Category: News

New Food Trail takes tourists on a tasty tour of the Clwydian Range

Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Food Alun Davies at the launch of the Clwydian Range Food Trail . Deputy Minister For Food Alun Davies is presented with a food hamper from Robert Price, Cadwyn Clwyd Agri-Food Project Officer for Denbighshire and Flintshire, and David Jones, Chairman of the Food Trail.

A brand new Food Trail aimed at introducing visitors to the gastronomic delights of the scenic Clwydian Range has been launched by Wales’s own Minister for Food.

And Alun Davies AM, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries reckons that once tourists have had a taste of Wales they’ll be hooked.

He was at the award-winning Caffi Florence restaurant at Loggerheads Country Park near Mold for the launch of the Clwydian Range Food Trail which has been produced by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd and will guide foodies through the county’s culinary culture.

Caffi Florence and the Tweedmill Factory Outlet, near St Asaph, are the twin gateways to the new trail and Alun Davies said: “Not only is Welsh food and drink a big part of our daily lives, it is also a vital part of Welsh culture. Food is so important to tourism and the Welsh economy, and the Welsh Government remains committed to strengthening the industry.

“For most visitors, sampling local food and drink is a highlight of their trip, and it is something they take home and tell others about.

“This food trail is a great way to introduce visitors to the wealth of good food that rural Denbighshire produces and sets a good example for others looking to follow suit.

“Good food attracts tourists and encourages them to return. And tourists in turn, provide a very important market for food producers and the hospitality industry.

“Throughout Wales we are producing excellent food and drink and we need to make sure that the rest of the World knows this.”

The Clwydian Range Food Trail, available in leaflet form, has been developed with funding from the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

Robert Price, Cadwyn Clwyd’s Agri-Food Project Officer, said: “This is a very special project about creating a direct link between visitors and the producers and retailers of what are top class products.

“This is not just food, this is food from the hills and valleys of Denbighshire.

“It is special and of the highest quality and it is produced and prepared to the highest standards and the people on this Food Trail really care that the consumer enjoys it and wants to come back for more.

“Through this Trail we want to help them discover the richness, variety and quality that we have to offer in this part of Wales and to be able to tap into the knowledge that we have here about food.”

The Trail has also been welcomed by Dewi Davies, Regional Strategy Director for Tourism Partnership North Wales, who said: “We have a wealth of fantastic scenery in the Clwydian Range and it’s great to capitalise on that with the fantastic food offer here.

“The Trail will introduce our visitors to all those great tastes that are produced by our countryside economy and to start at the popular visitor destinations of the Tweedmill and Loggerheads is a
great way of ensuring that they stayin the area longer and spend more thus protecting local jobs.”

The Trail is a gourmet guide to the region, starting either at the Tweedmill or at Caff Florence and taking in butchers, bakers, delicatessens, farm shops, a trout farm, cheese and yoghurt makers, a
pate producer, a cider maker and even a chocolate shop.

Ron Squire, Café Manager at Tweedmill, said: “Here at Tweedmill we have up to 2,000 visitors a day and it is important to us that we give them a taste of Wales so we’re delighted to be a gateway to the Food Trail.

“We are branding ourselves as Blas Clwyd, the Taste of the Vale of Clwyd, and we try wherever possible to use local and regional produce – even our coffee is roasted in North Wales even if
it’s not grown here.

“We are really committed to supporting local business and to promoting Wales and that certainly applies to the food and drink that we serve.”

Jane Clough, of Caffi Florence, who lists the local producers who supply her on a board at the restaurant, said: “This is a fantastic way for us to better promote the great local produce there
is here.

“We always list our local producers because our raison d’etre as a café is to use locally-sourced food and the more we can enourage our customers to buy from local producers the better.

“Now the Food Trail will help them go straight to those producers and retailers and buy from them.”

David Jones, Chairman of the Food Trail Group, who runs a Bed and Breakfast at Efenechtyd, near Ruthin, said: “The Vale of Clwyd really is a hidden gem and we hope this will attract more people to the area.

“This is the first such trail in North Wales and we believe as well as attracting visitors it will make people here more aware of what they have and help tourism providers and food producers network among themselves to source local products and services.”

An Open Day to celebrate the Clwydian Range Food Trail will be held next Saturday, April 21, at Loggerheads and the Trail also has its own website www.foodtrail.co.uk

Cadwyn Clwyd continues to look for innovative projects to support which help safeguard the area’s natural, cultural and heritage assets and maximise their economic potential for local businesses and communities.

To find out more or share your idea for a project call 01824 705802 or email to:admin@cadwynclwyd.co.uk">admin@cadwynclwyd.co.uk

Thursday April 26th, 2012

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Drug dealers booted out in major crackdown on anti-social behaviour

Antisocial Behavour Officer Jan Jones at a repossessed property in Rhos-On-Sea with Case worker Linda Lewis.

A housing association has booted drug dealers out of its homes and reclaimed them for honest tenants.

In a no-nonsense approach social landlord Cartrefi Conwy has gone to court to seize back two homes – in Capel Garmon and Rhos-on-Sea – from two tenants convicted by criminal courts of drug offences.

“We won’t tolerate drug offences committed in our homes,” said Cartrefi Conwy’s senior anti-social
behaviour officer Jan Jones.

The move comes as Cartrefi Conwy has just won Welsh Government approval for its tough but fair approach and becomes one of the very few housing associations in Wales to be awarded the  coveted Wales Housing Management Standard for tackling anti-social behaviour.

The award was made after the Welsh Government analysed around 12 months of evidence from Cartrefi Conwy about how it has tackled anti-social behaviour.

Cartrefi Conwy took over responsibility for housing from Conwy County Borough Council in 2008 and has now nearly completed £30 million pound programme of improvements to its 3,800 properties.

But the social landlord has not hesitated to use the courts if necessary to take action against tenants who blight the lives of others with their anti-social behaviour.

Jan said:”We have been supported by legal technical expertise from the legal services team at Conwy County  Borough Council while the police and, in some cases, other housing associations and agencies have also been very helpful.”

Conwy Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate and Regulatory Services, Cllr Philip Evans welcomed the robust stance taken by Cartrefi Conwy.

He said, “It is imperative that everyone works together to take action against the minority that cause misery by acting anti-socially on our streets and on our estates.

“This sends a very clear message: commit offences and your home is at risk. I hope this reassures the public that their concerns are important and that we can help to make people feel safer in their neighbourhood.”

Only last September Cartrefi Conwy took five tenants to county court with housing association Cymdeithas Tai Clwyd and North Wales Police to crack down on anti-social behaviour on the Hendy Estate in Tal-y-Bont.

Five residents signed undertakings not to cause anti-social behaviour – or face the threat prison if they broke their word.

This week (Mon Feb 21) one of the five broke their word and was hauled back before a district judge at the county court in Llandudno.

“One of those who gave an undertaking broke his word and got a three month suspended sentence and had to agree to extend the undertaking for another two years,” added Jan. “The judge told him next time he would not hesitate to send him to prison for three months and I think it frightened him.”

In the drug cases, a tenant living in a three bed property in Capel Garmon was found by police to be cultivating about 180 cannabis plants, while in Rhos-on-Sea a police raid uncovered heroin at the home of a tenant and her partner, where two children were also living.

“If a tenant is found guilty by the courts of drug use we can apply for possession of the property. It is not always guaranteed success but in these last two cases we were successful.

“In both cases they were local people who had been tenants for some time and in both cases they were jailed. We have another similar drug case in progress at the moment in the Mochdre area.”

But court is not the first resort, as Jan explained: “We do a lot of unacceptable behaviour contracts which is a low-level intervention which often works. It involves meeting the tenant, with the police, and where the tenant voluntarily signs a contract to behave.

“If that does not work we go to court for an injunction for an undertaking.”

In its evidence to the Welsh Government, Cartrefi Conwy was able to show that over the last 12 months it has had tenants sign 40 acceptable behaviour contracts; given 15 final tenancy warnings and 15 anti-social behaviour injunctions; secured nine undertakings; were granted three possessions and three postponed possessions.

The Welsh Management Standard for tackling anti-social behaviour is awarded to housing authorities who demonstrate “a visible commitment to tenants, residents and other interested parties to do all it reasonably can to provide an excellent service to tackle anti social behaviour”.

Cartrefi Conwy also had to demonstrate it had a good working partnership with organisations such as North Wales Police, Youth Justice, and Conwy County Borough Council.

Cartrefi Conwy Chief Executive Andrew Bowden said: “We are very proud of the work being done by Jan and the members of her team which, supported by the expertise and local knowledge of the Conwy Council’s legal team, is delivering tangible results.

“The official recognition of the Welsh Government is richly deserved and underlines our on-going commitment to creating communities to be proud of.”

Thursday March 15th, 2012

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Students on a roll at brunch club

Cartrefi Conwy's Kennedy Court Brunch Club, Old Colwyn with students from students from Llandrillo College doing the catering. Pictured is student Sam Hou Yau taking an order from residents.

A group of catering students are serving up tasty treats for the residents of a sheltered housing complex.

The students from Llandrillo College are putting the brunch into the weekly Brunch Club at Kennedy Court, in Old Colwyn.

According to housing association Cartrefi Conwy, who run the complex, it’s the “perfect partnership”.

For their part, the students get to hone their culinary and social skills in a real-life setting.

At the same time, the residents just love meeting up for a chat while enjoying bacon baps and cup cakes all washed down with a piping hot brew.

College tutor Trisha Hughes said: “All the students involved are studying the Introduction to Catering course on a full-time basis.

“While all have mild learning difficulties, they are thoroughly enjoying the responsibility of running the Brunch Club for residents.

“They organise everything themselves even down to deciding what uniform they wear. They do all the cooking and serving themselves and while the course is all about catering they are also learning other important social skills.

“It really is all about independence and learning about social responsibility. I am so grateful to Cartrefi Conwy for working in partnership with us on this project which we are already looking to extend.”

“We are delighted to work with Cartrefi Conwy with a view to future links for some of our mainstream students. There is the possibility of a gardening project and clerical work too.

“It is absolutely fantastic that Cartrefi Conwy are giving our students the chance to engage with the community while also having the opportunity to learn.”

Kennedy Court Warden Chris Bradley says the residents are really enjoying the Brunch Club.

She said: “The Brunch Club started in October last year and has proved very popular.

“It isn’t restricted to Kennedy Court as we have residents of other Cartrefi Conwy housing complexes coming along to meet friends over a cup of tea or coffee and a snack.

“The students have been absolutely brilliant and we all look forward to the them coming along for the Brunch Club. We are now looking to expand the scheme into other Cartrefi Conwy sheltered accommodation complexes such as Pentre Newydd.”

The Kennedy Court residents have nothing but praise for the students.

Sheila Jarvis, who has lived at Kennedy Court for more than 12 years, said: “It really is a pleasure to come to the Brunch Club. Well done to Cartrefi Conwy and the College.

“The students are  brilliant and work so hard making sure everything is perfect. It’s great for us to get out of our flats, meet up and have a chat. It makes for a really good morning and it’s always good to socialise.”

It was a message echoed by Yvonne Hicks, who has been a resident of Parciau Close, another Cartrefi Conwy sheltered housing complex, for six years.

She said: “It’s great, we meet up and have a good old natter and put the world to rights. The students are absolutely brilliant. At first they were a bit shy but you can see how they have developed and become more confident.”

The Rev Mair Jones, a Cartrefi Conwy board member, popped along to have a look at the Brunch Club in full swing and was “very impressed”.

She said: “This is a perfect partnership. Our strap line at Cartrefi Conwy is creating communities to be proud of and what better example is there than the Kennedy Court Brunch Club?

“Here we see students gaining valuable experience while residents are getting together and having a good old natter. It really is a good all round effort. I can certainly recommend the bacon baps, they are delicious!”

Cllr Bob Squire, who represents the area on Conwy County Borough Council, applauded Cartrefi Conwy for their links with Llandrillo College.

He said: “It is fantastic to see a partnership working in this way to benefit the community. I can see Kennedy Court residents really engage with the students and long may this wonderful scheme continue.”

Students Sam Hou Yau, 25, and Jasmine Richardson, 17, agreed that they really enjoy the Brunch Club.

Sam said: “I like serving people, everyone is kind. I also serve at the college and sometimes help my mum and dad in their restaurant.”

Jasmine added: “I am hoping to study catering in mainstream college next year if I can. I like everything about the Brunch Club, I like meeting people and having a chat. Everyone here is so nice.”

Thursday March 15th, 2012

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Head is top of the class for Welsh

Meinir Thomas Jones from Coleg Harlech at Nannerch School. Meinir with pupils from left, Lucy Caldwell, 4, Aidan Rothwell-Jones and Simon Jackson, 5.

The inspirational head of a village school is in line for a top award.

Jennie Lewis has been nominated for one of the prestigious Niace Inspire Awards for her work in boosting the Welsh language at Ysgol Nannerch.

Jennie took over as head of the 72-pupil school three years ago, just before an Estyn inspection which recommended that more be done to promote use of the language in the English-medium school.

She contacted Coleg Harlech Workers’ Educational Association to set up a group of learners among the parents and for herself, and the results have exceeded everybody’s expectations.

The first group of parents and staff was formed in 2010 and last September, following the success of the original class, a second beginners’ class was established.

Both groups are following Welsh for the Family courses run by Coleg Harlech which enable learners to focus on learning practical phrases and vocabulary.

The ultimate aim is to assist parents and staff to help the children with learning the Welsh at school and strengthen the home-school links.

Jennie has proved so inspirational and enthusiastic that she has been nominated by Coleg Harlech co-ordinator Meinir Tomos Jones, who is also one of the tutors, for the Teaching the Family category in this year’s Inspire Awards.

The awards are organised by NIACE (The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) England and Wales  and are presented to recognise outstanding contribution to adult learning.

“Instead of creating policies or guidelines for the use of Welsh in the school, Jennie has taken direct action, which has resulted in the status of the language being raised,” said Meinir. “She has ensured that parents as well as children have an opportunity and favourable conditions to learn the language, an action which has resulted in significant benefits for all involved.

“She is a perfect example of a learner leading by her own example and her perseverance in attending the class is proof of her determination to ensure that families of Ysgol Nannerch and the wider community participate in Welsh.”

Class teacher Gaynor Selwyn, who is among those attending the classes, said it was noticeable how much more confident and advanced in Welsh were those pupils whose parents were learning the language themselves.

“Nannerch is a very English village but the response has been remarkable,” she said.

Meinir commented: “I think it is extraordinary what has been achieved. I was worried initially whether we would have enough interest to justify a class.”

The results of the Coleg Harlech courses have been so successful that other Flintshire schools, including Ysgol Parc Cornist in Flint, have visited Ysgol Nannerch to assess whether they could do likewise.

Jennie, whose own daughter attends a Welsh-medium secondary school, said: “Following the Estyn report we looked at ways of involving the community and parents expressed a wish to have more Welsh, but it has surprised me how people have reacted and also kept at it.

“It is very impressive to see the positive impact the parents’ classes have had on their children.

“The fact that the class has focused on practical, conversational Welsh with the emphasis on essential phrases to use with children has given me personally more confidence to use Welsh in natural contexts around the school rather than just the class,” she said.

While she is delighted to have been nominated for the award she still harbours one ambition for her pupils.

“The icing on the cake will be when some of our children are confident enough in Welsh to move up from here to Welsh-medium secondary schools and that the class will have empowered the parents to confidently take this step she explained.

Coleg Harlech Principal Trefor Fȏn Owen is delighted that Jennie is in the running for an award.

He said: “Jennie is a fantastic example of how a proactive and enthusiastic headteacher can make a real difference.

“We wish her all the best and we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for her.”

Thursday March 15th, 2012

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