World Heritage Celebrations at Pontcysyllte

12 noon – 7.30 pm, Saturday 3 October. All sorts of activities and
stalls to enjoy, plus fairground rides, face-painting, falconry
display, ferret racing, puppet show, magician, ventriloquist, musical
entertainment, including the Fron choir, and lots more.  Firework
Finale at 7.00pm.  FREE event.  For details  call  01978 292537 or
visit www.wrexham.gov.uk.

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Plenty to do over the summer holidays in Wrexham

There will be plenty to do for all ages over the summer holidays as
part of the action packed Summer Madness Schedule.

Children under 16 will be able to take advantage of the free swimming
sessions at Chirk Leisure and Activity Centre, Gwyn Evans Leisure and
Activity Centre, Plas Madoc Leisure and Activity Centre and Waterworld
Leisure and Activity Centre. To sign up for these swimming sessions
just register for a Pure Leisure Card at you local leisure centre. For
further details, please contact your local leisure centre:

Plas Madoc – 01978 821600
Chirk – 01691 778666
Gwyn Evans – 01978 754394
Waterworld – 01978 297300

Budding directors will be able to create their own movies using stop
motion and sandbox animation at Oriel Wrecsam as part of Super Summer
movies. The sessions will be led by artists/film-maker Chris Oakley
and you will be able to take home a copy of your masterpiece to
impress friends or family. The sessions take place on the 4, 13 and 19
August, from 10am- 3pm (So remember to bring your lunch!) The sessions
cost £6 per person and are suitable for children 8 years and above. If
you would like to know more, contact Oriel Wrecsam on 01978 292

Keen readers will have an opportunity to win a bike by taking part in
the QuestSeekers challenge at your local library. It is the must-do
FREE summer holiday activity for anyone ages 3-12 years. Children
taking part in the event should visit the library a minimum of three
times before 12 September and complete the challenge of reading and
reporting on six books. Each child taking part will be able to collect
stickers, fridge magnets; colour change pens, a model dragon and
receive a certificate. Every child who completes the scheme will be
invited to a prize-giving celebration and entered into the draw to win
a bike! For further information, contact your local library.

There will be plenty to do for all the family at Bersham Heritage
Centre with History Alive! on 2 August. The living history event will
feature local re-enactment group, Cwmwd Ial. Motor enthusiasts are
encouraged to bring along their vintage cars and motorbikes to the
veteran and vintage rally that is taking place as part of the event.
The event costs £2 for adults, £1.50 for concessions and 50p for
children. For more information, contact the centre on 01978 261 529.

Wrexham’s Country Parks also have a busy schedule lined up. All
activities at Bellevue Park are free, including Basketball Coaching on
the Tuesday 28 July at 1pm. On Wednesday August 19, Ty Mawr County
Park will be organising a Walk to the Poncysyllte Aqueduct at 1.30 pm.
The Aqueduct was recently awarded World Heritage Status and anyone
wishing to attend the 3.5 mile walk is asked to wear boots/sturdy
shoes. Nant Mill will host the Duck Derby and Fun Day on 12 August,
with a £50 first prize to the winner of the famous Duck Race! The
event kicks off at 1.30pm and costs £1.50 per child.

Details about all the above events much more are available in the
Summer Madness 2009 brochure, which is available from all council
buildings. Alternatively, you can view the brochure online at
http://tinyurl.com/summermadness2009.

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HRH Princess Royal to visit Holywell and Wrexham Maelor Hospitals

This Thursday, 30th July 2009, the North Wales NHS Trust will receive
a double Royal Visit, when HRH The Princess Royal will conduct the
official opening ceremonies for Holywell Community Hospital and the
new Pharmacy Department at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
 
Holywell Community Hospital received its first patients in 2008, when
it replaced the town’s old Lluesty and Holywell Cottage Hospitals with
a brand new, £11million hospital.
 
As well as inpatient wards and outpatient clinics and a minor injuries
unit, the hospital also includes an integrated GP surgery, community
clinics and dental services and accommodation for social services and
voluntary sector partners.
 
Bringing services together in this way has improved communication and
working between the different parts of the care system and made life
simpler for patients. As well as eliminating may of the shortcomings
of the old hospital buildings that it replaced, the new Hospital
provides a much higher standard of accommodation and facilities for
patients.
 
Her Royal Highness will spend around 45 minutes touring the Hospital
and meeting with a wide range of staff and patients and also
representatives of the Good Companions of Holywell Hospital, before
unveiling a plaque to mark her visit in the main reception area.
 
Later that day she will visit Wrexham Maelor Hospital to tour the new
Hospital’s new pharmacy. This is a £10million development which has
transformed the way medicines are managed within the Hospital.
 
At the heart of this is an automated dispensing system that allows
drug packs to be received, stored and dispensed much more efficiently
than when this operation was carried out manually. A computerised
system tracks the location of every pack, meaning the right drug can
be located and passed on to the dispensary in a matter of seconds,
instead of requiring pharmacists to spend time physically finding and
retrieving the right boxes.
 
As well as being faster, this system reduces the chances of errors
being made and frees up the pharmacists to spend more time on the
wards where they can advise doctors on prescribing, review patients’
medication, explain their prescriptions and make sure that patients
are clear on how their medication should be used.
 
The Department also includes an aseptic production area where a range
of pharmaceutical preparations (such as drugs in injectable form) can
be manufactured and a Quality Control laboratory which provides a
medicine testing and assurance service for all North Wales hospitals.
These meet the latest industry standards, ensuring that the Department
will continue to comply with the latest regulations and requirements.
 
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FSB calls for higher pay and more support for apprentices

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has brought out new proposals
to get more apprentices into work and to give them a pay rise, ahead
of a Government meeting on employing young people tomorrow (Wednesday
29 July).
 
The FSB’s proposal for getting young people into apprenticeships calls
for higher wages for apprentices; a scheme to link up apprentices with
firms and job offers; funds for training to be redirected to the very
smallest firms; and a financial incentive for firms that take on an
apprentice.
 
Micro firms particularly struggle with the administrative burden of
setting up apprenticeships, organising training and securing financial
support – however, they are a central plank to tackling youth
unemployment.
 
The FSB’s proposals give Government practical solutions to the growing
problem of unemployment. They call for:
- The minimum wage for all apprentices to rise from £95 to £123
per week to increase the incentive to complete an apprenticeship
- A national Group Apprenticeship Programme (GAP) – effectively a
job service to link up potential apprentices with companies looking
for a trainee. The GAP would act as a safety net for apprentices, by
finding them a job and placing them in employment, and would take on
the administrative burden for small firms including financial and
health and safety risks
- Funds from the Government’s skills budget in England redirected
to, and ring-fenced for, the hardest to reach, smallest businesses
that do not currently benefit from, or even know, the funding exists
- An awareness campaign about the benefits of apprenticeships and
financial support for those small firms that take on apprentices
 
John Wright, Federation of Small Businesses National Chairman said:
 
“The majority of small firms would like to take on an apprentice but
are put off by the administration involved, and the lack of financial
support. The Government must make it easier for the smallest firms to
create apprenticeships and should put in place a Group Apprenticeship
Programme to bring employers and apprentices together. Funds from the
Government’s Train to Gain scheme in England must also be ring-fenced
for the smallest firms, to ensure they are able to get the funding
they need to train and support an apprentice.
 
“In a survey of our members, 82 per cent said they would be in favour
of an increase in the minimum wage for apprentices, which would give
them more of an incentive to complete the traineeship and give
employers a higher chance of serious applicants for the position.
Small businesses are eager to do their bit and to take on new
employees, but the Government must step up and help them to tackle the
problem of unemployment.”
 
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TUC welcomes new NHS apprenticeships

Commenting on the Government’s announcement today (Monday) of a £25
million scheme to create more than 5,000 new apprenticeships in the
NHS, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
 
‘This will give thousands of people vital skills and a great chance of
a rewarding career in the NHS.
 
‘As unions and the Government try to persuade private companies to
take on more apprentices, today’s announcement shows that the public
sector is prepared to lead by example.’
 
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Amazon Summer Sale

The Wacky Warehouse and Squire Yorke pub, Sontley Road, Wrexham

Just been to the Wacky Warehouse on Sontley Road, Wrexham. They have a
special offer on over the summer holidays – buy a passport for £15 and
get 10 plays. That works out at just £1.50 a session. A bargain –
especially, if like me, you’ve got more than one child. Passport also
contains money off and special offer vouchers for days out at top UK
attractions plus offers such as two slush puppies for the price of
one, buy 5 fruit shoot get one free. Excellent value for money.
 
There’s also the Squire Yorke next door with 2for1 meals. See
http://coedyglyn.wordpress.com/advertisers/the-squire-yorke-wrexham/
for details. Also try their 4 for 3 offer on Coors Bulmers Corona
Bacardi Breezer & J20.
 
 
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Wrexham Credit Union at forefront of Child Trust Fund provision

A Welsh Assembly Government Minister and Wrexham’s AM, have visited
the local Credit Union to promote the central role it is playing in
the town in providing Child Trust Funds.
 
Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Dr. Brian Gibbons,
joined Lesley Griffiths on a visit to Wrexham Credit Union, which has
helped the Welsh Assembly Government reach its target of increasing
the number of credit unions that are able to provide Child Trust Funds
in Wales.
 
The Government had reached its target of 18 credit unions in Wales
which could now offer Child Trust Fund accounts in June of this year
which equates to 60 per cent of all credit unions in Wales. A quarter
of all Child Trust Fund providers across the UK are located in Wales
and Wrexham Credit Union is now included on the nationwide list.
 
Developing the ability of Welsh Credit Unions to offer Child Trust
Fund accounts, making them widely and easily available, is a key Welsh
Assembly Government commitment and just one element of the action
being taken to address child poverty and financial exclusion in
communities across Wales.
 
From this coming September, thousands of families in Wales will be
able to claim the new Welsh top-up to the Child Trust Fund.
 
The new Child Trust Fund Cymru will mean eligible children will be
entitled to a voucher worth £50 to be paid into their Child Trust Fund
account.
 
Children from families on low incomes will be eligible for a further
£50. This will mean that more than 32,000 children in Wales will be
eligible to claim the new top-up.
 
The top-up initiative is designed to help address the consequences of
child poverty in Wales by encouraging saving, improve financial
literacy and tackling financial exclusion.
 
Child Trust Fund accounts enable families to start saving for their
childrens’ future by providing £250 at birth and again at age seven
with additional payments for children from low income households. The
Child Trust Fund Cymru will be in addition to this.
 
Commenting on her visit with the Minister, Lesley Griffiths AM said:
 
“Child Trust Funds are important in ensuring every child will have
savings when they reach 18. They help children get into the habit of
saving and understanding the benefits of saving.
 
“The Welsh Assembly Government are determined to tackle child poverty
and financial exclusion wherever it exists in Wales and I am pleased
that Wrexham Credit Union is playing its part, in delivering on this
aim locally.
 
“The Minister was impressed with how, in a such a short time after
being established, Wrexham local Credit Union has been able to offer
Child Trust Fund accounts to local families and help in tackling some
of the underlying causes of child poverty.”

Mobile phones from Tesco

MEND – Mind, Exercise, Nutrition – Do it! Programme places in Wrexham

Great news for children in Wrexham as places are available on a free  local MEND Programme starting in September. The healthy living programme has already helped many families from all over Wales kick-start a new lifestyle in just 10 weeks, and this new course gives a chance for even more children and parents to benefit.

With more than 1 in 3 children over the healthy weight range for their age and height, it is the perfect time for families to take advantage of the accessible, friendly and encouraging support offered by the MEND Programme. The course is aimed at overweight 7 – 13 year old children and their families, and provides an excellent chance to get  fitter, healthier and happier.

The MEND Programme in Wrexham is part of a national network of over 300 courses that have already helped over 10,000 families improve their diets and activity levels. A limited number of places valued at up to £400 are available on the course at Clywedog Sport & Activity
Centre completely free of charge thanks to Wrexham County Borough Council who are working in partnership with The Welsh Assembly Government.

The MEND – Mind, Exercise, Nutrition…Do it! – Programme is made up of two-hour sessions held twice a week for 10 weeks, where practical lessons on eating and exercise habits aim to improve children’s fitness, physical activity levels, nutrition and self-esteem.

Rather than focusing on weight loss, the MEND Programme takes the approach of teaching children and parents Weight Management skills.

This includes inspiring families to adopt a healthier lifestyle and enjoy preparing and eating healthy foods, as well as reading food labels and healthy shopping on a budget. There are also simple but exciting sessions developed by the Youth Sport Trust to learn fun ways
to exercise – especially for children who are not fans of traditional school sports.

Bethan Hughes, MEND Programme Manager at Wrexham County Borough Council said “Previous families on the course have had a great deal of success and it changes families’ lives. Children become healthier and fitter and we have seen their self esteem and confidence increase
greatly. We are committed to offering families in Wrexham the chance to improve their health with this fantastic free course.”

Places on the MEND Programme are available free for eligible families thanks to Wrexham County Borough Council and The Welsh Assembly Government and are offered on a first come, first served basis.

For more information or to register for the scheme, call the Programme Manager Bethan Hughes on 01978 292088 or free-phone 0800 230 0263 or visit: www.mendprogramme.org or www.wrexham.gov.uk/sport

Places are still available up until 2 weeks after the programme start date, so there is no need to worry if you have missed the first session. (Providing places are still available). A parent or carer must accompany each child to the twice-weekly sessions and places must be booked in advance.

Parents wishing to check whether their child is a healthy weight or whether they might benefit from the MEND Programme can visit the MEND web-site www.mendprogramme.org which has a handy Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator.

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