MP meets volunteers of local befriending service

* Susan Elan Jones MP meets volunteers from the Ymestyn service.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones recently met with volunteers from the Ymestyn – Reaching Out befriending service to offer her support and advice.

The service is active in the Llangollen and Glyn Ceiriog areas. 

It started in 2016 and has grown from strength to strength. 

Volunteers are trained by Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham to support people in the community who feel lonely or are socially isolated and may suffer from ill health, mobility or age-related issues. 

They can visit people in their own homes or arrange short outings in the locality. There are plans to develop the service to include some social activities.

Before being elected to Parliament, Susan Elan Jones spent 15 years working for charities and is committed to using her expertise in this area as part of her parliamentary and constituency work. 

She is co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Charities and Volunteering and in March introduced the Charity Trustees (Time Off for Duties) Bill to Parliament.

Following the meeting, Ms Jones said: “It’s been fantastic to catch up with Ymestyn and hear about their latest news. 

"I think that supporting these excellent local groups is a very important and worthwhile part of my job as an MP. Ymestyn is a vital lifeline for people who feel lonely or isolated from their community and I am pleased to have had the opportunity to offer my advice and support."

County council statement on flooding

Summary of flooding issues in Denbighshire – Wednesday morning – 10am

Last night: There were problems with surface water on the A539 at Llangollen.  Teams from the Council attended and the flood water was cleared.

This morning:

The majority of the problems seem to be in the north of the county, with areas around Dyserth affected in particular. 

The A5151 between Dyserth and Rhuddlan has a lot of standing water.

Westbourne Avenue, Rhyl is closed due to flooding and sandbags have been issued to properties there. Our teams are down at the scene.

Loggerheads Country Park is closed due to flooding, with water levels still rising.

 The rain is expected to ease this afternoon, but more rain is expected overnight.  Residents are advised to continue to monitor weather forecasts and social media for any updates.

Have your say about dementia services

Residents are being asked to take part in a consultation about how to improve services people living with dementia in North Wales.

Councils across North Wales are working together with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to develop a regional plan for dementia services, which will build on some of the excellent work that is already in place. 

The plan will look at how health and social care services can work better together and focus on how to achieve the Welsh Government priorities, risk reduction and delaying onset, raising awareness and understanding, recognition and identification, assessment and diagnosis, living as well as possible, for as long as possible with dementia and the need for increased support. 

The plan is being developed along with people living with dementia, carers and organisations who provide care and support.

Lesley Singleton, North Wales Project Lead and Director of Partnerships in the Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Division of BCUHB, said:  “We recognise that the best people to shape effective services are the people who use them. 

"We see the future as one in which those who are diagnosed with dementia and those who support them can feel confident that not only will they experience compassionate, safe and professional care but that they have, as a right, real opportunities to shape and be more involved in that care.

“I want to encourage people living with dementia and their carers to take part in the consultation to help us ensure that our services are tailored to meet their specific needs.”

* More information about the consultation is available at: https://www.northwalescollaborative.wales/dementia-strategy-consultation/

The consultation will be open until Friday July 26.

New online map aims to showcase North Wales

* The launch of the new online map introducing visitors to North Wales. 

The UK’s first online video map to promote tourism has been launched to help attract more visitors to North Wales.

The new map was unveiled at the annual meeting of North Wales Tourism and includes around 40 films from attractions, events and accommodation providers across the region.

According to managing director Jim Jones, they were now looking for more high end promotional videos to populate the map which can be accessed via the organisation’s website, www.gonorthwales.co.uk

The map can be used with North Wales Tourism’s new online itinerary planner which is also on the website.

Mr Jones told the meeting that the spectacular growth in the tourism industry in recent years was being driven by adrenaline-fuelled tourism.

That had been the spur to launch a new umbrella campaign, branding North Wales as the European Capital of Adventure.

Overall, the visitor economy is now worth £3.1 billion a year and employs 40,000 people.

He said: “We thought it would be a really good idea to launch the new video map as an excellent tool for visitors, showcasing North Wales through video.

“All the videos featured are from our members and they are a really good way to see what they can expect when they arrive at a destination.

“We’ve had a soft launch to make sure all the technology is working but we have the capacity for a lot more and that’s what we’re working on at the moment.

“I’m not aware of anything else like it in the UK and the same goes for our itinerary planner which is an incredible piece of software.

“Visitors can go to our website and can formulate plans using the information about the accommodation, attractions and activities.

“They can factor in their journey time, plan their dwell time and it can be printed out or sent via email in a nice, easy-to-read format.

“Essentially, we have put in a lot of work to make life easier for visitors and provide added benefits to our members.”

The aim,  he said, was to capitalise on the huge investment that’s going into North Wales at the moment.

Mr Jones added: “Tourism is booming and it’s one of the biggest sectors in the region’s economy and as a business North Wales Tourism has seen a five per cent year-on-year growth.

“We are riding high and there is a lot of confidence in the industry too.

“There is massive potential for growth and the North Wales Growth Bid is going to have a huge part to play in that because hopefully they are going to create the infrastructure and the environment in order for everybody to benefit.”

Among the guest speakers was John Irving, the chief executive of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, who said that North Wales was an important catchment for them.

He said: “We want to play a role as a gateway for the north west of England but also for the North of Wales.

“We’re at five million passengers now so we think in the next five years we can reach six million just growing the route network and getting some different carriers into the airport.

“There’s about 35,000 inbound passengers coming to North Wales at the moment through Liverpool and there’ll be many more coming through Manchester and via the rest of the UK.”

Lee Robinson, Transport for Wales’s development director for North Wales, told the meeting that on the ground there was an £800m investment to replace every train by 2023 in Wales and that 95 per cent of rail journeys will be made on brand new trains.

North Wales Tourism chair Christopher Frost, who runs the Manorhaus boutique hotels in Ruthin and Llangollen, said: “We’ve had a fantastic 10 years or so with an increase in inbound tourism and outbound tourism and fantastic engagement with overseas markets also.

“North Wales Tourism has been instrumental in creating alliances and creating partnerships with both public and private sector organisations to promote tourism to our members across the whole world.

“It’s a very exciting time because of the amount business that is coming our way with an increase of a significant proportion compared to other regions of Wales and compared to other regions of the UK.

“Adventure tourism is very important and has seen massive financial input in the North Wales economy, which has impacted across the whole of North Wales.

“I operate in Ruthin and Llangollen and even the events and attractions in Snowdonia impact my business because people come and stay with me and drive an hour into Snowdonia to the Zip Wire or to do the surfing or that kind of thing.

“One consequence is that we are now attracting younger people to North Wales.

“Whereas 20 years ago, the demographic was 40 or 50 plus, the demographic we are seeing is mid-20s to 40.

“We can offer the best of both worlds. As well as the new adventure attractions, we still have the coast, the castle and the culture for those wanting a gentler time.

“We’ve added a new dimension to something that was already brilliant.”

Isherwood calls on health minister to quit

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood (pictured) has called on the Welsh Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, to resign for “failing to deliver" the required improvement at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) which covers Llangollen.

Speaking in the Welsh Conservatives debate on the troubled North Wales Health Board, Mr Isherwood expressed concern that BCUHB has been in Special Measures for coming up to four years, said that the Health Minister’s “repeated statements that he ‘expects to see action’ have become hollow”, and called for him to stand down.

Mr Isherwood said: “The self-proclaimed party of the NHS, Labour, is responsible for just seven Health Boards in Wales. It is shocking that five of these are in special measures of some kind.  

“The largest of these, serving 1 million people, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales, will not be celebrating the fact that next Saturday will be four years since it was placed into special measures. Ministerial oversight of these special measures arrangements has been with the current Health Minister.

“No Conservative Prime Minister has ever cut an NHS budget. Under Labour, however, Wales was the only UK Nation to see a real terms decrease in identifiable expenditure on health between 2010 and 2016.

“Betsi Cadwaladr entered special measures after horrific reports emanated from the Tawel Fan Mental Health ward. 

“The Welsh Labour Government has failed to heed the warnings of the Ockenden Review of this - and consistently ignored the concerns of families involved.

“They have instead relied on the 2018 HASCAS review which was described as a cover-up by the families."

He added: “In January Donna Ockenden said she had seen ‘insufficient progress’ in improving mental health services and revealed that staff had told her services ‘were going backwards’.  

“Her 2018 Review was repeatedly informed that from the Health Board’s birth in October 2009, there was very significant cause for concern in the systems, structures and processes of governance underpinning a range of services provided by Betsi Cadwaladr.

“Speaking here in May last year, I asked the Health Minister why the conclusions of the HASCAS report Commissioned by Betsi Cadwaladr did not stack up with the findings of Donna Ockenden’s 2015 report, which the Welsh Government had accepted - or with a Healthcare Inspectorate Wales Report, or  Dementia Care mapping work, both in 2013, the year that the Health Board states that it was alerted to serious concerns regarding patient care on the Tawel Fan ward. In fact, I had highlighted concerns  in 2009. 

“While frontline staff are working incredibly hard, last month the Public Accounts Committee found that the Welsh Government’s intervention with the Board has had ‘little practical impact’.  

“The North Wales Community Health Council stated that it totally agreed with this report’s recommendations - and referred to a letter sent to the Health Minister in which they stated there is a belief among its members that Special Measures  is now ‘the new normal’ and ‘appears to have lost its impact’.

Mr Isherwood also highlighted that the latest A&E figures show that Betsi Cadwaladr remains the worst performing in Wales, and that Wrexham Maelor hospital’s A&E department only saw half of its patients within four hours, and referred to the fact that in January, the North Wales Coroner, John Gittins, stated that ‘ambulance hold ups, staff shortages and the difficulty of getting speedy A&E care have contributed to numerous deaths and may claim more lives’. 

He added: “This Health Minister’s repeated statement that he ‘expects to see action’ have become hollow. 

“He needs to accept his responsibility for failing to deliver the required improvement at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and honourably resign.”

Temporary bus route changes from tomorrow

Bus users are being warned of some temporary route changes in place from next week.

Due to the closure of the roundabout at the junction of the A539 (Llangollen Road) and B5605 the following bus route diversions will be in place.

As a result the below changes will be in place for five nights from Monday 10th June between 7pm to 6am.

Service 2, Oswestry, Arriva Midlands – From Wrexham to Oswestry
Normal route to Johnstown B5605, then via Stryt Las, B5097 Pant Hill/Afoneitha Road, Plas Bennion Road to re-join normal route on A539 Llangollen Road towards Cefn Mawr & Oswestry.

From Oswestry to Wrexham
Normal route to A539, then via Plas Bennion Road, B5097 Afoneitha Road, Pant Hill, Church Street, B5426 Hill Street, Gutter Hill & Maelor Road to re-join normal route on B5605 in Johnstown.
Service 5, Llangollen, Arriva Bus Wales – From Wrexham to Llangollen

Normal route to Johnstown B5605, then via Stryt Las, B5097 Pant Hill/Afoneitha Road, Plas Bennion Road to re-join normal route on A539 Llangollen Road towards Llangollen.

From Llangollen to Wrexham
Normal route to A539, then via Plas Bennion Road, B5097 Afoneitha Road, Pant Hill, Church Street, B5426 Hill Street, Gutter Hill & Maelor Road to re-join normal route on B5605 in Johnstown.

Service T3, Barmouth, Lloyds Coaches – From Wrexham to Barmouth
Normal route to Johnstown B5605, then via Stryt Las, B5097 Pant Hill/Afoneitha Road, Plas Bennion Road to re-join normal route on A539 Llangollen Road towards Barmouth

From Barmouth to Wrexham
Normal route to A539, then via Plas Bennion Road, B5097 Afoneitha Road, Pant Hill, Church Street, B5426 Hill Street, Gutter Hill & Maelor Road to re-join normal route on B5605 in Johnstown.

County council backs Carers Week

Denbighshire County Council is backing a national event supporting carers.

Carers Week will take place across the UK between June 10 and 16 and raises awareness of carers, recognising the contribution they make to families and communities.

As part of its Corporate Plan, the council has committed to supporting carers by improving the services that exist and ensuring young, parent and adult carers are aware of the support available to them.

Cllr Bobby Feeley, lead member for Well-being and Independence, said: “Carers play a pivotal role in our society and I would like to thank all Denbighshire carers for the support they provide.

“Carers Week brings individuals and organisations together to show the importance of caring, celebrate carers and their contribution and help carers find out what support is available to them.

“Here in Denbighshire we are working hard to support carers by improving the provision of information, advice and assistance, helping carers access leisure services, providing financial support to allow carers to take short breaks, by offering training for carers to support and maintain their caring role as well as promoting life-long learning for people who have a caring role and supporting carers to continue working or re-enter the workforce.”

Across Wales 370,000 people are carers, supporting a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill with 11,600 of those in Denbighshire.

Denbighshire County Council will also be launching a new information leaflet during Carers Week.

* For more information about carers contact Denbighshire’s Single Point of Access on 0300 456 1000 or North East Wales Carers Information Service (NEWCIS) on 01745 331181 or via http://newcis.org.uk