Castle Street to be closed Friday evening

Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards has received information that Castle Street will be closed once more between 6pm and midnight on the evening of Friday May 27 to complete the lining works.

Plan to turn former B&B into healthcare workers bedsit

* The Denbighshire Free Press story.

Denbighshire Free Press is reporting that plans are under way to turn a Llangollen bed and breakfast into a bedsit for healthcare workers.

A story says that Nadarajah Pragash has applied to Denbighshire County Council’s planning department for permission to change the former Four Poster Bed and Breakfast premises on Mill Street into a house of multiple occupation.

* For the full story, see: https://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/20166865.denbighshire-llangollen-bedsit-plans-healthcare-workers/

Llangollen couple back national skin cancer campaign #KnowYourSkin

* Jen Rush (far right) joined others to raise awareness and promote the #KnowYourSkin campaign to MPs.

A Llangollen couple are contributing to a national campaign this Melanoma Awareness Month to encourage everyone to stay safe in the sun and look out for signs of potential skin cancer.

James Rush, a former tree surgeon and retained firefighter at Llangollen Fire Station, was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma skin cancer in 2020, a week before the UK’s first lockdown. 

Sharing his story with Llanblogger, he said: "Receiving this diagnosis within a few weeks of welcoming our daughter, and while the world was dealing with COVID made it a very difficult time. 

"I had previously had a melanoma surgically removed, but it was considered stage 0 and I was given the all-clear. 

"Five years later I developed a cough, the result of metastatic melanoma that had spread to my lymph nodes, liver and bowel.”

James underwent major surgery and has just completed two years of monthly immunotherapy treatment. 

He was initially treated at Glan Clwyd, but transferred to the Christie in Manchester after surgery, where there is a large specialist melanoma department.

James added: “Depending how my recent and future scans go will determine whether I need more doses. It would be nice to think I didn’t, but obviously it’s unpredictable.  

"I am grateful to Dr Cooper and the team at Llangollen Health Centre – he made what was probably an overly-cautious initial referral that has been life-saving.”

* Llangollen Fire Station crew raised money for Melanoma Focus in 2021
to support their colleague James (far right).

James and his wife, Jen, who has just been elected as Llangollen's Deputy Mayor after winning a town council seat earlier this month, work with the charity Melanoma Focus through her local digital marketing agency. 

James has designed the #KnowYourSkin campaign posters, which are appearing in service stations and offices throughout the UK this month.

* The poster is one of four designs appearing throughout the UK.

This week, Jen attended a parliamentary event to raise awareness of the charity’s #KnowYourSkin campaign, together with clinicians, patients and the Patron of Melanoma Focus, Chris Bryant MP.

The family would like to share Melanoma Focus’ message this melanoma awareness month – wear SPF 30+ and visit your GP if you’re concerned about a mole or lesion. 

Jen told Llanblogger: “86% of melanoma cases can be avoided by protecting your skin from the sun and, if diagnosed early, melanoma is usually very easy to treat with minor surgery. 

"I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what our family have in the last couple of years – please avoid sun beds and protect your skin when enjoying the (hopefully!) good weather this summer. 

"If you’re worried about a mole or spot anything changing on your skin, don’t put of visiting your GP – early diagnosis saves countless lives.”

* You can find out more information about melanoma and sun safety on the Melanoma Focus website.

llanblogger's 'ghost dog' story appears in New York Post

* The story in the New York Post. Marc Mountford and Katie Morran feature with Cooper the mastiff.

A story which started off in llanblogger has just hit the pages of the New York Post.

Earlier this month we reported on a string of local Facebook messages about a dog which refused to walk past the former Gwyn Davies butchers shop in Castle.

And theories abounded that the pooch may have shied away because the empty shop was haunted.

The story was first picked up by a regional newspaper and has now made its way across the Atlantic to the Post in New York.

The story says: "A couple and their 168-pound Mastiff, Cooper, had a real-life Scooby-Doo moment in Wales while traveling in their camper that they appropriately named their “Mystery Machine.”

According to Daily Post UK, Marc Mountford and Katie Morran said their furry friend “went mental” when he passed a former butcher shop in Llangollen, Wales, that is said to be haunted.

“As soon as he reached the shop, he went wild,” Mountford said. “He was uncontrollable — I was so close to going under a coach [bus].”

Luckily, several people were around and helped the couple control Cooper.

“We had to get him across the road to calm down. But he was still shaking,” Mountford added. “He wasn’t making a noise but his tail was between his legs and he was clearly in distress.”

This isn’t the first time the pup’s been spooked by the shop, either. The family has taken the Mystery Machine to Llangollen four times, and said Cooper’s spooked reaction is always the same.

“When he was younger he was easier to control, but now he’s fully grown it’s different,” Mountford said. “This was the first time he’s dragged me into the street. When a 12-stone Mastiff starts pulling, it’s almost impossible to stop them.”

“This behavior is totally out of character,” he continued. “He’s a lovely dog and we’ve been past plenty of other butchers’ shops with no problems — especially if we pop in for a bone! But there’s something about this particular place.”

The now-vacant shop belonged to Gwyn Davies until he retired last year. Some Facebook users wondered whether Cooper could smell the old slaughterhouse in the back of the building.

Old photos of the town show carcasses hanging up in front of the shop.

“Row upon row of sheep, cows and chickens, before Gwyn had it,” said one Facebook commenter, the Daily Post reported.

Another added, “[The] smell of blood, maybe it lingers?” While a third comment read: “[Cooper] feels like he is walking past a graveyard with all the dead meat in there.”

The theories continued as an alleged former employee of the butcher shop chimed in, saying the cellar and an upstairs apartment were both haunted.

One of the people that helped the couple calm Cooper was a town historian. The couple happened to meet her in a neighboring town after the encounter, and she told them she’d find a history book with the ghost story recorded — which she did.

According to “Tales of Llangollen: Past and Present” by Trevor Roberts, the shop’s then-butcher swore he saw the owner of a nearby fishing tackle shop outside while on his way to work.

Once inside, he was informed the angler had died the day before, but the butcher always stood by his sighting."   

* The story has also appeared in the Mirror in the UK.

Downhill mountain bike action returns this weekend

British Cycling's National Downhill Mountain Bike Series Round 3, presented by GT Bicycles, takes place in Llangollen this Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29.

Venue for the action is One Giant Leap at Tan Y Graig Farm, LL20 8AR. 

The newly revised Squirrel Track will be used. 

It's super steep and technical as it winds itself down the famous Llangollen hillside with a number of recently added features and wider line choices to keep the riders on their toes.

The tried and trusted BDS Team are back organising their first National race since 2017 and say they have been working around the clock to deliver this event to bring back the good old days.

Organisers say spectators are welcome and there is free parking plus free admission to anyone aged 12 and under. For those aged 13 or over the charge is £5 per day to spectate.

Saturday
09:30 to 18:00 Practice

Sunday
08:30 to 10:45 Practice
11:00 to 14:00 Seeding Runs
14:00 to 17:00 Race Runs

County council elects new leader and deputy

* Leader - Cllr Jason McLellan.

Denbighshire County Council has elected a new Leader and Deputy for the authority. 

Jason McLellan (Labour – Prestatyn North) is the new leader and a co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru has been negotiated to form a ruling partnership. 

A former Prestatyn High School pupil,  Cllr McLellan has lived in Prestatyn most of his life.  

He qualified in Law from the University of Liverpool before working as a legal aid lawyer across North Wales for many years. He then worked for a Member of Parliament and two Members of the Senedd and is a former Denbighshire councillor, having served one term. 

He said: "I believe that Labour and Plaid Cymru have a mandate from the electorate to form a cabinet and deliver for the people of Denbighshire. 

"I am looking forward to working with Plaid and we have so much in common in terms of policies around economic regeneration, addressing housing issues and promoting the Welsh language and culture."

* Deputy Leader - Cllr Gill German.

Meanwhile, Cllr Gill German (Labour- Prestatyn North) has been elected Deputy Leader.

Councillor German is also from Prestatyn and a former pupil in the town. 

She has worked as a primary school teacher for over 25 years, with the majority of those years spent at Ysgol Penmorfa.

She says one of her biggest wishes is to work on creating greater equality in education.

MP meets people now living locally after fleeing Ukrainian conflict

* Back row from left, Volodymr, Lidiia, Sarah, Simon Baynes MP, Kim, Nataliia, Tetiana. Front row,  Andrii, Anastasiia, Kateryna and Maryna at the home of Sarah O’Brien near Trevor.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes recently met Maryna Ustymenko who is now living in Llangollen after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He also met the Paliura family, whom his office helped bring over to Wales and are now staying in Trevor. 

Mr Baynes spoke with Maryna, who speaks fluent English having been a teacher back in Ukraine, and also her sponsor Kim Evans from Llangollen.

The MP also met the Paliura family, which includes Volodymr and Lidiia Paliura (grandparents), Nataliia and Anastasiia Minaieva (mother and daughter), Tetiana Paliura (daughter) and her two children, Andrii and Kateryna Maliuk.

They have been welcomed into the home of their sponsor Sarah O’Brien near Trevor.

During the visit they discussed the ongoing issues experienced by Ukrainian refugees with their visa applications, and the welcome and support they have received from the community in Clwyd South. 

Kim Evans and Sarah O’Brien said: “This is a very rewarding experience and we both feel we have gained life long friends and extra family members.”

Mr Baynes said: “As the local MP I was very grateful to have the opportunity to meet our new Ukrainian friends and to welcome them to our community in Clwyd South.

"I was delighted to hear that since arriving they have been made to feel very welcome. 

"I also want to thank Sarah O’Brien and Kim Evans and their families for welcoming the Paliura family and Maryna Ustymenko into their homes and for the kindness they have shown them since fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. 

"My office has been very pleased to help them and other families come to Clwyd South and is always available to help others from Ukraine in the same way in the future.”