Museum talk on the coming of the railway to Llan

Project engineer Peter Dickinson from Llangollen Railway will be giving a talk in the town's museum on Wednesday September 26.

Entitled Thunder & Smoke and starting at 7.30pm, it will be looking at the coming of the railway to Llangollen during the Victorian era and will include many unpublished/unseen images from his own collection.

Concert for pancreatic cancer at Town Hall

A concert in aid of Pancreatic Cancer UK  will be held in Llangollen Town Hall on Saturday  October 6, at 7 pm.

The 30-strong James Lambert Singers from Wrexham, conducted by Mair Evans, are 

giving an evening of their well-loved and entertaining light music.

This charity supports research into pancreatic cancer, which kills most of 10,000 patients a year within six months.

Until now no treatment has been effective but the current research, funded by PCUK, has produced results which has at last given hope for effective treatment in the near future.

* Tickets for the concert are available, from £7, from Philip Hughes on 07774 850677.

Fire chief answers questions about mountain blaze

* The fire rages on Llantysilio Mountain. 

The army makes a charge if it is called in to help fight mountain fires like the one which raged for weeks above Llangollen recently.

This was revealed by the fire chief when questioned on the issue by Denbighshire county councillor Mabon ap Gwynfor (pictured right) at the recent full council meeting in Ruthin.

A film released by Cllr ap Gwynfor’s Plaid Cymru party shows the member for Llandrillo quizzing Chief Fire Officer Simon Smith about the Llantysilio Mountain blaze.

He asks: “In Saddleworth the army was called in after three days. In this instance the army weren’t called in for assistance. Why was this the case? Who would make the call? And do you think that in future the army might be called in circumstances like this?”

Mr Smith replies: “A decision to bring in the army would be made if we felt that we did not have the resources or the manpower to adequately deal with the incident ourselves.

“Going back to the previous question, the army charge – they don’t do it for nothing, and I would need to be convinced that there was a sound economic set against the operational argument before we would do that.

“Clearly, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, in terms of Saddleworth Moor, took a different decision and that decision would be, first of all, the decision to ask would be one that would be taken jointly with the key stakeholders including the police, NRW (Natural Resources Wales) etc and then it would be very much a decision by the senior people in the army whether or not they could provide that resource.”  

Cllr ap Gwynfor said later: “At the full council meeting the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority were in front of us asking for money.

“I therefore had an opportunity to ask them about the Llantysilio Mountain incident.

“The question that many were asking was why weren't the army called in, like they were on Saddleworth Moor.

“I asked the Chief Fire Officer why weren't the army called in, and my understanding of the response was that it was because the army would have charged them!

“I thought they were there to provide a service during civil emergencies.

“I've sent the Ministry of Defence some Freedom of Information requests.”

* To see the film, go to:

https://www.facebook.com/PlaidCymruDeClwydSouth/videos/2271053899785324/

Bosses: Meet potential employees at Glyndŵr

Businesses from across the region are being offered the chance to meet potential employees at Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s annual Careers Fair.

The fair, on October 18, has already more than 50 exhibitors, but a few last-minute places are still available. The popular yearly event, organised by the University’s award-winning Careers service attracts both students and graduates from the University, as well as members of the public and other visitors.

Running from 10am to 2pm at the university’s Sports Centre, employers have used the day to meet future employees, promote causal vacancies or graduate jobs, or find interns or volunteers.

Exhibitors attending this year include attending this year include Art and Business Cymru, Chetwood Financial Limited, Clwyd Alyn Housing Association, the Co Op, NHS Wales, Flintshire and Denbighshire County Councils, HMP Berwyn, Nidec, North Wales Police, Wockhardt, Kronospan and Theatr Clwyd. Any company or organisation who wants to join them on the day will get tea or coffee, snacks and a light lunch for up to two people as well as floor space, Trestle Table and chairs. A CV review service is also available at the event.

Student Employability Advisor Angela Corbett (pictured) said: “At Wrexham Glyndŵr University, our award-winning Careers service strives to ensure all our students leave ready for their chosen career – and that they can get relevant experience during their studies, whether that is paid work or finding a suitable internship or volunteering opportunity.

“Events such as the Careers Fair help them – and they also help leading players in our local industries find skilled workers and boost our region’s economy.

“Employers large and small have found the right person for their business after taking part – and there’s still time to apply for a place.”

Anyone interested in attending can email Angela Corbett on ang.corbett@glyndwr.ac.uk or phone 01978 293240.

Find out more about Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s Careers team and their work here: https://www.glyndwr.ac.uk/en/Studentsupport/Careers/

Welsh Development Bank opens

* Development Bank chief executive Giles Thorley, left, with Ken Skates AM.

The Development Bank of Wales opened its new headquarters in Wrexham yesterday (Friday) at Yale Business Village on the Technology Park.

With regional offices in Cardiff and Llanelli the new HQ supports the Bank’s pan-Wales location strategy to serve businesses across the whole of the country.

23 of the Bank’s 172 staff will initially be based at the Wrexham HQ, though it is expected this will double to more than 50 by 2021. Employees will benefit from fully refurbished offices designed to promote agile working in a flexible and productive environment.

Risk, Compliance and Legal Director Neil Maguinness will be based in the new HQ, which will also provide a regular base for Chief Executive Giles Thorley as well as other senior staff including the newly appointed Finance Director, David Staziker and Investment Executives. Half of all board meetings will be held in Wrexham.

Giles Thorley, Chief Executive of the Development Bank, said: “I’m delighted that the Wrexham headquarters is now open for business.

“The Welsh Government’s Economic Action Plan includes a focus on strengthening Wales’ regional economies. Although we have improved our online accessibility, businesses still tell us that they value the face to face contact that comes from having teams on the ground.

“That’s why we’ve been scaling up our operations in north Wales over the year and continue to see ambition and appetite for investment from businesses in the region, supported by a vibrant business community.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: "It was nearly two years ago that I set out my ambition for the headquarters of the Development Bank of Wales to be located in North Wales so I am absolutely delighted to now be formally opening the new offices at the Technology Park in Wrexham.

“The new headquarters demonstrates my determination that the development bank truly will serve the whole of Wales. It will be an important partner, working closely with Business Wales,  in our work to strengthen Wales’ regional economies while delivering 50 additional high quality jobs in North Wales. It will also help ensure that  the bank  delivers best in class operational efficiency, while providing businesses in the region with the face to face human contact we know they value.”

North Wales' new chief constable checks in

* New chief constable Carl Foulkes with Police and Crime

Commissioner Arfon Jones.

The new chief constable of North Wales has revealed how investigating the horrific triple murder of a young mother and her two children gave him a passion for protecting the victims of domestic violence.

Gulf war veteran Carl Foulkes, who hails originally from Caergwrle, near Wrexham, was speaking after his appointment was confirmed by the North Wales Police and Crime Panel.

They backed the choice of the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, of Mr Foulkes, 47, as his preferred candidate following a rigorous two-day interview process in early August.

As well as moving to North Wales to live, Mr Foulkes has also promised to make it a priority to learn Welsh.

In fact, he has already signed up for an intensive course at the National Welsh Language Centre at the former quarrying village of Nant Gwrtheyrn in Gwynedd during his annual leave in October from his current job as Deputy Chief Constable in Merseyside.

He will take up his new role heading up North Wales Police on Monday, November 5.

Born at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Mr Foulkes spent the first few years of his life in Caergwrle before the family moved to Scotland and later to the East Midlands because of his father’s work as an aircraft engineer.

After serving in the Royal Navy and seeing active service in the first Gulf War, he spent 10 years working for British Transport Police before joining West Midlands Police prior to becoming the deputy chief constable of Merseyside Police.

He has national portfolio responsibility for Assisting Offender Debriefing under SOCPA, Open Source Investigations and UK Protected Persons Service (UKPPS).

Mr Foulkes is married with a teenage son and enjoys outdoor pursuits including running, walking and cycling. 

He described being appointed as the chief constable of North Wales as the pinnacle of his career and immediately pledged to crack down on serious and organised crime and protect vulnerable people like the victims of domestic violence.

Mr Foulkes said: "I am proud and privileged to be the chief constable of North Wales - I'm not sure many chief officers get the opportunity to be the chief constable in the place that they were born, where their family live, where they genuinely love the area. I'm delighted to be coming back here.

“I am also really excited about the opportunities to make a real difference to the communities of North Wales.

“I want to work with the Police and Crime Commissioner around diverting addicts away from drugs and being more preventative and problem-solving in our approach- and working with partners to be more preventative.

“I want to ensure that our officers have state of the art equipment and technology so we can do things like fingerprinting out on the street and accept dash cam footage and other information via social media.

“I want our officers to operate as effectively on the street and in people's homes as they do on the internet when they are in a police station.

“I can't do any of that without the right people so I want to be very clear about how I support them, their wellbeing, their mental health and their physical health.

“We need to make sure we have an organisation that's fit for the next five years, not just fit for here and now.”

The awful case that led Mr Foulkes to dedicating himself to combating domestic abuse happened in Walsall on Christmas Eve in 2003 when a builder, Spencer Smith, 30, killed his 25-year-old girlfriend, Lisa Higgins, and their two little daughters, Keighley, six, and Demmy, three.

Smith was charged with murder but was found hanged in prison before he could stand trial for stabbing them to death.

Mr Foulkes said: "I was still relatively inexperienced as an investigator and it was very difficult.

“Luckily I had a fantastic team that worked around me and supported me. It's probably where I got my passion for vulnerability and domestic abuse.

“When you see something like that in such a young family that had everything going for them, you realise that we need to do something different for the future. We shouldn't be having those incidents.

"What I learned from that homicide with regards to vulnerability and domestic abuse very much chimes with the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s priorities.

“I think when you read the PCCs priorities he's very clear that the one thing that runs through his Police and Crime Plan is vulnerability and reducing harm.

“My two main priorities will be around protecting vulnerable people, including victims of domestic violence, and also tackling serious and organised crime, particularly the emerging and growing threat of County Lines where criminal gangs from places like Liverpool and Manchester seek new territories for their drug dealing networks.

“We need to drive out serious organised crime that so that people are happy to live here and feel confident in their communities.

"But the first three months for me will be very much around internal and external engagement, getting out and about to meet our staff and our partners.

“Being the chief constable of North Wales is something I am passionate about and I am deeply committed to doing the very best job I can.”

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said: “I am delighted that the Police and Crime Panel have endorsed the appointment of Carl Foulkes as our new chief constable.

“As well as being a first-class chief officer, he is a man of great vision and integrity and will build on the excellent work of his predecessor Mark Polin in shaping a force that is effective and efficient whilst being responsive to new and emerging crimes.

“With ever diminishing budgets, we should not underestimate the scale of the challenges that lie ahead, but I feel sure we have the right person to do the job.”

Author will sign new castles book in town tomorrow

* Author Mike Stevens will sign copies of his new

book at Courtyard Books on

Saturday morning.

The author of a new book on the region's castles will be signing copies at Courtyard Bookshop in Llangollen tomorrow (Saturday) from 11am-noon.

Following his successful walkers’ guide to The Pilgrims' Way Mike Stevens has just completed a 235-mile round trip of all the castles in North Wales, from Chirk to Caernarfon, once again on foot.

For the resulting book, The North Wales Castles Trail,  has has pioneered footpaths and rights of way to all the major castles that lie in ruins and some sites where castles used to stand.

In Denbighshire Mike has tramped from Chirk to Llangollen and on to Caergwrle, before taking in Bailey Hill in Mold on the way to Ruthin, Denbigh and Rhuddlan.

Next he went via Conwy and Beaumaris to the high mountain castles of Dolbadarn at the foot of Snowdon and Dolwyddelan in the valley beyond.

The veteran walker pushed on to the remote Roman castle ruins above Trawsfynydd before ending his trek via Harlech and Criccieth.

* His book is published by Kittiwake, 2018.