Police hope Halloween goes with a BANG

With celebrations for Halloween and Bonfire Night fast approaching, North Wales Police are once again joining forces with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to ask people to‘Be a Nice Guy’ with Operation BANG.

North Wales Police has a responsibility to keep its communities safe and by working with other key partners, we are able to promote key messages through the ‘Be a Nice Guy’initiative. It has been identified that this approach, along with targeted diversionary activities which engage young people in fun and entertaining events, can be very effective in ensuring that everyone can enjoy themselves safely.

Throughout North Wales a variety of Halloween and Bonfire activities, which are being organised by Local Policing Teams, will be taking place to engage with young people. These activities have received financial support from the Arson Reduction Team, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police in partnership with the Police and Community Trust (PACT).

Over the next three weeks, posters – one welcoming Trick or Treaters and the other asking callers to move on– will be distributed to vulnerable residents by Local Policing Teams across the force area.

Shopkeepers are also being encouraged not to sell flour and eggs to children in the days running up to the 31^st October, and the teams will also be distributing posters to retailers throughout the area.

School Community Police Officers throughout North Wales will also be talking to young people about how their behaviour can affect others after all, not everyone wants to join in the Halloween celebrations. They will also be reminding them to keep them selves safe if they go out trick or treating and will be distributing specially made bookmarks and postcards which contain advice.

“Local policing teams across North Wales are working closely with their communities to ensure that those who want to have fun on Halloween can do so without causing upset to others,” said North Wales Police Deputy Chief Constable Ian Shannon.

“Although lots of people enjoy this time of year, unexpected knocks at the door throughout the evening can cause some people distress.”

“By placing a sign in the window people will know that particular resident’s preference. Hopefully this will be respected and those who would rather keep their doors closed on Halloween night will not be disturbed.”

He added: “We wish for everyone to have a safe and happy Halloween, but would like to remind people to have fun responsibly rather than disturbing others.”

Police and partner organisations are taking a proactive approach and in conjunction with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, leaflets containing advice and information regarding fireworks are also being distributed.

Mr Shannon added: “We know the majority of people enjoy this time of year sensibly and we are not out to spoil their fun but unfortunately there is a minority who are intent on causing problems and use Bonfire Night as an excuse to commit crime and act anti-socially.

“We will be working in partnership with other agencies to keep people safe and make sure an exciting and enjoyable period is not tarnished by the minority. To ensure the safety of all, we would also encourage residents to attend organised firework displays, which will be well publicised in the local press prior to November 5^th.”

Gareth Griffiths, Senior Fire Safety Manager for the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Every year, countless people are badly injured and burnt in the run up to the bonfire season when lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks. Organised community events in North Wales definitely provide the best value for money for entertainment and also ensure that families no longer need to risk the dangers of back garden bonfire and fireworks parties.

“It is illegal to sell fireworks to anyone under the age of eighteen years old. Many types of fireworks are banned from sale to the public. Throwing fireworks in a public place is also illegal – a fine of up to £5000 awaits anyone convicted.”

Anyone wanting a Trick or Treating Yes/No poster can contact a member of their local team by calling 101 or by downloading a poster from here

Top tips for Trick-or-Treaters:

• Young children should always go trick or treating with an appropriate adult
• Plan your route and let people know where you are
• Do not take short cuts
• Make sure you stay in areas that are well lit with street lamps, and take a torch with you
• Never go into a stranger’s house
• Do not knock on doors where a ‘No Trick or Treat’ sign is visible
• Don’t talk to strangers on the street
• Be careful not to frighten vulnerable people, especially the elderly
• Be safe, be seen. Ensure you are always visible; it may be a good idea to wear reflective tape on your costume
• Look carefully before crossing the road
• Remember that throwing eggs and flour at property is classed as criminal damage - and the police will deal with all incidents of anti-social behaviour accordingly
• And finally…..be polite on Halloween night

Hospital campaigners lobby health board members

* KLHS campaigners lobby health board memb ers earlier today.

Members of Keep Llangollen Health Services (KLHS) campaign group today (Thursday) attended the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board meeting in Wrexham to lobby members, arguing the case for Llangollen Hospital.

They handed leaflets to each board member on arrival and discussed the proposals with them.

 

The board’s vice chair Dr Lyndon Miles and director of primary, community and mental health services Geoff Lang came out to discuss the proposals with the campaigners.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, of KLHS, said: “This was an opportunity to lobby board members directly. We gave them plain and simple leaflets, which set out what the board is proposing using their own words and what our concerns were.

“The board’s document, Health Care in North Wales is Changing, has only one page on Llangollen, and in it they only make two promises – the first is that the GP surgery will move to a new primary care centre and the other is that the hospital will close, losing our nurse-led minor injuries unit and the hospital beds. Everything else is up in the air with no guarantees or certainties.

“It says a new centre ‘could be completed by 2015’ but this is subject to a successful bid for money which is currently unavailable, planning permission, finding an appropriate site and all sorts of other uncertainties that the board has no control over. It then goes on to say that minor injuries services may be provided by GPs.

 

“This isn’t good enough as we are facing losing what is currently a nurse-led minor injuries service.

 

"Will the GPs have the resources to carry out minor injuries services as well as their regular surgery work?

 

"Then finally the document says care in a community-based bed should be provided from local care homes, but we know that there is not enough beds in the Dee Valley. In addition, care homes are not required to meet the same clinical standards as the NHS, let alone the questions about who is expected to pay for this private service.

“It was very revealing that Mr Lang could not give any guarantees that the funding needed for the health centre would be in place.

 

"That’s a huge concern given the capital funding cuts the Welsh Government has already seen and it’s unlikely to improve significantly in the coming years under the present regime.”

The consultation is coming to an end on October the 28. Anybody wishing to contribute can do so online at www.bcuhbjointhedebate.wales.nhs.uk emailjointhedebate@wales.nhs.uk or send comments on a letter to Join The Debate, BCU Health Board, Freepost RSZZ-SGXY-TSEZ, LL17 0JA.

Documents behind controversial plans now online

* The Dobson & Crowther site where permission has been given for the
supermarket to be built 

The official documents behind the granting of permission to two controversial planning applications in Llangollen are now available for public inspection.

They relate to the scheme to build a new supermarket on the site of the Dobson & Crowther printworks off the A5 and the related plan to relocate the factory to farmland at nearby Climedw.

Ian Weaver, Denbighshire County Council's principal planning officer, has written to local campaigner Martin Crumpton to say: "You will be aware that, having regard to the submissions, representations received, and the planning issues, Denbighshire County Council's Planning Committee resolved to GRANT planning permission for the applications proposing development of a foodstore on the existing Dobson and Crowther site, and for a replacement print works on land at Cilmedw, Llangollen, on September 19th.

"The County Council has now issued the Certificates of Decision on the applications. The Certificates can be viewed on the Council's website."

Reference numbers of applications are:

03/2012/0029
Erection of new print works building, with associated car parking, servicing, and related accesses, construction of substation, new package treatment plant and soakaways, surface water attenuation system, and new vehicular and pedestrian accesses off trunk road
Land at Cilmedw, Llangollen.

03/2012/0030
Demolition of existing printing works, erection of Use Class A1 foodstore with associated access, parking, servicing, landscaping, surface water attenuation system, and construction of new vehicular and pedestrian accesses
Berwyn Works, Llangollen.

The county council website and planning section is at http://planning.denbighshire.gov.uk/lg/plansearch.page?org.apache.shale.dialog.DIALOG_NAME=gfplanningsearch&Param=lg.Planning

Feed the reference numbers into the search field and the documents should be available.

Society goes on trial over ageism

Society will be put on trial on a charge of ageism at a special court hearing being staged in Denbighshire later today (Thursday, October 25).

The mock trial is being arranged by Denbighshire County Council Older People's Team as part of the No Limits! Don't Stop Me Know' event being held at Denbigh Town Hall.

The event, which aims to promote activities for the over 50s, is being supported by Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council and Age Concern North Wales Central.

The court hearing will have defendants accused of ageism and they will face questions from real barristers and a high court judge that are giving their time to support the event.

Expert witnesses will be called to assist in making the event realistic.

A range of other activities will be arranged during the day, including hand massage, a smoothie bike for you to get peddling to create their own healthy smoothie, speed dating for the over 50s, information stands and activities from the Welsh Judo Association.

Councillor Bobby Feeley, Cabinet Lead Member for Social Care and Children's Services, said: "In Denbighshire, we have one of the highest populations of older people in Wales which means that we need to adapt what we have on offer. Older people are living longer, they want to stay independent for longer and as a result, their needs are changing.

"We want to change attitudes towards getting older and events like this really show that life does begin at 50."

Spotlight falls on Trevor Basin tourist scheme

* An artist’s impression of how the finished scheme would look.

* Panels outlining the Trevor Basin scheme were set up in the foyer
at Llangollen Library. 

ORGANISERS of an exhibition showcasing a £100,000 scheme to enhance the visitor experience around Trevor Basin say it was given a warm reception in Llangollen last Friday.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Steering Group are currently carrying out a public consultation exercise into its ambitious scheme to develop a new visitor centre at the canal basin to encourage visitors to explore further into the surrounding World Heritage Site.

It says it is envisaged that a visitor centre would become the “central anchor” for the site, which over the summer hit the international headlines when the Olympic torch passed over the aqueduct aboard a narrow boat.

It says a number of sites have been considered and one has now been identified as being the most able to provide the visitor “offer” envisaged.

The group is also looking into the feasibility of re-opening part or all of the Plas Kynaston Canal from Trevor, possibly as far as Cefn Mawr.

However, the group stresses all the proposals are long term and depend on the development of the former Flexsys site nearby.

The exhibition which came to Llangollen Library last Friday aimed to gauge public opinion on the scheme and has already toured other venues in the 11-mile World Heritage Site Corridor, including Chirk and Cefn Mawr.

Panels containing a wide range of information on the scheme, including plans and artist’s impressions, were set up in the library foyer and copies of documents and a CD explaining the whole project were available to pick up.

Interested members of the public were able to write their comments on post-it notes which could be stuck on a map of the World Heritage Site, or fill in questionnaires which can be handed in at Tourist Information Centres in Llangollen or Wrexham before the consultation closing date of November 16.

A spokesman for the group said: “We had tremendous support for the exhibition from the people visiting Llangollen Library and there were some very positive comments.”

A separate consultation event is planned for the local community of Chirk Bank and Western Rhyn on Monday, November 12.


 

Band delights festival crowds

* The band in action at the festival.

Llangollen Band had a warm reception from the crowd when it played at last weekend's food festival at the International Pavilion.
 
A band spokeswoman said: "The sun shone brightly at the end of a week of summer mysteriously out of place in October, and cherished all the more for that. 

"Conductor Trevor Williams was so delighted with the weather that he requested the organisers to arrange his holidays for next year..! 

"The festival was packed with visitors and the band played in front of the pavilion to an enthusiastic crowd making the most of the warmth, the food and the music.   

"A little bit of heaven for all the senses!"

Appeal for witnesses to fatal crash

Shortly after 7.00pm last night, Monday 22^nd October 2012 emergency services were called to the scene of a two vehicle road traffic collision on the A541 Wrexham to Mold Road close to the end of the dual carriageway adjacent to the Plas Teg Estate. The collision involved a silver BMW series 3 motor vehicle travelling in the direction of Mold and a silver Ford Ka travelling in the opposite direction.

As a result of the collision the driver of the Ford Ka, a local woman in her 30’s received fatal injuries and passed away a short time later at Wrexham hospital. Tragically the woman was pregnant and despite efforts made at the scene her unborn child could not be saved.

The driver of the BMW, who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has since been released on bail whilst the investigation continues.

The officer leading the Investigation Sergeant Jane Thomas of the Roads Policing Unit said “I’d like to hear from anyone who was travelling along the A541 Road in Pontbyddyn yesterday evening and may have witnessed the collision to contact the Police. At this time the lady’s family are being supported by a specialist family liaison officer. As you can imagine they are devastated. This is a tragic incident which will have shaken the local community and I would ask that if you have any information that may assist our investigation that you contact Police immediately.

If you have any information about the collision North Wales Police can be contacted on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote incident N175772.