Shea gets a waterborne surprise on a canal trip

* The boat/car sails towards the canal boat. All pictures from Shea Ferron's Facebook.

Well-known local entertainer Shea Ferron was in for a waterborne shock when he took a trip along the Llangollen Canal yesterday. 

But he was quick on the draw with his phone camera as a car which had been converted to a boat sailed by him with its grinning crew.

On a Facebook post about the rather unusual sight for our local waterway he says: "This is something you don’t see everyday on the canal.

"Started to panic when I saw a car coming towards.

"Someone’s been watching a bit too much Top Gear."

* ... a big smile from the helmsman.

* ... and the crew.

Minister hears about Rhug Estate's pioneering green project

 

* Rural Affairs and North Wales Minister Lesley Griffiths with Lord Newborough at the Rhug Estate.

Rural Affairs Minister Lesley Griffiths has been hearing about how farm businesses in North Wales have been taking action to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.

On a visit to the Rhug Estate near Corwen, the Minister met proprietor Lord Newborough and his team and heard about their pioneering low carbon project to measure and monitor the business’ carbon footprint and take action to mitigate it, with the aim of reaching net zero across all business operations within Rhug. The estate operates a diverse business model which embraces sustainable organic farming as well as renewable energy, retail, wholesale and most recently, skincare. By the nature of the way the land has been managed over the last twenty years since the farm went organic, a very significant amount of Carbon has been sequestrated into the ground making it a carbon positive estate. The carbon positive result has been greatly assisted by its green energy projects in solar, wind, hydro and geothermal, and the EV chargers on its estate. The data they are collecting is being used to modify carbon management. The team spoke about their drive towards further improvements in carbon savings and green energy projects and the challenges and opportunities ahead of them. In Ysbyty Ifan, the Minister heard about the work of the group of 11 innovative farmers on the Ysbyty Ifan estate and what they have done to improve the area’s ecosystem resilience, especially that of the Migneint SAC. They explained to the Minister how collaborative working has been vital in helping meet their goals to improve land and water management and deliver multiple ecosystem services for now and future generations. Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths said: “It has been great to visit and hear about the important work taking place at the Rhug Estate and in Ysbyty Ifan to decarbonise their farms and support our environment. “As a Government, we will continue to work with and support farmers and land managers to meet the challenges of the climate and nature emergencies. “It is important everyone works together across geographic and sectoral boundaries. Collaboration is essential if we are going to be successful.”

 

A5 road closure warning

North Wales Police have just posted on Facebook: " ***ROAD CLOSED*** - Due to a road traffic collision - the A5 by Ruth Lee, Glyndyfrdwy is currently closed.  Please avoid the area."

Free weekly sessions to help find new jobs

A series of weekly drop-in sessions are currently being hosted by the county council’s Working Denbighshire team, offering free employment support and guidance. 

The sessions are being held at locations across the county, including Corwen and Ruthin but none in Llangollen.

Support available includes help to search for jobs, update CV’s, prepare for interviews, basic IT support and filling in applications. 

From Tuesday to Friday, Working Denbighshire’s staff will be on hand for guidance and support at the following locations each week: Wednesday – Canolfan Ni, Corwen, 11am-1pm, and Thursday – Ruthin Library, 1pm-4pm. 

Tina Foulkes from Working Denbighshire said: “These free weekly drop-in sessions provide an excellent opportunity for Denbighshire residents to access high quality employability support in their local communities. Residents can pop in for help to update or create their CV, find out the best ways to search for jobs and get hints and tips on how best to fill out application forms.

"At these sessions, attendees will also be able to find out how Working Denbighshire can help with funding for training, funding to remove or reduce your barriers to employment, as well as information on confidence, motivation, and resilience courses.”

Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Economic Growth & Tackling Deprivation, said: “These sessions allow Denbighshire residents access to professional and informative employment support across the county.

"I would urge anyone who may need employment support to attend one of the many free sessions at a location near them.”

* For more information please contact workingdenbighshire@denbighshire.gov.uk.

Free emergency period products available at Llangollen Library

Llangollen Library is among the locations where free emergency period products are being supplied by Denbighshire County Council.  

It is one of 15 ICE - In Case of Emergency - places confirmed across the county where these products can be obtained should they be needed by members of the public. 

Display units in each location, including the library in Castle Street, include a variety of eco-friendly and plastic-free period products.

The project has been carried out by the council's period dignity team funded through a Welsh Government grant. 

Products are supplied by TOTM, a multi-award winning period care brand who hope to inspire better, sustainable ways to manage periods.

Other ICE locations include a number of public building restrooms.

The full list of locations is:

Denbigh

1. Denbigh Library, Hall Square, Denbigh LL16 3NU
2. Denbigh Youth Project, HWB Dinbych, Smithfield Rd, Denbigh, LL16 3RG

Prestatyn

1. Prestatyn Youth Centre, Dawson Drive, Prestatyn, LL19 8SY
2. Prestatyn Library, 21 King's Avenue, Prestatyn, LL19 9AA

Rhuddlan

1. Rhuddlan Library, 9 Vicarage Lane, LL18 2UE

Rhyl

2. Hafan Deg, War Memorial Court, Grange Road, Rhyl, LL18 4BS
3. Rhyl Library, Church Street, Rhyl, LL18 3AA
4. Salvation Army Rhyl, 16 Windsor Street, Rhyl, Wales, LL18 1BW
5. The Oak Tree Centre, Ffordd Las, Rhyl, Denbighshire, LL18 2HN
6. West Rhyl Young Peoples Project, 17 Bedford Street, Rhyl, Denbighshire, LL18 1SY

Ruthin

1. Ruthin Goal, Clwyd Street, Ruthin, LL15 1HP
2. Ruthin Library, Record St, Ruthin, LL15 1DS

Corwen

1. Corwen Library, London Road, Corwen LL21 0DR

Llangollen

2. Llangollen Library, Castle Street, Llangollen LL20 8NU

St Asaph

3. St Asaph Library, The Roe, LL17 0LU

Councillor Julie Matthews, Lead Member for Corporate Strategy, Policy and Equalities said: “It is great that there are now 15 in case of Emergency locations in Denbighshire. Period products should be accessible to all, in a convenient and easy to use manner, and I am very pleased that many of Denbighshire County Council’s public buildings are offering this.”

* Third sector organisations like charities, community centres and public sector organisations can register to become a ICE location by emailing perioddignity@denbighshire.gov.

New web pages show how county council is funded

Denbighshire County Council has launched new web pages to inform residents about how it sets its budget to deliver local public services with a focus on providing value for money.

Local authority funding is complex and technical and while many believe that council tax pays for delivering all the council’s services, this is far from the case. 

In fact, only a quarter of Denbighshire County Council’s funding comes from council tax.

The council's net budget is funded from three main sources:

1. 62% - Revenue support grant from Welsh Government
2. 13% - Business rates which are a property tax paid on business and non-domestic properties to pay for services
3. 25% - Council tax, which is the annual fee that residents pay to Denbighshire County Council

Gwyneth Ellis, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets said, “We think it’s vital that residents understand how their council, and therefore, its services are funded. There are lots of misconceptions about where the money comes from, and we want residents to understand how their money is spent.

“To address this, we have developed new web pages with information about how Denbighshire County Council spends its money. The aim is to set out in a clear way where we get our funding, how we spend the money, give an overview of the council’s budget, and explain to residents how the council tax bill works.”

* To find out more about council spending, how the Council is funded and your Council Tax bill, visit Denbighshire County Council’s new website pages on the link below.

How the Council is funded

You can also check how much you know about the Council by completing a quick quiz on the following link:

Quick quiz

 

Warning about door-to-door mattress sales

Denbighshire County Council’s Trading Standards Section is warning residents to be on their guard as more reports of doorstep sellers come in. 

The authority has received information about attempted sales of mattresses out of the back of a white Van by a trader cold calling at consumers' homes and whilst walking down the street. 

And trading standards officers say residents must be on their guard, as it is unknown at this time where these mattresses are manufactured, whether they bear the correct safety labelling or if they are genuine branded product. 

The sellers are claiming that the mattresses are on sale due to a family business closing down, liquidation of stock and cancelled hotel orders. 

It is understood that the mattresses have been described as memory foam, luxury etc. However, they are carefully wrapped, making it difficult to inspect them before buying. 

The sellers do not provide any paperwork or invoices and are currently operating under false business names and addresses. 

More importantly, the seller is not complying with the law relating to Cancellation Regulations, which entitles the consumer when entering into a contract in their home, to have a 14-day cooling off period where they can change their mind and cancel the contract at no charge. 

Councillor Win Mullen-James Lead member for Local Development and Planning said: “We are urging the public not to deal with these sellers, you really do not know who you are buying from and if things go wrong, there is no way of identifying the seller or rectifying the matter. If an offer seems too good to be true, in most cases it is."

If you are unsure about such traders or receive a visit, contact the Citizens Advice Customer Service on 03454 040506 or alternatively contact the police on 101. 

And, if you feel intimidated or threatened by any doorstep seller you should shut the door and call the police emergency number 999, advise trading standards.