along the A5 and Castle Street, which has helped generate further interest.

"Members are being reminded they must renew their subscription by the end of the month to ensure they still feature on the site and, of course, new members are always welcome.

"We are currently establishing both Facebook and Twitter accounts and members are being offered courses in social media to fully exploit their potential.”

* The website can be viewed at www.llangollen.org.uk and membership details can be obtained from Rodger Honey, membership secretary, contact@cambrianhouse.plus.com

Warning over bogus council tax phone calls

Residents  in Denbighshire are being urged to be on their guard against bogus telephone calls claiming to be phoning regarding council tax.

A resident received a call advising her that her council tax band had been reduced for 13 years and there was a credit due on their account.

The caller then requested bank details, to arrange for the refund to be credited to the account.  

The resident rightly refused to give her details and ended the call before contacting Denbighshire’s Council Tax team to inform them of the call.

The call came from the Dundee area of Scotland.

Denbighshire County Council says it would like to emphasise that it would never instruct an external company to contact residents directly and people should never give out personal details in response to unexpected calls of this nature.

 

County joins new Buy with Confidence scheme

A partnership project aimed at protecting consumers in North Wales will be officially launched today (Wednesday, March 15th).

Trading Standards from the region’s six local authorities have joined forces to deliver Buy With Confidence (BWC) and ensure that people can access reliable services and businesses.

The North Wales Buy With Confidence Scheme will be officially launched at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay. The launch also marks World Consumer Rights Day.

The nationally recognised trader approval programme was originally  designed to ensure businesses operate in a legal, honest and fair way, and tackle ‘rogue traders’. It also provides consumers with a list of local businesses which have given their commitment to trading fairly.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Richard Powell, Chair of the North Wales Heads of Trading Standards Group, explained, “Buy With Confidence is an important scheme which enables Trading Standards in North Wales to showcase reliable businesses we are proud to recommend, and then allows consumers to make educated choices and avoid getting ripped off.”

The scheme is open to any manner of businesses wishing to apply to advertise themselves as “Trading Standards  Approved”, and must take part in a series of detailed checks by Trading Standards which will then be continually  monitored for their quality of service.

North Wales BWC is eager to attract more of the region’s businesses in paticular those in the home maintenance and gardening sectors, domestic cleaners and general skilled tradesmen.

Emlyn Jones, Denbighshire’s Public Protection Manager,  said, “North Wales Buy With Confidence is a great example of partnership working by local authorities on behalf of the consumer.

“All prospective members are thoroughly vetted by Trading Standards staff before being allowed to join the scheme and we also continuously monitor the performance of the BWC members. In the unlikely event that concerns are raised about a member we take appropriate action and if necessary will remove them from the scheme.”

Individuals working in domestic properties will also undergo Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks as part of the BWC accreditation, providing customers, and especially those most vulnerable in our communities, with added reassurance.

If you want to promote your business as approved by Trading Standards or want to find an approved trader, please visit www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or the North Wales Buy With Confidence Facebook page.

The first Buy With Confidence Scheme was set-up in by a partnership of local authorities in the South of England.