News
Denbighshire Social Worker nominated in nationally recognised awards
A council social worker has been recognised in this year’s British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Amazing Social Workers 2023 campaign for her outstanding contributions to the profession.
Anne Roberts is an experienced deputy team manager within the council’s community resource team and has been nominated as an ‘Amazing Social Work Manager’ in the nationally recognised awards.
This campaign was launched as part of BASW's World Social Work Month celebrations and is a unique opportunity to recognise and share the accomplishments of social workers across the UK as well as to recognise and pay tribute to their work.
Speaking on her nomination, Anne said: “It is a privilege to be nominated for such an award. The services encompassed within social care have played an important role within my life on both a personal and professional level. It is through these collective experiences that I have developed a deeper insight into the role of a social worker, and the transformative support it can provide people.
"Education is of great value to me, and Denbighshire County Council have provided me with the opportunity develop my career and study further. Working in such a positive environment and working collaboratively with other health colleagues has provided me with additional knowledge and skills to be able to support my team.
"My colleagues within the Council are a pleasure to work with. The team I manage consists of social workers, social care practitioners, dementia social care practitioners and occupational therapists. They all have such a fantastic work ethic and are supportive of one another. They make my role so much easier”.
Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care said: “I’m so thrilled to hear that one of Denbighshire’s own social workers has been recognised at a national level for their hard work and commitment to their role and team.
"Our social workers in Denbighshire work extremely hard, so I am very pleased to see that this dedication has been recognised by the British Association of Social Workers. A huge congratulations to Anne for this incredible accomplishment”.
Edge of Care volunteer creates paw-sitive impact
In response to the pandemic and the need to support people in their own homes, Denbighshire Community Support Services set up a volunteering service to help take the pressure off traditional services. The ‘Edge of Care’ team help people across the county.
Jackie is an Edge of Care volunteer and has a very special friend who accompanies her on her home visits - her beautiful dog named Maisie.
Maisie is the youngest volunteer on the team and is almost 3 years old (in human years). She is less than 2 foot high but is a massive stress reliever and help to the citizens she visits weekly.
The Australian Labradoodle is extremely well behaved and loves nothing more than receiving treats and being fussed. Whilst on the home visits, Jackie has a cup of tea with the citizen and chats about their day and any needs they may have, whilst Maisie gladfully receives some well-deserved treats.
On Maisie, volunteer and owner Jackie talked about how she was going to be rehomed due to family circumstances and how Maisie became part of her family: “We rescued her and to be honest she has rescued me too. I’ve had her for nearly two years now.
“Maisie never misses her visits, and we even visited a citizen on Christmas day, so they could spend time with her.
“She’s a really calm dog and that’s why she is great when she comes along with me”.
Maisie has quickly become the best of friends with the members of the service and the citizens she supports. They always look forward to Jackie and Maisie’s weekly visits.
A Prestatyn citizen, who has regular visits from both Jackie and Maisie said: “I am very glad for her coming, I feel like we have both saved each other in a way. Maisie has helped me with confidence, and I go out of the house more now.
“Maisie has turned my life around. I was missing that dog connection, as I’ve always had a dog. I felt very alone, and I’d give Jackie and her little dog a 10/10.
“I am always glad to see Maisie, and I feel like she has taken a lot of the pain away.
“I have a photo of Maisie and I together, and everyone remarks on it when they see it. So as long as you’re a dog lover, anyone would love Maisie’s company”.
Jackie, Maisie and the citizen are planning ahead to the summer and are looking at going on some walks together once the weather picks up.
For more information about the Edge of Care service, click here.
Find out more about fostering
Although the average age of children in foster care is slightly older, babies and toddlers under 4 years old can need foster care too, sometimes newborns straight from hospital when they are just a few hours old.
In Wales, nearly 2 out of 5 children in care were aged 10 to 15, and fewer than 1 in 20 were under 1 (source: Welsh Government, March 2022) (external website).
For more information, why not read the Foster Wales 'Denbighshire' blog. Click here to read more.
NEST: Energy Saving Tips
NEST – ‘Every nest is different, but small changes can add up when it comes to saving money and energy.’
The Welsh Government have launched a campaign with the aim to address the energy and cost of living crisis affecting households across Wales.
Through their initiative, NEST provides advice on saving money and energy, whilst also providing available government support schemes.
Residents can find more information on NEST’s website.
Print and Graphic Design
Does your business offer print or graphic design or vehicle livery production or banners and signage?
If so you might be interested in the opportunity to apply to be on the dynamic purchasing system for Denbighshire County Council and Flintshire County Council.
The opportunity can be found on PROACTIS and is open to all business who provide print, graphic design or vehicle livery. The Dynamic Purchasing System is open until 2027 so you can apply at any time.
Please take a look and apply online.
If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact print@denbighshire.gov.uk or telephone 01824 706223.
Ruthin Gaol Celebrate Re-Opening Event
The official opening event of Ruthin Gaol was held recently, following two years of flood recovery work.
The event was organised to celebrate the whole host of restorations made at the historic site, including a new cell, dedicated to share the story of the prisoners who were shipped off to Australia from Ruthin Gaol.
Visitors were greeted by staff dressed up in traditional outfits, and welcomed with cupcakes and coffee on arrival before local councillors made their speeches.
Following the speeches, visitors were offered a guided tour of the newly restored gaol. Audio guides were provided as the tour began in the basement and continued upstairs to the main cell block area that housed Coch Bach y Bala, who famously escaped the Gaol by digging a hole in the wall with a spoon in 1913.
The tour ended on the courtyard, which has also recently been developed for visitors to explore more of the historic grounds, outside the cell of the only man to be hung in Ruthin Gaol, William Hughes in 1903.
The Gaol is open throughout the season, up until the 30th of September. It opens daily (except Tuesdays) from 10:30am until 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.
Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture & Heritage said: “It was great to have everyone at the Gaol to celebrate its re-opening following two long years of renovation. It is an important part of the town’s rich history, and despite the weather it was good to see locals enjoy the new additions which are well worth the visit”.
There is more information available on our website.
Success for community events in Denbighshire
The Council has announced a one-off grant funding opportunity for communities that host and organise events in Denbighshire.
The aim of the fund was to improve the current infrastructure to support more sustainable and cost-effective events, making it easier to host more events in local communities.
A total budget of £128,000 was available, to be shared by successful applicants across Denbighshire.
This Events Grant has supported several communities in improving their events infrastructure. Successful projects include:
- Neuadd Eleanor - Installation of a stair lift and defibrillator at Neuadd Eleanor Village Hall.
- Pentredwr Community Centre - Provision of new internal and external signage, chairs and Kitchen equipment.
- Ruthin Top of Town - Ruthin Square Events Electrical Improvements at the Clock Town and external to the Old Court House.
- Y Ganolfan Llandrillo - Sound improvements, lighting improvements and storage improvements.
- Owain Glyndwr Memorial Hall – Improvements to broadband access to the hall to help support events.
- Llandyrnog Village Hall - Improvements to the kitchen, stairs and to provide a screen and projector at the facility.
- Carrog Hall - Upgrade the kitchen at our village hall.
- Rhuddlan Town Council - Electrical Improvements in the Parliament Street Car Park and to the Community Centre. The purchase Gazebos and storage for equipment. The Grant also included purchase and installation of a Hearing Loop at the Community Centre. The community have already felt the benefit of the Hearing loop that was installed with users commenting it is a ‘welcome asset to the centre and will no doubt encourage more people to attend the various activities’.
Community development officer support was available throughout the scheme period to offer guidance and facilitation, and to act as a liaison officer with internal departments as required.
If you would like support to develop a community project or idea, please get in touch with our Community Development Team via email: communitydevelopment@denbighshire.gov.uk.
Y Ganolfan, Llandrillo
Denbighshire Council finalises shortlist for Shared Prosperity Funding
The Council have finalised their shortlist of applications for funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The UKSPF is part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda, providing funding for local investment across the UK until March 2025. £25.6 million worth of funds have been made available for projects across Denbighshire.
Applications for the funding were presented to the Cabinet on 25th April 2023 for consideration to advance to the next stage of the application process, 29 projects successfully making it through to the next phase (a mix of Denbighshire only and regional projects).
The Denbighshire-based projects which have passed the stage 1 appraisal process have now been invited to proceed and submit a stage 2 application. The multi local authority projects that have made Denbighshire County Council’s shortlist cannot yet proceed with stage 2 until a decision has been made by all the relevant local authorities across North Wales.
The Council received 110 applications from community, business and enterprise projects across the county, requesting nearly four times the amount that has been allocated to Denbighshire from the UKSPF. Unfortunately, this meant that a majority of the projects could not be supported, which will be disappointing news for many applicants. However, support will be made available from the Council to help unsuccessful applicants to explore other funding avenues for their projects where possible.
Jason McLellan, Leader of the Council, said: “We are delighted to be taking forward 29 applications for funding at this stage. We received a high volume of applications whose collective value far exceeded the budget allocation for Denbighshire County Council many times over. That is not to say that these projects were of poor quality or not valued, more that we were bound by restrictions of the funding available, our investment plan targets and the timescales restrictions of the UK Share Prosperity Fund programme. Should unsuccessful applicants require further assistance in sourcing alternative funding for their projects, our team is on hand to provide them with support.”
For further information about the Council’s application process for UK Shared Prosperity Funding, visit our website.
Denbighshire’s coastal defence scheme commences work in Prestatyn
Work to improve coastal defences has now begun on the promenade in Prestatyn as part of the Central Prestatyn Coastal Defence Scheme. The multi-million pound project aims to protect over 2,000 properties in the area from floods and future coastal erosion.
Construction of the new defences will follow the boundary of the Rhyl Golf Club, extending towards the sand dunes to the east and will conclude west bound, tying in to the recently completed East Rhyl Coastal Defence Scheme. The work will take approximately three years to complete with a brief closure of the promenade taking place from Garford Road car park to Green Lanes footpath until Autumn 2023.
The main work hub for the project will be situated at the existing Rhyl Golf Course clubhouse, with two new construction site access points being created at the Golf Club and the junction to Sherwood Avenue. Appropriate signposted diversions for pedestrians and cyclists will be in place while the work is undertaken.
The beach will remain open, however some access points to the beach will be closed. At present, access is available via the footpath through the centre of the Rhyl Golf Club, which connects the Coast Road to the beach.
Balfour Beatty, the principal contractors for the work, have stated: “Action is being taken to mitigate any closures and to try and maintain public access to the beach via the Terfyn Pella Avenue and Green Lanes footpaths as much as reasonably and practically possible during the works. We will give residents advance notification of any changes.”
“We will also create a pedestrian crossing point at the Green Lanes footpath to enable access to the beach and are in the process of employing a footpath attendant to enable pedestrians to safely navigate this access, as it cuts across a construction site. This will be staffed during construction hours.”
Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport said: “We are extremely pleased that the work to safeguard hundreds of properties and businesses in the area from storms and flooding has commenced in Prestatyn as part of our larger project to improve sea defences in Denbighshire’s coastal towns. Denbighshire Council is committed to future-proofing the coastal defences to protect over 2,000 properties and residents in the Prestatyn area.”
You can find more information about our Central Prestatyn Coastal Defence Scheme on our website.