Bikers lead moving Remembrance ceremony in town square

Llangollen's new Centenary Square was packed this morning (Sunday) with people who turned up to see around 40 members of the Biker Section of the Royal British Legion host a moving ceremony to launch the local Poppy Appeal.

Over 3,000 poppies hand-made by a small army of volunteers and positioned on the wall running along the back of the square formed the perfect backdrop to the ceremony which included the traditional bugle calls and minute's silence of Remembrance leading up to 11 o'clock.

Representatives of the Legion and the armed services were on parade with their standards.

A delegation from the Town Council was led by the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Issy Murray Richards.

* Bikers assemble in the square before the ceremony.

* Some interesting machines were on parade.

* Around 40 members of the biker section of the RBL attended.

* The Act of Remembrance takes place around the war memorial against the backdrop of the poppy wall.

* The section's own bugler sounds the call.

Volunteers put poppy wall in place

PICTURE UPDATE ...

A group of volunteers are this morning (Saturday) putting in place over 3,000 poppies in Llangollen's Centenary Square to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One.

The sea of blood-red flowers, made by groups and individuals over the past year or more, will be the backdrop to tomorrow morning's Royal British Legion ceremony marking the local launch of the annual Poppy Appeal.

Riders from the biker section of the Legion, accompanied by their own bugler, will lead a short service of Remembrance.

The ceremony will be attended by a delegation from the Town Council led by the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Issy Murray Richards.

* Watch for coverage on llanblogger tomorrow.

People urged to consider neighbours on Bonfire Night

Residents are being asked to be considerate if they are planning on having a Bonfire Night display at home.

Denbighshire County Council is urging the public to consider neighbours who may be frightened or distressed by the noise and commotion.

Cllr Tony Thomas, lead member with responsibility for Public Protection, said:  “There are a number of organised displays, in Denbighshire and across the region, scheduled for Bonfire Night and we would recommend people attend those rather than have their own fireworks party in their back garden, for both safety and social reasons.

“If people want to hold their own event, we would ask they inform their neighbours well ahead of time so neighbours are aware when the fireworks are going to be let off. This allows them to make arrangements in relation to any pets they may keep, or to make plans to go out if they don't want to listen to the noise.

“We would also ask that people, no matter how experienced, take all the usual safety precautions, accidents happen when you become lax about the danger that you may be in.”

Anyone that chooses to use fireworks in an anti-social and irresponsible manner could find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Under fireworks regulations there is generally a curfew preventing people from letting off fireworks between 11pm and 7am but this is extended to midnight on November 5th and 1am on New Years’ Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali.

Similarly, parents and youngsters are reminded it is illegal for children under 18 to buy or be in the possession of fireworks.

Fireworks are explosives and should be treated with great care and respect, here is our advice for anyone considering using fireworks this November:

1.         Only buy fireworks from reputable outlets and be wary of fireworks sold via social media

2.         Don't drink alcohol if setting off fireworks.

3.         Keep fireworks in a closed box.

4.         Follow the instructions on each firework.

5.         Light them at arm's length, using a taper.

6.         Stand well back.

7.         Never go near a firework that has been lit.  Even if it hasn't gone off, it could still explode.

8.         Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them.

9.         Always supervise children around fireworks.

10.       Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves.

11.       Never give sparklers to children under five.

12.       Keep pets indoors.

13.       Don't set off noisy fireworks late at night and never

Queen of Shops helps traders prepare for Christmas

* Councillor Hugh Evans and Helen Hodgkinson

showcase Denbighshire's #LoveLiveLocal campaign.

Denbighshire has its own ‘Queen of Shops’ to get the county’s retailers match fit for the vital Christmas selling season.

Retail expert Helen Hodgkinson has been working with shop and business owners in Llangollen and elsewhere alongside the County Council’s Economic and Business Development Team on how to make the most of the festive season.

Helen, a former fashion retailer and college lecturer herself, has been holding one-on-one sessions with businesses and is keen to get out the message that the county’s shops have plenty to offer shoppers for Christmas.

It’s part of Denbighshire County Council’s #LoveLiveLocal campaign to encourage people to use their local shops and services and for businesses to promote themselves and for everyone to use social media platforms Twitter and Facebook to share their positive experiences of Denbighshire as a fantastic place to shop.

She said: “Businesses have to be ready for Christmas with their plans in place because this is the most important time of the year and you have to get the basics right to reap the rewards.

“There’s a great offer in Denbighshire, lots of unusual, quirky, specialist independent shops offering great products and service but they still need a plan and know how to sell themselves.

“People want to buy something that’s a bit different, not mass manufactured, and provenance is important, where it’s from and how it’s made and is there a story behind it because all that adds value.”

Helen, from Dyserth, began in retail for supermarket chain Fine Fare in Buxton in Derbyshire and then went on to work for health food giants Holland and Barratt in Buxton and Stockport before moving to North Wales where she opened an ethical clothing business in Llandudno.

She then taught at Rhyl College where she set up FE – for Further Education – Retail as a small business within the college where students could gain experience of selling.

She also taught a series of courses by the high priestess of retail, TV star Mary Portas, on successful retailing and launched a Retail Academy at the college which worked with Denbighshire County Council.

Now the Council has called on Helen’s skills again and Council Leader Hugh Evans OBE said: “We want to help promote our local traders this Christmas as part of our work to create resilient communities.

“The #LoveLiveLocal 2018 campaign is a celebration of the diverse and vibrant shopping experiences we have in our County and is aimed at encouraging consumers to use the hashtag #LoveLiveLocal to promote businesses in Denbighshire across all social networking platforms.

“We are helping to highlight the great retail offer right here in Denbighshire and encourage shoppers to see what is on their local high streets.

“Not only do our businesses offer great value for money and a wide range of products, they also provide excellent customer service and we want to play our part in showcasing the fantastic businesses we have throughout Denbighshire.”

As part of the #LoveLiveLocal campaign, Denbighshire County Council will be rolling out a series of short video clips to highlight what the county has to offer shoppers and the campaign will encourage people to support local independent businesses by using the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to share good experiences they’ve had as well as promote products and services locally they have ‘loved’.

The videos will appear on social media throughout the Christmas period to help promote shopping locally.

Helen added: “Ten years ago retail was still retail but things have moved on so much since then and retailers have to move on as well.

“It’s vital to get involved with events happening locally and to look to mix up your offer so that on many high streets businesses add a café on their premises, provide samples, hold evening classes and get involved in social media.

“I’ve been around all eight towns in Denbighshire and things are happening on the high streets, they’re changing for the better with new businesses opening up and offering that something different that attracts shoppers.

“They’re thinking outside the box and inspiring their customers because there are a lot of very talented people out there and lots to celebrate on the Denbighshire retail scene.”

Volunteers produce a wall of remembrance poppies

* Volunteers at the RAFA Club fix the poppies in place.

A massive community effort in Llangollen has seen over 3,000 poppies made by hand to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the end of World War One.  

The sea of red flowers – the traditional symbol of remembrance – lovingly created by a small army of volunteers will go on display at the town’s new Centenary Square from this Sunday where they will form the backdrop of a special event to mark the local launch of the 2018 Poppy Appeal.

The production of the poppies began over a year ago and has been overseen by former Llangollen town mayor Sheena Grindley.

She said: “We put out the word out about what we intended to do and we immediately started to get people volunteering to help make them.

“The initial target figure was 2,000 poppies but we eventually got over 3,000.

“They’ve been knitted, crocheted from water resistant acrylic wool and also made from recycled plastic and then painted red.

“More than 100 people were involved in making them. I can’t remember a community event which has involved so many groups and individuals, who came not just from Llangollen but from surrounding areas too.

“I’m absolutely overwhelmed by the response.”

Amongst the groups who joined the poppy production line were children from the town’s two primary schools, Ysgol Bryn Collen and Ysgol Y Gwernant.

“The children alone made over 320 poppies, all from the bottoms of plastic bottles which they then painted red and finished off with a black button in the middle. Each one will bear the first name and initial of the child who made it,” said Sheena.

“Their poppies will be planted in the soil along the back of Centenary Square while all the others have been fixed to many metres of green plastic netting, kindly donated by Matt Jones of Knights Construction, which will be positioned along the back wall close to our two war memorials commemorating the fallen of the First and Second World Wars.

“More volunteers have spent the past week fixing the poppies to the sheeting at Llangollen RAFA Club.

“We’re going to leave all the poppies on display until the New Year when people will be welcome to take them to keep as something to remember.”

On Sunday the poppies will take pride of place at the launch of the town’s annual Poppy Appeal at Centenary Square at 11am.

This will see a group of special guests in the shape of 40 riders from the biker section of the Royal British Legion (RBL) who will bring with them their own bugler to sound the traditional remembrance calls and a clergyman to take a short service.

On parade will be members of local RBL branch along with representatives of the Royal Naval Association and Royal Air Force Association.

A contingent from Llangollen Town Council will be led by the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Issy Murray Richards.

Sheena added: “At the end of the ceremony people are invited back to the RAFA Club – appropriate as this is also the centenary of the formation of the RAF - for tea or coffee and to view photographic and art exhibitions on the theme of remembrance.”

Changes to waste collection being considered

The majority of households would only have their non-recyclable waste collected every four weeks under a plan being considered by Denbighshire County Council.

The proposals, which come under the spotlight of the council's Communities Scrutiny Committee  later this month, would see:

* A new weekly collection for recyclables such as paper, glass, cans, and plastic

* A weekly collection for food waste

* A new fortnightly collection for clothes and small electrical items

With 64% of waste already being recycled and a weekly recycling collection with extra capacity there should only be small amounts of non-recyclable waste left in the black bin, the council believes

The council is therefore proposing to change the collection of non-recyclable waste to every four weeks for the majority of households.

Residents can opt for bigger black bins if they need them, but overall, households will have an additional 35 litres of capacity each week in their Trolliboc for recycling packaging waste (including cans, tins, glass bottles& jars, plastic bottles & tubs, paper and card)  compared to their current blue recycling bin. 

They can free up even more space in their black bin by using the new kerbside recycling services for textiles, WEEE, batteries and where needed, nappy and incontinence waste.   

The council believes that increasing the size of the bins to the new larger ones and introducing weekly and recycling kerbside sort collections, supported by other special collections, should meet the needs of residents.

The Welsh Government has agreed £4 million for 2019/20 and a further £3 million in 2020/21.  Further discussions are on-going with Welsh Government and WRAP to find the additional funds needed to implement the project.

Members of the Communities Scrutiny Committee will consider the proposal at the meeting on October 25^th at County Hall, Ruthin at 10am.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Planning and Sustainable Travel, said: “The county has historically one of the best recycling rates in Wales and residents have played a significant part in that success.

"Despite all the efforts, more than 5,000 tonnes of recycling are still being thrown away through general waste collections costing £500,000 which could be spent on protecting vital council services.

"This is a significant challenge and the Council needs to recycle more and reduce unnecessary disposal costs. That can only be done by changing the way in which its waste collection works and by changing the way residents recycle. The Council needs to work towards the statutory target of 70% by 2025, and it expects that the target could be increased to 80% by the Welsh Government in future.

“The majority of households in Denbighshire can be switched to the proposed system. The households at which the proposed system may be unsuitable are being identified. Where necessary alternative collection models, designed to achieve the highest levels of recycling practicable, will be introduced.

"Over 2,300 people responded to an online survey about the proposals, with a further 150 people completing surveys at libraries and One Stop Shops.  This information is extremely important and will help inform the decision the Council will soon need to make about the future design of our waste and recycling services.

"No decision has been taken. However, should the plans be approved, the Council would expect that any proposed change would take place in 2020."

Call goes out for likely development sites

As part of its work on a new Local Development Plan, Denbighshire County Council is inviting landowners, developers and any others with an interest in land in the county to submit suggested sites for future development, with the deadline being November 26.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) sets out where, and how much, future development will happen in the county, as well as the areas to be protected from development.  To help inform these decisions, a ‘call for candidate sites’ will be held until November 26.

Submitting a site is not, however, a guarantee of inclusion in the LDP. 

All sites submissions must provide sufficient background information and the Council will assess each site before making a decision on its suitability.  All sites selected for inclusion will be subject to public consultation as part of the Deposit LDP early in 2020.

Guidance and forms for submitting a candidate site are available on the Local Development Plan section.   All forms must be submitted in full, and accompanied by the necessary maps, before the deadline of November 26.  Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted, says the council 

* For further information, please contact the Strategic Planning and Housing Team: Email – planningpolicy@denbighshire.gov.uk