Newyddion Nercwys News

Summer/Haf 2017 Issue 52

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As I write this editorial the sun is shining and the temperature is pleasantly in the mid 20degsC. Let’s hope this bodes well for the rest of the summer, especially on the 17th June for the Party-on-the-Green and the 11th August for the Village Outing to Electric Mountain and the Slate Museum, Llanberis. We also look back to the Easter Concert in Capel Soar which I think was the most successful yet. This year Côr Rhuthun entertained a packed chapel with mixed, ladies, men’s and solo choral pieces. The choir’s musical director is Robat Arwyn, an accomplished composer and conductor. When you look at the photos on pages 16 & 17, look out for our own Helen Davies on the front row. At the beginning of May we held Council elections for both the County and Community councils and, both being contested, created a bit of excitement. After several terms as our representative on the County Council, Nancy Matthews decided not to run again opting for a well earned ‘retirement’ from politics. At Community Council level we have had quite a change of personnel. Mike Davies-Cooke and Debbie Jones both decided not to run for office again. The remaining seven Councillors and four new candidates put themselves forward for election. Such an interest in local Community Service and a contested election gives greater legitimacy to the Council’s actions than a co-opted Council, and, in that respect, the candidates failing to be elected have to be thanked for the part they played in the democratic process. On a more sombre note, I have to record the sudden passing of Rosemary Nichols just a few days ago. Rosemary was church organist and choir leader for many years, accompanist to local choirs and, with her late husband Horace, a good neighbour to me and my family. Editior

Copy deadline for the Autumn edition of NNN is 20 August 2017

e-mail: nercwysnews@talktalk.net

Tel: 01352 754 748

Post: Peter Leach, Maes Gwenith, Ffordd y Pentre, Nercwys, CH7 4EL

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NADRA

NADRA has been ‘resting’ for some time. Since chairman Peter Adiscott moved out of the village and with no community issues falling within the scope of the association’s objectives the only output has been this quarterly newsletter.

Newyddion Nercwys News

I trust you find the newsletter of interest and informative. It is collated, edited, produced and distributed by a team of up to 20 volunteers, from text and photographs provided by you, the community. It is funded purely by public donations (no advertising revenue) and delivered to 280 properties in the village and surrounding area. Even with the advent of more immediate communication systems, such as the Nercwys ‘Facebook’ site, it continues to provide a relevant and complementary communication service as it is accessible to everyone and creates a lasting record of village life. Copies of the newsletter are posted and archived on www.nercwys.org.uk and kept for posterity by the Welsh National Library, Aberystwyth. An annual donation of £1 per person (50p for OAPs) pays for printing costs and the enclosed slip provides payment details.

Defibrillator

The Community Council has decided not to fund purchase of a defibrillator through the Nercwys precept. The village must therefore seek other funding sources. To start the ball rolling, NADRA has applied for a grant towards purchase of a machine through the Calor Gas Ltd Community Fund. This is a partly a competitive process with only well supported projects passing forward to a judging panel. If you agree that this is a worthwhile project, please cast your votes. Details of how to vote are given on page 10.

County Council Election—Hustings

Three people stood for election to Flintshire County Council elections this time. All of them where new names, Nancy Mathews having decided to take life easier and not stand for re-election. To give electors of Nercwys (and Gwernymynydd) the opportunity to meet and question the candidates, NADRA sponsored and booked Capel Soar for a hustings and then invited the three candidates. As this was the first time this had been tried in the village, we were unsure as to the level of interest that would be generated. Two of the candidates were able to attend. The third had a prior engagement but declined to submit a written statement to be read out at the meeting, preferring to organise his own meeting the following week. Thankfully, the hustings was well attended with a lively Q&A session following a five minute introduction by each candidate. Peter Leach (acting Chair)

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Nercwys Community Council

Update from the clerk

Town and Community Council elections took place on 4th May 2017. There were

eleven nominations for seats on Nercwys Community Council, necessitating an election, for which Flintshire County Council bill the Council. Councillors hold office for a period of five years. Two councillors, Mike Davies-Cooke and Debbie Jones, had decided not to stand and Cllr Nick Jones was unfortunately not re-elected. Thanks to them all for their contributions throughout their term of office. County Councillor Nancy Matthews retired at the end of her term and members paid tribute to her for all the hard work and support she had given to the council over many years. A small presentation was made by the Chair to Cllr Matthews with all good wishes for a long and fruitful retirement. Cllr Matthews’ successor is Cllr Kevin Hughes. Three new councillors were elected, Ken Bickerton, Caryl Oldfield and Melissa Morgan. As required by law, the council has to meet within 14 days of an election, so the meeting scheduled for 31

st May was held on 17

th May; the

Annual General Meeting. All councillors signed the Declaration of Office and agreed to adhere to the revised Code of Conduct. Cllr Paul Roberts was elected Chair and Cllr Cordula Thomas Vice Chair. The new Chair was presented with the Chain of Office and obligatory gavel by the retiring Chair, Cllr Jean Price. This is a new era for Nercwys Community Council and it is certain there will be challenging times ahead. The programme of renewing the community council owned streetlamps continues, with only one left to upgrade. This should be completed in the 2017/18 financial year. The Council is consulted on any planning application within the village boundaries and has 21 days to consider and send its decision to Flintshire County Council. If any resident wishes to discuss an application, they should contact any councillor on the numbers printed in Nercwys News. When future applications are received, details will be posted on Nercwys.net for the information of any interested party. The draft minutes and agendas of each meeting are posted on the www.nercwys.net website and displayed on the village notice boards. The Community Council meets on the last Wednesday of each month (excluding August and December). The meetings start at 7pm with a 10 minute opportunity for members of the public to come along and draw matters to the attention of councillors.

Next Meetings

Wednesday 28th June 2017

Wednesday 26th July 2017 (no meeting in August)

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Nercwys Share of the Nvotes (%)sh

Eric Paul Roberts 11% Elected

Melissa Denise Morgan 11% Elected

Ken Bickerton 10% Elected

Caryl Mai Oldfield 10% Elected

Jean Price 10% Elected

Cordula Luise Thomas 9% Elected

Philip Harold Gerrard 9% Elected

Clive Paul Roberts 8% Elected

Brian Christopher Roberts 8% Elected

Nicholas Rowland Jones 8% Not elected

Lisa Melanie Fearn 6% Not elected

Results of the Community Council Election

[Percentage share of the votes]

Results of the Flintshire County Council Election

Candidate Party Votes %

Kevin Hughes Independent / Annibynnol

441 58 Elected

Tim Holt Welsh Conservatives / Cdidwadol Cymru

225 29 Not elected

Lisa Melanie Fearn

Welsh Labour / Llafur Cymru

97 13 Not elected

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Message from Kevin Hughes I am honoured to have been elected as the new county councillor representing Gwernymynydd and Nercwys and would like to thank everyone who took the trouble to vote, whether for me or not, on May 4

th.

Your previous county councillor, Nancy Matthews, did a remarkable job and I have a very hard act to follow. My view is that, if I can offer half the wisdom or be half as effective as Nancy then I won’t do a bad job. My first few weeks will be taken up with training at County Hall. I have already started on that programme and now realise how much there is to learn if I’m to properly represent

both villages. I will be attending Nercwys Community Council meetings from now on and want to ensure I can, as quickly as possible, gain an understanding of the issues affecting village residents. I can then, hopefully, come up with solutions that suit as many people as possible. As far as I am concerned it’s not my views that need to be heard at County Hall but yours, the residents of Nercwys. I intend to be a strong voice for both Nercwys and Gwernymynydd to ensure, as a rural community, we get as fair a deal as possible. It has already been made clear to me at County Hall that the budget is going to be very challenging in the years ahead. It’s vital we don’t constantly lose out to more urban areas when it comes to financial settlements. I also want everyone, no matter your political persuasion, to know I am here and will always respond to you as quickly as I possibly can. I want everyone to know I can be contacted at any time via e-mail with any concerns or queries. I enjoyed meeting quite a few residents at the hustings event organised by Nercwys and District Rural Association. I thought the event was really well organised and it was a shame one candidate was unable to attend due to a prior engagement. One thing that did come up at the hustings was my political allegiance. I did make it clear at that event I was standing as an independent candidate and I want to reiterate that, having been elected, I will always remain fiercely independent and free of political ties. Please feel free to contact me at any time via email at

kevinhughes348@livecom.

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A Church Adventure

Many months ago, Vince Griffiths ( Church Warden) approached me in church saying, "Great idea for a fundraiser this year".

" Oh yes", I said " What's that ?"

Big grin .......

"We could do that zip wire in Snowdonia !"........

" Good idea" I said...........

As the time got nearer I wasn't at all sure that it was such a good idea.

Nevertheless, we got to work finding a team (there were six of us) and collecting sponsors, and I booked six slots on the Velocity zip wire.

Friends and neighbours sponsored us and suddenly we were there at the top of a mountain with our heads hanging over nothing.

3 2 1 and we were off at 119mph for a mile!! - FANTASTIC!!

Thank you to everyone who sponsored us and gave us this thrilling

experience.

Nancy Matthews

Nancy Matthews Vince Griffiths Stephen Robinson

Martin Roberts Ian Roberts Rupert Matthews

Nercwys Boys Take Fly High to Raise Funds

Vince, Martyn, Ian and Stephen all grew up in Nercwys and, together with Nancy and son Rupert recently took up the Velocity Zip World challenge in aid of St Mary’s church and other charities..

Vince, Martyn and Ian are former choir boys of the church. Vince is now a church warden and he would like to thank the community for the support he received in raising over £1,000 for St Mary’s church, for the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity in memory of his uncle Emrys Evans who served in World War II, and his Mum – both of Nercwys.

Once again, thanks go to Mair Roberts for her sterling efforts in collecting donations.

Vince Griffiths

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Ian Roberts Stephen Robinson Martyn Roberts Vince Griffiths

Rupert and Nancy Mathews The ‘Nercwys Boys’

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Message from Nancy

Thanks to Flintshire's website I was able to follow the County Council election results from North Carolina as they were announced and I was delighted to hear that Kevin Hughes had won the Gwernymynydd seat (including Nercwys and Cadole). We can rest assured that our villages will be well represented in County Council meetings. My best wishes to our new County Councillor.

Nancy Matthews

How to Vote for our Defibrillator

1. Act as soon as possible. The voting process ends on 24th

June.

2. If you don’t have a computer or internet access—ask

someone who has one to help.

3. Log onto: www.calor.co.uk/communityfund.

4. Register to vote using your (or a borrowed) email address.

5. Search through the list of project till you find the Nercwys

defibrillator project .

6. Click on the project voting button.

7. Place your votes (you are given ten votes to use. I would

suggest that you place all ten on this project)

8. Cross you fingers and tell your friends to vote.

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Easter Bingo Evening

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Easter Bingo Evening

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Nercwys WI

The March meeting was not as advertised as the speaker was unable to attend. Instead we were entertained by Julie Hinchliffe who told us tales from the Mabinogion which was enjoyed immensely. The competition was won by Christine Williams and there were various raffle winners. At the April meeting we had an entertaining demonstration by Tigermuffin soaps. The competition was won by Sylvia Watkin and the raffle by Christine Williams.

In May we held our Resolution meeting and after these were discussed our votes were given to Helen Bravey who is the delegate for our group at the A.G.M in Liverpool in June. The raffle was won by Jean Price.

For our June meeting we are going to be visited by Kath Fox O.B.E. from Buckley who is going to tell us about 'Midwifery in the 1950's'. (The real Call the Midwife). All are welcome as this promises to be a good evening.

Jean Price

Clwb Paned Bore Morning Cuppa Club

The ‘cuppa club’ will take a break over the summer. It will start

again in the autumn on the second and fourth Thursday in a

month.

Many thanks to those who have been along to enjoy a chat and a

cuppa over the last few months.

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Village Summer Outing

We have another fantastic summer outing planned for you this year! The trip is open to anyone from Nercwys and guests at a

cost of £15 but it is FREE to the village ‘Over 60’s’.

We are taking a trip to Llanberis where we have arranged to visit Electric Mountain and take a guided tour of the Dinorwig

Pumped Storage scheme. The underground tour of the power station lasts approximately 1hr and 10mins. Sensible footwear must be worn. There is no obligation to walk during the trip and very little walking if you want to. Should you intend to walk in the power station, open toed sandals, flip-flops, etc re not permitted.

Whilst in Llanberis there will also be plenty of time to visit the fascinating National Slate Museum.

The trip is set for Friday, August 11th

and the bus will leave from

the playground bus stop at 9.00am

Places are limited so please give your names to Jean Price (phone number 01352 758363) as soon as possible (by July 23

rd at the

very latest).

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Capel Soar Cyngerdd y Pasg / Easter Concert

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Capel Soar

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Community Contacts

Member of Parliament

David Hanson (Labour), MP for Delyn,

hansond@parliament.uk 01352 763159

www.davidhanson.org.uk

Assembly Member

Hannah Blythyn (Labour), AM for Delyn,

Hannah.blythyn@assembly.wales 03002007132

Flintshire County Council

Kevin Hughes (independent) kevinhughes348@livecom

Police

Community support: Poppy Hadfield-Jones ;PCSO 3461

Poppy.hadfield-jones@nthwales.pnn.police.uk mobile: 07854 351 410

Capel Soar

Mrs Lis Jones, lisjones@virginmedia.com

St. Mary’s Church

Rev Carole Poolman, The Rectory, Llanfynydd, Wrexham, LL11 5HH; cc.sm@btinternet.com

01978 762 304

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Nercwys Community Council

Chair: Cllr. Paul Roberts, Nant Del, Ffordd Y Pentre, Nercwys, CH7 4EL;

07831 161511, ericpaulroberts@hotmail.co.uk

Vice Chair: Cllr. Cordula Thomas, Bryngwyn Farm, Ffordd Bryngwyn,

Nercwys, CH7 5JW;

01352 758454, cordulathomas@tiscali.co.uk

Clerk: Susan Lyth, slyth.nccclerk@gmail.com Members:- Cllr. Ken Bickerton, 1, Tan y Rhos, Ffordd y Pentre, Nercwys, CH7 4EL

Cllr. Cllr Phil Gerrard, The Gables, Ffordd y Pentre, Nercwys, CH7 4EL 07836 257532. sian.gerrard@virgin.net

Cllr Melissa Morgan, 3, Cae Newydd, Nercwys

01352 810810 melissa.morgan@talk21.com

Caryl Oldfield. Details TBA

Cllr. Jean Price, 6 Church View, Nercwys, CH7 4ET;

01352 758363;

Cllr. Brian Roberts, 11 Tan y Rhos, Ffordd Y Pentre, Nercwys, CH7 4EL: 01352 758652;

Cllr Clive Roberts, 11 Tan y Rhos, Ffordd y Pentre, Nercwys, CH7 4EL 01352 758652

Village Organisations

Bowling Club Ashley Zepeda 01352 757 269 Craft Group Elfrida Jones 01352 756 445 Friends of Nercwys School TBA 01352 Griffith Roberts Charity Mavis Bartlett 01352 757 583 Nercwys and District Rural Association, Bill Brereton 01352 758 723 Newyddion Nercwys News Peter Leach 01352 754 748 NADRA Archives Roger Fronks 01352 750 234 Village Fete Committee Melissa Morgan 07774 008 958 Women’s Institute Christine Williams01352 753242 Over 60’s club Jean Price 01352 758 363 Youth Council TBA To include, amend or delete your organisation details — contact Peter Leach.

Village Website: www.nercwys.org.uk

Community Council Website: www.nercwys.net

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Community Diary