Government rules sporting events to be played without crowds

 

Sporting events will be played behind closed doors from Boxing Day in Wales to help control the spread of the new omicron variant of Covid-19.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething today announced the new measures for indoor and outdoor sporting events as the latest figures showed a further steep rise in the number of confirmed cases of the fast-moving variant. He also confirmed a £3m Spectator Sports Fund will be available to support clubs and sporting venues affected by the new measures to protect public health. Further details about the fund will be available following discussions with the sector. The Economy Minister said: “Sporting events over the Christmas period are one of the big highlights of the year. Unfortunately, the new omicron variant is a significant development in the pandemic and could cause a large number of infections. “We need to do everything we can to protect people’s health and control the spread of this awful virus. “Throughout the pandemic we have followed scientific and public health advice to keep people safe. The advice is clear – we need to act now in response to the threat of omicron. We are giving people as much notice of these decisions as we can. “Crowds will come back as soon as possible. We want everyone to be here to enjoy their favourite sports.” The decision comes as some football clubs have already announced Christmas matches have been postponed because of cases of Covid-19 in their squads. Cardiff City FC has postponed its Boxing Day match against Coventry City due to several cases of Covid-19 in its playing squad and staff. And League Two leaders Forest Green will not be playing Newport County. The latest figures show omicron cases are rising quickly in all parts of Wales. The overall rate of coronavirus infections is also rising in Wales and now stands at just under 550 cases per 100,000 people. The First Minister last week warned of a gathering storm of omicron infections after the Christmas period as some strengthened measures were introduced from 27 December to protect lives and livelihoods. The coronavirus regulations, including playing sports behind closed doors, will be reviewed regularly, says the Welsh Government. * The Daily Post is reporting that all non-urgent treatment at North Wales hospitals has been cancelled to due the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.   For the full story, see: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/non-urgent-treatment-north-wales-22524120?fbclid=IwAR3pPdm5pHGbzk2AsXfAN5Azew09aHuX05WMAdIl6ENA8OArCsWQR9UfDlk

 

Latest advice column from Denbighshire CAB

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice is: 

Q: I’m a bit anxious about going out into shops at the moment so I want to do more shopping online, but there have been things in the news about delivery problems. I’m worried about not receiving things on time or packages being lost. What should I do if my parcel goes missing?

 

A: When you’re online shopping, it’s not always clear whom to contact if things go wrong.

 

As a customer, your contract is with the seller that you bought the item from. It’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you. They should chase the courier to find out what happened to your order if there is a problem.

 

If your parcel hasn’t arrived:

 

·       Check the delivery address you gave the seller, to make sure it’s correct

·       Then contact the seller and ask where your order is

·       If the seller claims they’ve delivered it or doesn’t know where it is, you can ask for a redelivery. You might be able to get a refund in some circumstances where the delivery time was essential and you let the seller know ahead of time.

 

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you can ask the seller to deliver the item to you again if the item wasn’t delivered either by an agreed date, or within a reasonable time – usually 30 days.

 

If the new delivery fails to come within a reasonable time, you cans ask the seller for a refund.

 

If your parcel was left somewhere:

 

Another problem people face is when parcels get left in different places, for example outside or with a neighbour.

 

If your item was delivered by Royal Mail:

 

If Royal Mail left your package with a neighbour or in a certain place because you told them to, it’s not the seller or Royal Mail’s responsibility if it gets lost.

 

If they leave it somewhere you hadn’t instructed, it’s the seller’s responsibility if it gets lost.

 

You should contact the seller to ask for a redelivery or a refund.

 

If the item was delivered by a courier:

 

Check your terms and conditions or account details – they might include other places for delivery, like your porch or a neighbour’s house. If you agreed to them, it’s not the seller’s or courier’s responsibility if your order has gone missing. However if you did not agree to this, then it’s the sellers responsibility if your order goes missing.

 

If you ordered something from a private seller or you’re still having trouble after trying the tips above, you can contact the Citizens advice Consumer Helpline for help on 0808 223 1133

 

St Collen's hosts atmospheric Carols by Candlelight

An atmospherically-lit St Collen's Church was the setting for the annual Carols by Candlelight service yesterday (Sunday) evening.

Traditional carols such as We Three Kings and O Come All Ye Faithful were sung by members of the congregation - all observing Covid regulations by wearing face coverings - and choir.

Music was interspersed with a series readings on seasonal themes by Leigh Mson, musical director of the From Male Voice Choir, Helen Belton of Llangollen Operatic Society, Dr Rhys Davies, chairman of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes and Julie and Dyfed Thomas whose  Twelve Days of Christmas with a comedy twist by JJ Norwich raised some laughs.

The service was led by vicar Father Lee Taylor who also augmented the choir.

* The congregation hold up their Christmas candles. 

* The choir with Father Lee Taylor.

* Simon Baynes MP delivers one of the readings.

* Dyfed and Julie Thomas read The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Details of Welsh Government budget revealed

 

Investment to tackle the climate and nature emergency will be at the heart of the Welsh Government’s budget, published later today. Targeted, green investment of more than £160m revenue and a total investment of £1.8bn capital will be committed over the next three years. Responding to both the climate and nature emergency it will be spent in a range of areas including the national forest, biodiversity, active travel, the circular economy, renewable energy, flooding, and decarbonising housing. Wales has a legacy of over 2,500 coal tips pre-dating devolution and due to the growing impacts of climate change these tips are now exposed to increased risks of slippage.  The Welsh Government will also provide funding to support essential maintenance works and to develop a future reclamation programme, with an additional £4.5m and total capital investment of £44.4m.  It follows the UK Government’s decision not to provide funding of its own in October’s Spending Review. In April 2019 Wales was the first country in the world to declare a climate emergency and in October this year the Welsh Government published ‘Net Zero Wales’ - setting the foundations to make Wales net zero by 2050. Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, said: “Today’s budget will shape the Wales we want to hand over to future generations. Tackling the climate and nature emergency will require a collective effort and as a Government we know it’s vital we step up and lead the way. “That’s why we’re providing significant investment in a wide range of areas, so Wales can cut emissions and be a greener nation. “The effects of the climate and nature emergency are with us now. Intensifying rainfall and increasing temperatures have added to the urgency of providing funding to make coal tips safer. The UK Government failed to act but our funding will provide some reassurance to the communities. “This budget will leave Wales in a better place to manage the effects of the climate and nature emergency that are already affecting so many communities in Wales, and will only affect more in the future. We can never lose sight of the importance of protecting our planet.”

Police issue advice on how to deal with scams

Through its Neighbourhood Alert system North Wales Police has out out  advice on how to deal with scams. They say:

Fake emails and text messages are a common tactic used by cyber criminals, their goal is often to convince you to click a link. Once clicked, you may be sent to a dodgy website which could download viruses onto your computer, or steal your passwords and personal information. In order to try and convince you that their messages are legitimate, criminals will pretend to be someone you trust, or from some organisation you trust. This could be your Internet Service Provider (ISP), local council, even a friend in need. And they may contact you by phone call, email or text message. Reporting suspicious emails: If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, you can report it by forwarding the email to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service at: report@phishing.gov.uk As of 31st October 2021, the number of suspicious email reports stands at more than 8,100,000, with the removal of more than 67,000 scams and 124,000 URLs. Thank you for your continued support. *In a small number of cases, an email may not reach our service due to it already being widely recognised by spam detection services. The vast majority of reports do reach our system so please keep reporting any suspicious emails you receive. Reporting suspicious text messages: You can report suspicious text messages to your mobile network provider, for free, by forwarding the text to 7726. If you forward a text, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and take action, if found to be malicious. If 7726 doesn’t work, you can find out how to report a text message by contacting your provider. (On many Android devices and iPhones, pressing and holding on the message bubble should present the option to forward the message) * For more of the government’s latest advice on how to stay secure online, visit the Cyber Aware website: ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware

 

A539 closed in both directions following accident

North Wales Police posted around 6.30pm: UPDATE- The A539 between Llangollen and Trevor is now open. Thank you for your patience.

The Daily Post is reporting that the A539 near Llangollen is shut in both directions following crash this evening (Saturday).

* For the full story, see: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/live-a539-near-llangollen-shut-22507757

Llangollen features in 2022 mountain biking series

British Cycling has announced the dates and venues for the 2022 for the National Downhill Series. 

The series is to be delivered by five separate organisers, beginning in Rheola in April. Round two will be a UCI C1 in Fort William, followed by a UCI C2 event in Llangollen for round three.

The series ends with rounds in Caersws and at Revolution Bike Park, which hosted the national championships in 2019.

National Downhill Series

Round 1: Rheola, 16 – 17 April (event organiser – Malc Dunn, Gravity Events)
Round 2: Fort William, 7 – 8 May (UCI C1) (event organiser – Colin Houston, SDA)
Round 3: Llangollen, 28 – 29 May (UCI C2) (event organiser – Si Paton, BDS Events / Malverns Classic Team)
Round 4: Caersws, 13 – 14 August (event organiser – Malc Dunn, Gravity Events)
Round 5: Revolution Bike Park, 17 – 18 September (Mike Marsden, Borderline Events)