Tidy Town Team's 500 unpaid hours for Llangollen

* Tidy Town Team members in their high viz jackets donated by McDonalds.

Llangollen's Tidy Town Team has had another busy year despite the constraints of lockdown.

The band of volunteers' varied programme of activities has included tasks ranging from clearing litter from the path to one of the town's iconic landmarks to helping with the delivery of flu jabs to hundreds of residents.

The team's 500 hours of unpaid work on behalf of the community is detailed in its annual report, prepared by co-ordinator David Davies, which will be presented to the Town Council at its meeting tonight (Tuesday).

His report says: "Despite the shambolic variation of Covid rules and regulations since March, the team has still managed to undertake a significant amount of work during the year.

"Our litter picking activities this year specifically targeted Ceiriog top road/the Gwernant and the canalside opposite Dinas Bran School plus litter picking at all other work locations.

"We have continued to thin timber and clear scrub in Cemetery Woodlands and with DCC Countryside Services, cleared out the stream and tidied around the Army Cadet HQ off Wern Road. 

"As this is a key area clearly visible adjacent to the footpath to the Castle, we hope that the new lease between DCC and the Army will now clearly identify who is responsible for the on-going grounds maintenance.

"During the dry months of the year we have painted or re-varnished a number of seats around the town along Riverside Walk and in Riverside Gardens behind the Ponsonby.

"Our maintenance of the Centenary Town Square continues with weeding the beds and tidying especially for Remembrance Sunday. This year we also refreshed all the seating with a new coating of wood preservative.

"A couple of the team have cleared local footpaths and repaired broken stiles whilst others have cut the hedging at the Health Centre and tidied around the Hawthorn.

"At the request of the Llangollen Health Centre, we embarked on a special venture this year. Over two and a half days we provided traffic management duties for their drive-thru flu vaccination clinics at the Pavilion.  A successful operation vaccinating some 2,500 people.

"Regretfully this year three long-serving members have left us - Alan Williams has sadly died, and Bill Saunders (95) and Les Potts (89) have decided to retire from active duties.

"A big thank you to them, and all the other members of the team for still contributing over 500 hours of voluntary work this year.

"Our thanks also to all our supporters for their help and encouragement including McDonalds this year for our new hi viz jackets and grass cutting equipment."

Air ambulance called to Llangollen Monday afternoon

* The air ambulance landed on the youth centre field this afternoon. Picture: Mike Edwards.

The Wales Air Ambulance landed on the Llangollen Youth Centre Field earlier this afternoon.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: "We were called today, Monday 15 February, at approximately 12.45pm to East Street, Llangollen to reports of a person having suffered a fall. 

"We responded with one emergency ambulance and the Wales Air Ambulance was also mobilised. 

"One patient was taken by road to Wrexham's Maelor Hospital for further treatment."

A spokesperson for Wales Air Ambulance said: "I can confirm that Wales Air Ambulance attended a trauma incident in Llangollen this afternoon (15/02/21). Our Welshpool-based crew were mobile at 13:32 and arrived at the scene at 13:44. Following treatment from the 'Welsh Flying Medics', the patient was conveyed to hospital by the Welsh Ambulance Service. Our involvement concluded at 14:54."

* The helicopter gets airborne again after the incident. Picture: Stuart Davies. 

Health centre holds Covid-19 jabs clinic in Glyn Ceiriog

* Volunteers guide people into the community centre car park.

* People waiting in the car park for their turn.

* Going inside for the jabs.

Llangollen Health Centre has been holding a Covid-19 vaccination clinic for people aged 65 and over and Glyn Ceiriog Community Centre, where it also has a surgery, today. 

Those receiving their jabs have once again praised the efficiency of the staff  and volunteers involved both inside and outside the centre.

People were parking up, going into the building three at a time and receiving their injections from staff manning three separate inoculation areas. 

They then had to wait for 15 minutes before driving off to ensure there had been no adverse reaction to the injection.

County councillors outline changes to town centre parking

* Market Street car park where changes are due to take place. 

County councillors Graham Timms and Melvyn Mile have been successful in getting Denbighshire to lift the ‘one size fits all’ parking regulations in the county to enable Llangollen’s own problems to be addressed, they say. 

“We have been asking the county for 30 minutes free parking in Llangollen’s town centre car parks for a while, but we were told that car parking rules don’t allow for local changes.  

"But in a recent committee meeting we’ve been successful in getting the county to agree to relax the rules in Llangollen," they say in a joint statement. 

The two councillors add: “Parking continues to be one of Llangollen’s biggest problems and we are determined to work with the community on solutions that will improve the current situation.

"Parking rules will be better able to respond to local needs. This will help nearby residents who 'pop and shop' to support local businesses in the town centre more easily. 

"It will also allow Llangollen to adapt its parking regulations to make it easier for residents in the centre of the town to park closer to their homes.

“We want to strike a balance between local residents who live and shop in the town and the large number of visitors who come to visit. 

"The widely-consulted Llangollen 2020 plans aim to provide a good deal for residents so that the parking works for them whilst continuing to encourage visitors to spend time in the town centre.

"Changes in the Market Street car park will also provide extra spaces to increase capacity and we also need free parking for ‘pop and shop’ visits. 

“The emphasis will be on providing more short stay parking in the centre. Town centre businesses rely on both locals and visitors and so we need to have a plan that supports them too. 

 “The council committee agreed that Llangollen could have an exception to the current rules and introduce a pilot project where parking charges could be varied but on the basis that, where possible, there should be no net loss in car park income from all the car parks in Llangollen town centre. 

"Changes to the parking regulations are expected to be introduced over the winter 2021/2 and will coincide with the much more extensive street works in Llangollen’s town centre, many of which were outlined in the Arcadis Llangollen 2020 report."

Government invests over £10m to fund 84 new ambulances

The Welsh Ambulance Service (WAST) will receive 84 new operational vehicles thanks to a £10.9M investment from the Welsh Government.

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething has also announced a further £1.6m in funding to the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) to expand the service into a 24/7 operation and establish the Critical Care Transfer Service. 

This is additional money to the £1.7m already given to the service, which will support the national transfer of critically ill adults across Wales.

The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) provides consultant and critical care practitioner-delivered pre-hospital critical care across Wales. 

It was launched at the end of April 2015 and is a partnership between Wales Air Ambulance Charity, Welsh Government and NHS Wales.

The funding will be used to fund three specialist critical care ambulances and will see investment in equipment to support the expansion of the EMRTS service

Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said: “The Welsh Ambulance Service has experienced a huge surge in demand on its services due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding announced today will allow the service to upgrade its existing fleet, allowing the service to deliver the best care for people in Wales.

“I’m also pleased to announce further funding which will establish a new Critical Care Transfer Service and see the expansion of EMRTS to a 24/7 operation, in partnership with the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.”

Chris Turley, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Executive Director of Finance, said: “Our ambulances and response cars in Wales are some of the most modern and well equipped in the UK and this funding will allow us to continue to replace our vehicles as they reach the end of their working life

“Modern ambulances are essential in order that we can continue to provide the best treatment and patient experience possible.

“They’re also important for staff who spend the majority of their working day out and about in the community.

“It’s never been more important than ever to have a fleet which keeps the wheels turning on our ambulance service, and we’re grateful to Welsh Government for its continued support.”

Professor David Lockey, EMRTS National Director, said: “The funding has allowed us to extend our critical care provision into a 24/7 service. This, along with our partnership with the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, has helped us improve equality of access to rapid emergency-department standard care across the country.

“In addition, the funding for three specialist critical care ambulances will give us the capacity to support colleagues across NHS Wales with the transfer of critically ill patients between hospitals by road.   

“We are very grateful for the ongoing support from Welsh Government, which has allowed our service to grow and make a significant contribution to critical care in Wales.”

High tech revolution to keep bobbies on the beat

* Police Crime commissioner North Wales Arfon Jones (Right) with superintendent Paul Jones of North Wales Police.                                          

A police boss has revealed a high tech revolution will help to keep bobbies out on the beat.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has described the project to equip every frontline police officer with a sophisticated mobile communications app that cuts form-filling and even checks fingerprints as a “game-changer”.

The app will be loaded on mobile phones and laptops as part of the four-year digital communications strategy which also aims to keep communities across the region and their local policing teams in close contact.

It will mean that officers will be able to spend more time out on the streets catching crooks and helping the public and cut lengthy bureaucracy back at the police station.

The project is one of the last flagship programmes of Commissioner Jones, who has announced will be standing down at the next election which is due to be held on May 6.

His final precept-setting proposal for a 29p weekly increase, a 5.5 per cent rise costing Band D Council Taxpayers just £14.94 extra a year, has just been approved unanimously by the North Wales Police and Crime Panel.

Superintendent Paul Jones is said: “The development of this frontline app for mobile phones and laptops will revolutionise the way we work.

“It will bring North Wales Police to the forefront of the Forces in the UK when it comes to digital frontline capability.

“We aim to have an all-encompassing app that enables us to do everything we need to do out there - it will even check someone’s fingerprints.

“It will be very user-friendly and as easy to operate as any commercial app– one function on it will search all the different computer systems that we need to access simultaneously, including the Police National Computer. It will all be quicker, more intuitive and more accurate.

“If an officer can do all their paperwork at the scene electronically, without duplication and without having to go back to the station, it’s a big saving of time which can then be spent on the front line.

“At the same time if the control room contacts an officer, a lot of  the information needed will already be on the mobile phone or laptop, even including satnav directions. This means that the officer won’t have to waste time taking notes, speaking to control or conducting lengthy computer searches.

“It is a significant investment but the time we will save and can reinvest in the community makes it money well spent.

“We have worked with app providers to ensure we will have the same connectivity as other forces who have similar apps.

“We have also worked with our officers to prioritise their needs and we hope to have the system finalised for rollout towards the end of the year.

“We do need to undertake a competitive tendering process, conduct functionality tests and make a final assessment, but the plan is to have the app rolled out as soon as we can.

“We want everyone on the frontline whose job will be made more efficient, more accurate and more effective, to have this.

“That includes Community Support Officers and Crime Scene Investigators for example, in addition to response officers and detectives.

Mr Jones, a former Police Inspector himself, said: “As someone who knows what it’s like to be on the frontline of policing, I welcome this and the part played in its introduction by the Chief Constable, Carl Foulkes, who is the National Police Lead on innovation and technology.

“It’s really exciting to be making this announcement because it’s something we’re really proud of and it something that our frontline officers really want and will find of huge benefit to them. It’s going to be a gamechanger.

“This is part of the connected officer’s project which is about giving our officers more time out on the streets by equipping them with devices like laptops, notebooks and mobile phones that can do everything they would once have had to go back to the station to do.

“Instead, they can now do this while they’re out, in the street or even in the local café which means more time with the public.

“It’s a much more efficient use of their time and means they only have to do things once rather than two or three times.”

The project is one of a series of measures set out in the Commissioner’s policing plan.

It’s being launched against a backdrop of £2.9 million of savings identified by Force despite the £33 million a year cuts inflicted on North Wales Police as a result of Conservative austerity cuts since 2010.

The Force’s digital communications project also aims to keep communities and their local policing teams in closer contact and Superintendent Helen Corcoran said: “It will enable members of the local community to get online to reach their local policing teams with any concerns they have.

“At the same time, we can warn the public of specific local threats and keep them up to date with what we are doing, where and when.”

North Wales Police will also be bolstered by 62 new officers with 20 of joining a new task force to spearhead a crime prevention drive helping and another ten bolstering the fight against Serious and Organised Crime in the region.

* For more information on the work of the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner go to https://www.northwales-pcc.gov.uk/en/home.aspx

Llangollen man's concerns over hospital's Covid safety

* Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

A Llangollen man says he and his wife were “appalled” at the lack of social distancing apparent in the accident and emergency department at Wrexham Maelor Hospital when they took their young grandson there following an accident recently. 

Their concern follows a story carried by local media last week which said that, after a remote quality check last November, inspectors from the Healtcare Inspectorate Wales found a lack of safety measures to stop people catching Covid in the A&E waiting room.

 

The Llangollen resident, who wishes not to be identified, said: “My grandson had a minor accident when he pulled a chest of drawers over on himself.

 

“My daughter and wife took him to A&E at Wrexham which involved over a four-hour wait before he was seen by a doctor.

 

“My wife was appalled at the situation there because there were very few social distancing measures in place or organisation of patients visiting and policing those measures in view of the seriousness of the pandemic.

 

“I therefore wrote to Vaughan Gethin, the Health Minister, to alert him to this dangerous situation which existed in Wrexham, and eventually received a total whitewash email from some minion at the Welsh Government.

 

“Imagine my disgust therefore at reading the article about the situation at the Maelor on Wrexham.com because clearly these issues were being investigated by an inspector presumably appointed by the Welsh Government.”

 

He added: “The serious footnote to this is that about a week or so after his visit to A&E my grandson developed a nasty viral infection which proved not to be Covid, as far as tests showed, but required investigation by our GP and referral to the paediatric department at Wrexham and treatment with antibiotics.

 

“We are convinced that my grandson contracted this infection at Wrexham A&E due to their total lack of infection control and serious imposition of social distancing measures at the department.

 

“One thing I would like to stress is the brilliant care we received from our GPs at the Health Centre.

 

“Our doctor went above and beyond by ringing my daughter several times during the day to check on my grandson and eventually seeing him a 9.15 in the evening. Then the following day his colleague referred him to the paediatric department to resolve the issue.” 

Maureen Wain, Hospital Director at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said: “We have addressed concerns around social distancing in the department by investing heavily in social distancing measures, screening each patient on arrival by checking their temperature and checking for potential COVID-19 symptoms, and increasing cubicle capacity within the treatment and trolley space areas.

“A number of schemes have also been put in place to improve patient flow in the department. These include streaming suitable patients from triage directly through to our Fracture Clinic for review by the Orthopaedic Team, which provides more timely care. 

“We were also successful in obtaining Welsh Government funding for an Urgent Primary Care Centre in our Outpatient Department. This targets on the day urgent primary care presentations and reduces unnecessary attendances into the Emergency Department. 

“We will continue to work hard to address areas highlighted in the report where further improvements could be made.”