Town Council by-election could be held on March 18

* Llangollen Town Hall, base of the town council.

If the vacancy is contested, a by-election for the seat of former Cllr George Hughes on Llangollen Town Council will be held on Thursday, March 18. 

Mr Hughes resigned from the council last October.

In Wales, any by-election scheduled to take place after March 16, 2020, or was due to a vacancy that occurred during the pandemic, could not take place before March 2021.

Any person wishing to stand as a candidate at the by-election should contact the Returning Officer at Denbighshire County Council on 01824 706114 or 706118, or email elections@denbighshire.gov.uk to obtain nomination papers.

Completed nomination papers must be presented in person by appointment with the Returning Officer or her Deputy at County Hall, Ruthin no later than 4pm Friday, February 19.

Roadworks planned for Regent Street this week

Latest local roadworks notification from one.network is: 

Regent Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 04 February — 04 February   Delays likely - Traffic control (Stop/Go boards)   Works location: The Grapes, Regent Street, Llangollen   Works description: Cherry picker Permit   Responsibility for works: Welsh Government   Current status: Planned work about to start   Works reference: PD510212110734619

Council workmen fill in more Castle Street potholes

Workmen are this morning (Tuesday) in the process of filling in the remaining potholes on Castle Street.

llanblogger recently highlighted the number of deep holes along Llangollen's main street by sending a series of pictures of some of the worst ones to the county council.

As a result a council spokesperson said an officer would be sent to inspect the holes to see if they were a safety hazard.

Yesterday llanblogger revealed how a number of the deepest holes had been filled in - sparking a flurry of comments about the quality of the repairs.

Today workmen were back to give attention to the remaining holes and were still in the area at the time of posting this story.

Possibly the deepest of all the holes on the bridge has now been filled along with a number of others further along the street.

llanblogger will be checking again to see if all the potholes have been filled.  

* Possibly the worst pothole of all, on the bridge, is now filled.

* The hole at junction of Castle Street and Parade Street has been filled.

* The hole at the Market Street/Castle Street junction was yet to be done this morning.

Health board's vaccination advice for over-80s

The Betsi Cadwaladr Heath Board has this afternoon posted an update on its Facebook page about vaccinations for the over-80s, which says:

"We have now vaccinated the majority of people aged 80 years or over in north Wales. If you are aged 80 years or over, or know of someone who is, and have not had a first COVID-19 vaccination or an appointment to have it, please call the vaccinations booking centre and we will arrange an appointment. 

"The opening hours are 8am to 8pm. The lines are very busy, the best time to call is late afternoon, or evening before 8pm. This message is for the over 80s only who do not have a first appointment, please do not use the telephone number provided above to enquire about new appointments unless you are over 80 or information about the vaccine as the call handlers are not medically trained.

"Please only use this vaccinations booking centre number for the above reasons. We are sending invites out for vaccination in order of priority, according to national recommendations. We will repeat this process for different priority groups in due course to make sure everyone has had an opportunity to be vaccinated at the correct time. 

"Telephone number for the vaccinations booking centre: 03000 840004 

"Information on eligibility is also available on our website: https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-information/eligibility/"

Funding for community project in Pengwern

* £71,000 of funding has been secured for a community project in Pengwern.

Denbighshire County Council has secured £71,000 of funding for a community project in Pengwern,

The Rural Futures Lottery funding, which is being match funded by the Council, will focus on making a positive impact within the community of Llangollen by increasing opportunities to raise skills and aspirations, provide additional space at a community centre as well as resources to deliver activities and services to support people.

The funding will allow the Council, working with partners South Denbighshire Community Partnership, Friends of Pengwern and Severn Wye, to create three bespoke units to provide a confidential meeting space and a community workshop space to address rural poverty, isolation and the overall wellbeing of the community.

A part time centre co-ordinator will be employed by South Denbighshire Community Partnership to increase uptake and usage of the centre to deliver services that address isolation, improve access to services and activities, to develop skills and provide training. 

Cllr Tony Thomas, the Council’s Lead Member for Housing and Communities, said: “We are delighted to have secured this funding, as well as providing match funding, which will make a positive impact in the community.

“I would like to thank local members, the community and all the partner organisations that worked with us to help secure this funding.

“The new community space will allow residents to engage with a host of activities to increase the overall wellbeing of the community.

“Supporting connected communities is a priority for the Council under our Corporate Plan and projects like this help us achieve that ambition.”

Denbighshire County Council’s Community Housing team worked in closed partnership with South Denbighshire Community Partnership, Friends of Pengwern and Severn Wye on the development of this project.

Some - if not all - of Castle Street potholes are repaired

* Top and bottom: The potholes on the bridge which have been repaired.

Some of the deep potholes which litter Castle Street in Llangollen have been repaired.

Two of the more extensive holes on the bridge - on the left-hand carriageway heading towards the A5 - have been filled in what appear to be temporary repairs.

One of the deeper holes on nearby Abbey Road also appears to have been filled.

However, a number of other deep cavities in the roadway, such as the one on the right-hand bridge carriageway and another at the junction of Castle Street and Parade Street, have not yet been attended to.

The worsening state of the Castle Street potholes was pointed put to Denbighshire County Council, which is responsible for local road maintenance, by llanblogger a couple of weeks ago.

Shortly afterwards a spokesperson said an officer would be sent out to examine the holes and advise on whether they were a safety hazard.

This morning llanblogger has asked the county council if and when the remaining potholes will be dealt with.

* Two holes still unrepaired: On the bridge (top) and at the junction of Castle Street and Parade Street (below).

Young leaders win support for mental health campaign

Young people from schools, faith and community groups across North East Wales have created a resource and award for secondary schools to improve mental wellbeing in their school communities.

Young leaders from TCC (Trefnu Cymunedol Cymru/Together Creating Communities) met with Karen Evans, Chief Officer for Education & Early Intervention at Wrexham County Borough Council, who supported the Healthy Minds Haven resource and award and agreed to encourage local schools to use it.

TCC brings together local groups so they can take action on issues and improve their communities. TCC’s Youth in Action group, with support and training from the charity, explores issues affecting young people and their communities. 

The group has been campaigning to improve mental health support in schools across North Wales because they passionately believe that school plays a vital role in supporting students, given half of lifetime mental health problems start by the age of 14.

In a survey carried out by TCC leaders from Hawarden High School, 92% of the school community felt more should be done to support young people around mental health. Healthy Minds Haven is unique as it has been designed by young people who are experts by experience, as a resource and checklist of practical things schools can do to improve mental health support for their students.

Schools can work towards achieving the Healthy Minds Haven Award by completing all of the actions if they wish, or they can use the checklist as a resource and still benefit from time invested in creating a learning community that feels positive and confident around the subject of mental health.

In January the young leaders held an online meeting with Karen Evans, gaining her support for the campaign and commitment to sharing the Healthy Minds Haven resource with schools in the area. 

The Chief Officer also agreed to share the toolkit with local authority counterparts in Flintshire and Denbighshire County Councils and to take forward a request for the resource to be added to the Hwb resource platform for schools in North Wales.

Secondary schools are invited to sign up and show their commitment to improving mental health. The group chose to focus on schools as the environment that most young people spend time in, and where the issue of mental health difficulties seems to be on the rise. 

Schools will benefit and learn from lived experience of school pupils in their area. A 2020 Barnardo’s report said 85% of school staff worried that lockdown has affected pupils’ mental health and over 70% called for additional staff training.

Schools are invited to register for Healthy Minds Haven and use the checklist which they can download at www.tcc-wales.org.uk/hmh. Any schools interested in finding out more can also get in touch by contacting youthorganiser@tcc-wales.org.uk