Local author's new tale of blood in old Wrexham

An award-winning local author takes us back to Victorian Wrexham for his latest mystery. 

Blood Among the Threads is the 13th in David Ebsworth’s series of bestselling historical fiction novels. 

They include his popular Yale Trilogy, with many scenes also set in Wrexham in the 17^th and early 18^th centuries. 

In this new release, Wrexham has been hit by a series of accidental deaths which increasingly seem more than simply accidental. But can those deaths truly be linked to the huge coverlet on display at Wrexham’s magnificent 1876 Art Treasures Exhibition? And is there, literally, blood among the coverlet’s threads?

Born in Liverpool, David Ebsworth has lived in the area since 1981. 

Formerly a union organiser, he took up writing after he retired in 2009 and now writes every day without fail. 

* Author Dave Ebsworth.

His previous novels cover lesser-known episodes from the Spanish Civil War, 6^th Century Britain, the 1879 Zulu War, the lives of Elihu and Catherine Yale, the 1815 Waterloo Campaign, and from the tale of a Liverpool-Welsh suffragette family during the turmoil of 1911 (The House on Hunter Street). 

In addition, he has recently published his non-fiction Wrexham Revealed, a companion for self-guided walking tours of the city’s history.

He said: "I was intrigued by all those major events which took place here in Wrexham during 1876. That was the year when the Football Association of Wales was first organised at the Wynnstay. And then, from July until November, there was the enormous Art Treasures Exhibition on the ground where Argyle Street currently stands. 

"It attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over Britain and abroad. After that, the first National Eisteddfod ever to be held in Wrexham – and, as it turned out, a very famous one. And much more besides. It seemed to me that it would be neat to bring these things to a wider audience by using all these events as the backdrop for a murder mystery – so here it is."

* Blood Among the Threads by David Ebsworth is due to be published on November 1.

Latest local roadworks alerts

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network are:

Junction With A5 At Bryn Derwen Terrace to River Dee Junction, Corwen, Denbighshire 29 October - 03 November   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Diversion   Location: Junction With A5 At Bryn Derwen Terrace To River Dee Junction   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned   Brook Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 30 October - 01 November   Delays likely - Road closure   Name: Brook Street, Llangollen   Location: Brook Street   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned   Brook Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 30 October - 01 November   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Diversion   Location: Brook Street   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned

 

Councillor clarifies if Llangollen people can use Plas Madoc tip

* Plas Madoc waste recycling centre.

Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards has clarified whether Llangollen people are yet able to use the Plas Madoc waste recycling site in neighbouring Wrexham.

Last month llanblogger revealed that Denbighshire County Council had negotiated a deal with neighbouring Wrexham which runs it enabling locals to use the tip rather than having to take a 32-mile round trip to Ruthin or use the pop-up facility being offered for the past few years at the Pavilion car park.

Officials said the new arrangement could start from this month but llanblogger understands a number of people have been turned away when they have tried to leave their waste at Plas Madoc.

This has been due to industrial action by refuse collection staff in Wrexham.

Questions about the situation have been raised on social media which turned into a debate on Facebook yesterday.

This has prompted a response from Cllr Edwards who said: “Having seen recent comments from residents I would like to clarify the latest position regarding the use of Plas Madoc waste recycling facility by Llangollen residents.

“Whilst I’m aware that people have commenced using the facility I can only stress that it is not yet officially open to the Denbighshire County Council residents and people who choose to use the facility do so at the risk of being turned away.

“I reiterate that the reason for the short delay is due to a request from Wrexham County Borough Council.”

The breakthrough in local people being able to use Plas Madoc came after an intensive campaign led by Llangollen’s Phil Jones spearheaded by a petition of over a thousand signatures.

The agreement between Denbighshire and Wrexham will provide:

• Increased number of available booking slots 208 a month initially as opposed to current 128 available for residents of Llangollen (will be subject to constant review dependant on demand) .
• More flexibility providing booking slots every day, not just between 9 and 11am on third and fourth Saturday of each month.
• Plas Madoc HWRC is a managed site ensuring the health and safety of all its users as a controlled environment.
• Plas Madoc HWRC has the capacity to increase recycling rates, through the process of checking and removing recyclable items that have been placed in the residual waste stream.
• Initially residents will be able to take residual and green waste and we are working with Wrexham to provide additional streams once the relevant processes are in place.
• Residents who turn up with chargeable waste will be turned away as the case at Denbighshire’s own sites
• As now residents with bulky items can either take them to one of the DCC HWRC sites listed on our website or use the bulky collection service provided by the council.
• The financial costs for the new service is in line with the exiting budget for the Llangollen pop-up service whilst providing an improved service and ensuring all material is treated and recorded in accordance with legislation. 

 

Son gives details of John Evans's funeral

* John Evans whose funeral is on November 3.

Details of the funeral of John Evans – known as the “Voice of the Eisteddfod” – who died last week have been given on social media by his son.

For many years John – also affectionately known as “John the Voice” - was stage manager and an announcer at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. 

He was also a regular performer with Llangollen Operatic Society for which he took many leading roles and had sung with the famous Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir. 

John died on Friday October 20 after a short illness and news of his death sparked many glowing tributes on llanblogger and social media from the large number of people who knew him.

Earlier today his son, Adam Gaunt-Evans, gave details of the funeral arrangements on the eisteddfod volunteers’ Facebook page.

He said: “For anyone who knows and wants to pay their respects to Dad - his funeral will be at Pentre Bychan Crematorium, Rhostyllen, Wrexham next Friday 3rd November, at 12pm.

“This will be followed by a gathering (and hopefully some singing) at the Hand Hotel, Llangollen, from 1.15pm.

“Please share these details with anyone who might not see this post. We're very sad, obviously, but also looking forward to welcoming people next week to celebrate John's life with us.” 

John, a native of Acrefair, was former Stage Manager at the Eisteddfod, a past member of the Standing Board, past Chair of the Music and Staging Committee and a member of Grounds Committee.

He was also a proud competitor when he sang with the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir.

John’s fellow Eisteddfod volunteers have spoken fondly of his sometimes wicked sense of humour and of his dedication to the festival. 

His beloved Stage Crew shared many happy memories, in particular Mark Jones, John’s successor as Stage Manager. 

He said: “You just expect some people to be around forever. John was that, almost parental. I’ve a lot to owe to him dragging me up to the side of stage all those years ago, when he found me photocopying in the music office; he learnt that I was more interested in the technical side and it’s opened up more doors for me than could be imagined. 

He added: ‘There isn’t much that could be safely printed when it comes to tales of John but his character will always live on and his company will be greatly missed.” 

'Major disruptions' at Loggerheads due to Storm Babet

Loggerheads Country Park is experiencing major disruptions in the aftermath of Storm Babet.

Denbighshire County Council says it is working hard to carry out repairs to the site which has sustained significant damage due to flooding - the worst the site has experienced since 2000.

Some areas, including various footpaths and buildings, will remain closed until further notice, with a number of events having to be postponed or cancelled as a result.

The café has already been able to reopen while the Visitor Centre is aiming to partially open soon.

The council is advising those who are hoping to visit Loggerheads Country Park during half term to expect "significant disruptions" to usual services and walking routes at the site.

Cllr Win Mullen-James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “It is sad to see the devastating impacts that the recent storm has had on Loggerheads Country Park, as well as other parts of Denbighshire. This news may be disappointing for anyone wishing to visit the site over the half term, and we advise that anyone who has made plans to do so expect some disruption to the norm while various repair work is undertaken.

“I would like to thank the team who are working tirelessly to undertake the necessary repairs to allow the areas which are currently still closed to re-open safely to the public as soon as possible. In the meantime, we would wish that anyone visiting this location is still able to enjoy the beauty of the park.”

Go-slow protests planned tomorrow against Wales 20mph limit

A series of 'go-slow' protests are set to take place tomorrow (Saturday) in opposition to the 20mph speed limit in Wales, according to a story on Wales Online. 

The events - including convoys going to and from Wrexham - are part of what campaigners are dubbing 'National Convoy Day', organised by people chiefly opposed to London's Ultra Low Emission Zone.

• * Wrexham to Bangor Services: Meet at Sainsbury’s car park, from 10am for 10.30am departure.

* For the full story, see: Multiple 'go-slow' protests planned over Wales' 20mph speed limit - Wales Online

MS hails new Wales social housing quality standard

The biggest changes to social housing standards in Wales more than 20 years present ‘a huge opportunity in employment terms’, says a former Economy Minister. 

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates lauded the announcement of a new Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) by Climate Change Minister Julie James in the Senedd on Tuesday.

“This is a bold and progressive standard that sets ambitious targets to make a difference to the overall quality of people’s lives, raises the bar for social housing and reflects the voice of tenants in Wales,” said the Minister. 

And Mr Skates believes the ‘outstanding’ plans, which were welcomed by all parties, provide Welsh businesses with a golden opportunity. 

He said: “Minister, I'd like to thank you for this outstanding statement. It contains huge ambition, which is very welcome indeed. 

“And it is true that the scale of the challenge is extensive, but it's also a huge opportunity in employment and economic terms. So, will you be working with the Economy Minister in looking at how we maximise the economic and employment benefits of the investment that you'll be making into social housing?” 

He continued: “The extra money is a significant sum. How do you anticipate ensuring that as much of that investment as possible remains with Welsh firms, who will be procured to undertake the work of upgrading social housing?” 

The Minister said her department would work alongside Economy Minister Vaughan Gething on an apprenticeship programme, and promised: “We will be making sure that as much of the Welsh pound stays in the Welsh economy as possible.” 

She added: “We work with our RSLs (Registered Social Landlords) and our stock-holding councils to make sure that they get the benefit of that. Many of our stock-holding councils, of course, still have direct labour organisations that benefit from that, so they will be able to directly take on both new craftspeople and, indeed, apprentices. 

“So, I think you're right. This is not only a great opportunity for the tenants – it’s actually a real economic investment in the future.” 

The original WHQS was introduced in 2002. Since then the Welsh Government, together with partners, has invested billions of pounds to improve and maintain the quality of social homes. 

The WHQS 2023 sets out a new and challenging set of standards for social landlords to meet which the Minister said ‘will address decarbonisation in the social housing stock, ensure that homes are of a higher quality, affordable to heat and fit for the 21st century and beyond’. 

Funding in the region of £270m is already available to help social landlords, with an additional £140m earmarked for the current financial year and next. 

The Minister said: “What we learn from upgrading the 230,000 social homes in Wales will drive how we as a nation tackle decarbonising the 1.2m privately owned homes in Wales. The challenge of retrofitting the existing housing stock is vast. Every single house has a different history, and therefore our mission is to reduce carbon emissions home by home, and street by street.” 

To social landlords, she added: “It would be easy to be overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge of upgrading social housing. We have done it before, and together we can do it again. We need to be pragmatic and rise to the challenge – Welsh tenants are counting on us.”