Scrubbies entrepreneur Kerry has day at House of Lords

* Kerry Mackay with Simon Baynes MP on the House of Lords terrace.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes met Kerry Mackay from Glyn Ceiriog at a reception in the House of Lords for the top 100 most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs in the UK. 

Mr Baynes praised the success of Kerry, a resident in his constituency, on the success of her business Scrubbies, which manufactures home-compostable cleaning pads made from bamboo, organic cotton and vegan ink.

Back in January Mr Baynes championed Kerry’s achievements in the House of Commons, for a second time, during Women and Equalities Questions with the Minister Kemi Badenoch MP.

Kerry, whose product has been popular in Llangollen, said: “What an honour to be invited to the House of Lords and to be recognised in such a special way. My MP coming along to express pride in my achievements which made my day and is yet another example of his unwavering support for local business within his constituency."

Mr Baynes said: “It was great to meet again with Kerry at the reception in the House of Lords and to congratulate her on her achievements as one of the top 100 most inspirational and dynamic female entrepreneurs in the UK – she really is a true inspiration. 

"I know that the residents of Clwyd South and myself are extremely proud of the success of her business, Scrubbies, and I wish her all the very best for the future.” 

Work planned on 2020 project next week

Work planned for week starting Monday March 28 on the town's 2020 project is:

Daytime works

• Continue the Yorkstone paving up the east side of the bridge
• Continue laying kerbs around the radius towards Mill Street
• Install the bell bollards
• Install drainage on Mill Street/Abbey Road (north side)
• Install kerbs on Abbey Road/Mill Street (north side)

Night works (6pm until midnight)

Surfacing on Castle Street (A5 to Market Street)

Bryn Collen children aiming for a wheely great week

Children from Ysgol Bryn Collen will next week be joining almost 800,000 youngsters from across the UK when they take part in the 2022 Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel event.

The largest inter-school walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge, it aims to inspire pupils to get active of their school run.

This year over 2,400 schools are taking part, including Bryn Collen which has invited all its children to either walk to school, from the green by Pengwern park, or head in by cycle or scooter from St Collen’s church car park each day from Monday to Friday. 

MS highlights north Wales dental care "crisis" in Parliament

North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has highlighted the problems people in North Wales are experiencing in accessing an NHS dentist with the Health Minister.

And he called on her to take action to address the "dental crisis" facing the region.

Questioning the Minister in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood said it is 16 years since the North Wales Regional Committee raised concerns about a forthcoming NHS dental crisis in Wales and asked why the problem has not been dealt with.

He said: “I have relatives in Flintshire who themselves have struggled to access an NHS dentist, who thankfully recently received treatment after weeks in great pain. 

"We know that, in January, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board insisted that action is needed to address dentistry in North Wales, after 83 dental posts were lost during the last year, and the British Dental Association warned that significant numbers of dentists were planning on leaving the NHS, saying that NHS dentistry is hanging by a thread because without NHS dentists, there would be no NHS dentistry.

“And earlier this month, Bupa Dental Care handed in notice of termination for their Flint branch. It's 16 years since the North Wales Regional Committee raised concerns about a forthcoming NHS dental crisis in Wales, and here we are, all these years later, in these circumstances. 

“So, what action will the Welsh Government now take to engage with the British Dental Association to address their concerns with the dentistry contracts, that these reduce focus on regular check-ups, force dentists to choose between old and new patients, and fund dentists by 15 per cent less than six years ago?”

Responding, the Health Minister said: “We are doing all we can”.

She told Mr Isherwood: “We're continuing to work with the British Dental Association to explore how the reform of the national dental contract can encourage dental practices to collaborate at a local level. 

“I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear, in relation to Bupa in Flint, that the health board plans to recommission replacement services in the area as early as possible.” 

Shanty flashmob lined up for Fringe show next month

* The Old Time Sailors will appear at Dinas Bran in April.

Llangollen Fringe has signed up a novel flashmob musical outfit for a show next month.

The Old Time Sailors will appear at Ysgol Dinas Bran - a new venue for the Fringe - on Friday April 29.

The sailors are billed as "17 of the finest shanty-singing sailors from around the world".

They'll play over 30 songs at Dinas Bran, where the audience is encouraged to sing and dance along with them.

The Fringe team says: "The flashmob performance is designed to take you back in time through an unforgettable trip to the 19th century. 

"Every member of the audience receives a copy of the Sunday Sailor, their own newspaper-shaped program which includes the lyrics to all their songs, plus personalized postal stamps, in order to sing along and become a sailor for one epic night.

"We're also excited to be using Dinas Bran Shool, which has amazing acoustics and plenty of space for everyone to boogie. And, donlt worry, the usual refreshments will be available."  

MP visits railway exhibition at town museum

* Simon Baynes MP with manager Gill Smith at Llangollen Museum. 

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes recently visited the Llangollen Museum Railway exhibition at the town's museum. 

Along Lost Lines centres on the Ruabon-Barmouth railway and Mr Baynes met with museum manager Gill Smith and museum adviser David Crane.

 

Mr Baynes praised the exhibition for its "incredible insight" into local history and also took the time to thank volunteers at the museum for their dedication in ensuring that people are able to access information on the history of the area.

 

Gill Smith said: "Mr Baynes visited Llangollen Museum to view the railway exhibition which has been put up by Peter Dickinson. 

"The exhibition runs until April 3 and we very much appreciate the support given by Simon and the time spent with him."

 

Simon Baynes said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Llangollen Museum and would highly recommend going to see the exhibition if you’re able to. 

"It gave a great insight into the local history of Llangollen. I would like to thank Gill, Dave and the volunteers at Llangollen Museum for their efforts and wish Llangollen Museum the very best for the future."

Rhug Estate makes food donation to Llan care home

* Bethan Mascarenhas and residents of the Old Vicarage Care Home during a recent visit to Rhug Estate to learn about how the organic chicken is reared on the farm. 

Rhug Estate has made generous donations of its award-winning organic chicken to local hospices and charities.

These include The Old Vicarage care home in Llangollen, Ty Gobaith/Hope House in Oswestry and Severn Hospice in Shrewsbury. 

Whenever there is surplus stock, whether it is Rhug’s award-winning organic meat from the farm or items in the farm shop, Lord Newborough is always keen for local charities and residents to benefit. 

Lord Newborough, owner of Rhug Estate, said: “I am pleased that we have found some good local causes to support once again. I believe something positive should always come out of our business having surplus stock.” 

Old Vicarage owner Bethan Mascarenhas said: “Thanks to Lord Newborough and the staff at Rhug Estate for their generous donation and for a lovely warm welcome when we visited. 

"The chicken was put to good use in lots of delicious recipes by our cooks. 

"We loved seeing the estate and hearing all about its history and values. It is great to have local ingredients on our menu, especially when they are shared with the likes of Raffles in Singapore! It was a real treat for our residents.”

Rhug’s chickens are slow-maturing birds that free range on organic pastures for 12 to 16 weeks – that is more than double the amount of time a standard supermarket chicken lives on farm. 

The estate saw a surge in online customers when the pandemic hit in 2020. 

Its award winning organic chicken was out of stock for a number of weeks but is now available to buy from the farm shop and from the website: www.rhug.co.uk/shop and customers can have them delivered direct to their door if they live on mainland UK.