Category Archives: Clwyd West

I received a letter this morning from one of my favourite regular correspondents: a 92 year-old lady who lives in a nursing home in the constituency.  I always enjoy hearing from her, because she invariably lends a touch of good-humoured sanity to the otherwise manic life of Westminster.

Her latest letter, however, is a touch sadder than usual.  She tells me that she is now, at the end of her long life, waiting to die.  She concludes:

“I can’t read this through – sight is failing, hearing is failing, the will to live has virtually failed.  But the heart goes on ticking. 

“A strong heart is the best friend all through life, but the worst enemy in the end.”

Probably the most poignant words I have read for a very long time.

One day, two villages at opposite ends of the constituency.

First was civic Sunday at Mochdre, where my friend Heather Evans is chairman of the community council.  There was a good turn-out at the village hall, followed by a buffet at the Mountain View, which, unfortunately, we had to pass up, because we were making our way to Llanarmon yn Iâl harvest festival, 40 miles away.

Llanarmon is an ancient parish with historical links to the abbey of Valle Crucis, near Llangollen.  The service, which was packed, was illuminated by a huge candelabrum which reputedly was taken from the abbey at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries.

 Two villages; very different, but sharing the same community spirit – the sort we are constantly told is dead, but is alive and thriving in Clwyd West.

To Colwyn Bay, and the mayor’s civic Sunday.

This year, Bay of Colwyn’s mayor is my friend Cllr Abdul Khan, the first ever Muslim to be appointed to the office, and there was a terrific turnout at the civic centre, where guests included the Lord Lieutenant and the Bangladeshi Assistant High Commissioner.

Abdul was kind enough to ask me to speak before lunch and I made the point that Colwyn Bay is a single, united community and that, although there are differences among people, there are, and should be, no divisions.  The fact that Abdul has been elected first citizen of his home town is sufficient evidence of that.

After lunch, we were entertained with a breathtaking display of Punjabi dancing given by the “Nach-de-Sansar” Bangra Dancers.  If you’ve never seen Bangra, then you can have no idea what a high-speed, high-energy art form it is. 

The audience was then invited onto the floor to try a few steps for themselves.  I’m pleased to say that most of us were sporting enough to do so.  I’m equally pleased to report that we finished the afternoon breathless, but otherwise relatively unharmed.

One day, two shows: Llanarmon-yn-Iâl and then Ruthin Flower Show.

The weather was thankfully kind and there were good attendances at both events.

Bumped into my constituent Judge Ian Trigger, who has had rather an interesting week.   He is a good man, and I’m always pleased to see him.

Take another look at the antique photo of Colwyn Bay’s Station Road that I posted yesterday.

Elegant, isn’t it?  Taken from a vantage point somewhere near the site of the present railway station, it shows a tree-lined avenue essentially unchanged from the newly-paved street of today.

What has changed is the foreground.  What appears then to have been an attractive, open square is now a very undistinguished paved area and the station car park.  It is enlivened only by the exuberant clock, gifted to the town 20 years ago by Mr and Mrs Stanley Fraser, in memory of their son, Andrew.    Otherwise, the area is, frankly, a bit of a mess and gives a very uninspiring first impression of the town to visitors.

A couple of days ago, I had a meeting with representatives of Colwyn Bay’s very active Civic Society.  They showed me plans illustrating their vision of a grassed piazza to replace the current area of concrete and tarmac.

With regeneration money apparently coming Colwyn Bay’s way, there is now an opportunity to carry out lasting improvements to the town’s streetscape.  The Civic Society’s plans deserve serious consideration.

There are, of course, a large number of property interests that would have to be brought into any improvement scheme, principal among which are those of Network Rail and Arriva trains.  I have therefore written to both companies with a view to arranging an early meeting to discuss the Civic Society’s proposals further.