Training going well for John's charity challenge - apart from a puncture

 

* John Palmer, left, and son Nic are in training for their double triathlon challenge.

Training is going well for a Llangollen man taking part in a triathlon event this weekend in memory of his wife who died from the effects of dementia earlier this year. 

On Sunday morning he will compete in a sprint triathlon in Ellesmere, just over the border in Shropshire.  

And at the same time as he grapples with the gruelling event his son Nic, who lives in Glyndyfrdwy, will be doing the Bala Standard Triathlon at Bala Lake.

Both father and son are raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK in memory of Lyn, who was respectively their wife and mother.

John said training was going well for both of them - apart from a slight hitch with a puncture as he practiced the cycling part of the triathlon between Chirk and Ellesmere last week.

"When I got the puncture I had no alternative but to walk the bike all the way back to Chirk," he said.    

Nic is going to be doing an Olympic triathlon which consists of a I.5 km swim followed by a 40 km bike ride and a 10 km run.

John, in deference to his age, is taking on a speed triathlon which is a 7.5 km in Ellesmere lake followed by a 25 km bike ride and a 5 km run.

He said: "In march of this year my wife Lyn and Nic’s mother died from dementia.  

"While she died peacefully holding my hand she was first diagnosed in 2013.  

"More and more people and their families are living with dementia. We want to raise money for Alzheimers Research to help find a way of finding a cure for the disease.

"Training is going pretty well. Most of the swimming has been in a pool but more recently we have been swimming in Lyn Tegid, which came as a bit of a shock - wetsuits essential.  

"Cycling has given me a sore bum. How the Tour de France guys do it day after day amazes me.  

"I run quite regularly anyway so that is not so much of a problem but of course that remains to be seen on the day.  I'm sure the dog will be glad when it’s over."

Alzheimer's Research UK is the UK's leading dementia research charity. 

It funds world-class pioneering scientists to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia.

* There's still time to sponsor Nic and John on their gofundme page at: https://gofund.me/99c861be

Changes announced to number 5 bus service from September 24

Changes to the number 5 bus service between Llangollen and Wrexham will come into effect from Sunday September 24.

This will include:

• Revised intermediates to improve punctuality
• Morning journeys from Llangollen to Wrexham to operate five minutes earlier to improve punctuality 
• The 06:40 Llangollen to Wrexham journey will now timed to arrive into Wrexham at 07:18 to connect with the 41 Wrexham to Wrexham Industrial estate service departing at 07:25.

The alterations to the service and a number of others operated by Arriva as a result of changes to the way the Welsh Government supports bus services after Covid.

These have resulted in revisions to the Arriva network across North Wales.

In a public notice on its website Arriva says it has worked with local authorities to minimise the effects of this but in some cases have made changes to reflect post-Covid changes in demand.

* To see full details of the changes go to: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/changes-to-services-in-north-wales-sept-23

Latest roadworks alerts from county council

Latest roadworks bulletin from Denbighshire County Council is: 

CASTLE STREET, AT THE JUNCTION OF DEE LANE, LLANGOLLEN, DENBIGSHIRE CASTLE STREET 27/09/2023 27/09/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works MORRISON UTILITY SERVICES LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

A539 CHURCH STREET, AT THE JUNCTION OF CHAPEL STREET, LLANGOLLEN, CHURCH STREET 25/09/2023 25/09/2023 Gwaith Carthffosiaeth/ Sewer Works DWR CYMRU/WELSH LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Free meals to be rolled out to Year 3 and 4 pupils

Universal Primary Free School Meals are to be rolled out to Years 3 and 4 pupils in Denbighshire, starting from September. 

In December 2021, Welsh Government (WG) announced plans to offer free school meals to all primary school pupils. The phased delivery approach will see all primary pupils offered free school meals by 2024. 

Since September 2022, the Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM) offer in Denbighshire has been successfully rolled out to Reception and Year 1. The offer was rolled out to Year 2 pupils in Denbighshire from April, 2023. The offer will now be rolled out to both years 3 and 4 from the start of term in September. 

As part of the rollout, a number of Denbighshire’s primary schools have seen kitchen and catering upgrades, including full kitchen remodels and increased storage, with the addition of new walk-in fridge and freezers. 

New cooking equipment has also been installed to help increase cooking capacity and many primary schools within the county are also having work done to their dining halls, helping to increase dining capacity. 

Councillor Gill German, Deputy Leader and Lead member for Education, Children and Families said: “I am a huge supporter of the introduction of Universal Free School Meals for primary age pupils in Wales and it is great to see that our rollout in Denbighshire is progressing so well.

"Every child in Reception, year 1 and year 2 in Denbighshire is now part of the offer, and I am delighted to see that we will be extending this to year 3 and year 4 pupils from September.”

* Further information is available at: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/education

Tackling non-compliant vaping products in Denbighshire

Denbighshire’s Trading Standards team have been taking action to tackle the issue of non-compliant vaping products within the county.

The market for vaping products continues to grow, with retailers sourcing a variety of stock to meet consumer demand. 

However, an increasing amount of the stock being bought by retailers in the UK are being found to be non-compliant with laws relating to e-cigarettes.

In recent weeks the council’s Trading Standards team have been conducting visits to various premises and providing retailers with advice and guidance relating to the wide range of vaping products available.

Whilst a large amount of non-compliant stock that would be illegal for sale in the UK has previously been seized in the county, a joint operation carried out by Denbighshire’s Trading Standards team and North Wales Police’s Denbighshire Coastal team on July 28 found that levels of compliance had improved in a majority of premises in Denbighshire selling vaping products.

By law, e-cigarettes are limited to contain 2ml of liquid (roughly 600 – 800 puffs) and no more than 20mg of nicotine per ml. There is also labelling and warning requirements - including an ingredient list, batch number and UK importer name and contact details, amongst others. 

Packaging must not mislead consumers in any way that would encourage them to make purchases that they would not have ordinarily made, and the product must fully match the description provided on the packaging.

The council is urging business owners to make themselves aware of the laws in relation to the vaping products they are selling and to ensure that they seek advice from Denbighshire’s Trading Standards team if they are ever in doubt about stock that they have purchased or are considering purchasing.

Cllr Win Mullen-James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “The popularity of vaping products has increased dramatically in the UK in recent years and so it is vital to ensure that products being sold within Denbighshire comply with the legal requirements to protect the health and safety of our residents who use them.

“Denbighshire’s Trading Standards team will continue to monitor the compliance of businesses in Denbighshire and ensure that appropriate action is taken if a business is found to be selling non-compliant vaping products. It is the responsibility of business owners to ensure that they comply with the law through their business practices, and so we encourage any business owners to contact the team for advice and guidance in relation to vaping products that they are selling.”

Businesses can get in touch with Denbighshire’s Trading Standards Team for advice on vaping products here: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/licences-permits-and-trading-standards/forms/contact-us-trading-standards.aspx

The council are also advising that if residents are aware of businesses in Denbighshire selling non-compliant vaping products, or selling them to underage persons, that they can report them anonymously to Crimestoppers by phone on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or to No Ifs. No Butts at www.noifs-notbutts.co.uk.

Archives gives you chance to delve into your past

North East Wales Archives in Ruthin are to host a free ‘open doors’ event on Saturday September 9 welcoming all to come and explore some of the historical photographs that are held there. 

There will also be activities planned for families and children, such as Cyanotype printing with a local artist. This uses an early photography process known as Cyanotype or sun printing to create a beautiful blue toned image using inspiration from archive collections. 

There will also be a guest exhibition by local photographer Jac Williams named “Honest Agriculture”. The exhibition highlights the photographer’s lifelong project capturing evocative images of farming in North Wales.

Visitors will even get a chance to have their portrait taken by ‘The Vintage Camera lady’ who has the only street box camera in all of Wales. 

Located at the Gaol in Ruthin, the open doors event will run from 10am to 4pm and will join the more than 200 other historic sites, landmarks and hidden gems that will be opening their doors during September. 

‘Open Doors’ is Wales’ annual contribution to the European Heritage Days initiative, which invites heritage organisations, private owners, local authorities and more to open their doors or offer activities to the public free of charge during September. 

Earlier this year, North East Wales Archives, which is jointly run by both Flintshire and Denbighshire County Councils, was awarded Archive Service Accreditation. 

Archivist, Sarah Roberts said: “We are excited to be involved in Open Doors once again and have joined up with some new partners this year to make the event even better. We will have some of our favourite photography collections on display which are always a popular attraction with visitors during open days.” 

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture & Heritage said: “It is great that the service is opening its doors for free to the public for this special event. The archives hold information and photographs from across the county, and beyond so it will be a great opportunity for locals to come and discover more about the history of the area they live in.” 

Artist activity has been funded by Welsh Government as part of the annual Explore Your Archive Campaign. This is a free event, except for takeaway portraits provided by The Vintage Camera Lady.

Ysgol Dinas Brân students celebrate 'very pleasing' GCSE results

 

There were scenes of joy at Ysgol Dinas Brân as Year 11s received their GCSE results this morning (Thursday). 

Many students have achieved their grades and are excited for their future and next steps in their education.

Headteacher Mark Hatch said the results were very pleasing after all the hard work that staff and students had put into achieving them. 

"'I am so pleased for all of the students that have worked so hard and gained fantastic grades. 

"The students are still suffering post pandemic from having missed so much education, however, with all the hard work and dedication of the students, staff and parents they have done so well. 

"I would like to thank everyone for the achievements and I wish all of our students the very best in their next steps, whether that be in our sixth form or college. Well done everyone!'

* Denbighshire County Council is congratulating pupils receiving their GCSE results.

Councillor Gill German, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children and Family Services, said: “On behalf of the Council I would like to congratulate all pupils that have received their GCSE results.

“This cohort has faced significant challenges over the past few years and they have made a tremendous effort to achieve their results, they have worked very hard to get here and overcome a lot of obstacles.

“There has been some fantastic partnership working to ensure students achieved the best results possible and pupils have received support from their families and schools. I would like to thank all those who have supported our hard-working students this last year.

“We would like to wish all learners the very best in their next steps.”

Proud Grandad

* Llangollen man Mike Edwards says he's proud of his identical twin grand-daughters, Katie and Lucy, who have both achieved 13 A-stars in their GCSEs.

The girls, pictured below, live in Wrexham and attend St Joseph’s School.