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Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Bronagh wins county-wide greetings card challenge

* The greetings card designed by Bronagh Cooke 

of Ysgol Gymraeg y Gwernant.

A six-year-old pupil at a Llangollen primary school has risen to the creative challenge set by the county council.

Whilst schools remain closed to most pupils, Denbighshire Education and Children’s Services has been offering opportunities for children and their families to engage creatively with them online.

January’s creative challenge invited pupils to find out about St Dwynwen’s Day - the Welsh equivalent of Valentine’s Day - and design their own greetings card.

Celebrated every year on 25 January, St Dwynwen’s Day commemorates the Welsh saint of lovers and has risen in popularity in Wales in recent years, with lovers exchanging gifts such as Welsh love spoons and even concerts and parties are held on that date.

More than 100 children responded to the competition and entries were of so high a standard that judges said it was difficult to produce a shortlist and even tougher to select winners.

The winners are:

Up to 7 years:   

BRONAGH COOKE, Ysgol Gymraeg y Gwernant, Llangollen

7 to 11 years:    

GRACE ALLSOPP, Ysgol Bryn Hedydd, Rhyl

12 to 14 years:  

EMMA DALLIMORE, St Brigid’s School, Denbigh

New police task force aims to stop crime before it happens


* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

Plans have been unveiled for a new task force of 20 police officers to spearhead a crime prevention drive across North Wales.

The proposal is one of the final flagship programmes of the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, who recently revealed he will be standing down at the next election.

It’s part of a bold plan revealed by the Commissioner in his final precept-setting proposal for a 29p weekly increase.

The 5.14 per cent rise – around the cost of a Cadbury’s Freddo chocolate bar – will cost the average householder, in Band D of Council Tax, just £14.94 a year.

It is also in line with the Commissioner’s annual survey of the public which saw a significant percentage of respondents, 45 per cent, in favour of an increase of 27p a week or more.

Mr Jones will be seeking the backing of the North Wales Police and Crime Panel for the proposed increase at a virtual meeting on Tuesday, February 2.

It will help pay for the new Central Crime Prevention Hub to co-ordinate the work of regional teams in North Wales Police’s East, Central and West Areas (based in Llay, St Asaph and Caernarfon.

Mr Jones, a former police inspector,  who will be retiring at the next election that’s currently scheduled for May, said: “The history of people in prison shows that the vast majority will have had traumatic experiences as children and we really need to focus on why and how to prevent that rather than on punishing them.

“It’s a culture change and police officers in North Wales are adapting very well and I’m very pleased to see them looking at offenders in a different way.

“A small proportion of offenders commit the vast majority of crime and if we can look at the causes in a different way and intervene earlier in their lives then that is better for them and for society.”

Mr Jones added: “The Prevention Hub really ties in with my priorities and with schemes like Checkpoint Cymru which aim to intercept people before they get caught up in the criminal justice system.

“This was we can address the root causes of criminal behaviour and stop the re-offending patterns.

Despite the recurring £33 million a year cuts inflicted on the force as a result of UK government austerity cuts since 2010, North Wales Police had succeeded in identifying a further £2.9 million in savings to help bolster their programme for the next 12 months.

This will also include an ambitious two-way digital communications project to keep communities and their local policing teams in close contact.

Other projects will cover domestic violence, sexual abuse, modern slavery and delivering safer neighbourhoods and Mr Jones added: “We have had to produce this precept plan at an unprecedented time because of the pandemic which has disrupted almost all aspects of normal life.

“The officers, staff, specials and volunteers of North Wales Police have responded so positively to these extraordinary circumstances which have included the postponement of the 2020 Police and Crime Commissioner elections to May 6, 2021.

“Now is not the time to set new priorities for the Chief Constable and North Wales Police who quite rightly need to focus all of their efforts on responding to the current crisis while I have to ensure they have the resources to respond to the emergency.”

Coronavirus update from the Welsh Government

Latest coronavirus update from the Welsh Government (dated yesterday) is: 

Coronavirus in numbers

  • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today published statistics on provisional weekly deaths, including deaths involving Covid-19, for the week ending 15 January 2021.
    • The cumulative number of deaths involving Covid-19 occurring in Welsh residents was 6,074.
    • Of the deaths registered in the week ending 15 January, there were provisionally 467 deaths involving Covid-19. This was the highest number of deaths involving Covid registered in a week since the pandemic began.
    • For the period 29 February 2020 to 15 January 2021, there were a total of 4,865 excess deaths (17%) above the five-year average.
    • The excess death rate for Wales for the period 29 February 2020 to 15 January 2021 was lower than in England.
    • The numbers reported by ONS are different from those reported by Public Health Wales because of different reporting methods and timing. The ONS figures are higher because they include some extra cases.
    • https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest 

What to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus

Where to find the latest information

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Health centre gives details of its next wave of vaccinations

Llangollen Health Centre is just given details on its Facebook page of the next phase of its Covid-19 vaccination programme. 

Their post says: "We hope to have news very soon of when we can start to vaccinate the next two priority groups.  These are patients aged 70 - 79 years and those who are on the official shielding list.  So that we can book patients into clinics quickly when we receive the vaccines for these groups we need to ensure that we have up to date mobile phone numbers where possible.

"If you fall into one of these groups please email your mobile number to us at Llangollen.Admin@wales.nhs.uk You will receive an automatic reply which you can ignore.  Our admin staff will then update your record where applicable and, when we receive the vaccines, we will text you regarding your appointment.

£25m boost for health services IT announced

An extra £25m investment will help the NHS to continue the move to more digital services, Health and Social Services Minister Vaughan Gething said today.

The funding boost is part of the draft Budget 2021-22 and is supporting the response to the coronavirus pandemic, including contact tracing and the vaccination programme, as well as the rollout of new video consultations and remote working in the NHS. 

The extra £25m is intended to speed-up the use of digital ways of working and help the NHS and social services adopt new technologies to improve services. 

It also aims to support the transformation of digital systems in hospitals, the ambulance service and social care sector and enable continued targeted funding for vital services, such as intensive care, cancer, and eye care.

Vaughan Gething said: “Stepping up our digital investment at this pace and scale alongside our response to the pandemic and other pressures has been a challenge but it is a priority.

“The additional funding announced today will help us to invest in mobile devices, remote working and video consultation, and accelerate other strategic transformation projects.”

Remote working and video consultation technology have enabled NHS services to continue throughout the pandemic, reducing the need for face-to-face contact.

One service, which has benefited from this new way of working has been children’s speech therapy. Using online video consultations, healthcare professionals have been able to deliver services from home.

The Welsh Government says it will be working closely with digital leaders across NHS Wales to identify existing programmes that can be accelerated thanks to these additional funds.

The extra funding will help to deliver a £175m investment in strategic digital transformation between September 2019 and March 2022.

Prospect Garden Tea Room closes partly because of lockdown

One of the area's most famous cafes has closed its doors for the last time due partly to the coronavirus lockdown.

For the past three decades the Prospect Gardens Tea Rooms in Blackwood Road, Garth has been popular with visitors and locals for its spectacular views of the surrounding hills.

But its owner, Linda, has taken to Facebook to say that Covid had helped her to decide to bring forward her retirement and close the cafe.  

She posted: "Dear friends, First of all I would like to send good wishes to you all and your families. The past months have been difficult for everyone and we still have a way to go before we get any sort of normality back into our lives.

"After a great deal of deliberation I have come to the decision to retire and hang my apron up for good.
"It now feels like the right time for me, to have more time for myself and for my family and friends. Covid has played a big part in me coming to this decision, although being of a certain age retirement would not have been too far away anyway.

"So sadly after 29 years in business Prospect Garden Tea Room is now closed permanently. I have got to say, it has been a big part of my life and have loved running the business, and have made many many lovely friends over the years.

"I will miss all of it, despite the hard work. Oh if only I was 20 years younger.

"I would like to thank all of my customers ,friends and family for the support over the years. I have lots of lovely memories, and I'm sure lots of you will too, of happy times spent at Prospect.
"Lastly but certainly not least I would like to thank my staff over the years for their loyalty and friendships. We have had a lot of fun behind the scenes, and quite a bit of cake eating too, well somebody had to test them.

"I would also to thank my friends and family who have arrived as customers and have been hurriedly snatched into the kitchen, you know who you are, to help out with the washing up during busy periods.

"Without my staff , friends and family and the good teamwork it would not have been possible to run the tea room.

"I send my love and good wishes to you all and a very big thank you for making Prospect Garden Tea Room a reality.

"Wishing good health and happiness to you all. Linda xxx

"Please if anybody has any unspent gift vouchers, get in touch with me and I will reimburse you in full."

Coronavirus update from the Welsh Government

The Welsh Government's latest coronavirus update (dated yesterday) is:

 

Coronavirus in numbers

 

  • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today published an article including an analysis of 7,961 deaths involving COVID-19 by occupation in England and Wales between 9 March and 28 December 2020.

 

What to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus

Where to find the latest information

o   Health Minister Vaughan Gething held today’s press briefing. You can watch again at: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1353677948826476546

o   Slides used in the press briefing are available here: https://gov.wales/slides-and-datasets-minister-health-and-social-services-coronavirus-briefing-25-january-2021