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The recent bingo night at the Llangollen RAFA Club raised over £900 for Nightingale House Hospice.
One of the organisers said: "I'd like to say a huge thank you for the generous support we received at our bingo night at the RAFA Club raising a total of £910."
Q: After last winter, I’m really worried about falling behind on my energy bills again as we head into the colder months. We’re careful about what we use but with small kids it’s hard. What can I do if I’m struggling to keep up with payments?
A: It's understandable to feel anxious about energy bills at this time of year. If you’re struggling to afford your bills, it's important to act quickly; support is available and there are things you can do to ensure you’re not overpaying.
The first thing is to contact your energy supplier - they’re responsible for helping you come to a solution, like setting up an affordable repayment plan if you’ve fallen behind.
Energy bills can go up and down for many reasons, and if you think your bills don’t look right, you should check to see if they’re based on accurate readings. You might be getting estimated bills if your smart meter has stopped automatically sending readings, or if you have a non-smart meter and haven’t sent a reading for a while.
If you see the word “estimated” or the letter “E” next to the readings on your latest bill, that means it’s estimated. If this is the case, submit an up-to-date reading to get an accurate bill. A working smart meter does this for you, so if you have one and suspect it’s not automatically sending readings, or if you’d like to get one installed, then speak to your supplier.
To help make your home easier and cheaper to heat, you might be able to apply for support with the cost of energy efficiency upgrades like insulation, a new boiler or a heat pump. Schemes like the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme or Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) are run by energy suppliers and local councils.
You may also be able to find grants run by your local council to help you pay your energy bills. These are usually for emergency situations, like if you’ve lost your job and can’t afford to top up your meter. You’ll need to search for these on your local council’s website, which you can find on GOV.UK.
If you’re behind on your bills, you might be able to get a grant to help you pay off your debt. You’ll need to get debt advice before applying and can do this through organisations like Citizens Advice. You can also check which grants are available on our website.
If you need extra non-financial help - for example, because you’re disabled or of state pension age - you can apply for support from your supplier through the Priority Services Register (PSR). Being on the register means your supplier can take readings for you if you struggle with this and there’s no one else who can do it for you, and ensures your bills are in a format you can understand. See the full list of eligibility criteria and how to sign up on the PSR website.
Remember, you don't have to face this alone. If you're struggling to afford your energy bills, visit the Citizens Advice website.
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A highways official has answered a Llangollen county councillor's urgent question about why traffic is still being diverted through Llangollen today due to the closure of the A5 and A483 viaducts due to the weather - even though Newbridge Road is now open again.
The viaducts are closed until 3pm today as the current forecast indicates wind speed over the 55mph closure threshold due to storm Amy.
The approved diversion route https://bit.ly/3xtcqWl goes via Llangollen even though Newbridge was re-opened to traffic yesterday after years of repair work.
That has prompted numerous people to ask on social media why this shorter route cannot be used instead.
Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards has been in touch with the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent seeking an answer.
She asked: "Why is the diversion route going through Llangollen, when the Newbridge B5605 is now open?"
An official responded: "Because we must always utilise trunk roads for our service to accommodate HGV’s etc, drivers can determine their own route if safe to do so."
A southbound lane closure and 30mph speed restriction will remain in place until wind speeds have lowered further, says Traffic Wales.
Latest updates will be provided via www.traffic.wales, X and Facebook.
Discover how traffic is managed during high winds on the viaducts to help keep road users safe : High Winds A5 Ceiriog and A483 Dee Viaduct | Traffic Wales
Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales (pictured), is backing calls for improvements to alleviate parking issues at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
He has added his voice to concerns raised by Wrexham County Borough Council who are urging Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to fix the long-running parking issues at the hospital.
Mr Rowlands, who constantly raises this matter on behalf of his constituents, said: “I have had frequent contact from residents in Wrexham about parking issues at the Maelor Hospital as the car park is often overflowing, causing distress, for visitors, out-patients attending appointments, and indeed for staff. It is also causing issues on the surrounding streets around the hospital.
“As a person who has experienced the problems at first hand I know the last thing anyone working, visiting or attending for appointments needs is to have to drive round and round to find a suitable parking space. Yet from reports this is happening every day and appears to be getting steadily worse every year.
“Parking has been a major and challenging issue at the hospital for many years as the demand quite clearly outweighs the number of spaces available and I fully support Wrexham council’s calls for a proper strategy to be put in place to deal with the issue.
“I have highlighted the problems in the Senedd in the past yet the health board continue to drag their feet to find solutions. And they do not seem to get any help or support from the Welsh Labour Government.
“I regularly receive emails from angry constituents who have been faced with this problem, and I feel so very sorry on their behalf as it is something which really should have been resolved by now. It simply isn’t right that grass verges, pavements and yellow lines are all being used for parking. This is clearly unacceptable as it is dangerous because it blocks pathways and forces people to walk on the busy roads.”
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Traffic Wales has warned this afternoon that it is possible the A5 Ceiriog and A483 Dee viaducts will need to close due to the severe weather forecast for tomorrow (Saturday).
And they say that if this happens the diversion route for traffic will be through Llangollen.
A statement for Traffic Wales says: "The Met Office have published a yellow weather warning between 03/10/25 and 04/10/25 and have named this period of adverse weather Storm Amy.
"It’s possible that the viaducts WILL NEED to close on 04/10/25 from 08:00 until 15:00 as the current forecast indicates wind speed over the 55mph closure threshold.
"This is the diversion route https://bit.ly/3xtcqWl. Please note this information is based on the latest weather forecasts and could change.
"A southbound lane closure and 30mph speed restriction will remain in place until further notice to support any full closure. This needs to be done in advance because it’s not possible to deploy this traffic management safely when wind speeds are over 55mph.
"Discover how traffic is managed during high winds on the viaducts to help keep road users safe : High Winds A5 Ceiriog and A483 Dee Viaduct | Traffic Wales
"Latest updates will be provided via www.traffic.wales, X and Facebook. "
* Wrexham councillor Rondo Roberts reports that B 5605 Newbridge Rd is now open to traffic following years of repairs.
Organisers have said that due to the extreme weather forecast for today and tomorrow, they have have regrettably decided to cancel this Saturday’s Old Railway Trail parkrun.
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