Denbighshire volunteers thanked for helping others

To celebrate Volunteers Week, Denbighshire County Council is thanking residents who help others.

Volunteers’ Week takes place between June 1 and 7 and is a chance to thank the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering.

The council recently created a new virtual online one stop shop to improve support for volunteering opportunities in the county.

Cllr Richard Mainon, Lead Member for Corporate Services and Strategic Direction, said: “Volunteers play a vital role in our communities and that has been especially evident during the coronavirus pandemic. Our volunteers have provided a wide range of support such as befriending those most isolated and providing a friendly voice to chat with.

“I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to support and help other people, you have made a huge contribution to people’s lives.”

The council’s online portal helps promote volunteering opportunities for residents within the council, and offers clear guidance on how to manage, recruit and support volunteers.

Over the past year volunteers recruited through the council have helped in a wide variety of situations including, helping a resident practice speech and language sessions online, helping a citizen to unpack and settle into their new home and clearing the garden of a resident with health issues so they could enjoy watching their young children play safely.

Other support has included helping someone write a poem for their son’s wedding when they were unable to attend due to covid-19 restrictions and confidence building ahead of a first hairdressing appointment after a year.

Cllr Mainon added: “We want everyone in our communities to be able to volunteer if they wish to. We want to make this as easy as possible for everyone.

“Volunteering can bring a sense of purpose, achievement and motivation. It can help someone to develop skills and knowledge, and can give someone the opportunity to meet new people and have a fulfilling social life. It is such an important part in many people’s lives, and we want to support that and provide these opportunities.”

The council’s volunteering opportunities are now advertised online to provide a central point for interested parties and promotion of these opportunities will also be carried out through social media and external organisations including the DVSC.

* To access the new volunteer one stop shop visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/volunteering

Chainbridge owner calls for June 21 re-opening to go ahead as planned

* The Chainbridge Hotel on the River Dee.

The owner of a world-famous Llangollen hotel has made a heartfelt plea for the government to go ahead with lifting all Covid-19 restrictions later this month. 

There has been some doubt about whether this will happen due to a surge in cases due to the Indian variant of coronavirus. 

In a series tweets in the early hours of this morning Seamus O’Keeffe said: “It’s nine years today since we took on the Chainbridge Hotel and the last nine days have been the hardest of that whole period. Operationally, emotionally and physically. 

“Hospitality businesses across the country are operating at full capacity but with one hand tied behind their backs. 

“The restrictions we have to follow slow down service, reduce capacity, make systems more complex and make it all harder to be a success. 

“This impacts the guest, and their enjoyment, which is our most important consideration. They must remove the restrictions as planned on 21st!” 

Taken over by Mr O’Keeffe and his family in 2012, the Chainbridge is an independent, family-owned and run hotel on the River Dee in Llangollen. 

It has 33 rooms, character bars, riverside restaurant, wonderful staff, stunning views.

Police witness appeal after motorcyclist dies

Police have made an appeal for witnesses after a motorcyclist died following a road traffic collision yesterday (Monday) afternoon.

Emergency services attended a fatal road traffic accident collision on the A494 between Llanuwchllyn and Rhydymain, Dolgellau, at around 3.15pm. 

The collision happened on the Bala side of a property called Hywel Dda.

According to North Wales Police, a motorbike and a VW Golf collided and the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The front seat passenger of the Golf was airlifted to Aintree hospital with serious injuries and the driver of the Golf received minor injuries. 

Sergeant Jason Diamond of the Roads Policing Unit is appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

He said: “I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision, or who was travelling along the A494 in this area at around 15.15 who may have dashcam footage to please contact us.”

* Anyone with any information can contact police via webchat or by calling 101 quoting ref Z076329.

The road was closed whilst the vehicles were recovered.

Residents invited to help shape council’s future plans

Denbighshire County Council is beginning to work on developing a new Corporate Plan, and would like residents to get involved and have their say.

The council has to produce a new plan every five years to help all of its services to work together, to achieve specific goals that will help to make Denbighshire a better place to live, work and visit.

The current Corporate Plan started in 2017 following a consultation exercise called County Conversation and will finish in 2022.

From the consultation, residents and the council identified priorities for Housing, Young People, Connected Communities, Resilient Communities and the Environment.

The council is now keen to continue the County Conversation and ask residents what the priorities should be for the next five years.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, said: “It is vitally important residents take this chance to have their say on shaping the Corporate Plan and the priorities during the next five years.

“We had fantastic feedback for our last Corporate Plan and we want to continue that success to find out what's most important to you and help us to make sure we focus on the right areas.

“This is a great chance to have your voice heard, engage with us and help us continue to make Denbighshire a better place to live, work and visit.”

To help with this, the council is launching a survey and running some online focus groups.

The Continuing the County Conversation survey will be live online from May 24 to July 31 2021, with paper copies being distributed to home library service users or available to collect and return from libraries from June 1 to July 31, 2021.

The online focus groups will be hosted on Microsoft Teams in June and July.

To take part and have your say, please visit https://countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk/project/596 to complete the online survey and/or sign up for the online focus groups.

Cllr Graham Timms gives update on 2020 project

County Councillor Graham Timms.

Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms gives his latest update to llanbogger readers on the 2020 plan which aims to transform the town centre. Cllr Timms chairs the 2020 Group which is in charge of the project:

"The plans for the new town centre are almost complete and a Denbighshire County Council consultation will take place over a three week period starting in June. 

"The consultation will give everyone the chance to see the proposals in detail and to submit their comments, both in person or online. 

"Denbighshire officers want to provide the opportunity for as many as possible to participate to share their views. 

"Initially Denbighshire intended to tarmac Castle Street at a cost of £500,000, but residents have consistently identified traffic and parking as their number one problem in Llangollen.

"Melvyn Mile [Llangollen's other county councillor] and I were both elected in 2017 having said that tackling these two issues were a priority to us. 

"The Llangollen 2020 group was set up in late 2017 and included both county councillors, two town councillors and two members of the Llangollen Chamber of Trade. Its task was to establish possible solutions and explore where any extra money needed would come from. 

 

"The most important consideration in making such big decisions has been to give everyone the opportunity to take part in discussions and offer their opinions and suggestions.

"This is why a professional consultation was carried out by urban planning consultants from Arcadis Consulting.  Denbighshire's plans will seem very familiar to those who have been following updates as they closely follow the proposals made by Arcadis in 2019.

 

"The new design for the town centre proposed by Arcadis had a price tag of between £1.5 - £2 million. However, since Denbighshire only had £0.5 million there was clearly a huge uphill struggle to find the money needed. 

"We have spent the last two years exploring every possible source of money to help to finance the final plan. This work has been driven forward by the Llangollen 2020 group, with much of the legwork engaging potential donors led by Robyn Lovelock [a town councillor] on a voluntary basis.

 

"As a result of this work, a complex financial package of £1.8million has been granted over the past two months that will enable the town centre regeneration to go ahead, with construction planned to start in the autumn. 

"This means the town has secured nearly four times the proposed initial investment in Llangollen and represents Denbighshire's biggest investment in our town for generations. 

 

"The plans will see the current brick pavements replaced not by concrete or tarmac, but by Yorkshire stone giving the town a long lasting quality feel. 

"The pavements will be edged with slate from our local Berwyn Slate Quarry on the Horseshoe Pass. Although these materials are much more expensive in the short term, they will last for a very long time and prove to be cheaper over their whole life. Importantly, local in line with Denbighshire's climate change policy

 

"Raised crossing points along Castle Street will make the town safer and much more pedestrian friendly, encouraging local residents who have been put off from visiting the town centre by its often hostile environment for the least mobile.

 

"Wider pavements will create more space for shoppers and visitors which will encourage people to stay longer and spend more in the town.

 

"We want more trees and plants in the centre of the town. Denbighshire are committed to planting huge numbers of trees in the next few years and their Tree Officer loves trees! 

"The controversy over the town hall tree is not in the hands of the Llangollen 2020 group, but the tree is certain to remain in its current place if it is healthy. 

"The tree is old, but it will stay unless the experts deem it to have come to an unhealthy or unsafe end to its natural life. Difficult decisions for a much loved tree! 

"If this is the case then an opportunity to plant one or two mature trees in that area could be taken, subject to Llangollen Town Council's decision as they own the land outside the town hall. 

"More widely, town and county councillors are looking at ways to improve biodiversity and green infrastructure across the town. Cittaslow has been looking at this and the AONB [Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty] is also on the case. 

"We hope that you will get involved in this final consultation so that together we can continue to influence the future of our town. 

"Consultations will be held online and in person in a way that respects Covid regulations. 

"As soon as final details are available we will be widely publicising how you can take part and we would appreciate your help letting people who are not online know that this opportunity is coming up." 

Dee Valley gets new bus service to link key destinations

* The new bus stops off at Plas Newydd.

A new bus service has been launched in the Dee Valley to provide access to some of the key destinations in this beautiful and historic landscape. 

The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus service is a circular route which will run every Saturday until October 2021, and will link Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, PlasNewydd Historic House and the Horseshoe Pass.

It is hoped that this new service will enable people to visit these key locations without the need of a car and reduce the need for parking spaces, making it easier for those without their own vehicle to access these places, and helping to reduce congestion at some of the busiest sites in the Dee Valley.  

The service will also provide both visitors and local residents the opportunity to explore the wider area.

The service has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales, and delivered in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Our Picturesque Landscape project, a landscape partnership scheme which is working to conserve and improve access to the inspiring landscapes of the Dee Valley and Pontcysllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site.

The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus Service 199 will operate Saturdays only until 30^th October 2021. For the full timetable and ticket prices for the Picturesque Bus service please see Denbighshire bus timetable webpage or pick up a leaflet from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre.

Kate Thomson, Partnership Officer for the Our Picturesque Landscape project, said: “We are delighted to launch the Dee Valley Picturesque Bus Service.  

"This project was due to launch in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic, so we are really pleased that this service will be able to run in 2021 and hopefully for many years to come.  

"By working in partnership with Denbighshire County Council, we have been able to ensure that the service complements existing public transport provision.  

"Connecting to bus timetables from Corwen and Wrexham makes the Picturesque Bus service the ideal option for planning walks in the area.  

"We are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Walesfor making this service possible, and hope it will go on to be a great success and a real legacy for the Our Picturesque Landscape project.”

Cllr Brian Jones, Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership on providing this bus service which will give visitors the chance to explore the area without the need for a car. 

"This service will reduce congestion and helps protect the environment, which is a priority for the council.”

Wales' First Minister makes visit to Plas Newydd

* Fiona Owens' picture of Mark Drakeford at Plas Newydd this morning.

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford made a flying visit to Plas Newydd this morning (Thursday).

Although this has yet to be confirmed, it is thought he was at the world-famous home of the Ladies of Llangollen to be shown progress on a major works project by the county council that has included the restoration of over 50 metres of retaining stone wall, the installation of stepping stones across the Afon Cyflymen as well as pitch-paving to reduce the slipperiness on the summerhouse steps. 

This picture of Mr Drakeford and his aides was snapped by local resident Fiona Owens as she was taking her dog for a walk in the grounds just before 9am.

She told llanblogger: "It looked like they were being shown around the grounds and talking to staff."

This was Mr Drakeford's second visit to Llangollen in just over a month.

He was last here on a Senedd election campaign visit on April 22 when he took a stroll down Castle Street, accompanied by Labour UK leader Sir Keir Starmer, and later met staff at Llangollen Health Centre.

* Mark Drakeford and Sir Keir Starmer with Ken Skates MS during his election visit to town.