Call for action to stop off-roaders using green lanes

* From left, Liz Hughes, Rheinallt Hughes, Mike Crawshaw, Llyr Gruffydd MS, Councillor Trevor Bates, Glyn Jones and Alan Gardner from Agrisgôp Leader.  

Farmers in the Ceiriog Valley have met with Plaid Cymru's North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd to make their case for action to prevent off-roaders, who they say often turn up in gangs with uninsured and untaxed vehicles, from using green lanes into the Berwyn range.  

Mr Gruffydd says the problem also affects a countryside area of Llangollen. 

The farmers met the MS on the Wayfarers track going from Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog over to Llandrillo near Corwen, an old drovers' track that has become impassable over the years due to neglect and damage caused by the off-roaders. 

Llyr Gruffydd said: "Farmers are at their wits' end in dealing with some off-roaders who are abusive, violent and confrontational. The farmers are trying to go about their work and earn a living while off-roaders damage property, frighten livestock and leave gates unclosed.  

"The green lanes that the off-roaders favour are becoming more damaged with overuse and a variety of agencies - including the Welsh Government - seem unable or unwilling to act. 

"I was glad to be listen to the situation first-hand, as I have with farmers on the other side of the Berwyn range in the Llandrillo and Cynwyd area. 

"There have also been problems in the Llangollen area, notably Allt y Badi. 

"This is not an isolated problem of course - it affects many parts of Wales and that's why I think we need a more joined-up approach to resolving it for the benefit of local residents and responsible users of these important pathways and lanes. 

"The police have a role here and I was glad to hear compliments about former Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones who had taken an interest in this matter. 

"The new PCC needs to follow up on that and the police have a part to play in stamping out criminality. Other agencies including the local council, Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales as well as landowners and those seeking to use these routes for their leisure also need to come together.

"The problem in the past is that no one organisation has taken responsibility or ownership of the issue. 

"Given the extent of the problem, that neglect from the various authorities can't continue." 

Also in attendance at the meeting was local councillor Trevor Bates and Alan Gardner, who has been supporting a group of local farmers to face the challenges and develop solutions through Farming Connect’s Agrisgôp programme, delivered by Menter a Busnes on behalf of the Welsh Government.

Volunteer drivers needed for community transport scheme

* South Denbighshire Community Partnership’s transport team, from left, Tom Taylor, Maggie Harding and volunteer driver Bob Jaques.

A successful Denbighshire community transport scheme is appealing for volunteer drivers as it continues its expansion into Llangollen.

South Denbighshire Community Partnership’s not-for-profit scheme is travelling further afield as it helps elderly and vulnerable people to get out and about.

As part of a £500,000 three-year initiative SDCP have extended their services along the Dee Valley to Llangollen and its surrounding villages from its base in Corwen.

The partnership’s social inclusion services include a dial-a-ride facility, luncheon club, meals-on-wheels, leisure excursions and shopping trips.

But a bigger area means more drivers are needed to keep the charity’s fleet of six grant-funded vehicles busy so it has launched an appeal for volunteers to join the loyal pool of 18 drivers who donate their time each week.

South Denbighshire Community Partnership transport co-ordinator for Corwen and Llangollen Maggie Harding said: “All our drivers are volunteers and they are our lifeblood. Without them generously giving up their time we wouldn’t be able to run any services.

“As of now we have 18 volunteers but five operate the daily meals on wheels and only six of our pool have the documentation to drive the mini-bus.

“Now we’ve a larger area to cover we really need more volunteers to help us reach people in outlying villages with limited transport.

“If anyone has a couple of hours to spare on a morning or afternoon any day of the week, we’d love to hear from them.

“The more drivers we’re able to call on, the more comprehensive services we can offer across our bigger area.”

Anyone interested in being a volunteer driver can call Maggie on 01490 266004.

Maggie added: “Many service users live in rural locations where public transport is not a viable option for them to attend local events, social gatherings or even get to clinic and hospital appointments.

“It’s our mission to get them where they need to be via as smooth-running an operation as possible.

“It’s our aim to reduce social isolation among community members who struggle to get out and assist them to participate fully in community activities.”

SDCP say there has never been a greater need for the service which has adapted to continue its service even at the height of lockdown.

Pre-pandemic, drivers ferried people to destinations in dedicated vehicles, but in lockdown they couldn’t take passengers so they delivered prescriptions, shopping and activity packs instead.

Bob Jaques became a driver just before the pandemic struck. He said: “Many of our usual activities had to be stopped due to social distancing but we managed to adapt.

“I and several other drivers would pick up and deliver prescriptions for people using our own cars. We’d drop them off ensuring there was the required distance between us and each recipient.”

Now Bob is happy to be back driving people around in the community fleet and he said: “I recently took out a lady in a wheelchair with her daughter carer. She’d been shielding for 16 months unable to go anywhere.

“It was quite emotional seeing their delight at finally getting out. That’s why we became volunteers – to bring people together, help them overcome mobility issues and let them know they’re all valued members or our community.”

Maggie said take up of Meals on Wheels soared during lockdown as the Luncheon Club in Canolfan Ni, Corwen, had to close and they have delivered 4,000 meals in the Corwen area since the start of lockdown.”

Services are returning as pandemic restrictions ease though some social distancing measures remain.

The Luncheon Club is back up and running but wider spacing of tables means it can only cater for 15 diners instead of the pre-pandemic 40 while the 14-seater mini-bus is only carrying a maximum of seven people.

Tom Taylor, SDCP Strategic Implementation Officer, said: “Our entire organisation pulled together to inject flexibility into our usual operations. We continued to communicate with users and provide the most assistance possible even at the peak of lockdown.

“The fact that we’re now extending our boundaries into Llangollen is another big achievement which we’re all very excited about.”

They have adopted dial-a-ride from the Rotary Club in Dee Valley and he said: “This is a lifeline for many residents particularly in outlying villages so we absorbed it and are working hard to provide a comprehensive service for all those who need it in both areas.

“More volunteer drivers would help us meet every user’s needs but meantime it’s all hands to the pump to minimise social isolation and make sure the vulnerable know we’re here for them.”

The Llangollen area merger means the community transport scheme acquired an extra vehicle, a smart wheelchair-accessible Vauxhall Caddy.

Maggie said: “It’s named Brian after Brian Evans, the Rotarian who inspired Rotary to establish the dial-a-ride service in Llangollen. We aim to get it made-over like our others into South Denbighshire Community Partnership livery.” 

They also transferred a Toyota Rav electric-petrol hybrid from Dee Valley, originally funded by the National Lottery and have christened her Tanya.

The others include Percy – a Peugeot Partner funded by the Morrisons Foundation, with an oven and fridge compartment for meals on wheels prepared in Canolfan Ni Community Centre kitchens by a catering team and delivered to registered customers five days a week.

For dial-a-ride requests the team use two electric vehicles Morgan the MG Excite, funded by the National Lottery, and Neli the Nissan Leaf, funded by Cadwyn Clwyd.

These ferry people into town for hospital or GP appointments, to hairdressers, group exercise sessions, meetings run by MIND, organised social events, or just to visit friends. Membership is £15 per person annually plus a token running costs charge for each journey.

Maggie said: “We also have our marvellous Citroen Relay mini-bus, Bryn, administered by Denbighshire County Council, which can also take a wheelchair.

“We use it to bring residents from Edeyrnion to twice-weekly lunch clubs, a weekly shopping trip, picking up and dropping them off at people’s front doors to take them to local stores in Llangollen.

“The mini-bus is also used for excursions. Trips so far have included to Llandudno and Barmouth, with others planned later in the season if the pandemic rules allow.

“The bus is a huge community asset. Ideally we could do with two or better still, three.”

The Community Transport Scheme’s services are now well established in the Edeyrnion area covering Corwen and the villages of Cynwyd, Carrog, Llandrillo, Llidiart y Parc, Glyndyfrdwy, Betws Gwerfyl Goch, Melin y Wig, Gwyddelwern and Brynegwlys.

Now the scheme has pushed further into Dee Valley it also covers Llangollen and neighbouring villages of Pentredwr, Pengwern, Eglwyseg, Llantysilio and Rhewl.

* For more information about the scheme and South Denbighshire Community Partnership services call 01490 266 004, visit www.canolfan-ni.org or email: office@sdcp.org.

MP cuts the ribbon to open new Llan business

* At the ribbon-cutting ceremony are, from left, Gaynor Gee, Patricia Wooding, Rebekah Price and her husband Tom, Simon Baynes MP, Karen Johnstone, Madison Griffiths and Courtney Greenwood. 

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes cut the ribbon to officially open the new Finley's Cafe and Sandwich Bar on Abbey Road this morning (Monday).

Owner Rebekah Price said the venture, which has created four jobs, had fulfilled a long-standing dream for her.

Rebekah took over the lease on the former ice cream parlour only a matter of weeks ago but has since put in a new floor and additional seating downstairs to create a total of 24 to 25 covers on two floors.

She originally moved into the old newsagents shop next door seven years ago and transformed it into a sandwich bar.

Another feature of her new, expanded enterprise is a small door which connects the two adjacent businesses so staff can move easily between the two sides.

Rebekah employed two staff in the sandwich bar but has taken on four more - all local people - for the twin businesses, which are open each day from 7.30am-4.30pm.

The new cafe will serve all-day breakfasts, sandwiches, a variety of home-made cakes and the usual teas and speciality coffees, using as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible.

Declaring the new venture open, Simon Baynes MP said: "It's good to see another new business opening in the town and I wish Rebekah and her team every success." 

Ambulance service urges public to use life-saving app

Welsh Ambulance Service is asking the public to download a life-saving app which helps it to find people in remote locations in an emergency.

The Trust has used what3words to locate more than 800 ill or injured people in hard-to-reach areas since it introduced the technology in February 2020.

what3words has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares, and has given each square a unique combination of three words.

///validated.deeds.nature, for example, will take you to the Tommy Jones Obelisk in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Giving this unique three-word combination to 999 operators in an emergency means they can establish your precise location.

what3words is now used by more than 85% of UK emergency services.

Gill Pleming, Clinical Contact Centre Manager at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “what3words has proven to be such a hugely valuable tool since we launched it last year, helping us to locate 800 ill or injured people in remote locations who otherwise we would have struggled to find.

“With the popularity of ‘staycations’ on the rise, we’re anticipating more visitors to Wales than ever before, which is why we would urge the public to download this free app now in order to save precious time in an emergency.”

Downloading what3words is one of the simplest actions the public can take to support stretched emergency control rooms.

The app is free to download for both iOS and Android and works entirely offline making it ideal for use in areas of the UK with an unreliable data connection, like beaches, national parks and campsites.

what3words can also be used via the online map at what3words.com.

The app is available in over 45 languages, including Welsh, and can be used anywhere in the world.

Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and Chief Executive of what3words, said: “Being in need of urgent help and not being able to easily describe where help is needed can be very distressing for the caller, and a really difficult situation for emergency services.

“Today people nearly always have their phones on them.

“Ahead of a busy summer, with Brits holidaying at home, we need to use the tools at our disposal to improve public services, support emergency control centres and potentially save lives.”

The Welsh Ambulance Service is supporting the what3words #KnowExactlyWhere campaign (26 July-01 August) which calls on the public to download the app.

* Visit www.knowexactlywhere.com for more information.

UK Government Minister visits Llangollen Railway

* Simon Baynes and Amanda Milling speak to 

volunteers at the station.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes welcomed the Conservative Party Chairman and UK Government Minister, Amanda Milling, on a socially distanced visit to Llangollen Railway following its reopening earlier this month.

Mrs Milling’s visit came as part of her Levelling Up Tour during which she is visiting areas which are part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda to provide jobs and opportunities across the whole of the UK. 

Llangollen Railway is part of an area bid for Levelling Up funding to help create opportunity and economic prosperity in Clwyd South.

Mr Baynes and Mrs Milling met with volunteers on the platform and took a train from Llangollen to Berwyn Station and back again on which the driver was John Joyce and the guard was Matt Carty.

They also met with Paul Reynolds (Operations Manager), Bob Creasey (Secretary to the Board), Phil Freeth (Finance Director), Mike Williams, Tom Taylor (Advisor to the Board). 

Overall, there are 600 active volunteers helping the Llangollen Railway including a fast-growing youth group. 

Mrs Milling said: “It was brilliant to visit Llangollen Railway as part of my Levelling Up tour of the United Kingdom.

“It was great to hear about the work that the volunteers do for the railway and the tourists that enjoy visiting. 

“Levelling up our country is a key mission of this Conservative government to help improve communities across the country. 

“I wish Simon and the team at Llangollen the best of luck with their area levelling up bid which I know would help create opportunity and economic prosperity in the area.” 

Simon Baynes said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome Amanda Milling MP to Llangollen and to showcase the amazing work of our volunteers in bringing the railway back into action after so many months. 

"It was a pleasure to meet again with everyone involved on the platform and to make a special journey between Llangollen and Berwyn and back with the Conservative Party Chairman.

“It was also a very valuable opportunity for me to stress the benefits of UK Government investment for our communities in Clwyd South which would benefit massively following the Covid-19 pandemic and would help unlock the potential of our young people by bringing in new jobs and opportunities. 

"I will continue to make the case for our area to receive Levelling Up funding, and I look forward to working with UK Government Ministers to advance our case over the coming months.”

Audi's luxury hybrid has some serious tech

Audi A8 plug-in hybrid drive by Steve Rogers

It is packed with the sort of wizard technology you would expect to find in a jet fighter with a computer system to match,  and thanks to an electric motor Audi's luxury A8 is good to go until 2035.

Hybrid cars have been given a five year lease of life after new petrol and diesel engined cars are confined to history in 2030.... unless the Government of the day has to do an embarrassing U-turn because we are not ready to switch to electric motoring.

Let's not worry about that, back to the here and now the German giant's flagship has been given a new lease of life thanks to electric power that makes it cleaner, quieter and quicker.

Helping out the three litre V6 petrol is an electric motor that racks up around 110bhp bringing the tally to a whopping 443bhp. But the key number is 500 and that is the Newton metres of torque blasting out when the accelerator is plunged although to get this cruise missile performance switch to sport mode because in standard drive the eight speed tiptronic gearbox is a tad slow to respond.

Is this a car for tearing away from the traffic lights? Of course not, the A8 will spend most of its time cruising cities and motorways with nothing more than the whisper of wind to disturb the passengers who will more than likely be chauffeured.

This is the sort of car seen depositing A listers at movie premiers, one down from a Rolls-Royce or Bentley at less than half the price. Sumptuous leather interior, thick pile carpets, gadgets galore, and the smoothest of rides thanks to air suspension on both axles. This car will even glide over a speed bump.

The silent running comes into play with the battery powered electric motor which is good for about 29 miles and can be driven at up to 84mph, but the hybrid really comes into its own in towns and cities where it is keeping the air clean and getting the most miles out of the batteries.

Audi has been pushing the boundaries on technology since A8 was introduced in 2003 and this fourth generation is another tour de force. The driver's digital cockpit has become a regular feature, interchangeable with fantastic high definition Google mapping. The main change has come in the centre console, a bone of contention with many, and I am at the front of the queue.

The rotary controller, and efficient and safe way of selecting the various functions, has been replaced by touch screens which are not difficulty to master but still drawer eyes away from the road.

I tried voice control but my Welsh accent was too much for the young lady who failed to pick up a post code or tune me into Radio 2 or 5 Live. Somehow my instruction brought up Radio Wales.

What I did like was the delicate click and vibration of the touch sensitive switches, the selection of colours for the mood lighting and the powered doors which open and close at the slightest touch on the handles.

The serious technology is centred around the car's safety features which virtually allow the car to drive itself by keeping it within its lane and a set distance to the vehicle in front, braking and accelerating according to the speed selected.

Audi has been in a decade's long battle for supremacy with Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series and, frankly, all three are brilliant cars, but for me the Audi just has the edge on interior finish. And then I was brought down to earth with a bump. Having spent many miles on roughish coastal roads an annoying creek developed in the trim around the sunroof. Shock, gasp. Even the mighty can falter.

It never ceases to amaze me that the big three charge a heap of money for their luxury cars but can still find room for extras. My test car was £91k but still had six grands worth of extras but that is small change if you can afford that for a car.

Fast facts

A8 60 TFSI e quattro

£91,550

3-litre petrol + electric motor 443bhp

0-62mph 4.9secs; 155mph

128.4mpg with electric assistance

36mpg petrol only

52g/km. VED £25

Insurance group 29

Boot: 390 litres

County's cabinet gives go-ahead to 2020 traffic scheme

 

* An artist's impression of how the completed scheme will look.

Denbighshire County Council's powerful cabinet has given the go-ahead to the £1.7 million plan to re-shape Llangollen town centre's road system.

Its unanimous approval subject to a number of important amendments at this morning’s webcast meeting was greeted as a “historic day” for the town by both local county councillor Graham Timms and cabinet chair, Cllr Hugh Evans, who went on to describe Llangollen as “the jewel in the crown” of Denbighshire.  

The 2020 scheme, as it was originally known, means the removal of on-street parking from Castle Street and from the Abbey Road/Castle Street junction to enable the adjacent pavements to be widened and reduce parking-related congestion on Castle Street. 

Other proposals include introducing a number of pedestrian dropped kerbs along Castle Street and to reduce traffic speeds by raising the road surface at some side road junctions as well as providing loading bays for businesses on Castle Street, together with disabled parking spaces near to Castle Street. 

It is also proposed to make Market Street one-way in a westerly direction between Castle Street and East Street.

The Castle Street improvement is part of a phased-approach to improve parking and to improve walking and cycling routes in the town. 

A recent three-week public consultation exercise resulted in a total of 507 questionnaire responses being received by the council. 

The number of people who agreed with the various proposals generally ranged from between 60% and 68%.

The number of people who disagreed with the various proposals generally varied from between 25% and 36.

A total of 64% respondents said the project is generally a good idea, with some of those saying the project could be improved further.

A total of 36% of respondents said that the project isn’t generally a good idea.

As a result of the consultation a list of amendments was made to the scheme which are:

1. Change the two proposed loading bays for Castle Street to general loading bays. This is proposed in response to concerns raised by business owners about them not being able to use their own vehicles to unload goods.  

2. Consider placing time limit on Castle Street loading bay from 0930 until 6pm.

3. Change the proposed loading bay for Market Street to a general loading bay.

4. Inset proposed Castle Street loading bays (this means that the existing pavements won’t be widened where they are adjacent to the proposed loading bays).

5. Withdraw the proposal to close Short Street.

6. Consider amendments to East Street/Parade Street 90 degree bend Consider scope to improve the existing “pinch-point” issues that have been reported.

7. Consider and, if possible, provide additional short stay parking on Market Street one way section. One-way restriction may provide sufficient width to provide 2 no. on-street parking spaces.

8. Undertake traffic assessment and consider options for re-routing of HGV through traffic.

A further significant amendment came at the cabinet meeting when members agreed to a suggestion from Cllr Tony Thomas that the pavement outside the town hall be further recessed to allow the loading bay earmarked for this spot to become a free, short-stay parking area for residents and businesses.

In doing this, Cllr Jones, lead member for waste, transport and the environment, assured that the “town hall tree” nearby would be treated with “tender, loving care”.

It was also agreed to explore to possibility of providing between 100 and 150 parking spaces on land east of Llangollen Health Centre.

Recommending the scheme’s approval Cllr Jones said that during the consultation period he had walked the streets of the town centre and received a number of positive comments about the proposals.

He added: “This is a big, important project and I really want to see it happen. It has the support of the area’s MP and Senedd Member and we hope to deliver it next year.”

Mike Jones, the traffic officer in charge of delivering the scheme, outlined the issues it is meant to solve, including traffic congestion and the difficulties faced by pedestrians in crossing Castle Street, particularly in the busy spring and summer periods.

The scheme, he said, would “create a much more friendly pedestrian environment” and provide loading bays for businesses in the area.

Traffic regulation orders for the scheme will go out next month with work starting in September. With a six to seven month construction period, it should be completed by March of next year, he explained.

Cllr Jones added: “We’ve worked with residents and we’ve listened to businesses and, as a result, have put compromises in the scheme. However, I realise not everyone is happy about it.”

He said that as this was an on-going project, phase two would look at a weight restriction for HGVs and extra parking close to the health centre.

Local county councillor Melvyn Mile, who was observing the meeting, said the consultation had shown two-thirds to one-third of people questioned in favour of the scheme in general.

He added: “It would be a tragedy if this £1.7 million could not be spent on Llangollen. It’s a long-standing complaint that the town doesn’t get any investment from Denbighshire, so this is very welcome.”

The other local county councillor, Graham Timms, chair of the 2020 working group, said: “It was a locally-led initiative to tackle long-standing traffic issues.

“We had to recognise the conflicting needs of specific groups but it will be the biggest improvement in Llangollen in generations if this is approved and a historic moment.”

A number of cabinet members expressed their support for the scheme.

And the chair, Cllr Hugh Evans, said: “We went out of our way to engage and consult as widely as we could on this scheme.

“This level of investment is a historic day. Llangollen is the jewel in the crown of Denbighshire and a lovely place to visit but we need to make it better.”

Cabinet members voted unanimously to approve the scheme.

Later Llangollen town councillor Stuart Davies, who watched the cabinet webcast, contacted llanblogger to say: “I welcome a number of concessions made, including the loading bay outside the town hall being used for parking, the multi-use of other loading bays on Castle Street and the re-opening of Short Street.

“I also welcome the commitment to look at providing extra parking on land east of the health centre.”   

After the meeting, County Cllor Timms sent the following statement to llanblogger:

"Llangollen 2020 was initially a locally led initiative to tackle the longstanding problem of how a small market town designed in the days of the horse and cart can adapt to modern day demands of the active, and the not so active traveller.

 Cllr Graham Timms' further statement

"After the 2017 election as elected members we made it our priority to work with the community to seriously tackle this problem, working with the town council, the chamber of trade, Denbighshire County Council and Welsh Government to search for solutions. The Llangollen 2020 group was set up and terms of reference were agreed between partners.

"Over the last 4 years there has been an emphasis on encouraging everyone to get involved in searching for solutions and agreeing a way forward. The three major consultations on the scheme have identified areas where there is a broad agreement and the final scheme before you today includes these areas, but also recognises the conflicting needs of specific groups. As Mike has demonstrated, the county has responded to the concerns of everyone who participated.

"We had no budget and so we're delighted in 2011 when £500,000 of a new Welsh Government Grant was agreed by the Denbighshire cabinet to be allocated towards what is now a £1.75m project. If agreed today this will be the biggest investment in Llangollen for generations and the quality of the materials will also ensure that its effect is felt for generations to come. It is a historic opportunity, demonstrating how an active community driven scheme, funded by DCC and Welsh Government Grants can help to solve problems and create a better place to live work and visit.

"Llangollen's problems will not be entirely solved by this scheme and the report recognises the need to continue to work with the community to find solutions to parking as the next priority. Thankfully, that is likely to cost much less, but will be time consuming to find an adequate solution.

"I'd like to thank all those who have been involved in getting the scheme to this stage and finally I'd like to thank Robyn Lovelock who has been instrumental in driving this project from the start and whose dedication energy and ability has inspired us all.

"I would urge you as cabinet members to agree this proposal to transform Llangollen into a place that we can all be proud of."