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Monday, August 5, 2019

Police boss welcomes MPs’ call to decriminalise cannabis


* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

The North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner has welcomed a report from a group of cross-party MPs who predict the UK will fully legalise cannabis within five to 10 years.

Arfon Jones, a former police inspector, is a long-time advocate of drugs reform and says the conclusions of the MPs’ fact-finding trip to Canada are a step in the right direction.
Last year Canada became the first G7 country to allow recreational use of cannabis which is designated as a Class B drug in the UK and anyone caught with it could face up to five years in prison.
There has already been some change in the UK with a shift in approach towards medicinal cannabis products, which can now be legally prescribed to some patients.
According to the MPs, they would like to see cannabis being decriminalised and regulated so that it cuts out the drugs gangs.

Mr Jones said: “I very much welcome this report and an important contribution to the debate about our antiquated drugs legislation which is not fit for purpose.

“We lost the war against drugs a long time ago and it is time we recognised this and tried a new approach.

“I also sense the tide of public opinion is turning in favour of doing things differently.

“It’s clear the current method of tackling organised crime through the Criminal Justice System is not effective.

“Once one group has been removed, another replaces it within days, which inevitably leads to further violence and exploitation.

Trying to arrest our way out of the distribution and cultivation of drugs is not working and quite frankly hasn’t been working for a long, long time - so we clearly need to look at other ways we can remove organised crime from our communities.

“It is a nonsense to criminalise people who take cannabis for recreational use and cause no harm to anybody else.

Cannabis should be regulated just like alcohol and tobacco – which actually cause more harm to individuals and to society in general.

“We should introduce a licencing system so that cannabis can be sold through pharmacies and in shops as happens in Canada, Uruguay and certain states in America.

“The best way to reduce the role of organised crime in the supply of drugs is to put it in commercial hands and to price it appropriately so people don't need to go to the illegal market.

“Commercial organisations have taken over the medicinal cannabis market and are selling prescriptions at a vast cost even though it is cheap to grow.  That’s just exploitation in my book.

“My view is that people should be allowed to grow a limited number of cannabis plants for their own use.

“Let’s face it there are probably hundreds of thousands of people in this country who grow cannabis in their own homes now.

“They're not harming anybody else and there is no reason why they should be punished through the criminal justice system.

“It would be sensible to follow the example of Spanish cannabis clubs where people are allowed to grow seven or eight cannabis plants in the club.

“If you were starting from scratch, I think cannabis would be more lightly regulated than alcohol is now because I think everybody agrees that alcohol is far more harmful to individuals than cannabis is.

“Just like alcohol, you should have age restrictions on the purchase and consumption of cannabis is a regulated market.

“In the autumn I will be launching a new scheme called Checkpoint in North Wales – after it was developed by Cambridge University and successfully trialled in Durham - which is designed to divert low level offenders away from criminality.

“We need to recognise that 90 per cent of drug consumption including cannabis is recreational use and non-problematic.

"In those cases, people should be given some educational information and that would be the end of the matter.

"Meanwhile, the legal position in relation to medicinal cannabis has been well and truly fudged as a matter of political expediency to avoid a PR disaster caused by the heart-rending cases of several children like the chronically ill Billy Caldwell who needs cannabis oil to ward off life-threatening fits.

“It is also unjust and cruel that people living with conditions like multiple sclerosis who use cannabis are putting themselves at risk of being prosecuted.”

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Colourful parade remembers the town's patron saint


* The statue of St Collen is carried aloft.



* Father Richard Peers performs the blessing of the statue at St John's.


* Parishioners leave St John's on the parade.


* The parade passes over the bridge into Castle Street.


* Father Lee Taylor walks across the bridge, singing all the way.


* The parade arrives back at St Collen's.

Members of St Collen's along with civic leaders and representatives of various local organisations paraded through the centre of Llangollen this morning to celebrate the town's patron saint, St Collen.

Following a short service of blessing performed by Father Richard Peers of the Liverpool Diocese at St John's Church on Abbey Road, the parade, headed by town crier Chem Cheminais and with music provided by Llangollen Silver Band, walked through the temporarily closed streets to St Collen's where a full service was held. 

Vicar Father Lee Taylor commissioned local artist Christian Lancaster to carve an image of St Collen, whom Llangollen is also named after, and it's the first one ever done of a Welsh saint, he believes.      

Father Lee said: "The saint was carried aloft on a carrier with wreaths of flowers.

"It was a very important day for the town."

Saint Collen was a 7th-century monk who is said to have arrived in Llangollen by coracle and founded a church beside the river. 
As there are no other churches in Wales dedicated to St Collen, it is possible that this St Collen may also have connections in both Colan, Cornwall, where Colan Church is dedicated to him, and Langolen in Brittany.
St Collen died on May 21, probably sometime in the early 7th century. He was buried in his chapel. 
For centuries it was known as the 'Old Church' and stood immediately to the west of the present medieval church of St Collen in Llangollen.

County sports awards deadline extended


The deadline for nominations for this year’s Community Sports Awards in Denbighshire has been extended until Wednesday, August 12.


Over the last seven years Denbighshire has recognised over 80 individuals, teams, schools and clubs for their dedication to local community grass root sport in the county. 
There are also elite level athletes representing Wales and Team GB in their chosen sport from the local area, which will continue to be rewarded.
Now nominations are open for the Denbighshire Community Sport  Awards 2019.
All of the award finalists will be forwarded to the Sport Wales and BBC Wales sport personality awards held nationally in Cardiff, where Denbighshire will be looking to add to the success of 8 finalists and six national winners over the last few years.
Nominees must live in Denbighshire, or be affiliated to a Denbighshire club relevant to their nomination and achieved their success in the last 12 months up to the application closing date.
This year’s categories include sports performer, junior sports performer, coach of the year, team of the year, volunteer of the year, disability sport award, young inspiration award, lifetime achievement award and the ‘Sport in School’ award.
Nominations can be made on-line: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/sportsawards

* For more information on the awards please visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/sportsawards or contact Sian Bennett, Health and Wellbeing Manager, sian.bennett@denbighshire.gov.uk 01824 712710

Saturday, August 3, 2019

High-flying charity spectacular is tomorrow



* The REME parachute display team will drop from the sky.



Armed Forces charity SSAFA is holding a fundraising event at Brickfield Rangers Football Club in Wrexham tomorrow, August 4. 

It begins at 11am and finishes at 2.30pm. The REME parachute display team will be dropping in from the sky at 1.30pm.

There will also be stalls, dancers, bands and animals.

Anyone interested can go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tracey-smith106

Friday, August 2, 2019

Police appeal after man injured on A5

Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision on the A5, which has left a man in his 30s in a critical condition.
The collision, involving a white Mini Cooper and a white Mercedes box type van, happened at about 10.56pm yesterday, Thursday 1et August, on the A5 between Llangollen and the village of Glyndyfrdwy.
The incident resulted in the male passenger of the Mini being taken to hospital in Stoke with injuries which are described as critical. The female driver suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the van has been arrested for causing serious injury through dangerous driving.
Sgt Raymond Williams of the Roads Policing Unit said “We are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who may have seen the van being driven on the A5 between Chirk at around 10.20pm and the time of the incident near Glyndyfrdwy to come forward.”
“We would also like to speak to anybody who may have dash cam footage from their vehicles prior to the collision.”
Please contact the Roads Policing Unit on 101 quoting reference 19100423875.  Alternatively use the live webchat https://www.north-wales.police.uk/contact/live-chat-support

Walk will celebrate the town's patron saint



* The specially-commissioned statue of St Collen.

Llangollen vicar Father Lee Taylor is planning a major event on Sunday to celebrate the town's patron saint.

Father Lee has commissioned local artist Christian Lancaster to carve an image of St Collen, whom Llangollen is also named after, and it's the first one ever done of a Welsh saint, he believes.      

The statue will be dedicated and blessed during a service at St John's Church in Abbey Road, starting at 10.30am.

The blessing will be followed by a colourful procession through the town up to St Collen's Church for a celebratory mass and refreshments afterwards. 

Father Lee said: "The saint will be carried aloft on a carrier with wreaths of flowers.

"Llangollen Silver Band, a choir and local dignitaries and representatives from the town will join in the procession. It will be an important day for the town."

Saint Collen was a 7th-century monk who is said to have arrived in Llangollen by coracle and founded a church beside the river. 
As there are no other churches in Wales dedicated to St Collen, it is possible that this St Collen may also have connections in both Colan, Cornwall, where Colan Church is dedicated to him, and Langolen in Brittany.
St Collen died on May 21, probably sometime in the early 7th century. He was buried in his chapel. 
For centuries it was known as the 'Old Church' and stood immediately to the west of the present medieval church of St Collen in Llangollen.

Trout farm to unveil new treat at Llan food festival


Rachel Simpson with new Smoked Pancetta product outside the farm shop.

A trout farm and smokehouse whose delicacies once tickled the taste buds of James Bond has lined up a legendary new treat for visitors to a top food festival.

Chirk Trout Farm Shop and Smokery, which has supplied smoked trout to the Orient Express among other prestigious establishments, will be unveiling its luxurious new smoked pancetta at the 2019 Llangollen Food Festival.

It will be the latest in a growing list of delicacies to have won the hearts of food lovers near and far – including iconic silver screen star Sir Roger Moore.

The late Bond actor, who became an international star after playing the secret agent a record-breaking seven times, once described Chirk Farm’s smoked trout as “the best he’d ever tasted” while tucking into lunch at a local restaurant.

Now the family-run farm is planning on inspiring a new legion of foodies at one of UK’s best-loved culinary extravaganzas.


“It’s great to be returning to one of the loveliest food events in the country with a new product,” said former veterinary nurse Rachael Simpson, 40, who joined the firm run by the Simpson family after marrying her husband Richard, 44, who manages the smokery and trout farm. 

“The smoked pancetta came about after an enquiry at a farmer’s market. The customer produced game pies and her supplier had stopped selling it. It’s not something we’ve done before but there was no reason why we couldn’t so we thought we’d give it a try.

“We probably started experimenting at the end of last year. Obviously, it takes a while to cure and turn the meat into smoked pancetta. It has to hang for six weeks in muslin cloth and we smoke it lightly to give it that extra flavour.

“Since the food testing results came back, we’ve trialled it at some of our establishments and it really seems to have taken off. We’re looking forward to bringing it to Llangollen.”

One of the longest-established trout farms in Wales, if not the whole of the UK, Chirk Trout Farm supplies a growing list of high-end restaurants, hotels and delicatessens. One of the restaurants it supplied, the award-winning Sebastians in Oswestry, has provided catering for the Orient Express and Chirk Farm’s smoked trout featured on the menu.

The firm uses traditional methods to smoke a variety of fish including trout, cod, eel and mackerel as well as poultry and game, garlic and even quail’s eggs. Smoked camembert cheese is another new product in the pipeline.

Unlike artificial methods using smoked flavouring, Chirk Trout Farm carefully prepares its meat and fish with seasoning before placing it in a smokebox over a fire fed by mainly oak chips from the valley in Glyn Ceiriog.

The warm, smoky air gently dries and preserves the food during a 24-48 hour process, with the exact time and results dependent on wind, temperature and sunshine.  

One of its most successful contracts is with the Shropshire Cheese Company smoking its award-winning, creamy Abermwg cheese.

Its reputation for quality has grown rapidly and the farm now counts Gales of Llangollen, The Three Eagles in Llangollen, The Swan Inn at Pontfadog, The West Arms at Llanarmon and The Hand hotel in Llanarmon among its customers.

It was in 2003, while on tour and dining in The Hand hotel at Llanarmon, Sir Roger Moore discovered the region’s best-kept secret – Chirk’s smoked trout.

Such was his delight that he told staff it was the “best he had ever tasted”.

“There are not many people who don’t know who Sir Roger Moore is,” said Rachael, who has two daughters aged 12 and 14.

“The fact that 007 has actually tasted our food – and loved it - is really nice. It’s something we can always be proud of.”

The farm was bought by the Simpson family in 2000, originally for the purpose of trout farming. Two years later, a farm shop was built followed by the smokery the following year, which enabled the firm to develop a range of smoked products including trout, for sale in the shop and beyond.

“Fish farming is seasonal and trout farming in particular runs from March through until October,” said Rachael.

“We needed something to sustain us through the winter so we started the smokery and farm shop and started going along to all the food festivals and farmers’ markets.

“We’ve been coming to Llangollen for at least 12 to 13 years, if not longer. It’s an important part of the calendar and always helps to promote the farm shop. It’s a really good food festival.

“Business is always growing. We’ve picked up quite a few contracts from Llangollen. It’s all word of mouth.”

Over the years, the firm’s repertoire has expanded to include homemade meals including smoked salmon lasagne, fish pie, smoked salmon and trout quiche and the famous Chirk Trout Farm smoked trout sausages, which stock the shelves of the farm shop as well as being sold at food outlets across North Wales.

The farm has chosen Hamper Llangollen as a springboard for its new smoked pancetta and is eager to see the response.

“At the moment, because it’s a new product, we’re not sure how much to do, it’s still in its infancy,” said Rachael.

“The restaurants love it so it’s just gauging how much we actually need but it is a great product.

“Like all our products, it is freshly produced. There are no chemicals, it’s naturally made and you know exactly where it came from.

“The good thing about our pancetta, and all our products, is that they can be frozen. This is particularly helpful at Llangollen where lots of people are buying for Christmas.”

Llangollen Food Festival committee member Phil Davies is looking forward to tasting the new pancetta for the first time.

He said: “The festival is a great launchpad for new products because it is jam-packed with food lovers with discerning palates.

“Our aim is to provide a shop window for our growing army of artisan producers who are becoming an increasingly important part of the local economy.”