Llan businesses plan their post-Covid comebacks

* One Giant Leap at Tan Y Graig Farm.

A number of Llangollen businesses this week took to Facebook to let the public know how they have made - or are planning - a comeback from coronavirus lockdown. 

Martin Sands of One Giant Leap (OGL) downhill mountain bike club based at Tan Y Graig Farm posted: "I'm having loads of people asking when we are opening again. My answer is under guidance from British Cycling and the Welsh Government. Both sets of advice are subject to a continued decline in Covid 19 infection rates. This means that things may change at any time.

"The planned reopening date is 6th July for push/ride up or family groups only in one vehicle. No news on uplifts yet. Social distancing is essential and numbers will be restricted to facilitate this.

"Under the BC guidance I will need a record of every rider visiting us and contact numbers. Groups of more than six are not permitted although multiple groups are possible. All riders must be 2020 OGL club members with the 2020 yellow membership band and will need to book in before arrival.

"Please note that this is a farm with six bike tracks, not a bike park. I am privately funded and I do all the digging myself. I will not tolerate anyone who is not prepared to pay £20 per year membership fee. I have tackled so many people in recent weeks who claim they can ride my tracks whenever they want and don't need permission. They were suitably educated.

"Parking will be at the building I have restored in the photos. There is drinking water there and toilets. Hand sanitiser will be provided.There is also a free e-bike charging point."

* The Bridge End is planning its re-opening.

The message from the Bridge End pub restaurant was: "We can’t quite believe it has been 3 months since we last saw you come through our doors. From our weekends filled with pulling pints to busy hours in the kitchen making our Sunday Roasts, we have missed you all and can’t wait to be serving you once more!

"We are sorry we have been quiet but as soon as we receive the latest updates from the Welsh Government you will all be the first to hear our plans to reopen as soon as possible! 

"Our main priority is to be able to provide a safe environment for us to enjoy your company once more. We promise we will provide details of how you can book a table with us or stay in one of our rooms the second we know more.

"Thank you all so much for your phone calls and emails of support and eagerness to return to us – we are so excited to hopefully be able to open our doors to you again!

"From visitors far and wide to our much-loved regulars – we miss you and can’t wait to see you all soon!"

* Dayboats from Llangollen Wharf will be making a return soon.

Llangollen Wharf posted: "We are pleased to say that our Dayboats are available to hire from the 6th July in accordance with current guidance.

"Also the 45 minute Horsedrawn Boat Trips will also be running from the 6th July. There will be reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements so we recommend ringing the Wharf on 01978 860702 to book your seats. There maybe limited a availability on the day.

"We are looking forward to welcoming you back as we begin the long journey back to normality."

Rusty Gold Emporium was able to say that it had already made its post-Covid comeback when it posted: "Whoop. We are back. ..The Chapel Emporium is opening tomorrow at 10am. 

"Lots of new stock to see with a number of new stall holders in place. Lots of room to move inside the Chapel and we’ve put all the bits in place to make you feel safe. It would be great to see our customers again. We’ve missed you... grab a bargain. Have a mooch. Have fun. Cheers Paul and the team."

And Llangollen Pharmacy, which has been open throughout lockdown, posted details of a new service when it said: "As of today Llangollen Pharmacy is trialling a new SMS text message service which enables us to inform you by text message when your prescription is ready for collection. If you would like to enrol onto this service please pop in or call us on 01978 860657."

£1m fund available to give easier access to local government

A one million pound fund will be available this financial year to make it easier for people to access local government services online.

Aimed at helping local authorities to improve public services through digital technology, the Local Government Digital Transformation Fund was established in 2018 but has been repurposed during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure bids that respond to the current situation are given priority.

The fund provides grants to help local authorities collaborate to solve problems collectively, to support work that benefits all local authorities and to start developing common standards and services across Wales.

Announcing the fund was open to applications, Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James said: “Digital innovation isn’t new, it’s been happening for years in Wales but Coronavirus has meant that progress has sped up considerably over the last few months. We have all started doing a lot more online - from the weekly food shop to keeping in touch with friends and family.

“It has also changed the way people expect to interact with businesses and public services. It is therefore essential local government is able to respond to this demand and work together to ensure we provide the best possible service to the public.”

Welsh Government's latest Covid-19 update

Yesterday's coronvirus updates from the Welsh Givernment are: 

• Health Minister Vaughan Gething has issued guidance to the meat and food processing sector in Wales to help prevent outbreaks of coronavirus. The guidance will also help manage outbreaks where they do occur.
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• It was developed in partnership with key agencies and unions and follows two outbreaks in North Wales and an incident in South Wales.
• More information: https://gov.wales/written-statement-guidance-meat-processing-and-food-production-plants and https://gov.wales/new-coronavirus-guidance-meat-and-food-plants-published
• Latest statement by Public Health Wales: https://covid19-phwstatement.nhs.wales/

• First Minister Mark Drakeford has today announced a start-up grant to support new businesses dealing with the impact of coronavirus.
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• The fund will be worth £5m initially with flexibility for the future. It will support start-up firms, which fall outside the UK Government’s Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) as they only began trading in 2019.
• Applications for this grant will open on 29 June, at the same time as phase two of the Economic Resilience Fund opens to applications.
• https://gov.wales/welsh-government-announce-grant-support-start-businesses
• Watch the First Minister’s press conference: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1276476840413036544
• A £1m fund will be available this financial year to make it easier for people to access local government services online.
• 
  
• Aimed at helping local authorities to improve public services through digital technology, the Local Government Digital Transformation Fund was established in 2018 but has been repurposed during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure bids that respond to the current situation are given priority
• https://gov.wales/fund-help-local-authorities-deliver-better-digital-services
• The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism has published a written statement about the creative industries https://gov.wales/written-statement-creative-industries

• The Office for National Statistics has published an article about its analysis of coronavirus deaths in England and Wales by occupation.
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• Among women, four specific occupations had raised rates of death involving COVID-19, including sales and retail assistants (15.7 deaths per 100,000 women, or 64 deaths).
• Because of the higher number of deaths among men, 17 specific occupations were found to have raised rates of death involving COVID-19, some of which included taxi drivers and chauffeurs (65.3 deaths per 100,000; 134 deaths); bus and coach drivers (44.2 deaths per 100,000; 53 deaths); chefs (56.8 deaths per 100,000; 49 deaths); and sales and retail assistants (34.2 deaths per 100,000; 43 deaths).
• The article is available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/deathsregisteredbetween9marchand25may2020

• Public Health Wales has today confirmed 65 new cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number to 15,531, although the actual number will be higher.

o   Sadly, there were two further deaths of people with confirmed coronavirus reported by Public Health Wales today, the total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales remains at 1,497 – this is the same as Thursday following further verification of the data. 

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/1276476840413036544

Llew Jones steps up its 64 bus service

Coach company Llew Jones has announced that as from next Monday 29th June it will be slightly increasing its 64 service provision, which operates between Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog and Llangollen.

This increased provision will incorporate the school journeys to Ysgol Dinas Bran.

Facemasks are advisory on public transport in Wales, says the company.

Below is the updated timetable:

Local poet's work to be featured on radio tonight

Many people in Llangollen will remember Peter Meilleur (nom de plume Child Roland) a French Canadian poet who lived in Llangollen for many years prior to his death in January 2019. 

A selection of his works and an interview with his widow Sue will be played on BBC Radio Wales tonight Friday 26th June at 6.30 and repeated Monday 29th June at 5.30. 

MS slams Welsh Government over "delays" in re-opening economy

North Wales Senedd Member Mark Isherwood (pictured) has claimed that the "fragile" economy has been damaged by the Welsh Government's delays in re-opening it after the coronovirus lockdown. 

He made the comments when closing yesterday’s Welsh Conservative COVID-19 Economy debate in the Welsh Parliament.

The opposition party said the pandemic had been both a public health and an economic emergency and called on the Welsh Government to establish a recovery fund to provide targeted economic support for communities most adversely affected by the pandemic.

Speaking via Zoom from his home Mr Isherwood said: “The Welsh Government’s delay in re-opening the economy has been damaging to the fragile Welsh economy.

“Take passenger transport. Through the Confederation of Passenger Transport,  the industry presented a proposal to the Welsh Government on 15th May which would enable operators to ramp up bus services, with full costings. They have still not received a considered official response.

“Wales is now the only country in the United Kingdom that has not agreed funding for transport operators to begin to ramp up services to cover costs for additional services.

“Take our vital bed and breakfast sector. In England and Scotland, grants are available to B&B operators who did not qualify for any other COVID-19 grant support schemes. In Wales, legitimate businesses have been denied access to equivalent grants.

“Take our crucial Housing Market.  The Welsh Government has failed to open the housing market in Wales alongside the rest of the UK. Within Wales, viewings can only take place in vacant properties and house moves are only allowed where a sale has been agreed but not yet completed.

“Within England, people are allowed to sensibly view properties that are occupied, provided that initial viewings are done online, and that physical viewings only take place with serious buyers and are done by appointment only."

Mr Isherwood added: “Take Holiday let businesses. The Welsh Government has announced that self-catering businesses could reopen on 13 July as long as they adhere to the government guidelines and the Economy Minister, Ken Skates, told North Wales media that comprehensive guidance has been put in place for the tourism and hospitality sector to ensure that the sector can be restarted in a safe way.

“However, self-catering businesses are telling me they have just spoken to their council and that it doesn't have the guidance.

“Take our Town Centres. The Centre for Towns found that Wales is the worst performing area of the UK with regards to its economic well-being, and that specific communities, including ex-industrial towns in parts of Wales, will need an effective support mechanism at a local level to support businesses plan their recovery strategies.”

Reminder for businesses to apply for rate relief scheme

Businesses are being reminded to apply for business rate relief before the scheme closes at the end of June.

Denbighshire County Council is urging businesses to apply for the Welsh Government’s Business Rates Relief fund before June 30 when applications close.

So far the council has paid out £27,550,000 in grants to 2,338 businesses but a further 500 Denbighshire organisations, including small charities within the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, may be eligible for the £10,000 grant.

The council is currently contacting all eligible businesses to inform them of the support which will help traders through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of the Council and Lead Member for the Economy, said: “These grants are providing essential support for Denbighshire businesses and with the Welsh Government closing applications on June 30, it is essential businesses act now.

“Some businesses have been telling us they did not think they were entitled to a grant. However, businesses who have received a business rates bill with nothing to pay and are entitled to small business rate relief are, in most cases, still eligible for a grant. The majority of businesses yet to apply are in this category and our advice is for them to visit our website and see if they fit the criteria.”

* Details of the scheme and application forms can be found at http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/business-rates