Local appeal for supplies for Turkey earthquake zone continues

* The lorry carrying supplies for Turkey leaves Llangollen on Saturday.

As one convoy of vital supplies leaves Llangollen bound for the earthquake zone of Turkey, a fresh appeal for donations for the victims of the disaster is underway in the town.

Well-known local community champion Cat Meade says she and the Llangollen Support Group are now working with UareUK - United to Assist Refugees UK (Refugees North Wales and Overseas) and can therefore take further clothes donations.

Particularly needed are those for children, men and women, including socks, underwear and also toiletries.

Donations can be dropped at Wingetts in Castle Street, Llangollen until February 27, says Cat.

On Saturday Huseyin Duyar, manager of the Deeside Cafe in Castle Street, drove to Manchester with a truckload of clothing for Turkey. From there it was to be transferred to a larger lorry which would take it on to the devastated quake zone in Kahramanmaras, south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border.     

Huseyin is originally from the city of Diyarbakir which is only about half an hour’s drive from the epicentre of quake. 

Tens of thousands of people are thought to have been killed and thousands others injured in the disaster which has left many people homeless and in dire need of assistance of all kinds. 

Donations for his appeal came flooding in from the local community and even from as far away as Holyhead. 

Next Sunday Huseyin and three friends will be flying out to Turkey from Manchester Airport taking more supplies with them, paying for excess baggage.  

They will remain in the country for about five days, staying with friends, and are ready to help distribute the supplies to the affected areas if asked to do so. 

St David's Market planned for March 4

 

On Saturday March 4 the Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen in collaboration with Tenovus and the Town Hall are holding a fair to celebrate St David's Day. 

Exhibition in town explores being homeless

An exhibition on being homeless is being staged at Llangollen's Dory Gallery in Regent Street until March 19.

It combines images from The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre’s photographic archives and photographic artist, Tony Mallon’s project, Homeless. 

This moved beyond the human presence to explore and examine the spaces and experience of living in homeless hostels in Merseyside. 

Homeless was exhibited in 2015 as part of LOOK/15, Liverpool’s international photography festival at the Unseen Photo Festival, Amsterdam. 

The project was supported using public funding by Arts Council England and The National Lottery. 

This is the second time this work has been displayed together, the other being at The Salvation Army’s William Booth College, London in 2018.

Dory Gallery opening times are 10am - 4pm Saturday and Sunday only. The gallery will be closed on February 25 and 26. 

Latest local roadworks notified by county council

Latest local roadworks notified by Denbighshire County Council are:

O/S TOWER FARM COTTAGE TOWER ROAD 14/02/2023 16/02/2023 Gwaith Nwy / Gas Works WALES & WEST (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

OUTSIDE NUMBER 2, QUINTA BIRCH HILL 20/02/2023 22/02/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

A539 MILL STREET 27/02/2023 01/03/2023 NMWTRA Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights 21:00 - 06:00

A539 Outside 5 CHURCH STREET 20/02/2023 22/02/2023 Gwaith Trydanol / Electrical Works QUARTZELEC (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

OUTSIDE 6 GREENFIELD 27/02/2023 27/02/2023 Adferiad/ Reinstatement O'CONNOR UTILITIES (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Nr GLASFRYN ABBEY ROAD 20/02/2023 22/02/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY LLANGOLLEN

From Dee Cottage to Bishop's Walk MILL STREET 03/03/2023 05/03/2023 Torri Coed / Tree Cutting SHIFT TRAFFIC EVENTS LTD. LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

A539 Hall Street Llangollen HALL STREET 09/01/2023 17/02/2023 Gwaith Gwelliant/ Improvement Works DCC WORKS UNIT Parking Suspension Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Chapel Street CHAPEL STREET 09/01/2023 17/02/2023 Gwaith Gwelliant/ Improvement Works DCC WORKS UNIT Un Ffordd/ One Way

MILL ST CAR PARK MILL STREET 24/02/2023 24/02/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works MORRISON UTILITY Traffig Dros Dro/ Temp Traffic Lights

Former Llangollen Railway Footpath A539 LLANGOLLEN ROAD 23/02/2023 23/02/2023 Torri Coed / Tree Cutting KTL CONTRACTING LTD LLANGOLLEN

A539 Wrth / Nr Haulwen ABBEY ROAD 02/03/2023 02/03/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works ALUN GRIFFITHS LLANGOLLEN

Christmas Fair group hands over £2,000 in raffle proceeds

* The £1,000 is presented to the air ambulance. From left: Paul Cakebridge (pilot), Simon Cartwright (critical care practitioner), John Palmer and Austin Cheminais of the Christmas Festival, Oliver Ayleson (critical care practitioner) and Ian Parry (festival).

* John Palmer and Austin Cheminais, left and right, hand over the £1,000 cheque to Llangollen Foodshare's Steph Mitchell, Sian Jones and Gill Robinson.

Representatives of the Llangollen Christmas Festival Group have been sharing the proceeds of the raffle that runs alongside the big seasonal event. 

The group says there was a great response to the latest raffle and stresses thanks should go to the hardworking volunteers who managed to sell an amazing 3,000 tickets.

This has enabled the group to donate £1,000 to Wales Air Ambulance and £1,000 to Llangollen Food Share. The remaining £1,000 will help fund this year’s festival.

Austin Cheminais, who chairs the Christmas Festival, expressed the groups thanks to all the local businesses in and around Llangollen who donated prizes for the raffle, which included a light aircraft flight from the Air Ambulance base at Welshpool Airport. 

He said: "The 2022 Christmas Festival was the best yet and we managed to make it a completely free event. 

"Its success was due to the support we had from the community and the generous donations from anonymous donors. 

"Thanks go to the businesses and shops around Llangollen, the groups and individuals who joined the parade, our local schools, the groups that performed for us on the day and to Sunbelt Rentals, who provided the traffic management without charge. 

"The hardworking team who put the Christmas Festival together have already had their first meeting of the year to start to plan this year’s event which will take place on Saturday November 25. We hope to make it even bigger this year."

* If you would like to get involved in helping to organise the event or are able to support us financially please contact Chem at chemshouts@gmail.com

Applications open for latest round of UK Government funding

Denbighshire has been allocated almost £26m from a new UK Government fund set up to replace the money it used to receive from Europe before Brexit.

And it is now looking for applications on how to spend it in the county to benefit communities and place, local businesses and people and skills.

Projects must be submitted by later this month.

The £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) was launched last April to succeed the old EU structural funds and is described as the central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda. 

Its aims are to boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards, spread opportunities and improve public services, restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging and empower local leaders and communities.

Denbighshire will get a total of £25.6 million to invest over three years. 

The first call for UKSPF projects is now live and will remain open until midday on February 24.

* To find out more about the about the fund and to apply, visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/uk-shared-prosperity-fund

Llan-based expert offers free online advice for Third Sector

A Llangollen-based expert is offering free advice on building a sound business strategy for the Third Sector.

Selana Kong, managing director of the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management UK Centre (IDRRM UK), has organised a free webinar entitled "Leveraging Communities - Intercultural Business Strategy for the Third Sector".

It takes place online at 1pm on Wednesday February 22. 

Confirmed speakers are Brian Colley, Tyger Sonia Benbow-Jones and Dr Francis Law.

Selana said: "Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship. Always count the cost of your business. 

"Join us to learn from a UK social enterprise award winner, community councillor and international dispute resolution and risk management experts to learn how to make your business cost-effective, attractive to business partners, environmentally and socially friendly, and easy to access to a wide range of guidance and support."

* Register free at: https://bit.ly/3RNIEFX