Inner Wheel plans Christmas stall on Tuesday Market

Llangollen Inner Wheel is planning to have a Christmas stall at the Tuesday Market on December 1st.

Vice president Eileen Dart said: "Usually at this time of the year we are making plans for our main fund event which is Christmas Cheer held annually in the Town Hall. 

"Along with most other groups we have had to cancel this and most other events for this year. 

"We are however planning to have a Christmas stall on the Tuesday Market on Tuesday, December 1st, weather permitting. If it is wet we will hold it on the following Tuesday."

MP speaks out in support of wedding venues during pandemic

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes (pictured) spoke out in support of the wedding venue industry in  his constituency during a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament.

Mr Baynes addressed fellow MPs during the Live Events and Weddings: Covid-19 Support debate, stressing the importance of the issue to his constituents and the local economy. 

He spoke about the series of roundtable virtual meetings that he has organised over the last few months with representatives from the Clwyd South wedding venue industry, such as Tracey Owen of Tyn Dwr Hall and others from further afield in Wales. 

These meetings were also regularly attended by UK and Welsh Government Ministers.

Mr Baynes also highlighted the importance of the industry to rural economies such as those in parts of Clwyd South. 

And he stressed that while this is a devolved issue in Wales, it was vitally important to recognise that the wedding venue industry across the UK is facing the same issue.

During his speech, he said: “The limit on numbers for wedding venues, whether that be 15 or 30, is arbitrary and should be related to the size of the venue. 

"The limit is out of kilter with European venues, where the figure is often significantly higher - up to 100. The venues I talked to say that in the majority of cases, 50 guests is an economic number, and that it is difficult to break even with lower numbers.

“With all due respect to everyone in the health industry, weddings are not super spreaders of the virus. All the guests are known to the bride and groom and therefore easier to control in terms of track and trace by the venue. There is also a strong vested interest among the guests—to them, there are no random guests—to look after each other health-wise.

“Plenty of economic support has come forward but, as many have said this afternoon, it is not targeted in the way that it needs to be for wedding venues. 

"One suggestion of a practical solution, given that a lot of venues are suffering from the withdrawal of clients’ deposits - that is now getting to be a very serious problem - would be the underwriting or financial furloughing of those deposits. 

"That would bring stability and a breathing space so that the wedding venues can plan with greater confidence for the future.”

Business Minister, Paul Scully MP, in his closing remarks for the debate, said: "It is pleasing to see the dedication of my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd South (Simon Baynes) who, as a number of people have done, has brought the industry together, listened to the sector, reflected on its views and been working tirelessly for those sectors that are so hard pressed and unable to open fully, or in some cases at all."

 

Friends rally round to help pay for young mum's funeral

* Rachael Taylor died at the age of just 34.

Friends of a young mum rallied round to pay for her funeral when she died suddenly at the age of just 34.

Rachael Taylor lived in Ruabon with her partner Sam and 11-year-old daughter Libby-Mae but was originally from Llangollen and attended Ysgol Bryn Collen and Ysgol Dinas Bran.

When she died a friend started up a Just Giving page in her memory.

So far this has so far raised over £3,300 towards the cost of her funeral, which takes place at Pentre Bychan Crematorium next Friday morning.

The funeral cortege will be leaving Hill Street at 11.15am on November 27 and going over the bridge for those wishing to pay their respects.

The funeral itself will have a limited number of mourners due to social distancing requirements.

* The Just Giving page can be found at:  https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/rachaeltaylor

Roadworks update

Latest roadworks update from one.network is:

Chapel Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 23 November — 25 November   Delays unlikely - Traffic control (give & take)   Works location: LLANGOLLEN BARBER SHOP CHAPEL STREET...   Works description: Boundary box Install 25mm Job in Footway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )...   Responsibility for works: Dee Valley Water   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000060355957

Action taken on Market Street loading bay

* Workmen at the loading bay outside Jenni's shop in Market Street.

A loading bay placed outside shops in Market Street as part of the town's new social distancing traffic measures earlier this week has been moved by workmen today (Friday).

The package of changes includes widening pavements in Castle Street - removing its on-street parking bays - and  on Abbey Road, reversing the one-way traffic flow in Church Street and making Market Street partially one-way. 

However, people have been unhappy about some of the changes, including Jenni Lloyd who runs Jenni's shop in Market Street.

She started a petition to be handed to Denbighshire County Council which attracted almost 100 signatures in its first couple of hours.

Complaining about the loading bay outside her shop, she said: "The lorries are 5ft from my window and it's fairly constant as the bay is servicing the whole of Castle Street."

A meeting between her, other concerned local people and a county official was held earlier this week and this morning workmen could be seen apparently moving the loading bay.

Jenni Lloyd said: "I am delighted and grateful for all the overwhelming support I have received from so many people this week.

"I feel as though the whole town has been behind me!"

Llangollen County Councillor Graham Timms said: "After discussions with fellow Llangollen county councillor Melvyn Mile and I it has been agreed to move the loading bay to our originally proposed location, which is on the opposite side of Market Street, starting just beyond the shops. The taxi rank will stay where it is." 

Coronavirus cases at Llangollen Fechan being investigated, says county

Denbighshire County Council has this morning issued a statement on a number of coronavirus cases at the Llangollen Fechan Care Home.

It says: "An Incident Management Team (IMT) has been convened, comprising Denbighshire County Council, Public Health Wales and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

"Co-chair of the IMT, Nicola Stubbins, said: 'We have been working together to investigate a number of cases of Coronavirus in staff and residents at Llangollen Fechan Care Home in Llangollen.

'Over the last three weeks there have sadly been 56 positive cases and 15 deaths with coronavirus amongst residents. In addition 33 staff members have been tested positive for the virus over the same period.

'We would like to assure all concerned that control measures have been put in place working jointly with the care home, including limiting the movement of staff and residents to reduce transmission.

'Our thoughts and condolences are with all affected and we remain committed to working together to address the situation.

'Anyone who meets the definition of a contact will be contacted as a routine part of theTest, Trace and Protect process and provided with additional advice for themselves, their household and other contacts.

'As we move into the next phase of the Coronavirus pandemic we expect to see cases in a variety of settings, and we manage any clusters of Coronavirus appropriately. This can include providing advice around infection prevention and control, and by supporting contact tracing where required.

'We remind the public that they have a vital role in preventing the spread of Coronavirus. They can do this by adhering to Welsh Government regulations currently in place in Wales, and by observing social distancing guidelines – that’s staying two metres away from others – and washing hands regularly.'"

Statement from the home ...

A statement issued on behalf of RobertsHomes  (North Wales)  Limited, which runs the home, says: " The Llangollen Fechan nursing home in Denbighshire has experienced a high level of Covid-19  cases in recent weeks.

"As a result, we are deeply sorry to report 15 residents with coronavirus have died in the Llangollen Fechan. 

"Our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences go out to the families of those deceased residents. We are continuing to support the next of kin who have lost a loved one and also those families whose loved ones remain in our care, during this difficult time. 

"A total of 56 residents and 33 staff have tested positive for Covid-19. As an organisation we are working with the relevant departments of Denbighshire County Council, Public Health Wales and many other organisations to manage and contain the situation and continue to follow the appropriate guidelines. We very much appreciate the support we are being given.

"All the staff at Llangollen Fechan are committed to providing compassionate and high-quality care for all residents in both its EMI and Residential Units. We thank all our staff for their continued support. Our main priority will always be to make sure all of the residents in our homes are as safe as possible.

"We are taking every precaution to ensure prevention measures are in place to contain the outbreak and minimise transmission. 

"We are working closely with our colleagues in public health and other public bodies to monitor the situation and to ensure all necessary action is taken.  

"Regular testing of our residents and staff continues and we continue to advise those who have been in close contact to self-isolate in line with national guidelines." 

Statement from Care Forum Wales

Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said: “We would like to extend our condolences to the families of those who have passed away.

“It is a deeply worrying time for everybody concerned and our thoughts are with the residents and staff who have also been affected by the virus.

“This tragic case is a stark and cruel reminder how virulent and dangerous the Covid-19 is.

“Care Forum Wales has recently launched a renewed campaign to shield social care and save lives this winter.

“The key message is how vulnerable the residents of care homes are and how everyone has to work to ensure that these people are protected.

“There are more than 20,000 care home beds Wales compared to 12,000 beds in our hospitals so social care plays an absolutely vital role in supporting the NHS, now more so than ever.

“Right at the outset of the pandemic, Care Forum Wales was ahead of the curve in calling for an efficient and effective testing regime and, while things have improved, we are not there yet.

“If we don’t protect the vulnerable people for whom we provide care and our staff many more people will die as a result. We cannot and must not let that happen.”

Fair minimum wage deal for care staff demanded

* Mario Kreft, chair of Care Forum Wales.

A major campaign has been launched to ensure qualified staff who work in care homes and domiciliary care in Wales are paid a minimum of £20,000 a year.

Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said they had been condemned to low pay for many years because of the “morally bankrupt” formulas used by local authorities and health boards to calculate the fees for social care.

According to Mr Kreft, the "heroic" response of care workers in saving lives during the coronavirus pandemic had highlighted their true value and it was high time it was recognised by the authorities who commissioned publicly funded social care.

It was, he said, a “national disgrace” that the 2020 Fair Pay campaign was necessary but he hoped it would shame the councils and the health boards into taking action to finally ensure that qualified care workers could be paid properly after a quarter of a century of a mismanaged market which has seen social care being treated as a “Cinderella service”.

As a result, the frontline workforce had been "left behind".

The Welsh Government had shown the way earlier this year when they announced a one-off £500 bonus payment for social care staff.

It was very welcome recognition and now local authorities and health boards should follow suit by updating their funding formulas so that qualified care workers received at least £20,000 a year as a bare minimum.

All those who worked in social care deserved at least the Real Living Wage.

One of Mr Kreft’s fears was that the NHS will effectively poach social care staff to cope with the extra demands caused by the second surge of the virus which was already underway.

Pay rates in the NHS were historically higher than those available in care homes and domiciliary care because their funding in relative terms was a lot more generous.

He is calling for an assurance from the seven health boards in Wales that they will not be recruiting additional staff from care homes and domiciliary care by offering them more money to work for them than they allowed care providers to pay.

Mr Kreft said: “Social care staff have risen magnificently to the immense challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the public understand better than ever that these people do have important skills and are vital to their communities across Wales.

“They are an army of heroes and should be viewed as a value rather than a cost to society.

“It is high time that when local authorities and health board commission publicly funded social care services that the formulas they use finally recognise their true value and enable providers to pay frontline staff a minimum of £20,000 a year from April 1 next year.

“Existing formulas that use the basic living wage as their benchmark are unacceptable, particularly given what the sector has achieved this year and the support the sector has from the public.

“We know from the first wave of the pandemic that the NHS does not have enough staff  to run the rainbow hospitals in Wales so the only place that they can go and get people with those sorts of skills is the care sector and the care sector is critically endangered. 

“There’s evidence from when the Dragon’s Heart Hospital Cardiff during the first wave that they were offering significantly higher rates of pay than what providers -which were commissioned by local authorities and local health boards - were able to pay. 

“Currently, many of the formulas used to commission publicly funded social care services are predicated on paying at or just above the legal minimum wage to a significant number of people which flies in the face of the traditional Welsh qualities of fairness and equality.

“As a result, we have a system that is self-perpetuating that has created a morally bankrupt vicious circle.

“The evidence that commissioners effectively set rates of pay is irrefutable.

“In normal times, between 60% and 70% of a care home’s income goes straight out in wages while it’s 80% in domiciliary care – but the percentage has been even higher  during the pandemic.

“If we lose skilled social care staff to the NHS then the result of that could be that homes could have to temporarily close down and send their residents to the field hospitals which would be counterproductive for everybody concerned as it would pile even more pressure on the beleaguered health service.

“I am therefore calling for an urgent assurance that the NHS will immediately refrain from recruiting anybody from social care by paying them higher wages. It wouldn’t take long for care home closures to fill hospital beds at the field hospitals

“After all their heroic work during the pandemic, you surely cannot deny that people who work in care homes and those who provide care in people’s own homes deserve a bare minimum of £20,800 a year for a full time equivalent member of staff for a 40 hour seek on £10 an hour .

“Money in care workers’ pockets is spent in their local communities which is a vital part of the foundation economy of Wales.

“The responsibility for making this happen clearly rests with the 22 local authorities and the seven health boards in Wales.

“The tension between a means tested social care service provided by local authorities and the NHS, free at the point of delivery has been exacerbated by unelected health boards without a democratic mandate from the community they serve.

“The social care workers in these very communities are in fact a foundation block of the healthcare system in Wales.

“We have long endured a tapestry of social care services across Wales which were not only underfunded but also promoted inequality. That tapestry has been held together by social care workers and is now threadbare.

“The time for action is now and we must shield social care and save lives this winter and into the future.”