Welsh Government's coronavirus update

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

• The rates holiday for the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors in Wales will be extended for a further 12 months, Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has announced.
• The £380m package provides retail, leisure and hospitality businesses with rateable values up to £500k, and charities in Wales with a straightforward year-long business rates holiday – going beyond what has been announced in England – providing a much-needed boost for small and medium sized businesses struggling to cope with the impacts of the pandemic.
• This relief package, in combination with our existing Small Business Rates Relief scheme will ensure that more than 70,000 businesses will continue to pay no rates at all in 2021-22.
• https://gov.wales/business-rates-holiday-extended-12-months 

• Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn has announced a £15.2m ‘placemaking’ funding package to help Wales’s town centres build back better.
• It’s all part of a wider £110m investment through Transforming Towns, the Welsh Government’s town centre regeneration programme, which funds projects for the benefit of local communities in town and city centres in Wales.
• https://gov.wales/town-centres-wales-benefit-placemaking-fund

• Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services Julie Morgan has today published a written statement about care home visiting: https://gov.wales/written-statement-update-care-home-visiting-1
• How do lateral flow tests work for people without symptoms? https://gov.wales/lateral-flow-testing-people-without-symptoms
• Community testing in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf: https://gov.wales/symptom-free-covid-19-community-testing 

Coronavirus in numbers

• The latest figures published by Public Health Wales today show there have been 267 newly reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 204,463 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.
• Sadly, there were 13 further death reported by Public Health Wales today. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 5,366.
• These figures are updated daily at: https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

• The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is being published every weekday by Public Health Wales.
• The latest figures show 951,540 people have received their first dose.
• And 139,445 people have received two doses of the vaccine.
• https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary
• If you think you’ve been missed off the vaccine appointment list: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed

What to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus

• The symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change in smell or taste.
• If you have symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, you must self-isolate at home for 10 days from when your symptoms started.
• Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation-stay-home-guidance-households-possible-coronavirus
• Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
• You should arrange to have a test to see if you have coronavirus once you are self-isolating. You can book a test at https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test
• You should continue to isolate while waiting for a test result.
• Got a question about what to do if you’ve got coronavirus? Visit https://gov.wales/self-isolation-stay-home-guidance-households-possible-coronavirus 

Where to find the latest information

• Information about the new national measures in place in Wales is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4 and the roadmap in and out of alert levels is at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-control-plan-alert-levels-wales

• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Questions about Covid-19 vaccines? Visit: https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-information/ and https://gov.wales/vaccine-coronavirus
• Want to join Wales’ vaccination team? https://gov.wales/join-covid-19-vaccination-team
• If you think you’ve been missed off the vaccine appointment list: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed
• Information about support for businesses is available at the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/
• The Welsh Government holds a regular media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and supported by a BSL interpreter. These are held at 12.15pm, broadcast on BBC One Wales and live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel.

Inner Wheel sends out thank you cards to NHS workers

The Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen will be sending out ‘thank you’ cards to local NHS workers in recognition of their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cards are being sent as part of a national campaign to show members’ gratitude for the hard work done by health workers during such difficult times

Eileen Dart, president of the  Inner Wheel  Club of Llangollen, said: “The members of our club are aware of the huge sacrifice the NHS staff have made during the last twelve  months and wanted to say  thank you.

"The gesture is part of the Inner Wheel’s celebrations of International Women’s Day on March 8th. The Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen is just one of the clubs across Great Britain and Ireland who are taking part."

Enid Law, association president of the Inner Wheel Clubs of GB and Ireland, said: “It’s a small gesture but a way for our members to show their appreciation for the dedication and effort that has been shown by our health workers throughout this pandemic.”

The Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen is one of 550 Clubs that form the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs in Great Britain and Ireland. The Association is a women’s organisation based on friendship and dedication to service.

Talks held on using new pocket park for regular run

 

* Contractors at work on the new pocket park off the A539. 

Llangollen’s new “pocket park” should be perfect location for a local park run now in an advanced planning stage.

That’s the view of keen runner Mike Edwards who has been campaigning hard to establish a regular run for the area.

Park runs are free, weekly, community events all around the world.

Saturday morning events are 5k and take place in parks and open spaces. On Sunday mornings, there are 2k junior park runs for children aged four to 14.

A park run is seen as a positive, welcoming and inclusive experience where there is no time limit and no one finishes last.

Everyone is welcome to come along, whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate or marshal.

Mike Edwards said: “I’ve just seen llanblogger’s article on the pocket park and multi-use path to the health centre.

“I have been working for some time with Llangollen GP practice through Dr Michael Clarke and Jenny Coppock from Infinitee, a local company, to establish a park run for Llangollen. 

“We set up a core group some time ago, but obviously matters have been delayed and are on hold during the pandemic.

“The GP practice is registered as a Park Run Practice so they can encourage and socially prescribe the park run to patients in suitable circumstances. 

“I have been involved with park run for some time and normally run and volunteer at Erddig Park Run in Wrexham and was also on the core group which set up a park run at Henley Wood, Oswestry.

“Park runs quickly establish a community of local people interested in improving their health and wellbeing and the following link tells people all about it: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/”

Mr Edwards added: “We are in active discussion with David Shiel, manager of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but our park run will not be able to be launched until pandemic restrictions are removed in Wales and of course when the AoNB’s scheme on the pocket park and trail to the health centre is completed.

“This is not likely to be at the earliest till later in the year, and it may even be 2022 before we can launch, but watch this space. 

“We are using the current time to get all our ducks in a row and recently Park Run Cymru have appointed an ambassador to support and mentor us to set up the event.

“Anyone interested in the event can email us at LlangollenParkrun@googlemail.com”

Llangollen’s pocket park 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 to llanblogger recently, David Shiel of the AONB 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."

Government's new £15m fund to help towns build better

* Could Llangollen be put forward for help from the new town centre fund?  

Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, Hannah Blythyn, has today announced a £15.2 million ‘placemaking’ funding package to help Wales’s town centres build back better.

It’s all part of a wider £110 million investment through Transforming Towns, the Welsh Government’s town centre regeneration programme, which funds projects for the benefit of local communities in town and city centres in Wales.

The new funding package, available to all of Wales’s Local Authorities, is designed to be as flexible as possible and will offer support for a wide range of projects, from green infrastructure developments and the creation of active travel routes, to internal and external improvements for business owners.

In addition, the funding will support the improvement of town centre markets, create new uses for vacant buildings, and drive activity to support Welsh Government’s ‘digital towns’ agenda — among other projects to make Wales’s town and city centres thrive.

Designed in collaboration with Wales’s local authorities, the £15.2 million support package will offer increased flexibility and control over available funds for town regeneration projects — with one lead authority within each region administering the fund.

The flexibility will allow Local Authorities to choose which towns are supported and make use of the range of options available to best suit each individual location, says the government.

Wrexham County Borough Council has been selected as lead authority for north Wales.

Those eligible to apply for funding include local authorities, town centre businesses, Business Improvement Districts and Town and Community Councils.

It is hoped that the new grant, alongside other existing Transforming Towns support packages, including the £5.3 million announced last summer to support town centre and traders respond to the Covid-19 by funding adaptions and improve public safety, will help with recovery efforts from the pandemic — helping to bring new economic opportunity and employment back to the centre of Wales’s towns.

This is in keeping with Welsh Government’s ‘Town Centre First’ initiative and long-term ambition for 30% of the Welsh population to work from, or closer to home — through repurposing vacant buildings into co-working hubs and encouraging public sector organisations to set up offices in town centre locations. Superfast Business Wales’s work to improve connectivity across Wales will further aid this, with businesses and individuals encouraged to explore their connectivity options and make more of digital.

The Welsh Government’s work to further improve digital connectivity across Wales will also help support this with a number of existing interventions including a £10 million Local Broadband Fund and a range of voucher schemes to help those without access to superfast broadband. This is in addition to its current roll-out out of full-fibre broadband with Openreach to around 39,000 properties using £56 million of public funding. Individuals, businesses and communities are encouraged to explore their connectivity options to make more of digital. 

Hannah Blythyn, Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, said: "Our town centres are unique, special places. Each town has its own proud history, sense of place and memory — with many of lives shaped by the towns we have grown up in, moved-to or visited.

"However, we know that towns in Wales are facing huge challenges in light of Covid-19, which is why the Welsh Government is committed to doing everything we can to ensure our town centres not only survive but thrive in the future.

"By offering Welsh local authorities the broadest and most flexible package of support through our new placemaking fund, we have enabled our regional partners to decide upon the most appropriate mix of interventions and how to put them into practice effectively in towns across Wales.

"Together with wider Transforming Towns programme grants, this will help us to re-build our Welsh towns and to realise wider plans set out by Welsh Government — to open up new, local economic opportunities while creating sustainable places for the people of Wales to live, work, learn and enjoy."

Local MP welcomes Spring Budget measures

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes (pictured) has welcomed yesterday's Spring Budget announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP.

He says it provides billions of pounds to support businesses and families through the pandemic and invests in North Wales.

It contained details of:  

1.  An extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the end of September, ensuring it continues to support employers as they begin to reopen. Two further grants will also be available to self-employed people – and the newly self-employed will also be eligible for both grants.

2. A continuation of the temporary Universal Credit uplift for a further six months.

3. New Recovery Loans and a new Restart grant of up to £18,000 to help businesses as they reopen. Support for the sports, arts and culture sectors will also be increased by a further £700 million as they begin to reopen.

4. Extending the business rates holiday, VAT cut and stamp duty holiday. There will also be a new mortgage guarantee scheme from April which backs 95 per cent mortgages.

5. Opening up the new Levelling Up Fund for its first round of bids, worth £4.8 billion across the United Kingdom. The budget also announces 45 new Town Deals to help spread opportunity across the country.

6. A new Help to Grow scheme to boost productivity of small businesses, to ensure they are embracing the latest technology and management training.

8.   Additional funding for Wales of £740 million.

Simon Baynes MP said: “The Budget provides businesses and families in Clwyd South with the support and reassurance they need to get through the pandemic.

“With £407 billion of support for families, jobs and businesses, it is right that the Chancellor is honest with the British people about our public finances.

Barbara Hughes, Welsh Conservative Senedd Candidate for Clwyd South, said: “As we look ahead, this Budget lays the foundations of our future economy – driving up productivity, creating green jobs, supporting small businesses, and levelling up for our communities here in Clwyd South and across the rest of Wales.”

County councillors urge support for crisis-hit railway

 

Llangollen’s two county councillors have spoken of their sadness at the financial crisis which the town’s heritage railway is currently going through.

And Graham Timms and Melvyn Mike reveal they have asked county council officers to give what help they can to the safeguard its future.

As revealed by llanblogger earlier this week, the board of Llangollen Railway PLC asked its bank to call in receivers after it plunged into insolvency to the tune of about £350,000 and could not legally continue trading.

Both the area’s MP, Simon Baynes, and Senedd Member, Ken Skates, have expressed their sympathy and support for the railway.

Now the two county councillors say in a joint statement issued yesterday evening: “It is with sadness that we heard about the serious financial difficulties of the Llangollen Steam Railway.

“It has been the ‘beating heart’ of our town and a vital part of the local economy over many years. It is an iconic image in our part of the Dee valley.

“We have written to Denbighshire County Council urging them to give whatever help they can to support the railway to ensure its long term future. 

“Officers have assured us that they understand the huge value that the railway brings to the area and that they are fully committed to make a genuine effort to follow all appropriate avenues to support it through this difficult time."

Although no further statement has been issued by the board, it is understood receivers have already vissited the railway and that their crucial report on its financial situation will be available early next week when the board is expected to put out a press release. 

Meanwhile, a concerned local resident has contacted well-known music mogul and railway enthusiast Rick Wakeman to get his reaction to the problems facing Llangollen. 

Mr Wakeman replied to the resident’s email: “Very sad to read this. I haven’t actually visited the railway but certainly know of it. 

“Wales has such a tremendous history of heritage railways and from what I can gather, they all make a decent profit enabling them to run efficiently ... I hope it manages to survive. These heritage railways are so special.” 

Llangollen woman appears in party political broadcast

* Eleri Edwards appears in the party political broadcast.

A voter from Llangollen appears in a new Welsh Labour political broadcast to give her reasons for backing the party in May's elections.

Eleri Edwards, 83, is one of just four people from across Wales interviewed for the film which airs for the first time today.

The retired consultant anaesthetist says she's supporting Labour because of its "cautious and careful" approach to coronavirus.

And she adds: "This pandemic has shown how Wales can lead the way – trusting those institutions which understand the communities they serve. Welsh Labour have told it like it is. They’ve kept people safe and taken the difficult decisions necessary - even when it was unpopular.”  

Originally from Rhos, Eleri has lived in Llangollen for more than 30 years and is a governor at Ysgol y Gwernant.

She worked at Wrexham Maelor for 40 years and now lives on Abbey Road. Her son Owen and daughter Catrin both also live in Llangollen.

In the broadcast First Minister Mark Drakeford says: "It is stories like theirs that inspire me and my Government every day as we chart a path together out of this pandemic, determined to use the lessons we have learnt to move Wales forward."