First Minister pledges to help keep railway running

llanblogger exclusive

* Mark Drakeford on the bridge looking over at the crisis-hit railway.

* The Labour team on walk-about in Castle Street.

* Mark Drakeford and Ken Skates chat to a constituent outside the bank.

* Sir Keir Starmer, left, Ken Skates and Mark Drakeford, far right, speak to practice manager Tessa Orton-Jones outside the health centre.

If it wins next month’s Senedd election a new Labour-controlled Welsh Government would work with local people to help get crisis-hit Llangollen Railway back up and running.

That was the pledge from Welsh Labour leader and First Minister Mark Drakeford when he and UK Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer had an election walk-about in the town this morning (Thursday) to support the campaign of the party's candidate Ken Skates to be returned as Senedd Member for the local Clwyd South constituency on May 6.

Arriving in the Market Street car park the two leaders, accompanied by Mr Skates, strolled down Castle Street where they met and chatted to a small number of shoppers and at least one business owner.

Later they drove across town to Llangollen Health Centre where they spoke at some length to the clinical team who have been carrying out the busy Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Sir Keir told them he found their hard work “uplifting”. There was also praise for their efforts from Mr Drakeford, who is a former Welsh Health Minister.

llanblogger asked the First Minister whether Llangollen’s world-famous heritage railway, which recently went into receivership with debts of £350,000 and now faces the auctioning off online of its assets, could look forward to any assistance from a returning Labour government.

He said: “We obviously realise the importance of Llangollen Railway and the way it has helped to bring people to this part of Wales and we think there is a successful future for it.

“But that will depend upon there being a credible plan for the future of the railway with people who are confident in the running of it.

“In the end Ken Skates and I deal with public money, so when we are making investments in things like the railway we have got to know that the money is going to achieve all that we want it to achieve.”

He added: “I’m not wanting to suggest for a moment that there is going to be some sort of blank cheque from the next Labour government.

“What there will be is a very positive determination to work with local people to come up with a plan that would allow us to be part of the help that they will need to get the railway back up and running.”

Before leaving Sir Keir said he thought Ken Skates had “a good chance” of holding Clwyd South for Labour.

And Mr Skates himself said he was confident of victory after some “very positive” canvassing over the past few weeks.    

Health centre's latest vaccinations update

Llangollen Health Centre has sent out an update on Covid-19 vaccinations, which says:

"Pfizer Vaccine - second doses.

"All patients who had a first dose Pfizer vaccine at the Health Centre during 5-7 February should have received a reminder that their second dose is due this weekend.

"The date and time of your second dose appointment is shown on the vaccine record card that you received when you attended your appointment in February.

"It is really important that you attend this appointment as we will not be getting any more Pfizer vaccine at the Health Centre.

"Please remember:

• to bring your vaccine record with you so that it can be updated

• to park in the same car park as you were asked last time

• that you will need to sit in the waiting room for 15 minutes after your vaccination

We will have an update on first doses for the 40-49 age group early next week."

Webinars aim to help businesses come out of lockdown

Flintshire County Council has joined forces with local company Outwrite PR to help local businesses prepare to reopen as we ease out of lockdown. 

The past year has been difficult for everyone and particularly town centre businesses, local food and drink producers and the hospitality and tourism sectors. 

To help businesses get back on track, two free webinars will be held and local businesses are being invited to sign up and join in. 

Both webinars will run for 30 minutes and aim to be a useful addition to local business owners’ plans already being put in place.

 

Dates and times are as follows and will take place via ZOOM:

 

• Tuesday 4 May 10am

• Tuesday 11 May 10am

 

The first will feature Laurence Edwards from Black Mountain Honey and will focus on how to generate content for social media beyond simply publishing sales messages and offers or discounts. 

It also aims to help build relationships and trust with key audiences and customers

 

Webinar two will take place a week later and focus the entire digital footprint and how to build engaging content for cost-effective results. 

This webinar will help ensure there is a consistently high-quality brand image across all forms of marketing. 

Business owner Stephen Thorp from A Pesto will be there to talk about his experiences and highlight what has worked well for his business.

* To book go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-marketing-webinar-for-flintshire-businesses-tickets-149688356905

Have your say on how local woodlands are managed

Those who enjoy visiting woodlands in the Vale of Llangollen and the wider Dee Valley are invited to have their say on how the woodlands are managed for the future.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) – which manages the Welsh Government Woodland Estate across Wales – has developed a 25-year management plan in order to improve their biodiversity and long-term resilience to climate change, so that future generations will also be able to enjoy the benefits they provide.

The Llangollen Forest Resources Plan (FRP) consists of seven different forest blocks; Corwen, Cynwyd, Carrog, Nantyr (Ceiriog forest), Coed Foel, Craig-y-Dduallt and Halton Wood, which are located in the Dee and Ceiriog Valleys.

These woodlands collectively have a total area of 1,400 ha and have a mixture of conifer and broadleaved tree species.

The plan sets out long term objectives and proposals for the future management of the woodlands and the trees within them.

This week NRW published the plan as it begins a public consultation to give people an opportunity to feedback on the proposals.

The consultation will be open until 9 May 2021. People can read the plans in detail and leave feedback via NRW’s online consultation.

Aidan Cooke, Senior Forest Operations Officer from NRW said: “Our forests offer so many benefits to the natural world and to our communities. They help us in the fight against climate and nature emergencies, provide good quality timber for us to use, and wonderful places for us all to spend time in and enjoy.

“Over the last year during the pandemic, these spaces have been more important than ever, providing much needed opportunities for exercise, for family time and for moments of calm.

“We know how valued our woodlands are, and we want to make sure the people who use them have the opportunity to feedback on the plans. This will help us to ensure these areas can continue to meet the needs of the local communities for years to come.”

The consultation will be open until 9 May 2021. People can read the plans in detail and leave feedback via NRW’s online consultation.

Anyone wishing to participate but unable to view the proposal on NRW’s online consultation can contact 03000 65 3000 and request a hard copy.

* Residents who wish to send feedback by post can send it to:Aidan Cooke

Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales

Clawdd Newydd

Rhuthun

Sir Ddinbych

LL15 2NL

All feedback and questions will need to be returned by 9 May 2021 at the latest.

Covid-19 testing centre back on Market Street car park

The mobile Covid-19 testing unit (MTU) is now back on the Market Street car park in Llangollen.

According to the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board website, the walk-in and drive-in centre is open from 9.30am-3.30pm seven days a week with no appointment needed. 

Valley Girls WI goes into suspension

 

* WI members are briefed on the Coppafeel breast cancer campaign in 2019.

* Above and below: Outdoor activities Valley Girls members have enjoyed.

After seven years in operation the Valley Girls WI has announced that it has gone into suspension.

Since its formation its members have taken part in a wide range of activities, from fundraising for good causes to archery and canoeing. 

The statement it has issued says: "This is official notice of us suspending ourselves as a WI. 

"This decision was made at an online meeting held on Thursday 26th March.

"We have tried to contact all current members as well as past members, attendees and supporters of Valley Girls WI with this news. 

"But for any we have missed off the email list we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your involvement, attendance and support you have given the WI at various times in our seven year history.

"The term suspend is used because we now have a three year window in which we could either reform ourselves or a new group or individuals could come forward to restart/reform this WI.

"If anybody is interested in taking the WI forward either to reform Valley Girls WI or make a new one for this area then please contact us here and we can put you in touch with a WI Advisor for this area.

"We would also be happy to share any information and offer support to any individuals or a new team who want to take this on."

Latest Citizens Advice column

Here is the latest column for Denbighshire Citizens Advice:   

Q: My energy bill really shot up last month. I don’t feel like I’ve been using any more heating or electricity than usual, so I’m worried I’m being overcharged. I’ve tried to contact my energy supplier for support, but no one ever seems to answer the phone or respond to my emails. I’ve waited on hold for nearly an hour several times before giving up. What should I do? 

A: It’s normal for your energy bills to change depending on the time of year and how much gas and electricity you’re using. But if your bills seem strangely high, then it’s important to investigate why. 

Firstly, check your meter is working properly and your usage has definitely not gone up, even accidently. Also check what heaters you have and whether you’re using them correctly. Night storage radiators and immersion heaters in particular can cause very high bills if used incorrectly. 

There are a few things worth looking into. It could be that your bill is an estimate, in which case you need to give your supplier a new meter reading. If it’s not an estimate, check your last meter reading to see if it matches the one on your bill. If you still don’t have an answer, your supplier might have raised their prices. In any case, you’re doing the right thing to contact them. 

Customer service varies between suppliers and unfortunately we hear of many bad experiences similar to yours. We also know the problem has worsened during the pandemic. If you’re struggling to get through to them, you could make a formal complaint. We offer advice on how to do this and things to consider first. 

We publish a comparison table every three months which rates suppliers’ customer service, based on things like telephone wait time, email response time and the accuracy of their bills. Have a look for yours to see how they fare against others. If they’re low on the list, consider switching to a different one.

* If you’d like to talk it through with someone, get in touch with your nearest Citizens Advice for support or contact the consumer helpline.