Work "proceeding well" on new pocket park at Wenffrwd

* Contractors at work on the new Pocket Park off the A539 at Wenffrwd.

The man in charge of the project has given a progress report on work to create a pocket park close to a main road into Llangollen. 

The facility is being built on the former council refuse tip at Wenffrwd off the A539.

First phase of the work involves the development of a small car park and new access road which was due to be finished early this year.

Next phase means the development of trails around the site and possibly onto the canal.  

There is also an aim to create a link back to Llangollen Health Centre along part of the old railway line.

Giving an update, David Shiel, area manager for the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is overseeing the project, said: "Works are proceeding well at Wenffrwd – the car park and new access road are now more or less complete.  

"We are currently working on new trails around the site which include some lovely wooded areas with fantastic views across the River Dee and along valley from the old railway line.  

"We would hope to have these works complete in the next few weeks so that the site can be open for Easter – should Covid-19 restrictions allow."

He added: "GH James from North Wales have been the main contractors and have done a brilliant job over the last few months despite the challenges of snow, floods and Covid lockdown.

"The AONB Ranger team have also been working really hard to manage and make safe the woodland areas, clear the pathways and improve wildlife habitats.     

"Links back to Llangollen and a possible link to the canal will be the next phases of works which we would hope to take forward later this year."

Government to take big cat sightings seriously, says story

A story in the Oswestry and Border Counties Advertizer says the Welsh Government will take big cat sightings seriously and investigate them after a spate of encounters in North Wales, including Llangollen, in recent months.

Last month, the Advertizer's sister-paper, the Denbighshire Free Press, reported a sighting of a big cat near Valle Crucis Abbey when a man described seeing a mystery animal stalking the edge of a field near the abbey.

* To see the latest story, go to: https://www.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/news/19109194.welsh-government-will-investigate-big-cat-sightings/

More testing and faster jab delivery, says Minister

Health Minister Vaughan Gething (pictured) has today announced expanded testing and faster vaccine delivery to help Wales re-open safely. 

He confirmed Wales will aim to offer the vaccine to all eligible adults by 31 July and will publish an update to the national vaccination strategy on Friday.

Workplace and community testing will also be expanded.

The scheme for workplaces to carry out testing and set up their own test sites is now being extended to public and private organisations with more than 50 employees.

Mr Gething said: “Our vaccine and testing programmes are key to safely re-opening up our society and economy.

"Our vaccine programme continues at pace and on Friday I’m publishing a revised vaccine strategy with detail on how we will, subject to supply, offer every eligible adult in Wales the first dose of the vaccine by the end of July.

"Workplaces with more than 50 employees will now be eligible for support to regularly test their workforce, helping reduce the spread of the virus and allow them to operate safely.

"We have already set out our revised plans for the careful and cautious re-opening of Wales’ society and economy. The measures announced today will play an important part in achieving that as safely and quickly as possible.”

The revised vaccine strategy will provide more details on current and forthcoming priorities, including – subject to vaccine supply – the bringing forward of target dates for key milestones

The support available to workplaces in Wales to introduce a testing scheme includes the provision of rapid lateral flow devices, training, access to an online testing portal and clinical standard operating procedures and guidelines.

The community testing programme will use Lateral Flow Devices. Everyone who attends will be given a test using the devices, which can turnaround results within 20 -30 minutes. Anyone who tests positive via a LFD test will be asked to return home so they can self-isolate immediately and arrangements will be made for a follow-up PCR test.

Although community testing will initially be available in three local authorities, further discussions are taking place with partners in North Wales and it could be rolled-out more widely based on local circumstance and need identified.

Denbighshire climate change strategy approved by council

A plan to tackle climate and ecological change has been approved by Denbighshire County Council.

In 2019 the council declared a climate change and ecological emergency which included a commitment to make the authority net carbon zero by 2030, enhance biodiversity across the county and produce a clear plan to guide the work.

The council’s Climate and Ecological Change Strategy, which covers the years 2021/22 – 2029/30, sets out how the authority aims to become Net Carbon Zero and Ecologically Positive by 2030.

The strategy includes targets to reduce the council’s carbon emissions from a range of sources, including a 50 per cent reduction from the energy and water used in council owned buildings, as well as targets to increase the amount of carbon absorbed by the land the council owns at the same time as creating more diverse habitats for plants and wildlife.

The work has been guided by the Climate Change and Ecological Emergency Working Group, set up as part of the emergency declaration, and is made up of two representatives from each political party represented in the council and the two Lead Members for climate and ecological change.

Llangollen councillor Graham Timms, the council’s Climate Change and Ecological Emergency Working Group Chair, said: “I’m delighted the strategy has been approved by full council. 

"The strategy sets out what we mean by the goals net carbon zero and ecologically positive council, how the council is currently performing on both, what we hope 2030 will look like for the council having achieved our goals and the changes and actions we hope to deliver over the next nine years.”

Cllr Brian Jones, the council’s Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “This is another positive step for the Council in its work to protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint.

“We have already achieved a lot, we have reduced carbon emissions from our buildings and fleet by 15 per cent since 2017, the Council now only uses renewable electricity for its own buildings after switching to a renewable only energy provider for its schools, leisure centres, libraries, council offices and depots and we are over halfway to reaching our target of planting 18,000 trees by 2022.”

* You can read the strategy online at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/climate-change

Young Llan director works on star-studded online play

* Eleri Jones performs I D Hooson's The Red Poppy in the Llangollen VE-Day film. 

A young actor and director from Llangollen is helping to put on a star-studded online production of the Oscar Wilde classic The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Eleri Jones, daughter of former deputy town mayor and councillor Issy Richards, is currently a trainee director at Theatr Clwyd in Mold.

In association with a number of other regional theatres across Britain, Theatr Clwyd is to present a version of the famous play online from March 16-31 helmed by its artistic director Tamara Harvey and assisted by Eleri.

She’s no stranger to Llangollen audiences after two high-profile appearances in the town.

In 2018 she was compere for the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Town Hall where she also presented a tribute to the Welsh poet known as Hedd Wyn who was killed in the First World War.

 

Then in May last year during the town council’s acclaimed film to mark the 75^th anniversary of VE-Day she performed local poet I D Hooson's The Red Poppy against the backdrop of 75 ceramic poppies placed near the war memorial on Centenary Square.

 

The production of Dorian Gray on which she worked has a\n all-star cast including Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry and Russell Tovey.

It is written by Henry Filloux-Bennett based on the novel by Oscar Wilde.

In a profile pic-obsessed, filter-fixated world where online and reality blur, influencer Dorian Gray makes a deal for his social star never to fade. For the perfect self he broadcasts to the world to always remain.

But as his mental health starts to decline, as corruption and murderous depravity start to creep into his world, the true and horrific cost of his deal will soon need to be met.

Eleri graduated from Manchester University with a First Class BA in Drama and Screen Studies.

 

She then received a scholarship to the Drama Centre London gaining an MA in screen acting with merit.

 

Her screen credits include DI Banks for ITV and Chewing Gum for Channel 4.

 

She joined Theatr Clwyd in 2019 and assisted on its productions of the Mold Riots and the panto Jack And the Beanstalk.

 

As a youngster Eleri she was part of the Croeso Team welcoming visitors to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

 

* Tickets for the production can be bought at www.pictureofdoriangray.com 

Police boss suggests giving free cannabis to prisoners

* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

A campaigning police boss is calling for jails to trial giving free cannabis to prisoners to help them overcome their drug problems and reduce prison violence.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, a former police inspector, says  the radical idea could also prevent overdose deaths in prisons.

In 2018 a prisoner called Luke Morris Jones, 22, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, died at HMP Berwyn after taking Spice.

Speaking during an interview for the Guardian newspaper, Mr Jones said if justice authorities were serious about reducing harms and violence in prisons, “they should be addressing the causes” such as the cheap synthetic cannabinoid spice that is rife and can be deadly, as opposed to cannabis.

Use of illegal drugs is widespread in prisons and many prisoners lawfully receive heroin substitutes such as methadone and buprenorphine to manage their dependence.

Others that are commonly prescribed include strong analgesics such as pregabalin and gabapentinoids – all of which are addictive and potentially dangerous drugs.

It was revealed by the Guardian last month that more than 300 prison officers and outside staff have been dismissed or convicted for bringing prohibited items – which can include drugs, tobacco and mobile phones – into jails in England and Wales over the past five years.

In the UK the use of cannabis recreationally  is against the law but it has been legalised to be used for medical purposes.

But, says Mr Jones,  access to full extract oil through the NHS is virtually impossible.

Mr Jones said: “Opioids are a damn sight more dangerous than cannabis. If they’re on opioids, why can’t they be prescribed cannabis?

“Let’s supply cannabis in controlled conditions and see if offences reduce.

“The aim of the game is to make prisons safer. If they’re serious about reducing violence in prisons they should be addressing the causes and that’s psychoactive substances. Plus there’s a whole range of issues that cannabis would be geared to reduce the risk of.” 

Using recreational cannabis remains illegal in the UK but the plant has been legalised for medical use, though with significant restrictions.

The idea of trialling free cannabis in prisons was floated in 2018 by the pharmacologist Dr Stephanie Sharp.

She said that leaving prisoners to smoke spice was “condemning them to death” and that allowing then to smoke cannabis would be “much safer”.

More generally, Mr Jones has also  called for cannabis to be regulated to cut out organised crime and allow people to grow a limited amount of it for their own personal use.

He believes that prohibition is counter-productive and it should be legally controlled just like alcohol and tobacco which caused more harm to individuals and society in general.

He added: “It is a nonsense to criminalise people who take cannabis for recreational use and cause no harm to anybody else.

“The best way to reduce the role of organised crime in the supply of drugs is to put it in commercial hands and to price it appropriately so people don't need to go to the illegal market.

“Commercial organisations have taken over the medicinal cannabis market and are selling prescriptions at a vast cost even though it is cheap to grow.  That’s just “exploitation in my book.

“My view is that people should be allowed to grow a limited number of cannabis plants for their own use.”

Health centre's Covid jab update

Llangollen Health Centre has this evening (Tuesday) given an update on the Covid-19 vaccination situation.

It says: "We’ve been told today that we are due to receive more vaccines early next week.

"As ever we are advised not to start booking patients in until the vaccines are actually in our fridge so as soon as we have taken receipt of them we will start contacting patients.

"If you are in the 65 - 69 year old age group and have not yet had the vaccine we will be contacting you by phone initially in descending order of age.

"I will provide a further update next week to keep everyone informed.

"I have asked the Health Board to provide a statement to explain the delay in vaccine delivery which I will share with you once I receive it.

"Thank you for your patience.

Tessa

Practice Manager."