Get in touch ...

Know of something happening in
Llangollen?
Tweet
us on
@llanblogger

E-mail your contributions to: llanblogger@gmail.com

We are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/llanbloggercouk/139122552895186



Friday, August 4, 2023

Beehives and thousands of bees stolen from near Llan


 * A police picture of the site from where the hives were stolen.

BBC North East Wales News is reporting on the theft of 14 beehives and thousands of bees from a property near Llangollen.

The story says North Wales Police believe they were probably taken at night by someone with knowledge of beekeeping from Mynydd y Garth.

The number of bees taken has not been disclosed, but officers are appealing for information about anyone with a "sudden influx" of hives, or who is selling them or colonies.

 

·       For the full story, see: Fourteen hives, thousands of bees stolen near Llangollen - BBC News

Gardening club says farewell by helping local organisations

Three local organisations have benefitted from the generosity of Llangollen and District Gardening Club, which has been wound up after about 40 years in existence.

Club chair Jude Williams (centre of the picture in yellow) this morning (Friday) handed over cheques totalling £1,500 - £500 each - to representatives of Llangollen Food Share, the RAFA Club and the Tidy Town Team.

She explained that officials of the gardening club - originally known as Llangollen and District Horticultural Society - had decided to close due to falling membership numbers, which had been made worse by the effects of the Covid pandemic. 

It had also been agreed to hand over what was left of club funds to three good local causes.       

Species identification walk planned for Panorama

The Our Picturesque Landscape team has organised a species recording walk for this Sunday, August 6, from 10am-noon.

A spokesperson for the team said: "Join us for a leisurely amble around our protected landscape to record some of the special plant and animal species of the Panorama. 

"Using identification guides for a range of species, we will record data to submit to Cofnod, the Local Environmental Records Centre for North Wales.

"The walk will be over uneven ground, sturdy footwear and weather appropriate clothing is recommended. Suitable for all ages."

* Park at layby between Panorama Walk and Blackwood Rd, approx. 200m north from Panorama Walk cattle grid towards Prospect Place. What 3 Words location: opera.chose.delighted

To book, please email our.picturesque.landscape@denbighshire.gov.uk

August Citizens Advice column

Here is this month's column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice:

Q: My children are starting new schools in September, one is in primary school and the other secondary. Between uniforms, PE kit and knowing they’ll need to catch the bus each day the costs are adding up. I’m already pretty stretched, so I’m not sure how to cover these extra outgoings. Is there any help I can get?

A: A new school year can put pressure on lots of people’s budgets, so you’re not alone in your worries. But there is help available. 

A good place to start is the Citizens Advice website where you’ll find lots of information on the support you might be entitled to for school-related costs. 

The help you can get to cover school lunches will vary depending on how old your children are and if you claim benefits. Children in Reception, Year 1 and 2 automatically get free school meals. You can apply for free school meals for older children if you claim certain types of benefits, including Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit and Income Support. The full list is available on the Citizens Advice website.

You mentioned concerns about travel costs. If your child can't walk to school because of special educational needs or disabilities they should get free school transport. You may be able to get help with transport costs from your Local Education Authority if your children can’t walk because it's dangerous or too far. Your Local Education Authority is part of your local council that deals with education in your area, you can find yours on GOV.UK. Contact it directly to find out exactly what support it offers.

If you’re on a low income, your Local Education Authority may also be able to help you with activity and school uniform costs. You’re likely to be considered to be on a low income if you get means-tested benefits like Universal Credit or Housing Benefit. In some places there are also local charitable schemes that can help. A good place to find out about these is the school itself or Parent Teacher Association (PTA) both will usually know if these kinds of schemes exist. 

A lot of people are feeling the squeeze at the moment, but it’s important to remember that help is available with starting school costs and you’re not alone. For more information visit the Citizens Advice website.

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Libraries offer free kids' sports equipment for summer holidays

Denbighshire’s Libraries now offer free sports equipment for young people to loan out during the summer holidays, to ensure that sport and outdoor games can be enjoyed throughout the summer break. 

All eight of the libraries host this offer, with equipment provided by Denbighshire Leisure Limited (DLL). 

This equipment includes skipping ropes, hockey sticks, cricket bats, tennis racquets hula hoops and balls, and can be loaned out at the same time as books. 

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge is named ‘Ready, Set, Read!’ and is a games and sports themed challenge. In conjunction with this, Denbighshire Libraries want to celebrate play and participation and encourage children to engage in games and sports in any way that best suits them. 

Children and young people can access the equipment by visiting their local library. 

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage said: “It is brilliant that our libraries can offer a chance for children and young people to enjoy sports and outdoor games throughout the summer break. 

"It is important for children to continue their physical activity during the break, as this helps with both fitness levels and brain development."

Jamie Groves, Managing Director of DLL said: "We are absolutely delighted to help launch the free equipment loan programme at Denbighshire Libraries. Our Active Communities team have worked closely with the Denbighshire libraries to bring this programme to life, and seeing its early success is fantastic, with almost all of the equipment already out on loan."

Parents call for 'full evaluation' of day nursery's closure


* Llangollen Day Nursery in East Street is due to close later this month. 

More than 40 parents of Llangollen Day Nursery children have written to local politicians, the county council and the town’s two primary school headteachers calling for a review of the reasons behind its closure in less than a fortnight’s time.

Llanblogger revealed recently how parents were sent a letter by the manager of the East Street nursery on July 17 informing them that, “following an economic viability consultation” it was due to close for good on Monday August 14.    

Now  they have co-signed an email, written by Chelsea Robinson, the mother of a three-year-old girl who attends the nursery, and sent to the area’s MP Simon Baynes, its two county councillors, the heads of Ysgol Y Gwernant and Ysgol Bry Collen and the Senedd which sets out their case for a "full evaluation" of the situation.  

It also goes into great detail about how the closure will affect them.

The email says: “The closure has had a significant impact on the work commitments of many parents, including myself, and has caused great inconvenience and uncertainty in our lives while we strive to achieve the now impossible balance against our professional commitments and the care of our children.

“As responsible parents, we understand and appreciate the importance of quality childcare services in our community.

“The Llangollen Day Nursery has been a pillar of support for working parents, providing a safe and nurturing environment for our children. Due to limited childcare available in Llangollen, its closure has left us without alternative options, significantly disrupting our professional lives and creating undue stress and hardship.”

The parents claim the effects include:

·      * Involuntary changes to working patterns and pay;

·       * Unemployment;

·       * Childcare Fee increases for alternative care;

·       * Relocation away from Llangollen;

·       * Parents having to drive 1hr long round trips to do multiple childcare drops;

·       * Potential unenrollment of children from Ysgol Y Gwernant/Ysgol Bryn Collen and the local Cylch Meithrin/Llangollen Playgroup;

·       * Disruption of friendship groups and communities and;

·       * Job losses for Nursery staff.

The email goes on: “A letter from Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Chair ofLlangollen Day Nursery Board, cites the ‘large grant ... awarded to both primary schools in Llangollen to build new on-site nursery for aged 2 years + available from 2025’ as one of the reasons behind the closure. 

“Understanding that the council plays a crucial role in supporting early years provision, I kindly request a thorough investigation into this matter. While I acknowledge the council's responsibility to develop and adequately fund childcare services, such actions must be conducted in a manner that safeguards the interests of the wider community, particularly those directly impacted by the closure of the Llangollen Day Nursery. 

“It is simply unacceptable in modern society that there is now no available childcare in the Llangollen vicinity that caters for traditional 9-5 working day with appropriate links to Ysgol Y Gwernant, Ysgol Bryn Collen and Cylch Meithrin Llangollen. The absence of such basic services is no less than a form of discrimination to working families.” 

The parents who signed the email call for a “prompt and detailed evaluation of the circumstances leading to the closure of the Llangollen Day Nursery, including an assessment of the impact on parents' work commitments and the extent to which the council funding allocation played a role.” 

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has acknowledged the email and told the parents he will discuss the closure with Denbighshire County Council and get back to them.

Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, chair of Llangollen Day Nursery Board, told llanblogger last week: “This has been an upsetting decision for all of us.

“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.”

And in an earlier message to Chelsea Robinson, 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 have worked against what we have tried to achieve.”

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

Council makes temporary traffic order for Brook Street