Eisteddfod previews patches for bridge artwork project

Organisers have released pictures of some of the patches sent in by members of the community for the Llangollen Bridge artwork project which will be going up next week to mark the start of Eisteddfod week.

International artist Luke Jerram has been working to transform the Grade 1 listed bridge into a giant artwork celebrating peace as part of this year's festival.

He plans to wrap the ancient stone structure in a giant patchwork of fabrics, reflecting the crafts and cultures of Wales alongside the festival’s participating nations.

Called Bridges, Not Walls, the artwork represents the idea of peace on which the festival was founded nearly 75 years ago.

Jerram is known for public art installations around the world including Museum of the Moon, Play Me, I’m Yours, which brought street pianos to dozens of international cities, and his recent Glass Microbiology sculptures depicting the coronavirus and its vaccine.

Whilst the Llangollen Eisteddfod will mainly be held online this year, organisers hope the eye-catching Bridges, Not Walls will also attract people to visit the town this summer.

In a race against time, 800 squares of one-metre-wide fabric, including local donations from Llangollen, have been stitched together to cover both sides of the 60 metre-long bridge.

Even the water below it will be transformed with the reflections and colours from the bridge.

There will be artwork panels covering the bridge's arches and stanchions, or columns, which stand in the water and support the bridge above.

Luke said: “The message and celebration of peace is at the heart of the Llangollen Eisteddfod and so this historic bridge, one of the seven wonders of Wales, makes the perfect canvas."

Due to the pandemic this year’s Eisteddfod will be largely held online, with the main programme being presented over the weekend of the July 9-11.

Bridges, Not Walls will remain in place on Llangollen Bridge until August 5.

With major event funding from Welsh Government, this year’s online Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will celebrate the broadest possible range of musical genres from classical, opera and choral, to jazz, soul and rock, to connect with existing and new audiences in preparation for its physical return in 2022.

* For more information, visit https://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/

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Have your say on how North Wales is policed

* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin (left) and Chief Constable Carl Foulkes.  

People in North Wales are being urged to help draw up a new blueprint for the way the region is policed and help decide where 20 extra PCSOs should work.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and Chief Constable Carl Foulkes are asking local communities, groups and representative bodies to tell them what they think is most important and what they are most worried about.

Mr Dunbobbin is preparing to write his first Police and Crime Plan after being elected in May and is keen for as many people as possible to have a voice in the process.

Along with the  Chief Constable, he is asking people to take part in a survey which will help shape North Wales Police’s priorities.

The survey covers all aspects of policing, from tackling serious and organised crime and protecting children and young people from sexual exploitation and abuse, to dealing with social media trolling and responding to non-emergency calls.

The survey is now  available at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SMDKY8R for people to complete until Friday, August 20.

Paper copies will be available for those who do not wish to fill in the online version. There will also be an easy read version available.

It’s in the form of multiple choice questions with participants indicating on a scale of one to five how important they consider each different aspect of policing to be.

The aim is to publish the plan in September.

Mr Dunbobbin said: "North Wales is one of safest places to live, work and visit in the UK and I want to ensure we keep it that way. As the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, I have statutory duty to consult local people on policing priorities. 

“In consultation with the force, I’m drafting my first Police and Crime Plan and in order to do that the force and I need to be aware what local people believe the policing priorities should be.

"My aim is to ensure that the views, needs and expectations of all parts of our communities are reflected in the plan.

“I am accountable to the people when it comes to crime and anti-social behaviour so it is vitally important for me to find out what people think about how the region should be policed.

“The updated Police and Crime Plan will set out in plain English and Welsh the level of service people can expect to receive from their local police force. 

“Essentially, I will be consulting the public on the policies contained in my manifesto when I was elected. 

“The Welsh Government is funding an increase in the number of PCSOs in Wales from 500 to 600. I have had conversations to make sure that North Wales gets its fair share and as a result the force is to have an additional 20 of them.

“The survey also provides people with the opportunity to give their view on where they think the PCSOs should work.

"Importantly, the rights and interests of victims will be at the heart of the Police and Crime Plan. 

“The North Wales Victim Help Centre does excellent work and it has specialist teams have been set up to provide support for victims of cybercrime, child sexual exploitation, modern day slavery and fraud. 

“I am keen to invest further in victim services and I will be setting up a victims’ panel so that survivors also have a voice in the way we operate and the support we provide so that we can do things better. 

“The purpose of the Police and Crime Plan is to ensure the force is paying specific attention to those points which have been identified as crucial by the public, me and indeed by the force itself.

“An important part of my role as Commissioner will be to monitor the force’s compliance with the plan and I will be rigorous in holding them to account on behalf of the people of North Wales.”

Chief Constable Foulkes said: “The views  of the people of North Wales are are really important to us and through previous surveys have shaped the force we are today.

“We want to make sure we are addressing the concerns of local communities to influence the content and priorities of the Police and Crime Plan, and crucially how North Wales is policed. Our aim is to ensure that all our diverse local communities have a say in shaping future services and the allocation of resources.

“Completing the survey won’t take up too much time but it will make a big difference in terms of our understanding of what is important to the public, what they think we do well and where they think we could improve. The Commissioner  and I look forward to hearing from as many people as possible.”

* Paper copies of the survey are available by contacting opcc@nthwales.pnn.police.uk or 01492 805486.  An easy read version of the survey is also available.

Strictly head judge Shirley sees Shea's smash-hit charity show

* Shea put together and performed in the finale concert. 

* Strictly's Shirley Ballas congratulates Shea on the success of the show.

* Louise Cielecki on stage. 

* Amy Grace makes an appearance.

* Talented young singer Celyn Orton-Jones.

* Baritone Sam Snowden.

* Singer and Shirley Ballas's friend Daniel Taylor with his guitar.

* The evening's compere Andy Snowden. 

* Shea duets with Louise Cielecki.

Enterprising young entertainer Shea Ferron brought his latest series of charity concerts to a resounding finale with a show performed both live and online last night (Saturday).

And a star of national TV joined a small, invited audience at Lllangollen Town Hall in a series of standing ovations to the talented 18 year old and the terrific team that helped him do it.

Shea has been rapidly building up a portfolio of acting and singing appearances in the area for a number of years.

He has joined the cast of numerous shows with Llangollen Operatic Society, its junior section the Young ‘Uns, and the Collen Players music hall group, winning a number of amateur stage awards into the bargain.

During the pandemic he sang his way through a series of self-arranged open-air gigs to raise thousands of pounds for good causes.

His finale concert in aid of the Welsh mental health charity Hafal was a hybrid affair before a 30-strong, socially-distanced audience of family, friends and supporters which was also live streamed on social media.

Among those at the Town Hall was Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas who was there with her partner, the star of Blood Brothers UK Daniel Taylor, with whom Shea has become friends as a result of his performance work and who readily agreed to join him on stage last night.

A host of local companies helped Shea stage the spectacular affair including Orb Sound and Lighting which arranged the technical side of the production.

Professional compere was Andy Snowden, also well known on the local and regional entertainment circuit, and after his own opening number, Mr Cellophane from the musical Chicago, he introduced another up-and-coming young singer Amy Grace.

She thrilled with numbers including the title song from forthcoming 25th Bond film No Time to Die and Jolene by Dolly Parton.

First to bring the Town Hall crowd to their feet was Royal Northern College of Music graduate and Shea’s fellow John Boys Male Voice Choir singer Sam Snowden who used his impressive baritone to bring us hits from musicals Blood Brothers, Frozen II, Waitress and a resounding Toreadur from Carmen.

Next up came Celyn Orton-Jones, a young lady familiar to local audiences through her numerous appearances with local societies such as the Operatic Society’s Young ‘Uns.

She chose a powerful selection of show numbers rounded off in style with In a Crowd of Thousands from Anastasia.  

After the break it was back with a knock-about duet from Shea and his old Young ‘Uns pal Louise Cielecki, the Song That Goes Like This from Spamalot.     

Shirley Ballas’s friend, Liverpool-born actor, producer and director Daniel Taylor has appeared in a string of stage roles including Sammy in Blood Brothers in the West End and on national tour.

He chose to sit simply with his guitar playing some powerful numbers of his own composition, including a poignant homage to the NHS and, diversely, ending with The King of the Swingers from the musical Jungle Book.

Louise Cielecki came back to belt out the title song from Beauty and the Beast, Little Girls from the musical Annie and, most movingly, I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables.

Shea bounded back on stage to wind up with his own sensational selection which included the equally tear-jerking Tell Me It’s Not True from Blood Brothers and Empty Chairs and Empty Tables from Les Miserables.

At the end of the highly enjoyable show he was able to announce that the efforts of himself and his multi-talented friends had raised close on £400 for Hafal, with contributions still being accepted at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hafalconcert        

* Shea has since announced on Facebook that Shirley Ballas has made a major donation to the appeal 

He posted: "I’m extremely grateful to Shirley Ballas for the offer of a further £500 for the charity which will take us up to just over £1,000 pound which is truly amazing."

Off-roaders force Glyn Ceiriog residents to say "enough is enough"

* Simon Baynes MP with County Councillor Trevor Bates, PCSO Gareth Jones, Police Sergeant Jenna Hughes and a Wrexham Council Highways Department representative in Ty Nant, Glyn Ceiriog.

Welsh Conservative Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes made a socially distanced visit to Glyn Ceiriog to discuss problems with off-road vehicles on small country lanes.

Mr Baynes met with Ceiriog Valley county councillor Trevor Bates, Police Sergeant Jenna Hughes, PCSO Gareth Jones and local residents.

The area attracts off-road bike users in particular, due to the road conditions.

PCSO Jones said he had recently spoke to a group who had come from areas such as Nottingham and the Midlands. 

Similar scenes have also played out in other parts of Wales, not only for motorbikes but also groups of 4x4s, and in the Lake District and North Yorkshire.

Cllr Bates, said: “Enough is enough. My inbox is crammed with similar complaints from local residents who are being driven away from ancient lanes and old drovers tracks because of touring motorised vehicles with thrill-seeking drivers whose actions are basically bullying walkers, cyclists and horse riders away from their local countryside. 

"There are some careful and considerate people driving these lanes but we are also seeing more and more illegal activity on the lanes which seems to attract vehicles from all over the UK and abroad. 

"I'm hearing of more and more confrontations between landowners and 4x4 drivers and motorcyclists. And I recently heard of drivers being threatened with a shotgun which makes one wonder what pushed a person to such extremes. 

“I don't want to stop people from enjoying the countryside in a responsible way, but to see my constituents suffer the intrusions of noise, pollution and crime combined with danger and threats is simply not acceptable. 

"I am now calling on both Welsh Government and Westminster to undertake a review of the effects that off-roading is having on areas like the Ceiriog Valley and Snowdonia in Wales, and the likes of Cumbria, the Peak District and North Yorkshire National Parks in England.”

PCSO Gareth Jones, said: “The Ceiriog Valley has for so long had issues with anti-social driving with trail bikes and 4x4 use in the area along the tracks, which has caused much disturbance for local residents and tourists. 

"And, since the easing of lockdown restrictions, the number of incidents reported in the area has been increasing. 

"As a result, some people no longer feel safe walking, horse riding or cycling in the area. The lack of maintenance of the lanes over the years, with sheer rock and in places deep mud, has created the perfect conditions for off-road motorbikes as they use it as a scrambling track."

He added: "We patrol the area and engage with the community as much as we can, but of course, it is impossible to be there 24 hours a day, especially given the isolated nature of where these incidents occur. 

"As a result, my colleague PCSO Martin Griffiths and I arranged a meeting with the help of local Councillor Trevor Bates, who has done a fantastic job working with Wrexham Council to hopefully get new gates installed along the tracks. 

"The plans for new gates are a welcome feature that will hopefully deter motorcycles and off-road vehicles using the lanes in future. We urge anyone who witnesses anti-social driving in the area to contact officers of 101, or via the web chat.”

Simon Baynes MP said: “I was very sorry to hear of the incidents experienced by residents and their families in the Ceiriog Valley, some of which could have had devastating consequences. 

"This is completely unacceptable. It’s extremely important that road users and visitors to the area drive safely, and comply with the law, to prevent dangerous situations. 

"I would like to thank all of those who attended the meeting with me recently, especially North Wales Police, and I was grateful to be able to speak to residents and hear from them first-hand about this problem blighting our otherwise idyllic countryside in the Ceiriog Valley.”

Covid passes available online for urgent international travel

People living in Wales who have received the Covid vaccine will be able to access their vaccination status via the internet from today (Friday) to generate an NHS COVID Pass for urgent outbound international travel.

Vaccine certificates have been available in Wales since May for those who need to urgently travel internationally and provide proof of their vaccination status, with certificates being sent in the post. 

The paper certificates will continue to be issued only for people who are unable to access the digital Pass.

Access to the NHS COVID Pass in Wales means that proof of vaccination will be available for people to show on their phone, tablet or laptop. 

Covid vaccination status is available if you:

• Have had the COVID-19 vaccine 
• Were vaccinated in Wales
• Are aged 16 or over 

The digital pass will show if you have been vaccinated against Covid, although you will still need to check entry requirements for the country you intend to visit such as number of vaccination doses, testing and isolation, and will still need to follow travel rules such as pre-departure testing.

 

Your Covid vaccination status can be viewed online on the NHS COVID Pass website, where you can either download or print it as a PDF document.  

This is the only valid digital vaccination status available; any alternative services claiming to offer proof of vaccine status for a fee are not legitimate.

 

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: "I’m pleased that people in Wales can now access their vaccination status via the NHS COVID Pass if they need to travel urgently and have completed their vaccine course.

 

“It’s important to remember that the Welsh Government advice on travel hasn’t changed, and people should only consider international travel if absolutely essential.”

 

People in Wales can now access their vaccination status on their phone, tablet or laptop using the digital NHS COVID Pass. Work is ongoing to integrate England’s NHS App and NHS Wales systems to allow people in Wales to use it.

 

People can request a bilingual NHS COVID Pass letter by calling 0300 303 5667.

 

Latest coronavirus update from Welsh Government

 

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

• Welsh Government Ministers visited Wrexham-based Wockhardt today to praise the workforce’s crucial role in manufacturing the Astra Zeneca vaccine, which is playing a major part in Wales’ highly-successful Covid vaccine programme: https://gov.wales/ministers-praise-wrexham-based-wockhardt-covid-vaccine-success
• Travel advice for Welsh football and Lions fans: https://gov.wales/written-statement-euro-2020-travel-advice-football-fans
• Guidance for local authorities and places of worships – marriage ceremonies and the forming of civil partnerships: https://gov.wales/guidance-marriages-and-civil-partnerships-coronavirus
• Latest summary of advice from the Technical Advisory Cell: https://gov.wales/advice-coronavirus-technical-advisory-cell
• Updated guidance – Schools: https://gov.wales/schools-coronavirus-guidance 

Coronavirus in numbers

• The latest figures published by Public Health Wales today show there have been 438 newly-reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 216,030 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.
• There were no new deaths reported by Public Health Wales today. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 5,573.
• 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 published every weekday by Public Health Wales.
• The latest figures show 2,245,884 people have received their first dose.
• And 1,571,710 people have completed their two-dose course 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 must have a test on day one and day eight if you have been told to self-isolate by NHS Wales Test Trace Protect.
• 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

• Wales has moved into alert level one. More information is available at: https://gov.wales/current-restrictions
• 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
• 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 weekly Ministerial press conference on Mondays – these are televised on S4C and broadcast on our social media channels – this is in addition to the 21-day coronavirus regulation review press conference, which is led by the First Minister.