County council says warm welcome awaits summer visitors

Denbighshire County Council says it is looking forward to welcoming visitors during the summer holidays.

As the summer tourist season gets fully underway the council has made preparations to manage the increase of visitors into the county.

Extra countryside rangers are standing by at beauty spots, including Loggerheads and Moel Famau country parks and Horseshoe Falls, to provide information, support and help deal with any issues.

For heritage fans Corwen railway station is now open to provide a fitting extension to the Llangollen Railway. Work on the railway platform canopy at Corwen Station was completed as part  of the Clwyd South Levelling Up Fund (LUF) Corwen Connectivity - New and Improved Western Gateway to the Dee Valley and World Heritage Site.

Every Saturday the Dee Valley Picturesque Bus service is well worth a trip as it links Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, Plas Newydd Historic House and the Horseshoe Pass.

More street cleaning provision is set in place during the holidays for busy areas in towns and parks, while increased bin emptying will be in operation at tourist hotspots.

Visitors touching down in Denbighshire this summer will be able to sample different attractions, including a popular stalwart that flies in thousands from across the UK.

The Denbigh and Flint Show will once again open the gates on August 17 and soon after the Rhyl Air Show will take flight over August 26 and 27, both are running alongside many local county events.

Coastal works to improve the visitor experience have also started in Rhyl; not only to protect the town from flooding but also to upgrade and expand the promenade for residents and visitors alike.

There will be closures to certain sections of the promenade over the coming months, however alternative access to the beach will be available and signposted. All businesses and visitor attractions will be open for business as usual.

Cyclists will also be able to follow a clearly signposted route. This latest works forms part of a £65 million investment in the town including a new harbour, the SC2 Waterpark, a newly renovated Pavilion Theatre and the 1891 Restaurant as well as national chains building new hotels.

Down the coast Prestatyn provides a warm welcome with its blue flag status beach overlooked by the Beach Hut Café and Bar which is becoming famous for its events including Ibiza Party.

And a taste of times gone by is once more available this year following the reopening of the Ruthin Gaol after a period of refurbishment.

History is also proudly on show across the Vale of Clwyd with Denbigh and Rhuddlan Castles providing a perfect experience for all the family along with the wealth of information a visit to St Asaph Cathedral has to offer.

New Denbighshire visitor maps have also been launched, focusing on different areas to include an overview map, places to visit, walking, cycling and a map highlighting Denbighshire in relation to the wider region and main transport hubs. They have been produced by illustrator, David Goodman.

Cllr Win-Mullen James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “The tourism sector contributes significantly to Denbighshire’s economy and we want to make sure that everyone has the chance to visit the fantastic places the county has to offer during the summer to support our local businesses.

“Denbighshire is full of gems of all sizes to visit, not just for visitors but for local residents as well who may discover many new attractions right from their own doorstep that will provide memories to cherish this summer.

“You have great opportunities to travel smart across the county through our transport network saving costs and supporting the local environment. Our electric vehicle (EV) charging network now covers Llangollen, Corwen, Ruthin, Denbigh, St Asaph, Rhyl and Prestatyn meaning it is now easier for EV drivers to plan travelling in Denbighshire.

"It is also important to always park responsibly in designated areas across the county and to respect the countryside, this includes keeping dogs on a lead and to bring picnics rather than disposable barbeques."

* If you’re looking for ideas and inspiration of where to visit this summer, take a look at the new Discover Denbighshire brochure, updated town trail leaflets or call into Rhyl or Llangollen Tourist Information Centres. Further information and the new visitor maps can all be found on the North East Wales website – www.northeastwales.wales

Sun Trevor super quizzers hand over another £1,500 to hospice

* From left: Alana Williams, Joel Whitaker, Maggie Smith, Simon Baynes MP, Katy Jones, Paul Jones and Jess Coaley-Postle outside of The Sun Trevor near Llangollen.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes visited The Sun Trevor near Llangollen to thank the team who have been involved in running a highly successful weekly quiz night to raise funds for charity.  

Mr Baynes joined owners, Paul and Katy Jones, along with quizmaster, Maggie Smith, for the unveiling of a cheque worth £1,500 to Nightingale House Hospice following the culmination of fundraising efforts over the last seven months. 

The Sun Trevor has been helping to fundraise for the charity for eight years in total and has raised £24,500 for the Hospice to date. 

 

Following a year online during the Covid-19 pandemic, the quiz now takes place in person each week, with between 30 and 40 people in attendance on average. Further information about the quiz can be found at the following link: www.facebook.com/TheSunTrevorLlangollen.  

 

Maggie Smith, the quizmaster for The Sun Trevor, said: “The Nightingale House Hospice need the money very badly and I am very pleased to continue as Quizmaster, raising £1,500 since January this year and a cumulative total of £24,500 over the last 8 years since my sister-in-law Sandra was cared for by the Hospice.”

 

Simon Baynes MP said: “It was great to visit The Sun Trevor again and to see how their fundraising efforts have progressed in recent months. The work of the team there is a testament to the charitable and service-minded spirit of businesses across Clwyd South and I look forward to visiting again. I would also like to pay special tribute to Paul and Katy as the owners of the pub, along with Maggie Smith for her work as Quizmaster.

 

"The work of Nightingale House Hospice is vital to our community and the money raised for them will be used to help care for those at the end of their lives. They are a fantastic local charity whose work should be commended.”

Parents' concerns over closure of Llangollen Day Nursery

* Llangollen Day Nursery in East Street.

Parents have been speaking about how they will be affected by the closure of the popular Llangollen Day Nursery next month.

On July 17 they were sent a letter by the manager of the East Street nursery informing them that, “following an economic viability consultation” it was due to close on Monday August 14.     

They have since set up a Facebook page on which they are sharing their experiences and ways of finding alternative places for their young children.

They are have also been seeking the support of local councillors, the area’s MP and schools for their plight.

Chelsea Robinson  has three-year-old daughter at the nursery and on behalf of herself and her husband Tom she said: "The impending closure of Llangollen Day Nursery, leaves many working parents without care options that work around a traditional 9-5 job.

“Many are now faced with impossible decisions in order to balance their professional commitments with the care of their children.

“The impact on working parents unable to access suitable childcare cannot be understated and it is essential for local authorities to acknowledge and address these gaps in support, understanding that the availability of affordable and convenient childcare services holds the key to empowering and enabling parents to thrive in their professional and personal lives.

“We must come together as a community to advocate equitable solutions that meet the diverse needs of our working parents."  

Chelsea added that some parents who live in Llangollen are faced with 45-minute round trips to get their children to school in the town because they were now having to drop off younger children in a nursery further afield while others felt they might have to pull their children  out of  Llangollen schools altogether.

Another mum, Ceri Morris, said: “The decision made by the trustees has been upsetting, not only for the families but also the amazing staff who have lost their jobs in a wonderful nursery.

“My eldest child has attended Llangollen nursery since he was nine months old, he is now almost three  years old and was going to attend until he started school. I am currently on maternity leave with my second child  and this is an added stress we did not need.

“My youngest was due to start in the nursery in December of this year. The closure means I will now have to consider if it’s possible to return to my currently employment once my maternity leave ends.

“Although there are other nursery’s outside of Llangollen to consider, I am yet to find one which offers the same service hours and wrap around care that Llangollen offered, meaning I wouldn’t be able to complete my contracted hours at my current employment.

“In a time where the government are trying to implement work force changes to ensure women aren’t made to choose between a family and their career this is certainly a step in the wrong direction for the families of Llangollen.”

Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Chair Llangollen Day Nursery Board, said: “This has been an upsetting decision for all of us.

“I have been involved with ECTARC for over 25 years and in that time we have needed to respond to a number of external changes to keep the building functioning and employment in the town.

“We had high hopes for the nursery and provided the funds necessary to turn the building into the lovely local nursery it had become. All the Ectarc and nursery staff worked incredibly hard to achieve this.

“The decision to close was not taken lightly. We have tried to explain to parents the reasons for closure, sadly we know we are not on our own with other nurseries closing every day.”

In a message to Chelsea Robinson recently, Ms Wyn Hughes went further into the reasons behind the closure, explaining:  “As trustees, we have been monitoring the development of the nursery on a regular basis, hoping for an improvement in the financial viability moving forward. Unfortunately the challenges of Covid and more recently the cost of living crisis and the increase in costs has worked against what we have tried to achieve.

“The information we considered when making the decision included:

 * The Denbighshire County Council Childcare Sufficiency Assessment for the area which indicates that there is a surplus of childcare places and a falling birth rate in the area

* The building requires further investment

* A large grant has been awarded to both primary schools in Llangollen to build new on-site nursery for aged 2 years + available from 2025

* The forecast  that we will be losing another 20% of children, after the summer, who are currently on our books.”

* The Facebook group set up for the parents of those affected by the closure is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220715008050894/permalink/6261287533993581/

County leisure service launches youth work summer camp

As part of its summer programme, Denbighshire Youth Service will be delivering its first ever Youth Work Summer Camp.

Spread over three nights, young people from across the county will be able to access this free of charge, taking part in a variety of activities delivered by qualified youth work team and partner agencies.

* August 21 - One night for Junior members (School Yr 7 & 8)

August 22-24 - Two nights for Senior members (School Yr 9 and above)

Activities will include:  Outdoor cooking, sports, bush craft, orienteering, VR sessions, team building challenges, campfire music, wellbeing workshops, morning yoga, outdoor cinema

Places are limited and booking is essential – for more information and consent forms, email youth.service@denbighshire.gov.uk.

In addition to Summer Camp, the service has organized a series of ‘Pop Up’ Youth Clubs across the county for new and existing members aged 11-17. 

These events are all free to attend but booking is recommended as places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

As well as taking part in the main ‘themed’ activity, young people can take advantage of all the other recourses and activities at each centre, and meet their local youth work team. 

Light refreshments will be available at each Pop Up free of charge. Young people are asked to make their own travel arrangements to and from each event.

Event:	Location:	Date:	Time:
Pop Up YC – Multi-Sports (Inclusive multi-sports day)	Llangollen Youth Centre	Tue 25th July 2023	4pm – 6pm
Pop Up YC –Urdd (Welsh language music workshop)	Ruthin Youth Centre	Wed 26th July 2023	4pm – 6pm
Pop Up YC – Digital (Videogame creation & VR sessions)	Denbigh HwbDinbych	Wed 2nd August 2023	4pm – 7pm
Pop Up YC – Bike Day (Bike maintenance& pump track )	Prestatyn Youth Centre	Wed 9th August 2023	2pm – 4pm
Pop Up YC –DofE Taster Session (Team building, navigation, tent challenge)	Rhyl Youth Centre	Thur 10th August 2023	10am -12pm
Pop Up YC – Animated Arts&Craft (Stop motion video making workshop)	Ruthin Youth Centre	Tue 15th August 2023	4pm – 6pm
Pop Up YC – Youth Wellbeing Day (Hosted by Denbighshire Youth Council)	Prestatyn Youth Centre	Thur 17th August 2023	12pm – 3pm
Pop Up YC –Urdd (Welsh language youth club & silent disco)	Rhyl Youth Centre	Wed 30th August 2023	4pm – 6pm

Places are limited and booking is essential – for more information and consent forms, email youth.service@denbighshire.gov.uk.

More care homes in North Wales will close, warns industry leader

 

* Care Forum Wales chief executive Mary Wimbury.

A "double whammy" of rock bottom fees and soaring costs will inevitably lead to more care home closures across North Wales, it’s been warned.

Care homes in the region are struggling with increases of up to 100 per cent for utilities and insurance, along with hikes of more than 20 per cent for things like food and incontinence products.

At the same time, the fees providers receive in North Wales can be up to £10,000 a year less per person than those given to their counterparts in South Wales for providing exactly the same level of care.

In recent months it’s been revealed that four care homes in North Wales - Trewythen Hall in Gresford, Bay Court in Kinmel Bay, Gwastad Hall in Cefn y Bedd and Morfa Newydd in Greenfield - have already had to shut with the loss of more than 160 beds, piling even more pressure on the beleaguered social care system and the NHS.

According to Care Forum Wales (CFW), the situation is one of grave concern, with many care homes teetering on the brink of financial ruin.

CFW Chief Executive Mary Wimbury said she expected the situation to get worse before it gets better.

She says local authority fees do not cover basic requirements or come close to meeting the actual costs of providing care.

There was also a widening North-South divide with the six North Wales authorities at the bottom of the fees table.

Ms Wimbury said: "People are struggling, they've been through a really difficult few years because of the pandemic and now on top of that, high inflation, staff wages increasing, cost of food, heating, insurance."

Helena Herklots, the Older Person’s Commissioner for Wales, is among those worried about the deepening crisis in the social care sector.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: “We are hearing about closures of care homes but also concerns about whether the care home their loved ones are in was going to close in the future.

"It's creating uncertainty and anxiety among older people, family and their friends and they're also dealing with the cost of living crisis." 

Among those on the front line is Ceri Roberts, a director of Cariad Care Homes in Gwynedd.

Cariad run two homes – Bodawen in Porthmadog and Plas Gwyn in Cricieth – where they employ 130 to look after 76 residents.

She said: “I’ve been managing care homes since 2005 and year on year, it gets tougher.  .

“Our food costs have gone up by 22 per cent in the last 12 months and there’s been a 21 per cent increase in the price of incontinence products. At the same time, utilities have gone up 100 per cent. Those three items are the bulk of our costs other than payroll.

“We have been paying our staff the Real Living Wage for almost two years and we did that voluntarily. We just felt that the work the staff do is exceptional. It’s a tough job. It’s physically and emotionally a very difficult job. We’re very grateful for the team that we have and they deserve to be rewarded for the work that they do.

“On top of that, we recently introduced a loyalty bonus so the staff, providing they work their contracted hours as per their contract, they can then get an additional hourly rate on top of their salary just to give them that little bit extra and over the year, which would give them £480 per annum, regardless of their position.

“So, it’s important that the fees we receive are a fair fee for the care that is provided. But they’re not.

“Year on year, it’s a battle. Every year, we receive a letter from both health board and the local authority saying ‘this is what we’re going to be paying you this year’.

“I don’t know of any other industry that would put up with that. I can’t go to Tesco and buy my weekly shop and then tell them how much I’m prepared to pay them for what I’ve bought. It’s crazy.

“All we’re asking for is a fair and reasonable fee for the service we provide, a fee the covers the actual cost of providing care to ensure the service is sustainable and will be there for future generations.

“Welsh Government have a document called Let’s Agree to Agree which says that commissioners need to consult with providers with regard to fees but there’s never any consultation.

“We are now in consultation with the local authority because we will not be viable with the fees they are willing to pay

“The Real Living Wage has gone up by just over 10 per cent and the increase from the local authority is only 3.5 per cent, so how do you make things balance?

“If my care homes were in parts of South Wales, I would be paid up more than £7,000 more  for every local authority funded resident more per annum so that would that would potentially equate to around £500.000.

“The extra money would enable us to have additional staff and we could invest more money in the homes. It could be put to good use instead of the constant struggle to make ends meet.

“Clearly, vulnerable people in South Wales are valued more than people in Gwynedd. Food costs the same in South Wales as it does here. It’s very unjust.

“I would anticipate that more care homes will close if things don’t change. It’s inevitable.”

Town Council's community support package unveiled

 

COMMUNITY SUPPORT GRANTS 2023.24 

APPLICATION FORM.

 

APPLICANTS CONTACT INFORMATION.

 

PROJECT NAME:
CONTACT NAME:
SIGNATURE:
ADDRESS:
TEL NO.    LANDLINE:
MOBILE:
EMAIL:

 

WHAT THEME OR THEMES DOES YOUR PROJECT SUPPORT? (please tick )

¨      PROMOTING BIODIVERSITY.

¨   FOOD GROWING, PLANTING AND PROMOTION.

¨      REDUCING, REUSING, AND RECYCLING

¨      SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE.

 

WHAT IS THE LIKELY COST OF YOUR PROJECT?  £_________

 

DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE PROJECT INVOLVES:

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

 

HOW DOES YOUR PROJECT CONTRIBUTE TO THE THEME OR THEMES?

WILL YOUR PROJECT HAVE ANY ON-GOING RUNNING COSTS?(please tick ) 

¨  YES                         ¨  NO                         ¨  POSSIBLY 

 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 5.00 pm ON FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2024,

 

PLEASE RETURN TO: THE TOWN CLERK,

TOWN HALL, PARADE STREET,

LLANGOLLEN, LL20 8PW

 

or email a copy to towwnclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk