St Collen's re-opens but for private prayer only

St Collen's Church will be open for private prayer only from today and each day from 10am-4pm.

Like churches across the UK, it has been totally closed since the lockdown began in March. 

A message on social media from the Llangollen Group of Anglican Churches says: "The South Aisle only will be open for private prayer. All other areas of the church will be cordoned off."

The post stresses: "Please do not enter the church if you have been advised to stay at home, or you are feeling unwell, or have and symptoms associated with Covid 19.

"Pay attention to signs and follow the directions of the stewards.

"Please sanitise your hands when you enter the church and when you leave.

"You may only sit in the pews that have not been taped off.

"Please always maintain 2m distance from other people.

"If you want to have a chat please go outside.

"The vestries and toilets are closed.

"There will be occasions when the church will be closed while private worship is being offered by the priest. For example, Sunday mornings."

Llan to benefit from £1m county funding boost

Llangollen will benefit from £1 million of Welsh Government funding secured by Denbighshire County Council in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

The council is to get £981,000 through the Local Sustainable Transport Covid Response Fund to provide improved access to town centres and schools for pedestrians and cyclists and facilitate social distancing in public spaces and on public transport.

This is seen as especially important as people return to town centres as non-essential shops re-open.

The lockdown period has seen increases in the numbers of people walking and cycling and many of the measures proposed will further encourage people to choose these modes of transport by providing measures such as wider pavements.

Funding has been secured for projects in Llangollen, Rhyl, Ruthin and Denbigh, as well as outside schools throughout the county.

Projects include the reallocation of road space for pedestrians and cyclists by introducing one-way systems and making spaces outside schools safer for social distancing and reducing the number of car journeys outside schools.

Cllr Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “The coronavirus pandemic has led to unprecedented changes that are affecting all aspects of our lives, including transport.

“We welcome this funding from the Welsh Government which will help provide a number of schemes throughout Denbighshire.

“The council has been looking at how we can safely reopen our town centres for visitors and this includes making sure there is space for people to adhere to social distancing and to offer alternative forms of transport by making walking and cycling easier.

“We have a number of plans for the county and we will be seeking feedback from members of the public following their introduction. We will also be carrying out extensive monitoring of the projects we implement in order to fully assess their effectiveness.

“By making our town centres more accessible for active travel we can help support the county’s businesses, improve air quality in our towns, help protect the environment and improve the health of our residents.”

These projects form part of the overall work that the council is undertaking in town centres to ensure social distancing guidelines are met. 

This will include signage to remind people to maintain social distance, working with retailers to facilitate the management of queues for their shops, minor works to remove or relocate non-essential street furniture, pedestrian one way systems where considered necessary, enhanced cleaning regimes and amendments to parking areas.

Chain Bridge Hotel plans to come out of lockdown on July 31

* The Chain Bridge Hotel plans to open on July 31, it says.

One of Llangollen's most famous hotels is to re-open after lockdown on Friday July 31, it has announced.

In a statement it put out yesterday on social media, the Chain Bridge said it couldn't wait to see people coming back through its doors after the enforced closure brought on by the coronaviris crisis.

This said: "We re confident that at the next government briefing on July 9 they will tell the hospitality and tourism sector that we will have three weeks to plan our re-opening."

The statement adds: "We will be re-opening a seven-day-a-week operation but if demand is limited we will have to reduce to being open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday only due to the seasonality of our business."

The hotels says it expects to be introducing special anti-Covid measures such as hand-sanitization stations, social distancing, one-way systems, increased table service and contactless payments.

Work has been going on during the lockdown, it says, to transform the restaurant into a casual all-day dining space and more use will be made of the back garden usually reserved for weddings and similar functions.   

* The statement from the hotel published yesterday.

MP raises Ysgol Dinas Bran's PPE work in Parliament

* PPE visors made by the team at Ysgol Dinas Bran.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has paid tribute to Ysgol Dinas Brân in the Chamber of the House of Commons.

He asked Education Minister Nick Gibb whether he agreed that schools have not only provided imaginative remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis, but also played a vital role in supporting frontline workers through projects such as the production of PPE equipment by Ysgol Dinas Brân in Llangollen.

In response, the Minister said: “We’re very grateful to the hard work and dedication of our teachers during this time. And we have highlighted the innovative work of schools in a series of case studies which we’ve published recently. 

"And I congratulate those at Ysgol Dinas Brân on producing over 800 visors – which is a prime example of that innovation.”

* Simon Baynes in Parliament.

Speaking later, Mr Baynes said: “Ysgol Dinas Brân and the whole Design and Technology department deserve this recognition in the House of Commons for their amazing work designing and manufacturing face masks and visors for NHS workers on the frontline taking care of patients with Coronavirus. 

"The PPE they’ve made has been distributed and used by health centres across North Wales – helping keep doctors and nurses safe from breathing in the virus.

“I know Llangollen residents and the wider Clwyd South community will join me in passing on their sincere thanks to the everyone at the school at the school who made this happen. Llongyfarchiadau a da iawn i bob un ohonoch chi.”

Latest on Covid-19 from the Welsh Government

Yesterday's updates from the Welsh Government on coronavirus are:

• A major report reveals the complex and long-standing factors contributing to the disproportionate impact coronavirus is having on Wales’ black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.
• 
  
• The report by the BAME Covid-19 expert advisory group, which was set up by First Minister Mark Drakeford, makes more than 30 recommendations to the Welsh Government to address the socio-economic and environmental risks it highlights.
• The advisory group was set up to look at the reasons why people from BAME communities were more likely to be adversely affected by coronavirus. It is co-chaired by Judge Ray Singh and Dr Heather Payne and has two sub-groups – one of which has been tasked with examining the socio-economic factors.
• https://gov.wales/complex-and-long-standing-disadvantages-exposed-coronavirus-pandemic-report-finds
• The expert advisory sub-group’s report is available at: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2020-06/first-ministers-bame-covid-19-advisory-group-report-of-the-socioeconomic-subgroup.pdf
• Celebrating National Windrush Day 2020: https://gov.wales/written-statement-celebrating-windrush-day-2020
• First Minister Mark Drakeford’s press conference: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1275027944197378048
• Technical Advisory Cell – advice paper from June 12 https://gov.wales/technical-advisory-cell-summary-advice-12-june-2020
• Free school meals https://gov.wales/free-school-meals-coronavirus-guidance-schools
• Updated frequently asked questions about the changes to the coronavirus regulations: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-regulations-guidance
• Updated advice about exams and assessments https://gov.wales/examinations-and-assessments-coronavirus

• Public Health Wales confirmed 71 new cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number to 15,197, although the actual number will be higher.

o   Sadly, there was one further death of someone with confirmed coronavirus reported by Public Health Wales today, bringing the total reported by Public Health Wales to 1,478. 

Where to find the latest information

• Public Health Wales provides a daily update about the number of cases of coronavirus in Wales. It is available at: https://phw.nhs.wales/news/public-health-wales-statement-on-novel-coronavirus-outbreak/
• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Queries about support for businesses, including about eligibility for the Economic Resilience Fund? Visit the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/
• If you can help the effort to produce PPE in Wales please visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/news-and-blogs/news/provision-critical-equipment-and-personal-protection-equipment-ppe
• Want to know when and where to wear a face mask? https://gov.wales/face-coverings-frequently-asked-questions
• Want to make your own face covering? https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2020-06/how-to-make-a-3-layer-face-covering.pdf
• 
  
• The Welsh Government holds a daily media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and routinely supported by a BSL translator. They will be held at 12.30pm every week day. They are live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel and are broadcast live on BBC One Wales and S4C.
• First Minister Mark Drakeford held today’s press conference – you can watch again at: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1275027944197378048

Council says schools won't open for additional week

Denbighshire County Council has announced that the schools will close for the summer term on Friday, July 17^th and will not be opening for the additional week recently announced by Welsh Government.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams MS, Minister for Education recently announced that schools would re-open on the 29^th June and that the term would be extended for an extra week,  to allow all children to attend for a minimum of three sessions for a ‘check in and catch up’ with their teachers.

Following lengthy discussions with teaching unions, the Minister has asked local authorities and schools  to make a decision on extension of the term.  

After what it says was careful consideration, the council has decided it would be "problematic" for schools and therefore they will not open for the additional week. 

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “All schools in Denbighshire had developed plans for the additional week to the end of terms, as originally stated by the Education Minister. These plans would ensure that pupils have the best experience possible on their return to school in a safe and supported environment. 

“However, whilst all schools and the local authority were totally supportive of the announcement to extend the school term, unfortunately it has become clear that a national agreement between the Welsh Government and the trade unions has not been reached on the fourth week proposals. This means that the local authority is unable to follow due process in order to make the required change to the term dates within the timeframe.  It also means that Headteachers and Governing Bodies would be unable to guarantee that every school would be staffed sufficiently on a voluntary basis.

“Therefore, as we cannot guarantee that every school would be staffed sufficiently, and being mindful of our statutory responsibilities both as an employer and for the safeguarding of children and young people, Denbighshire schools will close for the summer holidays on Friday 17^th July 2020.

“We will provide information regarding emergency childcare as it becomes available, but the Welsh Government has made it clear that schools are not expected to make this on-going provision.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your patience and understanding during these very challenging times."

Llangollen gradually comes back to life as Covid-19 lockdown eases

* Castle Street is gradually coming back to life as lockdown eases.

Signs that Llangollen is slowly emerging from the coronavirus lockdown came this morning with the re-opening of non-essential shops in the town centre.

The Welsh Government ruled last week that retailers are able to resume trading if they can take all reasonable measures to comply with physical distancing rules to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and protect their staff and shoppers.

The five mile 'stay local' advice remains in place for the moment.

At the next review on July 9, the Welsh Government is due to consider a range of specific options for opening personal care services, such as hairdressing and beauty, by appointment.

Hairdressers asked to use next three weeks to prepare to open.

Open for business this morning in Castle Street were the Ragamuffin boutique, Pro-Adventure outdoor store, Occasions, Lily Rose Interiors, estate agents Bowen Son and Watson, Solitaire jewellers and Ladbrokes betting office.

In nearby Oak Street the Shop Around the Corner and Mystic Dragon were ready for their first customers in months.

In the alley by the side of Solitaire, Hands Across Time was open and just across the other side of Castle Street in Dee Lane Harley’s Vintage Boutique was getting ready to start trading again.

Pubs and restaurants remain closed, although a number are doing takeaway-only business, including Riverbanc which was open this morning in Bridge Street.  

UPDATE ...

* Lake the Osteopath says it will be back to clinic in the Verve from 6th July. 

It says: "The new Covid19 protocols require the case history to be taken in advance (video/telephone), so that risks of contracting the virus are reduced. Only the treatment will be face-to-face. Why not book your initial appointment for next week, ready for treatment the week after? See www.taraslake.uk or telephone Lake on 07787 118119 to book or for more info."

* If any re-opening Llangollen-based businesses would like to be mentioned, free of charge, in llanblogger, let us know at: llanblogger@gmail.com

* Occasions.

* Ladbrokes betting shop.

* Solitaire jewellers.

* Lily Rose Interiors, left, and Bowen Son & Watson estate agents.

* Mystic Dragon in Oak Street.

* Shop Around the Corner in Oak Street.

* Hands Across Time in the courtyard off Castle Street.

* Harley's Vintage Boutique in Dee Lane.