Free primary school meals to be served from September

Reception class children will begin to receive universal primary free school meals from as early as September, the Welsh Government has confirmed. 

As part of the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Government is working closely with local authorities to meet the commitment for every primary school pupil to receive a free school meal by 2024. 

The announcement confirms the progress that has been made on the delivery and rollout of the scheme to date.

The Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru are committed to implementing the scheme as quickly as possible in response to the rising cost-of-living crisis, and are working with local authorities to ensure the offer is rolled out as quickly as possible. 

£225m has been committed to secure its delivery over the next three years. 

From September, Welsh Government will fund local authorities across Wales to begin rolling out their offer of a free, nutritious school meal, starting with their youngest learners. Most schools in Wales will be ready to commence the roll-out in September to ensure that children across Wales can benefit from the offer as soon as possible. 

This will mean that most children in reception classes will start receiving universal primary free school meals from this September. 

By April 2023 the majority of children in Years 1 and 2 will also start receiving free school meals, with local authorities given the flexibility, support and funding to start delivering free school meals to those in Years 1 and 2 earlier than April if they can.

This first year of delivery will focus on building the capacity of schools to deliver this increased offer and will aim to ensure that, by the start of the Summer term, most pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 2 will be able to have a free school meal. Those in older years who are eligible for free school meals won’t be affected by the roll out of the universal scheme.

The Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru will continue to work with local authorities on plans to extend the scheme further into the 2023/24 academic year to meet the commitment for all primary school pupils to receive a free school meal by 2024. 

Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language said: “No child should ever be at school hungry. Given the pressure so many families are under with the increases in the cost-of-living we are absolutely committed to taking practical measures to support our children and young people.

"Our new programme of universal free school meals for primary children is one of the key ways we are looking to help families. Younger children are more likely to be living in relative income poverty, so we are starting with a decent free school meal for children in Reception from September, with most children in Year 1 and Year 2 also getting free school meals by next April. 

“I want to thank our local authorities and schools for working with us so constructively over the past few months to help make this a reality.”

Llan Friends of the Earth runs successful heat-loss tests

* North Wales Senedd Member Carolyn Thomas, right, with volunteers on the thermal imaging scheme.

Llangollen Friends of the Earth (FoE) recently offered free thermal imaging surveys to help households see where their homes were losing heat.

The group’s project aimed to help local residents while highlighting the need for government action to help households reduce their energy use.

 

Over 40 houses were imaged over a number of evenings by the project volunteers. Reports were prepared and a feedback session was put together to help householders understand their reports and the options open to them.

Speaking about the project, volunteer Katharine Mann said: “With the recent hikes in energy prices this project offered people an easy way to understand where they were losing heat from their homes and explained what action they could take to reduce it.”

The group are now calling on the Welsh and UK Government to do more to help people save energy through home insulation.

* Typical thermograph showing two homes.

FoE says the project received very positive feedback, with every home imaged saying they would take some action as a result of the survey findings. 

Half planned to install radiator foil, and many are considering loft insulation, double glazing and additional wall insulation.

Warren Davies, coordinator of Llangollen Friends of the Earth, said: “We’ve shown people where they are losing heat, but improving a home’s energy efficiency can be very expensive. The UK and Welsh Government must do more to support residents to make changes. In terms of warm homes, local employment and reduced reliance on fossil fuel, insulation is win-win.”

Hot water and heating account for up to 75% of energy use in UK homes and the UK has some of the least efficient housing in Europe which has meant soaring energy costs.

The project was supported by The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainable Development Fund (SDF). The project was also supported by 10 volunteers who received training and spent time imaging buildings around Llangollen.

 

Police seek witnesses to dog attack near Fron

Police are looking for witnesses to a livestock attack near Llangollen yesterday (Sunday).

PCSO Iwan Owen from the force's Rural Crime Team has sent out a message through the Neighbourhood Alert system about the incident.

He says: "Yet another livestock attack. This time it is reported that a dog similar to an Afghan Hound chased a lamb into the river in the fields a short distance from the aqueduct at Froncysyllte near Llangollen.

"Thankfully, the lamb was uninjured but clearly the lamb could easily have drowned."

He adds: "The incident took place on Sunday morning (June 19). If you have any information that may help us identify the owner of the dog please get in touch touch."

Latest Llangollen planning applications

Planning applications submitted to Denbighshire County Council between June 5 and 11 include:

* 5 Chapel Street, Llangollen, demolition of existing ground floor rear extension and erection of replacement rear extension, erection of rear dormer roof extension to rear elevation and associated works.

* Sports Pavilion, Tower Road, Llangollen, installation of three 15m high LED floodlights to allow use for training.

Funding fair to be held at town hall this month

 

Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) in conjunction with Llangollen Town Council are holding a Funding Fair on Thursday June 30, from 11am – 2pm, at the Town Hall. People who attend can find out more about the different grants available in the local area and have the opportunity to discuss these grants with the funders.  This event will be hosted as a ‘hybrid’ with some funders being there in person to chat with and other funders attending the session via 30-minute Zoom presentations in which people will be able to log on to imminently via an Eventbrite page.  Organisers says: “If you are an organisation or local community group who would like to promote your current or future grants at the event, please get in touch to book a space at: office@dvsc.co.uk or phone 01824 702 441. “If you can’t attend, please feel free to send leaflets, resources etc that we can promote on your behalf.” * For more information please contact DVSC on office@dvsc.co.uk or call 01824 702441

 

Roadworks planned for Aber Adda

Latest roadworks update from one.network is:

Aber Adda, Denbighshire

20 June - 20 June

 

Delays unlikely - Some carriageway incursion

 

Description: MJ QUINN TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING WORKS: RECOVER POLE...

 

Works location: SIDE OF 1 ABER ADDA

 

Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.

 

Responsibility for works: Openreach

 

Current status: Advanced planning

 

Works reference: BC006MQONSAWN0POFAA7495C

 

Eisteddfod to provide dedicated chill-out area on field

* Davina Carey-Evans and son Benjamin.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is to become the first major event in Wales to provide a special safe chill-out space for people with special and additional needs.

This year’s four-day Eisteddfod is back live again to celebrate its 75^th anniversary, starting on Thursday, July 7, and will include a dedicated quiet zone at the heart of the field.

The innovation has come about thanks to the event’s marketing manager, Davina Carey-Evans, who founded PIWS – Welsh for purple –which aims to encourage businesses and events to improve accessibility for families with hidden disabilities.

Davina, who is also High Sheriff of Gwynedd, is the mum of three boys, one of whom, Benjamin, 27, has severe autism and she has had a lifetime of experience of the difficulties faced by similar families.

She said: “We all think of people with disabilities as having visible stuff but there are lots of people with very different issues, who can get over-stimulated, particularly somewhere with lots going on, and the International Eisteddfod is the first event in Wales to have a dedicated safe zone for them.

“It will be a tent with arts and crafts activities and we’re planning to provide yoga and other well-being therapies but essentially it is a place where when a child or person becomes over-excited they can go there to calm down without being judged by others who don’t understand.

“It’s something that PIWS is trying to encourage everywhere to embrace and the International Eisteddfod with its message of peace is the ideal place to start and it opens up the Eisteddfod to a new audience, families who would not previously have visited.

“The Eisteddfod who will be offering to train their army of volunteers with an introduction to accessibility session, which supports them to understand what they can do to help if someone with an issue like ADHD has a problem.

“I’m really grateful to them for being so innovative because this is something that all organisations, events and businesses will have to recognise in future because they should all aim to have a similar safe space.”

The International Eisteddfod’s embracing of the PIWS project is just one of the ways in which it is evolving as it returns after a two-year Covid gap after being cancelled in 2020.

Last year it was held virtually but on its 75th anniversary it is back with a new emphasis on extending and improving the on-field activities and attractions and outdoors the site will look and feel very different, Camilla King, the Eisteddfod’s new executive producer, has promised.

She said: “It has been redefined and reimagined and our wide-ranging outdoor activities will continue throughout the day and evening until 10pm.

“We’ve also introduced a £5 half-day field admission after 4.30pm and with a full programme of music, dance and activities going on all evening with food and drink on sale, it’s the perfect space for people to bring their picnic blankets and enjoy themselves.

“The outdoor stage will feature music and dance, and a new globe-shaped Geodome  will be the hub for spoken word, thought-provoking interviews , comedy and learning from different cultures.

“The Eisteddfod is an essential event where the arts and how they can contribute to peace in all senses of the word meet one another.”

The popular festival which helped launch the careers of opera superstars Luciano Pavarotti and Sir Bryn Terfel had to be cancelled in 2020 for the first time due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

In 2021 it took on a virtual format with performances streamed online but this year Wales will once again welcome the world to the little town in the Dee Valley.

This year’s festival starts on Thursday, July 7, and culminates with Llanfest on Sunday, July 10, when the Eisteddfod joins forces with the Llangollen Fringe Festival.

Over the four days there will be a host of new attractions and activities on the revamped outdoor site, including music, dance, talks, comedy, food, drink, shopping, workshops and pop-up entertainment.

In the evenings there will be concerts featuring the singing duo of Aled Jones and Russell Watson and Anoushka Shankar, the British-Indian-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist who is the daughter of renowned musician Ravi Shankar, and half-sister of singer Norah Jones.

The competitions climax on Saturday night with Choir of the World and the contest for the Pendine International Voice of the Future featuring the finest young singers from around the world on the stage where Placido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, Elaine Paige, Michael Ball, Sir Bryn Terfel and Luciano Pavarotti have performed.

This year’s Eisteddfod is a shortened version of previous years but will still pack plenty in with a full programme of competitions in the Pavilion and starting on Thursday with Schools Day and the Young Peacemaker Awards.

Sunday sees the Eisteddfod let its hair down for Llanfest before the climactic final concert.

* For more on Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and its competitions and concerts as well as how to get to it and where to stay go to http://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/ or check out https://www.facebook.com/llangollen