Old Vic residents step out to raise cash for NHS ... just like Sir Tom

* Iola Roberts, left, and Audrey Dunbebin practice their walk around the 

grounds of The Old Vicarage. 

* Centenarian Ena Strange is also aiming to

take part in the sponsored challenge. 

Residents at a Llangollen care home are putting their best feet forward to raise cash for the NHS in a moving tribute to their hero Captain Sir Tom Moore. 

On Friday April 30, what would have been the 101^st birthday of the man who raised millions for the health service by walking around his garden, people from The Old Vicarage - who proudly call themselves the Vicarage Dream Team – will be taking to their walking shoes, walking sticks and frames for a similar money-spinning challenge. 

And they’ll be donning fancy dress as they head off on 101 laps of the grounds of the home on their big Walk for Sir Tom. 

Among those doing their bit for the NHS will be 100-year-old Ena Strange who recalled: “I remember hearing about the first heart transplant on the radio. It changed everything. The NHS has opened the door for so many life-saving procedures, which is why a lot of us are still here and for that we are grateful. 

“I admire Captain Tom doing what he did. You can feel useless at times, which upsets me, but I can do my bit by walking. I’m going to give it a try.” 

Resident Iola Roberts, 87, who was involved in many local community groups, said: “I thought my end had come for good deeds but Captain Tom showed you’re never too old to raise money for a great cause. 

“I hope we will inspire others to do good things, we all have something to give no matter what age you are.” 

Her friend Audrey Dunbebin, 86, said: “The NHS is a fantastic organisation, both my daughters worked for it, as a nurse and occupational therapist. 

“The NHS has saved my life and the lives of my family members, including my own cancer treatment, which meant I’m still here to see my great grandchildren. We owe them so much.”

Kim Williams, a relative of another member of the Dream Team, spoke of her pride in what they were planning. 

She said: “All the residents of the Old Vicarage are like the symbol of the oak tree. They have all shown their strength, wisdom and endurance through this dreadful pandemic. I’m so proud of what they are doing.” 

Old Vicarage staff member Fiona Collins, who has organised the event, said: “We all watched in awe of Captain Tom Moore’s heroic efforts to raise money for the NHS and he’s been a huge inspiration to us all.

“The pandemic has been very difficult, especially for those in their later years like Captain Tom but, regardless of age, he went for it and succeeded and we really want to celebrate that in his memory by doing 101 laps of our oak tree in the Old Vicarage grounds.” 

India Large, a student nurse working at the home, said: “I’m really excited to work for the NHS. It’s an honour to work for an organisation that’s been around so long. 

“It’s so nice to see the residents at The Old Vicarage putting in so much effort to raise money for the NHS. I believe it will be a really special day. 

“It would mean a great deal to those taking part to raise funds to feel they are giving something back to those who have worked incredibly hard in our NHS during the most difficult year."

Natalie Jones, a senior carer, agreed: “I remember at the start of the pandemic it was so frightening for us all. We watched as the NHS frontline heroically continued their work, putting themselves at risk - they truly are our heroes.” 

Bethan Mascarenhas, who is the Old Vicarage’s Responsible Individual, said: “We’ve started a walking club at the home, so we can prepare and get out to keep fit, which has been a lot of fun. 

“It’s nice to hear everyone out in the garden being together laughing and having a good time for a great cause.” 

She added: “We want to show we are fully behind what the NHS do and what they have achieved. We love the NHS and it’s been a life saver to some of our residents on a number of occasions and for that, we want to show support and give back - just like Captain Tom. 

“He did so much for all of us, now it’s time we do something for him.” 

* If you’d like to donate to the Old Vicarage sponsored walk, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/OldVic101Walk or make a donation directly to the home.

Llangollen among areas to be given extra wildflower meadows

Llangollen is one of a number of areas in Denbighshire where extra wildflower meadows will be created to support an ongoing pilot project to increase biodiversity.

Last year the county council identified 21 sites including highway verges, footpath edges, cycleways and amenity grasslands, to be managed to create wildflower meadows

As part of the ongoing commitment to enhancing biodiversity the council has now identified an additional 29 sites to be included into its Wildflower Project.

This brings the total number of sites being managed for local provenance wildflowers to 54.

These sites, along with the council’s 11 Roadside Nature Reserves, contribute almost 60 acres of local provenance wildflower habitat.

Emlyn Jones, the council’s Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Planning, said: "The sites are managed in line with Plantlife’s Managing Grassland Road Verges guidelines which sees the grass cutting at these sites prohibited between March and August each year, giving wildflowers enough time to grow, flower, and set seed.

“A cut and collect regime has been implemented to reduce soil fertility and provide the wildflowers with the best conditions possible.

“These sites will be monitored and borders cut around the sites to ensure there is no impact on the highway network or road safety.”

The project now includes sites in Llangollen, Prestatyn, Rhyl, Meliden, Rhuddlan, Dyserth, Rhewl, Denbigh, Henllan, Nantglyn, Llanferres, Llanrhaedr, Pwllglas, Ruthin, Corwen and Cynwyd which will all be given a ‘full cut’ in early September.

First Minister makes election visit to Llangollen

llanblogger exclusive

* Ken Skates, left, with First Minister Mark Drakeford on an election visit to Llangollen today.

Health centre staff in Llangollen were praised for their “incredible efforts” during the coronavirus pandemic after a meeting with Welsh Labour Leader and First Minister Mark Drakeford today.

Mr Drakeford joined Labour candidate for Clwyd South Ken Skates to speak with GPs and centre manager Tessa Orton-Jones during a visit to Llangollen on Wednesday afternoon (April 7).

The run-down former River Lodge building on the banks of the Dee was bought by the Welsh Labour Government in 2007.

In 2014 Mr Drakeford, then Health Minister, announced £5m of Welsh Government funding to create a new health centre for the town following a campaign launched by previous Assembly Member Karen Sinclair and taken up by Mr Skates following his election in 2011.

Mr Drakeford said: “It was wonderful to be back in Llangollen today and to speak to staff at the health centre, who have all played such an important part in the success of the vaccination roll-out in Clwyd South.

"I know Ken is proud to have helped deliver this facility for local people and extremely proud of its staff, so I was very pleased to have the opportunity to thank them for their incredible efforts during the pandemic.”

Ken Skates said: “Like the surgery in Chirk, Llangollen Health Centre was opened during Mark’s period as Health Minister. It was great to have him back here this afternoon to hear from our local team about their experiences over the past 12 months and the key role they have played in keeping us safe.

“The feedback I have had about the vaccination roll-out in the Llangollen area has been excellent, and that’s testament to the team here. They have also done an excellent job of communicating with patients and keeping them updated, which has been really important.”

 

As part of his re-election campaign, Mr Skates has pledged to help deliver further improvements to local health facilities. 

He has been at the forefront of the campaign for a new health centre for Cefn Mawr, which recently saw Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board identify a preferred site for the facility.

 

He was also involved in the campaign for the redevelopment of Corwen Family Practice and has worked alongside patients pushing for a new facility in Hanmer.

 

Audi A3 plug takes tech to a new level

            

Audi A3 Sportback road test by Steve Rogers

Meet the new Audi A3 plug-in hybrid... every company car drivers dream come true.

There are those who say the only people to benefit from hybrid and electric cars are those driving company cars because of the generous tax breaks.

I drove a company car for more than 30 years and in the early years it was definitely a huge perk until the Westminster politicians spoilt the party piling on the tax burden so much so that I almost threw in the towel. But I didn't.

Now we have turned full circle with electric and plug-in hybrids cheap as chips on the tax scale. Take this A3, a classy, desirable motor and a real steal with a tax bill just 7 per cent or 11 per cent for the S-Line.

This family sized Audi is a desirable car for anyone, if you can afford the premium price. 

The German brand came to life in the early nineties quickly expanding its range building a reputation for quality and luxury and eventually managing to outsell both BMW and Mercedes-Benz. 

Then the dieselgate scandal spoilt the party although it has not stopped them continuing to turn out top notch cars.

This latest A3 is all about technology, something they have been good at for the last 20 years and, of course, the new age of electric power.

So let's looks at that first. The A3 has a 1.4 litre turbocharged petrol engine backed up by an electric motor which can give up to 40 miles of running time and can be charged either from a domestic plug, or better still from a wall mounted charging box.

I have a Podpoint charger which did the job in under four hours and then managed 33 miles on electric power. As I have said before you get the best result by turning into Mr sensible with a light foot on the accelerator and brake pedal.

With a combined output of 200bhp there is no shortage of performance, quick off the line, strong in the mid range, strong everywhere to be honest, while the plug-in can reach the high fifties even when the electric power is used up because regenerative braking puts a little bit of power back into the batteries while on the move.

My test car was the mildly sporty S-Line which I would avoid purely because the ride is overly hard for my tastes and generates a lot of road noise through the 18in low profile boots. It even irritated Mrs Rogers who complained about having to crank up the radio volume to drown out the noise.

But I liked the direct high geared steering and the way it held a tight line through  sweeping bends yet you would enjoy much of the same from a standard A3 but without the suspension thuds although it is not bad enough to put people off.

I have been banging on about the build quality of Audis for decades and still think none of the premium rivals can quite match its high standard. The company has always pushed the boundaries on technology and here the digital concept and new interactive features have taken it to another level.

The driver's virtual cockpit has been around a while and works well but the step forward comes with the 10 inch central touch display which has 10 times more computing power than the previous model so there are any number of interactive functions, if you can be bothered!

Yes, it is the dreaded touchscreen rather than Audi's efficient rotary controller but this is the last time I am going to moan about touchscreens. I think they can be a distraction for a driver but are here to stay so we have to live with them.

This system is lightening quick with wonderful high resolution images for the Google Earth based navigation system. Brownie points are due for a neat line of soft tough switches for the heating controls although some background lighting would finish it off nicely for night driving.

Voice control worked pretty well for navigation destinations and changing the climate control, and it would tune to every station bar the one I wanted, BBC Radio 2. Strange.

So that is the good news on A3. The bad news is Mrs Rogers wants one, but we don't do the lottery...

Fast Facts

A3 Sportback 40 TFSIe S-Line 6-sp S tronic

£34,245

1.4 turbo petrol+electric motor 200bhp

Electric range 40 miles

0-62mph 7.6secs; 141mph

282.5mpg

29g/km. 1st VED £10 then zero

Insurance group 27

      Boot 280 litres (380lts non hybrid)

County council chief executive leaves her job today

Denbighshire County Council's chief executive Judith Greenhalgh (pictured) will be leaving the council today (Tuesday) after nearly three years in post, it has just been announced.

A statement from the county council says she is leaving to "take a career break for personal reasons".  

The statement adds: "The council would like to thank Judith for her contribution during her time with Denbighshire County Council and wish her all the very best for the future. "      

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: "We will be taking steps to recruit a new CEO over the coming months.  

"Our two Corporate Directors will assume leadership responsibilities, supported by the Senior Leadership Team, until such time as the new CEO is in post.  

"Meanwhile, all Denbighshire officers and elected members continue to work together to fulfil our commitment to deliver the best possible service to residents." 

Community centre is a big lottery winner

 

* Work going on at Pentredwr Community Centre. 

Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund major building work at Pentredwr Community Centre has recently been completed. 

Pentredwr and District Community Association is a charity and the centre is dedicated to providing a place for the community to meet and hold events. 

Access to the building has been greatly improved, including disabled access, structures made safe and drainage work completed. 

This will enhance the current facility and hopefully attract increased usage. 

A small, dedicated group of people pushed the project forward even during the pandemic.

Pentredwr Community Association and Gwlangollen CIC have also jointly received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for a new Rural Futures project. 

This will create Hwb Pentredwr as a rural skills centre.  

Sheep production is central to farming in the valley therefore promoting wool and exploring the wider uses of locally produced fleece is a key element of the work Hwb Pentredwr will be doing.

The aim of the project is to secure a more prosperous future for local people and strengthen the community by reducing the impact of rural and digital isolation. 

The project will work towards securing community prosperity by developing rural skills and enterprise, addressing rural isolation, supporting digital inclusion and access to services thereby strengthening the community. 

It is hoped this will benefit the Parish of Llantysilio residents and community centre users alike as it will hopefully mean that they will have access to a new wifi system, a community transport system from Corwen through Pentredwr to Llangollen, and a wide range of regular heritage craft skills for everyone to enjoy.

Next month Hwb Pentredwr will be advertising a two-year, part time project co-ordinator post, and anyone interested in applying for the post is advised to check Pentredwr and District Community Association Facebook page or website page for details.

These will also contain a full calendar of events, which will include workshops and events and also details of how to book the centre for group or private hire when current restrictions allow this.

Welsh Minister reacts to railway's financial plight

A Welsh Government Minister has said his officials are “happy to talk” to the group fighting to rescue Llangollen Railway from its financial crisis subject to a number of conditions.

As llanblogger has been reporting, on March 1 the board of the railway’s public limited company (PLC) asked its bank to call in receivers after it became insolvent to the tune of about £350,000 and could not legally continue trading.

A firm of liquidators was called in which began the process of selling off the assets of the world-famous heritage attraction.

The Trust board, which remains completely solvent, has declared its intentions of buying as many of the railway's assets as possible and has already raised over £50,000 from a public appeal. https://llangollenrailway.enthuse.com/profile

The board also says in the statement it has meetings arranged with potential funding bodies. 

Last month North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood wrote to Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism making him aware of the railway’s plight. 

In his reply, of which llanblogger has seen a copy, the Minister says: “This is indeed a sad development as this historic line is an important part of the heritage of the area and an important element of regional tourism – it would also be a great loss to staff, volunteers and suppliers. 

“My officials in Visit Wales would be happy to talk to the Trust when the way forward has been established with the receiver, and to participate in any investment discussion as matters progress subject to available funding streams.” 

In response the letter, Mr Isherwood has told llanblogger: “I welcome the recognition in Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas’s response to me that Llangollen Railway is an important part of the heritage of the area and an important element of regional tourism, and that the railway’s demise would also be a great loss to staff, volunteers and suppliers. 

“His statement that his ‘officials in Visit Wales would be happy to talk to the Trust when the way forward has been established with the receiver, and to participate in any investment discussion as matters progress subject to available funding streams’ also looks potentially helpful. 

“This is especially the case given the recent statement by the Llangollen Railway Trust Board that they are considering their options for obtaining the intangible assets of Llangollen Railway PLC, to ease the transition from PLC to Trust, and preparing Business Plans and cashflow forecasts for a Trust-run railway, to be used in support of meetings with potential funding bodies. 

“Assuming positive outcomes from these actions, however, Llangollen Railway should be a priority for the Deputy Minister’s Department. 

“Further, whatever the outcome of the Welsh General Election on 6^th May, Lord Elis-Thomas is not standing for re-election, and it is vital both that the Members of the Senedd representing Llangollen after the election, re-elected or newly elected, pick up the baton and that the next Welsh Government listens and delivers.”