MP welcomes Cadbury's UK investment announcement

* Simon Baynes MP and David Mills, Head of External Affairs at Mondelez UK and Ireland, taken at a Parliamentary reception last March, before social distancing guidelines came into effect.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has welcomed the announcement that Mondelēz International, makers of Cadbury Dairy Milk, has announced plans to invest £15 million into the UK, at its Bournville site, which is supported by its factory in Chirk, where cocoa beans are processed and fresh milk is added.

The investment will include £11 million to create a new, line of the future for Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets as the company consolidates the majority of its tablet production at the site. 

The new, highly efficient line will enable 125 million more of the iconic large sharing bars to be made at its UK factory in Bournville annually, with additional capacity for any future growth. 

Alongside the new line, Mondelēz is also planning to invest a further £4 million at the site to increase its chocolate making capacity, to ensure sufficient chocolate mass to meet current demand and anticipate future needs.

Louise Stigant, UK Managing Director, Mondelēz International said: “At a time when manufacturing in the UK is facing significant challenges, it has never been more vital to secure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our business. 

"We now have an opportunity at Bournville to further invest in its future as the home and heart of Cadbury by bringing more Cadbury Dairy Milk production to Bournville.”

Simon Baynes MP said: “The news that Mondelēz International plans to consolidate the majority of Cadbury Dairy Milk tablet production to the UK is excellent news for Chirk in Clwyd South, where cocoa beans are processed and fresh milk is added. 

"Investment in the new production line will see 12,000 tonnes more Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets – equivalent to 125 million bars - made in the UK each year.

“I welcome this investment with open arms and I’m proud to see Chirk and Clwyd South contributing to the success of a much-loved British brand and the production of the nation’s favourite chocolate bar.”

People in 70-79 age group flock to health centre for Covid jabs

Llangollen Health Centre is currently in the middle of its largest Covid-19 vaccination exercise to date.

Today an expected 600 people in the 70-79 age group will have turned up for their jabs at the rate of 80 an hour, with a similar number due tomorrow (Sunday).

Staff and volunteers have been working flat out inside the centre while the Llangollen Tidy Town Team are once again taking care of traffic management in the two busy car parks.

 

 

Campaigner gives update on response to his recycling petition

* The Plas Madoc Recycling Centre.

The Llangollen resident who sent in a petition to Denbighshire County Council (DCC) calling for a full-time recycling site to service the area has given an update on responses to it from key officials.  

In six weeks Phil Jones secured 800 on-paper signatures for his petition with more being added to an online version.

It asks the county to negotiate with neighbouring Wrexham County Borough Council for Llangollen people to have guaranteed access to the Plas Madoc Recycling Centre.

At the time the submitted the list of names he said "I think this is a measure of the frustration and anger felt by the community that daily access to a recycling facility requires a 30-mile round trip to Ruthin, when we have one on our doorstep at Plas Madoc."

In an update to his campaign he says: "I have now received a response from the Lead Member in Denbighshire County Council responsible for waste, and also from our two County Councillors, Messrs Timms and Mile. I received a detailed response summarised in the following extracts:

1] There are currently no plans to look for an alternative site to provide a new Household Waste Recycling Centre((HWRC) in the Dee Valley,

2] There is an acknowledgement that DCC did enter into discussions with WCBC after the closure of our site at Wenffrwd, that no agreement was concluded, but 'It is likely, however, that some Denbighshire residents did use the Plas Madoc site'

3]  DCC has ... 'now received a further response from Wrexham, which is the start of a more detailed discussion to agree the details of any potential proposal ... we will continue to keep the dialogue going with Wrexham to progress the matter as soon as we possibly can.

4] 'We remain committed to exploring whether it is possible and affordable to enable Dee Valley residents to use the Plas Madoc site, and we will push to get these discussions concluded as soon as possible. 

5] 'The council does not feel that there is a valid case to provide a free bulky collection service for residents in the LL20.'

6] I have also been assured by our County Councillors that they are pressing for an early conclusion to the discussions with Wrexham CBC.

I was informed some time ago by an officer in WCBC that no resolution was likely to be achieved before April. It is true that the pace of negotiations will be governed by WCBC, but reaching a provisional agreement on a costed service level agreement between the two council’s isn’t the end of the process because funding and committee approval has to be secured before an agreement could be implemented.

With cash limited budgets the Council may wish to close services to pay for the new service. The obvious candidate might be the pop-up service at the Pavilion. Our County Councillors may wish to consult the community on any proposals for change to the service before a final decision is made. I have argued that as over 900 people have now signed our petition asking for access to Plas Madoc the express wishes of the town could not be clearer, and that consultation would add yet more delay.

If you feel that consultation is an important and necessary step which should be taken before the potential loss of the pop-up service at the Pavilion, please email me at llanrecycle2021@gmail.com

Thank-you to all who have supported our campaign."

Half a million have now received Covid-19 vaccination in Wales

Today is the 60th day since COVID-19 vaccinations began in Wales and also marks the day when more than half a million people received their first COVID-19 vaccination.

As the total vaccinated exceeds more than 523,000 today, this now means almost one in every six adults have had their first dose of this life-protecting vaccine. 

Here are the latest statistics from the Welsh Government as of Friday February 5:

• More than half a million people across Wales have received their first dose - this will rise to 600,000 within a matter of days
• That’s the same as filling the Principality Stadium in Cardiff seven times or the Eirias Stadium in Colwyn Bay 86 times
• …or someone every four seconds
• Of the top 4 priority groups, Wales has vaccinated;

- 83% of over 80s

- 62% of 75 to 79 year olds

- 34% of 70 to 74 year olds

- And more than 112,400 frontline health and social care workers

• Wales is on track to have offered vaccinations to those eligible people in the top four priority groups by mid-February, if supplies continue at their current rate
• Around one third of everyone in the top 9 priority groups have been vaccinated too
• Last week, Wales vaccinated more people per population than any other UK nation
• Weekends are the busiest time, especially for primary care vaccinators. This means it can take a few days for data from these days to be uploaded
• There are 34 mass vaccination centres open across Wales at any one time and most are open seven days a week
• Six more mass vaccination centres are due to open in the coming weeks
• We have more than 400 GP-led clinics – the original target was 250 by the end of January
• 17 hospital sites are also providing vaccines
• Very little vaccine has gone to waste, less than 1% has not been used. This is exceptionally low, and thanks to the committed workforce delivering this precious resource

Once someone has had the vaccine, we ask everyone to follow the same steps to keep themselves and Wales safe; wear a mask, keep a 2m distance, wash your hands regularly and keep rooms as well ventilated as possible.

A Government spokesperson said: "We are still learning about how the vaccine affects transmission of the virus.

"And please remember, you will be invited to for an appointment when it is your turn – do not call your local health services, unless you are asked to do so, as this will add to their already pressured workloads."

 

Wales 'not yet ready' for full schools re-opening

According to the BBC online, the Education Minister has said in the latest Government update that Wales is 'not ready' for full school reopening.'

* For the full story, see:

 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55911573

Welsh Government's £55m healthier travel boost

The Welsh Government have unveiled a £55 Million funding package for councils to encourage people to take up healthier travel for short local journeys.

The funding boost represents an eleven-fold increase in the dedicated budget for investment in Active Travel in the last five years.

“We want to make it easier for people to make everyday journeys in ways that benefits their help and the environment” Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, said.

The 2021-22 budget has allocated more than £55m to be spent on active travel, an increase of £20m from last year - up from £5 million in 2016 at the start of this Welsh Government term.

The big rise in investment is part of a major push to support sustainable transport as part of the Welsh Government’s action on climate change.

The new investment comes alongside the publication of new guidance to improve the design of new infrastructure

Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, said: “Changing travel habits is not easy to achieve but we have to make a big effort if we are to tackle our health crisis and our climate crisis. We want local authorities to be ambitious in their plans, and to reach out to people who currently would not consider swapping a local car journey for a bike ride or a journey on foot and design safe routes that would encourage them to give it a try.”

The new funding is part of a reform package which includes a major local consultation exercise in every local authority area to create a pipeline of schemes to make it more attractive to walk and cycle.

Councils have been invited to apply for schemes that can make a real difference to the numbers walking and cycling in their areas. They can use the money for small-scale schemes like upgrading narrow routes that have become overcrowded, or removing barriers that block wheelchairs or cycle trailers, as well as for the planning of bigger and more complex schemes.

Councils will be encouraged to work together to better connect places that may happen to lie in different council areas, but where many people travel between.

The Welsh Government has also published two sets of guidance designed to further improve conditions for active travel. The first set of guidance aims to ensure that when streetworks are put in place that the safety of walkers and cyclists are planned for. It has been drafted in collaboration with Sustrans and the Welsh Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee.

The second guidance focuses on active travel improvements on trunk roads, which the Welsh Government are responsible for managing. The guidance is aimed at ensuring that whenever improvements are made to trunk roads in Wales, full consideration is given to how conditions for walking and cycling can be improved as part of the project, both within and beyond the trunk road boundary.

Santa's virtual grotto raises £1,073 for air ambulance

* Santa Claus beams a personal Christmas message from his virtual grotto.

A series of personalised Christmas video messages by Santa Claus from his virtual grotto in Llangollen raised over £1,000 for the Wales Air Ambulance.

Sion Corn, as he's known in Welsh, works closely each year with Austin "Chem" Cheminais - now the town's mayor - to boost funds for the air ambulance and other local good causes, with cash coming in from Llangollen's annual Christmas festival as well as personal appearances and quizzes during December.

Between £500 and £1,000 is usually raised for the air ambulance alone.

But Christmas 2020 was very different due to Covid-19 restrictions, which saw the festival cancelled, so Santa had to find a new and safer way of fundraising.

He and Chem came up with the idea of setting up a properly isolated grotto from where Santa used the internet to beam personalised seasonal messages to people prepared to make a small donation to the usual causes. 

Chem said: "Although most requests were Llangollen-based Santa had requests for messages from across the UK and as far away as the USA.

"He produced over 50 video clips and raised a very healthy £1,075 for the Wales Air Ambulance for which he and I are very grateful."