Archives for September 2009

Locals have been giving their feedback on the plans for the redevelopment of the Foryd Harbour in Rhyl, as reported on Denbighshire County Council's website. Some further suggestions put forward included opening a fish restaurant or cafe nearby while suggestions for names for the new bridge included Pont Mileniwm (Millennium Bridge) as there is currently no millennium bridge anywhere else in north Wales.

Whatever Rhyl's troubles over the years people are still keen to put forward suggestions for improvements, as Nick's earlier blog entry shows.

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Discount fuel retailer to reopen Llangollen station - The Leader

The people of Llangollen could have their own petrol station again after Stan's Superstore placed a bid for the currently disused site of a former petrol station on Berwyn Street.

Hands off our village say Bodelwyddan residents - Rhyl Journal

Residents of Bodelwyddan are angry at proposals to triple the size of their village over the next 12 years with the building of more than 1700 new homes and industrial units.

A year of job woe in Flintshire sees benefits claims double - The Leader

Figures show that there are now twice as many people claiming benefits in Flintshire as there were 12 months ago and the number of women claiming jobseekers' allowance has broken through the 1000 barrier for the first time.

'Big majority back bypass' for Deeside - Daily Post

A survey has shown that 81% of Deeside residents back a bypass to resolve traffic problems in Shotton.

Comedian Stan Boardman remembers wartime move to Wrexham - The Leader

Comedian Stan Boardman talks about his time in Wrexham during the war and how his brother was tragically killed in a bomb raid when the family returned to Liverpool. He is also joining a number of other celebrities in backing the We Love Wrexham campaign, organised by Town Centre Manager Isobel Watson and Kevin Critchley, the manager of the Eagles Meadow shopping centre.

Man Utd ace Rio Ferdinand won't holiday in Prestatyn after being mobbed by fans - Daily Post

Following his stay at Presthaven Sands in Prestatyn, football star Rio Ferdinand is reportedly reluctant to go on a "normal" holiday again because of the many fans who ambushed him while he was staying at the holiday camp.

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The loss of a Ruthin park's paddling pool has led to a lively debate about what will replace it. Ruthin resdient Roger Connah, writing in the Denbighshire Free Press, puts forward his ideas about how to develop the park, which he describes as "...one of the best natural and semi-natural spaces in North Wales".

It goes to show how highly valued our urban parks are by the people who use them. In Wrexham, Val and Mike, members of the Friends of Acton Park describe it as "An oasis amongst all the town's development and a lovely place to meet and talk to people". The park is not just a green space but a valuable community resource.

What do you think of your local park and its facilities?

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As a study is under way to come up with ideas to redevelop Rhyl's visitor attractions, we're asking what you think the resort needs.

Denbighshire Council, the Department of Economy and Transport of the Welsh Assembly Government have commissioned a report [Redeveloping Rhyl's Attractions] to "investigate the future of all weather visitor attractions in Rhyl and how to reinvigorate the appeal of this important coastal town".

So what do you think?

Apart from the skytower, the Children's Village has received lots of criticisms from locals over the years and now with the old fun fair flattened, what could be brought to Rhyl to win back the tourists and complement the new-look Prom, aka the Drift Park, [seen right]?

Planners are certainly thinking big what with the idea for a marina opposite the old former fun fair site and linked via an impressive £5m footbridge.

Look what has been done with Salford Quays, Portsmouth's Gunwharf, and Brighton Marina.

So, what should we do with Rhyl? There's no denying you loved the place. But what's left to try?

Rhyl has had the outdoor pools [old and new], there have been numerous fairs, sideshows, theatres and even a pier.

Any ideas?

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Search continues as 'Flintshire's Banksy' strikes again - Evening Leader
The hunt is on for an artist taking inspiration from Banksy and painting on walls at Deeside - not because the graffiti is causing concern - but because people want to commission him / her to do some work for them.

Meanwhile, the Leader has also been asking people to share their views about the art installation on the walls of Mold's Daniel Owen Precinct - it's a collection of faces displaying different expressions.

New £6m sports and leisure centre - Daily Post
Plans for a new £6 million sports centre at Colwyn Bay's Eirias Park stadium could see it host pop concerts and European sports tournaments, and bring in top athletes for training.

Kinmel Bay woman wins sports honour - Rhyl Journal
Karen Cartlidge, 34, has become the UK's first female national kite buggying champion, winning the freestyle section of the Power Kite Buggying British Championship, held on Blackpool beach. Karen practises on Prestatyn beach with Marie Thorpe, of Rhyl, who came third.

Gresford Disaster: 75th anniversary
The Denbighshire Free Press talks about a new book by local author, Beverley Tinson, ahead of next week's anniversary and the launch of The Gresford Letters, a collection of letters written during the aftermath of the disaster which is being remembered next Tuesday by Wrexham FC and the local community.

CCTV at memorial garden - Flintshire Chronicle
The Connah's Quay Community Action Team (QuayCAT) and families of fallen servicemen, senior aircraftman Peter McFerran and Sgt Malcolm Wigley, were left distraught when the Wepre Drive garden was vandalised three times in as many weeks. QuayCAT has now set up the Friends of the Community Garden group. Heightened CCTV is also planned as the garden will include a tribute to Bryn Deva pupil Jordan Baker, who drowned in the River Dee at the end May.

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It may be 75 years since the Gresford Disaster but the implications of that day were so great they can still be felt.

Wrexham FC is playing its game on Tuesday - on the anniversary of the accident - in memory of the 266 miners who died at Gresford Colliery on 22 September 1934.

Many had been working a double or extra shift so they could have a day off to watch a Wrexham game the following Saturday.

So, for some on the terraces on Tuesday, the memorial match will have a stronger resonance as they will be relatives - such as grandchildren - of those men who died.

Much has been written and discussed over the years about the accident - caused by an underground explosion and fire [read Real Price of Coal]. We've recently uploaded some original BBC news bulletins from that time as well as survivors' accounts.

And Wrexham Council has in-depth coverage of the disaster online, a memorial gallery and a virtual copy of the Book of Remembrance which can still be viewed in the A.N.Palmer Centre for Local Studies & Archives.

On Tuesday, the air raid siren at Wrexham Museum will sound for two minutes at 11am at the same time as an annual memorial service takes place at Gresford Memorial. Wrexham FC players will take part in the silence at their training ground, Colliers' Park, on the site of the former Gresford Colliery.

It was at 2am an explosion followed by a fire in the Dennis Section of the mine saw the beginning of the worst mining incident in North Wales. Every man on the shift was killed [Names of the dead] apart from six miners who managed to escape.

By the evening of 23 September three rescue workers had also been killed and the final death toll was 266, leaving 166 widows, 229 children, 194 partial dependants and 130 pensioners.

To commemorate Tuesday's 75th anniversary Bersham Heritage Centre has installed a plaque made from the same cast as the bronze memorial panel on Pandy Road, Gresford. The memorial and zinc pattern list the names of all the mineworkers who died in the disaster.

There will also be a minute's silence before the 'Gresford Colliery Disaster Memorial Game' - Wrexham v Luton Town, at 7.45pm where Llay Welfare Band will be playing the 'Gresford Hymn'.

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Whilst the region has found itself making national headlines this week - see Spotted Richard and Rio Ferdinand's caravan holiday - the emphasis among the local Press has been on jobs.

And unlike countless stories of redundancies we've become used to reading, this time it's good news:

The Evening Leader shouted '200 jobs safe as company moves to new £20m Flintshire factory'.

That was followed by the Daily Post story, 'Government cash could create 300 jobs at Rhyl'.

Meanwhile, we were telling you Pontin's visitor beds to double in a £15m investment in Prestatyn which is expected to create 300 jobs and bring 200 construction jobs.

Other stories in the local Press this week include:

- Gwyn Jones from Ruthin lost 13 stones in a year, said the Denbighshire Visitor

- Llangollen couple's role in man-overboard rescue was covered by the Leader

- Vicar forgives Wrexham Maelor Hospital over cancer blunder, said the Post

And take a look at the great slideshow from the Evening Leader showing crowds and a flyover at the Broughton Airbus factory to mark the firm's 40th anniversary.

See you next week - or use our daily updates where you can also tell us about other local stories in the Press

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Evening Leader
Flintshire's only driving test centre is to close despite a desperate campaign to save it. Mold test centre will shut down when a new facility opens in Wrexham, leaving Flintshire without a test centre. The change means learner drivers from the county will have to travel to Wrexham, Chester or Rhyl to take their test.

Daily Post
The date for a public inquiry into a £25m link road scheme - which would upgrade access to Wrexham's Industrial Estate from "horse and cart" roads to modern highways - has been set for October 6. The estate employs 8,000 people at more than 200 companies, and Wrexham Council is keen to ensure the big companies stay there.

North Wales Weekly News
Plans to relocate 600 council staff to the heart of Colwyn Bay in the hope of creating a boost to the town centre economy has been questioned by an MP. Clwyd West Conservative MP David Jones says he's unsure if the plan to generate additional footfall in shops by using council staff would work.

Wrexham Chronicle
Wrexham Council awarded up to £1.8m from the National Assembly for Wales to pioneer a scheme that provides services to the most vulnerable families in the county.

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After news that former Buckley Town FC player Danny Collins signed for Premier League team Stoke City for £2.75m, today's Daily Post gives more details of his local ties.

The move also means he joins former Buckley Town player Ryan Shawcross, worth £9m, in Stoke's defence.

The Post points out Danny, 28, began his career with Mold Alexandra and Buckley Town before signing for Chester City in December 2001, and then joining Sunderland.

Ryan, 21, from Buckley, also played for Buckley Town in the Cymru Alliance.

Meanwhile, today's BBC Sport reports the Football Association of Wales is backing a proposed rule that would have meant England striker Michael Owen could have chosen to represent Wales - a suggestion that has sparked a big debate on the BBC 606 sports messageboard.

The Scottish FA is leading the proposal for British players to be able to represent their chosen country if they have spent five years of compulsory education there before the age of 16.

If agreed, that means rising star Ryan could chose to represent Wales as we was brought up in Buckley.

• Hall of Fame: Find out more about local sportsmen and women

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