Virtual events highlight best of north Wales food

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has commended Clwyd South’s businesses and residents who will be taking part this week in virtual events as part of the “Taste North East Wales” event. 

Due to the current circumstances this year’s participants will showcase their ideas through a series of virtual events that members of the public are able to take part in and enjoy. 

Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7pm, two local North Wales producers, Beatriz Albo and Marina Midolo, will talk viewers through cooking their signature dishes from their home countries, followed by a Q&A session.

Then on Friday there will be a masterclass with head chef Grant Mulholland from The Hand at Llanarmon. 

Grant will be using locally produced lamb hogget skilfully cooked using a range of other local ingredients. 

After the masterclass, you can join owner Jonathan Greatorex for a live chat about the hotel's great food and commitment to local produce.

Simon Baynes MP said: “This is a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful food and culinary talent we have in Clwyd South. Whilst it is unfortunate that this year’s events can’t be in person, it is great to see the events still going ahead virtually.

"I wish everybody involved great success with the event. A lot of hard work goes into these events and it is great to see the community coming together and adapting to the current circumstances in such an efficient and imaginative way."

* See the website https://tastenortheastwales.org/ for more details and how to participate.

Work starts on county's first new council homes in 30 years

* An artist's impression of how the new council homes will look.

Work has started on the first new council homes to be designed and built for the Denbighshire area in 30 years.

Denbighshire Housing will build 18 two-bedroom and 4 four-bedroom semi-detached houses for social rent on land above Tan y Sgubor, Denbigh, for Denbighshire County Council.

The low carbon homes, which will be built and certified to the energy-efficient Passivhaus standard, are part of the Council’s target to provide 170 more council houses by 2022.

Work started on site on October 19 and the development is expected to be completed by autumn 2021.

The frames and walls for the new houses will be made off site in North Wales by Creating Enterprise, a subsidiary of Cartrefi Conwy, using the Beattie Passive Build system and the main contractor for the development is Brenig Construction.

Cllr Tony Thomas, Denbighshire’s lead member for Housing and Communities, said: “The council is delighted that work has started on these new council homes, the first to be designed and built for the county in 30 years, and we are pleased to be working with our partners on this project.

“Ensuring there is housing available to meet the needs of Denbighshire residents is a priority under our Corporate Plan.

“These homes will help meet the housing needs of residents by providing quality homes that are affordable as well as offering the highest levels of insulation to reduce energy consumption and energy efficiency to minimise carbon emissions and reduce household bills.”

The Welsh Government has provided funding through its Innovative Housing Programme to enable the Council and Creating Enterprise to work together on this new way of building homes.

The houses will have solar panels on the roofs and will use pumps to transfer natural heat from under the ground to keep them warm so they won’t need a gas supply.

Welsh Government to review lockdown rules with supermarket bosses

* Health Minister Vaughan Gething.

The Welsh Government will meet with retailers later to "review the regulations" on the sale of non-essential items in supermarkets to make sure the rules are being applied "fairly and consistently."

Speaking at a Welsh Government press conference, Health Minister Vaughan Gething acknowledged there had been confusion over the regulations.

Mr Gething said: "If there are anomalies we will look at whether the guidance needs to be revised and we will also strengthen it to make it clear supermarkets have discretion to sell to people who are in genuine need.

"We will take action today so that retailers understand that our rules already allow people in acute need to buy the basics."

Social care leader slams false positive Covid-19 test results

* Mario Kreft, chair of Care Forum Wales.

A social care leader has spoken of the growing alarm over the high rate of false positive Covid-19 test results that’s piling pressure on struggling care homes.

Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, revealed a survey of members had shown that nearly a third of care homes had experienced a test which had been a false positive in the previous fortnight.

Another problem adding to the rising anxiety, confusion and frustration in the sector was the fact that results were often too slow in coming back, with delays up to a week not uncommon, he claims.

Mr Kreft is so concerned about the situation that he has launched a new drive to Shield Social Care and Save Lives This Winter.

At the heart of the campaign is the call for the testing "shambles" to be sorted out so that the virus can be kept at bay as Wales enters a two-week firebreak national lockdown.

The survey by Care Forum Wales, which represents nearly 500 independent providers, revealed that with 29.6% of care homes across Wales had experienced positive results that re-tested as negative.

In reality, care bosses say the rate of false-positives far exceeds figures from the Welsh Government Technical Advisory Group which forecasts nine false tests in every 1,000 tests. 

On top of that the survey showed 28.2% of care homes had waited for at least one result after seven days while more than half (52.1%) had experienced at least one inconclusive result. 

Public Health Wales said they were unable to provide an answer to a Freedom of Information request to confirm the number times a positive test had been re-tested and found to be negative.

Mr Kreft said: “From the very beginning we’ve fought for a comprehensive and effective testing regime and now, many months on, care homes still face unacceptable delays for results which threaten the safety of staff and residents.

“Our own survey raises serious questions about the validity and reliability of current results with almost one in three homes experiencing false-positives, forcing healthy staff and residents to unnecessarily self-isolate.

“Understandably, it’s causing growing alarm, confusion and frustration among our members who have responded heroically to the challenges of saving lives during this pandemic.

“We are renewing our calls to the Welsh Government to tackle this situation with urgency as we head into winter with many homes already in lockdown.

“It is critical testing results are delivered fast to not only prevent the spread of this disease, but also so asymptomatic positive cases can be retested swiftly so homes do not face unnecessary restrictions or staffing shortages.

“This is not just about protecting social care. the vulnerable people we look after and our magnificent frontline staff.

“It’s also about the safe discharge of people from hospital into care homes so that they are safe and that the NHS can function without being overwhelmed this winter.

“People in the sector have worked tirelessly to keep this virus at bay. We stand with the NHS on the front line ready to do our bit,

“But we must be given the necessary support  so we can engage the sector and underpin the efforts of the NHS.”

Among the concerned members is Tony Lovell, who owns Llwyndyrys Residential Home in Llechryd, Ceredigion.

He said one of the problems care homes faced was the length of time it took to receive the results of the first Covid-19 test from the UK’s Lighthouse Laboratory diagnostic facility, which could be anything up to six days. 

After this, many care homes had found these results to be “false-positives” upon retesting with their local health board, he added.

Essential items may be "tweaked" says Drakeford

Rules banning shops selling non-essential items during Wales' firebreak lockdown will not be reversed, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said, reports the BBC.

On Sunday afternoon, Mr Drakeford said the implementation of the rules may be tweaked, but the "basic decision" behind the ban was the right one.

Supermarkets selling ban to be reviewed says First Minister

The ban on supermarkets selling non-essential items during Wales' lockdown will be reviewed after the weekend, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

The BBC is reporting this morning that pressure has mounted on the Welsh Government to reverse the decision to prohibit supermarkets from selling items such as clothes and microwaves.

The largest petition ever submitted to the Senedd has now passed 45,000 signatures.

Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government was ensuring "common sense is applied"

Supermarkets have been told they can only sell "essential" items and must close parts of their stores which sell products such as clothes, shoes, toys and bedding during Wales' 17-day "firebreak lockdown".

Hospice appeals for help to get through latest lockdown

* Chair of the board of trustees at Nightingale House Eluned Griffiths.

A hospice is appealing to the public to help it continue to provide free patient care for cancer patients and those with other life-limiting illnesses in this area.

Nightingale House Wrexham is encouraging more people to come forward and join its hospice lottery to inject much-needed cash into providing vital services for patients with chronic diseases including cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure.

The hospice continues to improve its services and introduced a new direct referral service during the first lockdown. 

It also operates a 24/7 helpline for patients and their families who need support and guidance. 

As 80% of the hospice’s services are funded by donations and fundraising activities the Nightingale House weekly lottery is a major lifeline for generating income.

Last week’s announcement on an all-Wales lockdown until November 9 means all retail outlets and cafes have closed once again making the hospice's situation ever more precarious.  

Whilst Nightingale House was allocated a share of government cash to assist until previous income streams could be restored it did not receive all the funding it requires.

And it is unclear about what further money will be allocated to independent hospices in Wales during this latest national lockdown.

All face to face fundraising activities have either been abandoned or taken online due to the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result the lottery has become a beacon of hope for the hospice. 

Thanks to the generosity of almost 16,000 people who have already signed up the lottery raised £535,000 in 2019. It costs £3.4m per year to run Nightingale House.

Lottery manager Tracey Price said: “During these uncertain times playing the lottery in support of Nightingale House means so much to patients and their families as it is a vital source of income for us and provides consistency in our fundraising abilities to complement those organised events and other donations and fundraising efforts.”

Chair of the board of trustees Eluned Griffiths said: “The lottery has helped keep our heads just above water during the last seven months, providing essential cashflow for the hospice and remains a pivotal part of our fundraising, particularly as business support schemes disappear and we are left to face an uncertain financial future alone.

“The latest national lockdown for Wales means we will struggle once more as our overheads remain the same. 

"We appeal to the First Minister of Wales to release the rest of the funds promised to us earlier in the year, as so far we have only received approximately a third of these and also to ensure the charity sector is not forgotten during this uncertain period.

“We are so lucky to have wonderful supporters who are digging deep to help us get through this difficult period. If there are family members who already support the lottery we would urge them to encourage others to take part and take the message into their workplaces and tell colleagues and friends about the lottery’s positive impact on our hospice care.

“Encouraging more people to sign up would bring us a sense of relief and provide stability to all those who benefit from our services and our hard working staff who continue to provide the care and support that patients with chronic illnesses are able to access 365 days a year.”

* The Nightingale House Lottery costs £1 per week with a cash first prize of £2,500, plus several other money prizes. To find out more contact the Lottery Team on 01978 316800. https://www.nightingalehouse.co.uk/lottery/