Llan author publishes new novel

_{* Eamonn Griffin's new novel is set in the east of England.}

_{A Llangollen-based author has produced a new novel set in Lincolnshire – although he says that it was largely written at a popular café in town.}

_{Eamonn Griffin (pictured below) says he penned most of the book, entitled East of England, in the M'Eating Point on Berwyn Street, although it doesn’t mentioned Llan at all.} 

_{He says the noir-ish thriller has been published by an organisation specialising in crowd-funding called Unbound.}

_{Readers can also find out how to support the book through pre-ordering a copy (digital or paperback) and/or through signing up to a mailing list that'll keep them posted.} 

A synopsis of the story says: Dan Matlock is out of jail. He’s got a choice. Stay or leave. Go back to where it all went wrong, or simply get out of the county. Disappear. Start again as someone else. But it’s not as simple as that. 


There’s the matter of the man he killed. It wasn’t murder, but even so. You tell that to the family. Especially when that family is the Mintons, who own half that’s profitable and two-thirds of what’s crooked between the Wolds and the coast. And who could have got to Matlock as easy as you like in prison, but who haven’t touched him. Not yet.


And like Matlock found out in prison, there’s no getting away from yourself, so what would the point be in not facing up to other people?


It’s time to go home.


East of England blends a rural take on the noir thriller with a fascination with the British industrialised countryside that lies east of the Wolds, between the Humber and the Wash. Unlit byways rather than the neon-bright and rain-slicked city. A world of caravan parks, slot machines, and low-rise battery farms.


The flatlands of the east coast; decaying market towns and run-down resorts, and the distant throb of offshore windfarms. Where the smell you’re trying to get out of your clothes is the cigarette taint of old phone boxes and bus shelters, and where redemption, like life, is either hard-earned or fought for, one way or another.   


Author Eamonn Griffin was born and raised in Lincolnshire. 

He's worked as a stonemason, a strawberry picker, in plastics factories (everything from packing those little bags for loose change you get from banks to production planning via transport manager via fork-lift driving), in agricultural and industrial laboratories, in a computer games shop, and latterly in further and higher education.


He’s taught and lectured in subjects as diverse as leisure and tourism, uniformed public services, English Studies, creative writing, film studies, TV and film production, and media theory. He doesn’t do any of that anymore. Instead he writes fulltime, either as a freelancer, or else on fiction. 


Eamonn has a PhD in creative writing with the University of Lancaster, specialising in historical fiction, having previously completed both an MA in popular film and a BSc in sociology and politics via the Open University. He really likes biltong, and has recently returned to learning to play piano, something he abandoned when he was about seven and has regretted since.

For details of the book, go to: https://unbound.com/books/east-of-england/

Bus timetable is out of date, complains reader

A llanblogger reader and regular traveller has commented on the bus situation in the area:

* The bus timetable as displayed

at Ruabon station.

Our reader says it is now

largely a "work of fiction".

The reader, who wishes not to be named, says:

"Five weeks after D Jones & Son stopped running their service on route 5 Llangollen to Wrexham, the bus stop timetables at Ruabon station continue to show the former 20 minute interval service for weekdays.

"This is hardly the sort of misinformation visitors arriving by train at Ruabon want as regards the up to date service for onward travel to Llangollen with route 5.

"As now operated by Arriva Cymru at a 40 minute frequency, the Llangollen bus does not call at the station. Visitors need to know to walk down Station Road to the bus stop on Bridge Street - or wait for the near two hourly T3 Barmouth service.

"As Ruabon is the railhead for the Dee Valley and connections through to Barmouth, provision of correct bus service information is essential before the start of the season for visitors. They will not be aware of the reduction in service frequency or the lost convenience of buses at the station stop.

AM praises Corwen programme

* From left, Rona Aldrich (Big Lottery), Ken Skates AM, project manager Margaret Sutherland (South Denbighshire Community Partnership), Lesley Powell (Citizens Advice Denbighshire) and Michael McNamara (SDCP chairman of trustees).

Assembly Member Ken Skates praised a programme aimed at tackling rural poverty and isolation after it secured a £350,000 lottery grant.

The Clwyd South AM visited Canolfan Ni in Corwen to hear more about the Your Place or Ours project, a joint venture by South Denbighshire Community Partnership and Citizens Advice Denbighshire which was awarded £350,000 by the Big Lottery to address rural poverty and isolation through a number of initiatives throughout the area. 

Mr Skates said: “The Your Place or Ours project includes a variety of community events and activities and services such as ‘meals-on-wheels’. It’s impossible to underestimate how vital programmes like this are to the people who need them. They can reduce stress and anxiety associated with low income and fuel poverty and I’m delighted the importance of Your Place or Ours has been recognised through this grant from the Big Lottery. It’s a massive boost.”

A special launch event to celebrate the grant was held in Corwen last Friday. Representatives from organisations such as Denbighshire social services and the council’s housing team were also invited, and residents had the chance to take part in arts and crafts taster sessions and indoor sports. 

* For more information about the project, email sally@sdcp.org

Plaid comments on county budget

Denbighshire Council has voted 31-13 against increasing funding for disabled and less-able children after the full council rejected a Plaid Cymru budget amendment for an extra £500,000 for education.

The council budget passed yesterday will mean a 4.75% increase in Council Tax and the further outsourcing of services to external agencies, including commercial waste and archaeological services.

Plaid Cymru Group Leader Councillor Arwel Roberts said: “Councils across Wales have received cuts year on year that has resulted in some services being cut and others being outsourced. The Welsh Government is insisting that councils do more with less money. This is completely unsustainable.

“We understand how difficult it is to balance the books in the current economic climate. However we believe that we must sometimes invest to save. Our proposal was to add an extra £1/2m to our education services in order to ensure that disabled and less-able children get the proper attention they need.

“The End Child Poverty Campaign last week released a shocking report showing that, after housing costs, more than 27% of children in Denbighshire live in poverty. That’s an appalling figure.

"We know that the single most effective route out of poverty is through education. If we are serious about lifting people out of poverty, and ensuring that each pupil gets the due attention they need in order to reach their full potential, then we should invest in ensuring that we can properly resource the schools to accommodate disabled and less-able children."

Cllr Roberts added that the budget will also result in the council getting rid of the position of county archaeologist, outsourcing commercial waste, scrapping the grant to fund small and medium-sized businesses in the county and cuts to the council’s ICT department.

He added: “It’s a concern that the council’s instinctive response is to outsource services instead of first looking to see how and if we can collaborate with other councils across North Wales and ensuring that these public services are kept in public ownership.”

Castell Dinas Bran in running for magazine prize

Llangollen's Castell Dinas Bran has been shortlisted in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Awards 2018.

The awards recognise the best of the British countryside, from mighty landmarks and outstanding nature reserves to superb national parks and fine rural pubs.

The castle is one of five sites shortlisted in the Landmark of the Year category, along with The Dark Hedges, Country Antrim; High Force, County Durham; Minack Theatre, Cornwall and Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis.

Judges said of Castell Dinas Bran: "This 13th-century ruined castle atop a rugged pinnacle offers commanding views of Welsh valleys and has long captured visitor’s imaginations.

"Sitting high above Llangollen and alongside Iron Age embankments, it is a place of romance and legend.

"Wordsworth wrote of it: 'Relics of kings, wreck of forgotten wars, To the winds abandoned and the prying stars.'"

Judge Phoebe Smith says: “It is home to a legendary giant and is steeped in wonderful Welsh folklore.”

Voting for the awards runs until March 5. Winners will ne announced on March 13.

Vote online at https://surveys.automatesurvey.com/s?p=W108144300S2099&h=2241451, or fill in the form and send your choices to Awards, BBC Countryfile Magazine, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol, BS1 3BN.

Denbighshire council tax to rise by 4.75%

Councillors in Denbighshire have approved the authority’s budget for 2018/19, with a 4.75% increase in council tax.

Members had considered the implications of the local government settlement and the increase in council tax has been introduced to address financial pressures in social care, as well as continued support for school budgets.

Denbighshire is not alone in considering how to fund an increased demand for funding education and, particularly, social care. 

The  budget includes an increase of £1.8m (2.7%) in budgets for schools, and an additional allocation of £1.5 million (3.2%) to social care.  Pressures exist across the organisation and further efficiencies in all services have been identified to help deliver a "balanced" budget.

The council tax increase for an average Band D property will mean an increase of £56.58 which equates to £1.08 a week.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance, said: “A tremendous amount of hard work and consultation has gone into planning for this budget and we are pleased that our efforts have resulted on the budget being approved.

“Setting a budget in a tough financial climate is difficult and over the years, Denbighshire has worked hard to plan ahead to manage the position and to reduce the impact on frontline services as much as possible.

“This has been one of the hardest budgets to work on so far. Whilst the actual reduction from Welsh Government was not as bad as first feared, we need to take into account a number of other factors, such as pressures in pay, pension and the National Living Wage, as well as price/energy inflation, 1% in fire service levy and allowances for increases to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

“The financial climate continues to be challenging and staff across the Council have found savings that will help us balance the books.

“We know that residents of Denbighshire demand that we protect the most vulnerable members of our society, while continuing to deliver the best possible services across the rest of the Council.  In order to address the increasing pressures in Social Care we are therefore recommending that the average Council Tax will increase by 4.75% allowing the council to invest an additional £1.5m in this area to support our most vulnerable residents.

“However, we also know that all our residents are finding the current economic situation challenging, which is why we must keep any increase in Council Tax down to the minimum necessary.

“We can reassure residents that, despite dwindling budgets, we will continue to work to the best of our ability on providing the best possible services to the public."

Community Garden threat removed

Llangollen Community Garden has today issued the following statement on Facebook:

Denbighshire County Council has confirmed that the developer has withdrawn their proposal for the community garden land.

This means that there is no longer an immediate threat to the community garden.

THANK YOU for your support that has helped save the garden.

Our disagreement over the land use and value of the community garden has always been with Denbighshire County Council. In order to safeguard the garden for the future we hope to work with Denbighshire County Council and Llangollen Town Council to find a long term solution.

So there is still work to do. Working out a long term solution could take 12 months or more.
We appreciate and would like to thank you once again for your support over the past few months. Your support going forward will also be very much appreciated.