Time for George to hand over his role as town hall clock winder

* George wields the heavy metal winder of the famous town hall clock.

George Hughes's time as official clock winder at Llangollen Town Hall has come to an end.

Twice a week for the past six years the former town councillor and mayor has climbed the steep wooden stairs up to the very top of the civic building in Castle Street to wind the complex heavy metal mechanism of the clock which dates back to 1886.

But, now into his 80s, he reckons the physical strain of the role has become a bit too much for him and has handed over the huge cast iron winding key to a younger person, Rob Edwards.

George said: "I took on the unpaid job from Alan Maybury who had done it for a few years and I was shown what to do by the former town hall careta hiker John Roberts, who had done it before him.

* The complex 136-year-old winding mechanism behind the clock face.

"I have been going up to the loft where the mechanism is every Tuesday and Friday to wind it up.

"There's two things that have to be wound - the clock itself and the bell which sounds with it. The whole machine, which is stamped with the name of its makers, Gillett & Co of Croydon, is a real work of art and I've thoroughly enjoyed operating it.

"But even to reach the winding mechanism is a bit difficult. You have to climb up to the balcony, squeeze through a very small wooden door and then climb up a steep flight of narrow wooden stairs.

* Some of the old-fashioned pulleys which help control the clock.

"The whole thing's very physical and has now got a bit too much for me, so I've handed over the role to someone younger."

George, who served three terms on the council, was town mayor from 2007-2009 and spent 10 years as a retained firefighter based in the town, added: "I was terribly sorry to give it up but I wish Rob lots of luck with being the new clock winder. 

"I've really enjoyed doing it over the past six years and used to go straight up to do the job  after coming back off holidays.

"I'll now have a bit more time on my hands."

Homes suffer from "north south divide" over fees, claim care champions

* Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales.

Denbighshire County Council has been accused of paying unrealistically low care home fees.

An investigation by social care champions Care Forum Wales (CFW) has revealed the local authority is among the worst payers in Wales.

The figures are contained in a table published by CFW of the postcode lottery of fees paid across Wales.

They say the rates set by the councils were “budget driven” and were not based on the true cost of providing care.

Anglesey is sixth from bottom of the table  and Conwy is 10^th from bottom, with Denbighshire fourth from bottom and Wrexham second from bottom.

Right at the foot of the table is Flintshire County Council who have been awarded a giant wooden by CFW for being “the meanest” local authority in Wales.

A care home owner in Flintshire, who declined to be named for fear of being victimised and blacklisted by the council, was shocked to discover that the funding for individual residents in Flintshire is up to £11,000 a year less per person than in parts of Wales – for providing exactly the same level of service.

The revelation came after what social care champions Care Forum Wales (CFW) describe as a “fee-fixing North Wales cartel” was blown apart by Gwynedd Council whose Cabinet voted unanimously for increases of up to 25 per cent.

Their decision followed similar hikes in Merthyr Tydfil where councillors were warned that not paying fees that reflected the “true cost of care” would be unlawful.

According to CFW, it’s left the remaining five local authorities in North Wales “with nowhere to hide” and Flintshire County Council at the bottom of what’s come to be known as the League of Shame, detailing the fees paid in different parts of Wales.

As a result, the local authority has been awarded a giant, five foot tall wooden spoon.

The unnamed Flintshire care home owner said: “I am left feeling physically sick when I see the levels of funding for people in care in other parts of Wales.

“It is our residents who are suffering from the penny-pinching attitude of Flintshire Council but it costs the same to look after someone in Flintshire as it does in Gwynedd or Merthyr but Flintshire Council pay a lot less.”

CFW say the Flintshire care home is also at the wrong end of a growing North-South divide.

They say the postcode lottery was brought into sharp focus when Torfaen Council announced big increases in their rates – 17 per cent for residential care and 25 per cent for nursing care.

It means that a 50-bed care home in Torfaen will receive £546,000 a year more for providing residential EMI care than a similar sized home in Anglesey, Wrexham and Flintshire for exactly the same levels of care.

In the case of Denbighshire it equates to an extra £494,000 a year and £444,600 more than a home in Conwy.

The anonymous Flintshire care provider added: “I love my job. I love the role of supporting and caring for people who need that help and the days that I’m hands on and providing that care are the best days of my week.

“Ten years ago I enjoyed the management side of the job as well but not anymore, not when we’re starved of the necessary funding which means I can’t afford to decorate or even properly clean the place and I know that council-owned homes are decorated every year.

Last year’s bottom two were Swansea and Neath Port Talbot and both have boosted their care fees by over 12 per cent while Blaenau Gwent  (14.9 per cent) and Caerphilly (13.40 per cent), found even more money.

It’s a state of affairs that has Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales which represents around  500 of the country’s independent care providers, fuming.

Mr Kreft said: “We are calling on all fair minded people in local government – and through the good offices of the Welsh Local Government Association – to ensure, as put to the councillors in places like Merthyr, Torfaen and Gwynedd, they need to urgently review their fees.

“A number of other councils deserve credit for committing to conduct urgent reviews of their rates and we trust that they will now also follow suit and do the right thing.

“It is vital that these authorities fulfill their statutory responsibilities and ensure that they act lawfully and set their rates in such a way that they reflect the true cost of providing care for the most vulnerable people in our society.

“If, however, they continue to act unlawfully, it will put more unacceptable pressure on hard-pressed, hard-working families to make up the difference which is unfair at the best of times but totally intolerable during the current cost of living crisis.

“We are in an absurd situation where you can go from North to South Wales and find a person in Flintshire with exactly the same needs and receiving exactly the same service but in Torfaen they receive £11,000 more per person a year for providing it.

“Either the likes of Torfaen are being totally profligate with Council Tax payers money or Flintshire need to step up to the plate and meet their statutory, lawful obligations by recognising the true cost of social care.

“It is frankly unbelievable that in Wales we have 22 local authorities all setting their own fees and we are seeing massive differences in those fees – it means that in most parts of Wales the system is just unsustainable.

“We rightly have national standards that we need to abide to and we need a national framework for setting fees as recommended by the Welsh Government in their White Paper, Rebalancing Care and Support.

“Gwynedd, Torfaen and Merthyr councils deserve praise for doing the right thing in setting fees at a level that is nearer to covering the true cost of care for the sake of the vulnerable people who live in care homes and nursing homes.

“This has certainly ratcheted up the pressure on the remaining North Wales authorities whose position is now completely and demonstrably untenable and unlawful unless they follow suit.

“At the moment the only way providers in places like Flintshire and Wrexham, Denbighshire, Anglesey and Conwy can manage is to go back to the hard-working families of their residents who will suffer financially – it’s a stealth tax.

“How can it be that for providing an identical service in Connah’s Quay you receive £11,000 less per person than you receive in Caerphilly?

“It’s a North-South divide and in the 20-odd years since devolution, the level of fees paid by the North Wales local authorities have gone from top of the league to relegation candidates.

“As a consequence we are seeing care homes closing across Wales because they are not financially viable which is something that is required by law.

Mary Wimbury, the chief executive of Care Forum Wales, said: “We rightly have national standards that are required in terms of the quality of the care provided and the national regulations governing the social care sector.

“What we need now is a complete overhaul of the system and the introduction of a sensible and fair national framework for commissioning a national fee which ensures realistic and sustainable rates that cover the true cost of care and allow providers to properly reward their valued workforce.

“This is becoming increasingly urgent because the demographics are going in one direction with the recently published census results show that one in five people in Wales are now aged 65 or over.

“Our network of care homes and domiciliary care providers provide essential support for the NHS.

“Without that scaffolding, the burden on an already stretched NHS with hospitals bursting at the seams will become even more intolerable and the whole system could collapse like a house of cards.”

Low-income households now eligible for £200 heating payment

* Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt. 

More than 400,000 low-income households in Wales will be eligible to benefit from a £200 payment to help keep their homes warm this autumn and winter.

The Welsh Government is investing £90m in the Welsh Government’s Fuel Support Scheme in recognition of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on those struggling to pay their energy bills.

Previously, around 166,000 households on universal credit, legacy means-tested benefit and working tax credits benefitted from the £200 2021/22 Winter Fuel Payment.

The extension of the fuel support scheme will mean nearly 200,000 more households on child tax credits, pension credits, disability benefits, carers allowance, contributory benefits and those receiving help from the Council Tax Reduction Scheme to pay their council tax bill will now be eligible.

The scheme is being extended as the impact of the current cost-of-living crisis is greatest on low-income households and to allow more households on benefits to be eligible.

Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt said the scheme was being extended so the most vulnerable struggling to make ends meet could afford to keep their homes warm during the cold winter months.

It comes after the Minister announced earlier this year that the 2021/22 Winter Fuel Support Scheme payment would be doubled to £200 as the cost-of-living crisis intensified and to support eligible households with rising energy bills and costs.

The extended Fuel Support Scheme includes the £4m announced last month for the fuel voucher scheme to support those on prepayment meters and households not connected to mains gas.

The extra funding and target support comes as households across Wales are struggling to pay higher energy bills, exacerbated by the increase in the domestic energy cap rise in April. There is expected to be a further rise in the cost of energy and standing charges in the autumn. People with prepayment meters are the most susceptible to rising costs and increased standing charges.

Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt said: “We know people across Wales are struggling to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis, as they see inflation, petrol, essential household items and energy bills all rising.

“We are targeting the Fuel Support Scheme at low-income households and extending the number of those eligible, as we understand how the winter months can be the hardest of the year and families face the difficult choice of heating or eating.

“We are committed to supporting the most vulnerable and doing everything we can to ensure they can get through this difficult moment.”

Dinas Bran students scoop prize for film-making skills

* The students pick up their prize cheque.

Students at Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen have won £100 as part of a film making competition.

As part of the Creative Pathways event run by Careers Wales, year nine pupils across Denbighshire were invited to attend a one-day workshop with Screen Alliance Wales to create and edit a film.

For the first half of the workshop, students learned how to plan, film and edit a video.

For the second half, they created and edited their own 60 seconds film, following the theme of ‘the path’. 

Entries were judged by Stifyn Parri from BAFTA Cymru during the Creative Pathway event.

Lucy Giles, Natalie Hughes, Katie Jones, Kara Roberts and Maddy Wilson from Dinas Bran scooped the £100 prize, which was provided by Gogledd Creadigol.

Simon Sinclair, the head of media at Ysgol Dinas Bran, said: "The film workshop and competition were brilliant experiences for the students.

"It was great for them to have an insight into how films are made, the industry, and working as part of a team.

“We all thoroughly enjoyed the process - especially winning the £100 at the end. Hollywood watch out!"

The prize money will go towards media equipment for the school, and the winners will also have a say on what it is spent on.

Gwenda Roberts, a team manager from Careers Wales, said: “Before the workshop, many of the students wouldn’t have been aware of the different roles and responsibilities that goes into making a film.

“It’s sessions like this that really help to broaden young peoples’ understanding of what potential career paths are out there for them, in a way that’s a bit different and more engaging.

“Thank you to Screen Alliance Wales for its support and of course to Gogledd Creadigol for contributing the prize.”

Senedd Member tries out new-style PE lessons

* Ken Skates MS shapes up during the school PE session.

A Member of the Senedd took part in a programme which transforms the way PE is taught in primary schools. 

Ken Skates, MS for Clwyd South, visited Ysgol Y Waun in Chirk on Thursday (July 14) to see how staff are supporting the health and well-being of pupils through an initiative called real PE. 

He first observed a Key Stage 2 PE lesson with Year 6 during which the children were supported by real PE videos to improve their physical skills and develop their coordination. Mr Skates then participated in a Key Stage 1 lesson when children practiced their balancing skills. 

He said: “The children were great at helping to coach me when I took part, and they were so welcoming. I really enjoyed the session. It’s great fun and really and strips PE back to basics.”  

Year 2 teacher Beth Cornford said she has seen an improvement in the children’s cores since the introduction of real PE at Ysgol y Waun. 

She added: “Children can now sit without fidgeting as much! I have also seen an improvement in their skills such as handwriting, which all comes from having a better posture.” 

The programme, created by Create Development, has a ‘child-centred approach’ and aims to support pupils to become physically literate by developing their Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) – agility, balance and coordination.  

Mr Skates added: “PE is a fantastic vehicle not only to improve the children’s health, fitness and well-being, but also to develop a range of personal, social, physical and creative abilities that transfer outside the PE and sporting environment. I was hugely impressive with the real PE lessons and it’s clear that the children have really taken to them.” 

Mr Skates and the Create Development team thanked teacher Amy Roberts, the school’s health and wellbeing lead, for organising the event.

Summer events lined up at Valle Crucis Abbey

Valle Crucis Abbey is playing host to a number of activities over the next few weeks.

A Medieval Fun day is lined up for this weekend, July 23 and 24. 

The Prince’s Retinue will be doing some archery demonstrations and a faux melee. Medieval Fun Day | Cadw (gov.wales)

The Abbey also has some guided tours on the same weekend. Valle Crucis Guided Tours | Cadw (gov.wales) 

There are also two more Guided Tour events planned.

Neither of these events are ticketed, you just pay the usual addition fee of £4.80 for an adult.

Free – Members of Cadw, Historic Scotland, English Heritage or Manx Heritage

Free – Under 5

£3.40 – Under 18, students and Armed Forces

£4.60 – Over 65

£15.80 – Family

Also planned is an outside theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Duke’s Theatre Company on Tuesday August 2 at 7pm. VALLE CRUCIS ABBEY, LLANGOLLEN, LL20 8DD @ 19:00 | TheDukesTheatreCo (thedukestheatrecompany.co.uk)

Details of prices are on the website. However, please note that the information on parking on the website is wrong. There will be parking provided by the campsite.  

Abbey Opening times –

Thursday – Monday – 10:00-17:00

Closed Tuesday & Wednesday.

Local MP appointed government minister

* Simon Baynes MP in his Ministerial office at the Home Office.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has been appointed to a Ministerial role as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

He said: “I am very honoured and delighted to have been appointed by the Prime Minister as Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration. 

"I am very much looking forward to delivering on the Government’s commitments in the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office as well as continuing to work hard for the people of Clwyd South as their local Member of Parliament.”