A coastal countryside ranger has received a coveted accolade for her work to help coastal wildlife.

North Denbighshire Countryside Coastal Ranger Claudia Smith recently received a Marine Heritage Award from the Marine Conservation Society at the One Ocean Symposium held in Rhyl.

Claudia is a busy figure along Denbighshire’s coastline, checking in regularly with the local nature and wildlife from Rhyl to Gronant Dunes.

Across the county coastline, Claudia with the support of dedicated volunteers have reintroduce marram grass to the dune system around Rhyl harbour to support local biodiversity, repaired timber on the boardwalk and installed new benches.

They have also supported the installation of new Wales Coast Path discs to signage and waymarkers around the harbour and Horton’s Nose and Barkby and Gronant Dunes.

Claudia and the volunteers also help with the annual set up of the Little Tern colony at Gronant Dunes and are a great help with the day-to-day running of the colony during little tern season.

Recently the ranger helped set up the CoastSnap project along the coast to help monitor the impact of climate change along the Denbighshire shores.

Speaking after receiving the award, Claudia explained: “I’ve been working with Marine Conservation Society’s Hiraeth Yn Y Mor project which is coming to an end at the end of the month. The project’s aim was to connect local people from Gronant to Pensarn to the ocean through events, education and training.

“I was involved in their One Ocean Forum as Denbighshire Countryside’s representative, which steered the direction of the project. Through this I was able to meet with people from across the community and promote Denbighshire Countryside’s work.

“I organised visits to the little terns at Gronant with them, as well as beach cleans. This helped with our engagement aims at Gronant, as well as their own. I also attended more of their beach cleans and some of their education events, including their Marine Exhibition and beach clean survey training, which will help me on future beach cleans. It’s been a great project to be a part of!”

Howard Sutcliffe, Lead Officer for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape said: “It’s nice that Claudia has been recognised for this reward as a lot of the work our Rangers do is not seen, but it benefits wildlife and also enhances the lives of our residents and visitors, these small steps work towards a better landscape for future generations.”

On hearing of the award given to Claudia, Councillor Alan James, Cabinet Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “A huge congratulations to Claudia, she is a massive inspiration for many due to her dedication and commitment to supporting and preserving our wonderful coastal habitat we have in the county.”

The journey to creating dementia-friendly communities across North Wales is well underway.

The Dementia Friendly Communities Scheme is about helping to build communities that are compassionate, inclusive and resilient for people living with dementia, and also to support their friends, families and unpaid carers to stay connected, and live well within their local areas.

The North Wales Regional Partnership Board (RPB) launched the North Wales Dementia Friendly Communities Scheme in 2024. This initiative builds on the valuable work of the Alzheimer’s Society, whose scheme has now closed, and involves collaboration with six local councils, County Voluntary Councils, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, local businesses, and charities.

The Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) has been instrumental in the scheme’s development, sharing expertise from their Dementia Aware Denbighshire project to support other councils and promote the initiative across the region.

Rebecca Bowcot, Dementia Aware Denbighshire, DVSC said:

"Raising awareness of dementia across Denbighshire has been a great way of empowering individuals and communities to take action in order to help people affected by dementia in their local communities. It is extremely rewarding to see people coming together to achieve their individual aims of wanting to support people so that everyone can continue to be included and play an active role within their community. We host a bi-monthly Dementia Aware Denbighshire Network which allows dementia friendly communities to come together to share ideas and support each other to enable their dementia friendly communities to develop and thrive.”

Dementia Friendly Denbigh - Chair Dilwyn Jones said:

“I was honoured to become Chair of Dementia Friendly Denbigh and be part of the process of increasing awareness locally, through information session. We have been able to donate items such as Alexas and robotic cats and dogs to help those living with dementia and their carers".

Communities participating in the scheme can gain recognition for their efforts, which might include:

• Staff training in local businesses
• Clear and understandable signage around town
• Dementia-friendly activities

There are currently 12 communities in North Wales recognised for their progress towards becoming dementia friendly, from Ynys Mon to Wrexham. It is anticipated that a further 12 communities will be looking to apply for dementia friendly status accreditation during 2025.

In the scheme’s first year:

• Over 1,000 people living with dementia and their unpaid carers were supported through dementia groups.
• More than 150 people attended dementia training sessions.
• Over 1,400 people reported improved knowledge of dementia services in their community.

A person living with dementia said:

"Being part of a dementia friendly community helps to get your voice heard. It has also helped promote the Precious Memories group in Rhyl which takes place weekly and is a valuable source of peer support for people".

This is one of a number of schemes delivered by the North Wales Regional Partnership Board (RPB) and their partners, working to make communities more inclusive and empowering.

To learn more about the North Wales Dementia Friendly Communities Scheme and how to apply click here.

For more information about DVSC’s work, click here.

Due to rising costs, it has been agreed to increase the cost of school meals by 5p, which will be implemented on April 28.

The School Catering Service have recently been recognised as the best performing catering service at The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) awards earlier this year.

This recognition, from The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is based upon comparisons with other school meals services from across the UK.

It takes into account aspects such as paid and free meal uptakes, staff training, service performance and management of the service.

Councillor Diane King, Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said:

“The decision to increase the cost of school meals was not taken lightly. However, even after this increase, these new prices will still be relatively low compared to other local authorities.

“As evidenced in their recent success at the APSE awards, the Council’s School Catering service are committed to providing value for money in terms of the quality of food given to pupils across our schools”.

To view the school meals menu, or for more information visit the Denbighshire school meals website.

A UK home grown electric powered all-terrain vehicle is set to take to the hills of Denbighshire and the surrounding areas.

Denbighshire County Council’s Fleet Department has secured a Munro Series M electric 4x4 vehicle to support the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscapes team.

The vehicle has been supported in part by gap funding from the Welsh Government’s Energy Service.

Currently in production, the Scottish produced all-terrain vehicle will replace a fossil fuel powered pick-up truck that has come to the end of its fleet life. It will be based at Loggerheads Country Park.

Countryside rangers will use the Series M, the first series production vehicle to come from Scotland for more than 40 years, to support their daily role in managing the landscapes in their area.

The vehicle has been picked for tackling the terrain of the Clwydians and other hilly sites thanks to its thorough testing on all types of off-road situations and its ability to tackle gradients above 40 degrees.

Introducing the Munro is part of Denbighshire County Council’s continued drive to reduce fleet carbon emissions, improve air quality and lower long-term maintenance and service costs by replacing end of life vehicles with proven EV equivalents.

Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport said: “The Council remains committed to tackling the Climate and Ecological Emergency declared in 2019 and it’s great to see a UK developed EV replacing the end of life 4x4 fossil fuel driven vehicle. This will provide a robust all terrain service for the rangers while providing greener and cleaner mileage at a lower fuel and general maintenance cost as well. A fitting vehicle to operate within our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

Russell Peterson, CEO & Co-Founder, Munro Vehicles said: "We’re thrilled to partner with Denbighshire County Council as the first local authority in Wales to deploy the Munro Series-M. This marks a significant step toward sustainable, all-terrain capability for public services. Denbighshire’s commitment to innovation and net-zero aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver rugged, reliable, and fully electric 4x4 solutions. We look forward to seeing the Series-M in action, proving that zero-emission vehicles can handle the toughest jobs."

Work has been completed on extending a scheme to support local nature at Loggerheads Country Park.

The Council’s Biodiversity Team and the Countryside Rangers at Loggerheads have created a new Bee Friendly wildflower area along the banks created by the recent flood defence works near the park buildings.

The Bee Friendly Scheme is an initiative to make Wales pollinator friendly supported by Welsh Government and the Wales Biodiversity Partnership

The first Bee Friendly site at Loggerheads Country Park was created in the car park last year.

And now the second has been sited on the newly constructed bank alongside the River Alyn following the completion of the UK Government funded flood works at the site.

Ellie Wainwright, Biodiversity Officer, explained: “This is now the second Bee Friendly Area at Loggerheads! We planted over 200 wildflower plug plants in this area with the help of some work experience students. All of which were grown for us by the Woodland Skills Centre in Bodfari from local provenance seed collected from our Denbighshire wildflower meadows, as part of our Bee Friendly Project.

“The species we have planted in this new area to support local nature are red campion, knapweed, meadow buttercup, cat’s-ear, autumn hawkbit, bird’s-foot trefoil, and foxglove.”

Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Our meadows are crucial for supporting local nature that has been impacted by the effects of Climate Change. “Establishing more sites under the Bee Friendly initiative such as this great area at Loggerheads will better support pollinators at risk who help put food on our tables and increase diversity and colour for visitors to enjoy whilst visiting the park.”

The Council’s digital officer has recently been working with residents and businesses located in rural areas to obtain a better internet connection through Openreach’s Fibre Community Projects.

The Fibre Community Project offers residents and businesses the opportunity to access better broadband with Openreach, despite not being a part of their current rollout plans.

There are currently four Openreach Fibre Partnership schemes in the County that are nearing completion, which will bring full fibre internet connection to 803 rural properties in Clawddnewydd, Llidiart-y-Parc, Glyndyfrdwy, Tremeirchion and Llandyrnog.

Philip Burrows, Denbighshire’s Digital Officer said: “Some communities may experience problems which require intervention by Openreach, however, individuals cannot contact Openreach directly, and that’s where I come in as the Council’s Digital Officer.

“I can be the go-between to hopefully take the stress out of sorting these types of problems. I can also advise on how to source funding to set up Fibre Community Partnerships if there are specific communities who are all experiencing similar problems”.

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage said: “I’m pleased to hear about the ongoing schemes to provide a reliable internet connection to our Counties remotest communities. Denbighshire County Council are committed to helping residents to understand the options and solutions for improved internet connectivity which is crucial for the digital age we live in today.

“I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about the various funding available or is experiencing difficulties with their internet to contact Philip, who will be able to advise on the best course of action.”

If you would like to get more information or discuss how you can increase your internet speeds contact Philip Burrows on communitydevelopment@denbighshire.gov.uk.

The higgledy-piggledy timber-framed townhouse which offers visitors over 500 years of history under one roof and beautiful hidden gardens, is bursting with new and updated exhibitions, activities and trails, designed to tell this historic attraction’s fascinating history, in new and interactive ways.

A major highlight for 2025 is the introduction of historical scents. From smoky tallow candles in the medieval room, to fresh bread in the kitchen and delicate roses in the Georgian bedroom, evocative fragrances add to the immersive experience, complementing the period costumes, soundscapes, and hands-on activities that help bring Nantclwyd y Dre’s history to life.

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage said: “I look forward to the opening once again of Nantclwyd y Dre. It’s a vital piece of Ruthin and indeed Denbighshire’s history. The townhouse, the tranquillity of the gardens are just some of the reasons to pay it a visit and I would encourage you all to do so.”

Kate Thomson, Site Manager at Nantclwyd y Dre, said;

“We are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors back for another season. Our enthusiastic staff and volunteers are putting the final touches to the new ways we have for visitors to explore the house and gardens - we can’t wait to see to see visitors enjoying them!”

Designed to make history ‘hands-on’, Nantclwyd y Dre’s unique visitor experience offers plenty of ways for visitors of all ages to learn about the house and experience what daily life was like for the characters who lived and worked here. Holding Hidden Gem status, Kids in Museums accreditation and rated 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor, Nantclwyd y Dre offers a highly enjoyable outing for history enthusiasts and families alike.

Nantclwyd y Dre will be open from 10.30am to 4.30pm (last entry 3.30pm), Thursday – Saturday until 30th September 2025. For full details on opening times and ticket prices, please visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/heritage

This fascinating historic house, home to the famous Ladies of Llangollen in the late 18th century, opened its doors again from the beginning of April.

Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Sarah Ponsonby captured the imagination of Regency society. They received a stream of visitors to the unpretentious little cottage which, over the years, they transformed into a Gothic fantasy of projecting stained glass and elaborately carved oak. You can discover their extraordinary story and purchase tickets to visit the house between 11am and 4pm seven days a week.

You can take tea, as Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott and the Duke of Wellington have all done before you and enjoy delicious food in the Old Stable tearooms from 10am - 4pm daily from April 1^st.

The gardens at Plas Newydd are renowned for their romantic setting and rich history. The Ladies adored nature and gardening, and transformed the grounds into a romantic landscape filled with exotic plants, winding paths, waterfalls and decorative features that still enchant visitors today. You can explore the gardens free of charge daily, all year round, between 8am and dusk.

Keep an eye out for forthcoming events, promoted locally and on the Plas Newydd Llangollen Facebook page: www.facebook.com/plasnewyddllangollen An exciting array is on offer for the 2025 season, including craft workshops, garden walks and talks, historical events, plays, performances and family activities, including the popular seasonal children’s garden trails with fantastic new prizes. This year Plas Newydd will also be hosting the first Ladies of Llangollen Legacy week in June with a jam packed week of activities relating to the Ladies, their unique story and the legacy they have left behind.

“The team at Plas Newydd have an exciting programme of events and new features to share with our visitors in the 2025 season and we are looking forward to welcoming people from near and far,” said Sallyanne Hall, National Landscape Community Engagement Officer.

Councillor Alan James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning added: “Plas Newydd is a historic gem that we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep here in Denbighshire. The historic property offers a unique exploration of a wealth of history and is a brilliant place to visit during 2025.”