Holywell

West Flintshire Community Enterprises; a social enterprise company based in Holywell, established with the support of Holywell & District Communities First, has obtained a grant of £15,560 to begin a process of assessing community buildings for potential energy saving and/or renewable energy measures.

As well as reducing energy bills for the occupants of these buildings, the project expects to create training opportunities and jobs.  It is also hoped that it might be possible to create an income stream from the sale of excess electricity generated by solar panels that could then be reinvested in the community. 

Several events are being planned to inform and engage public participation in this project.  The first of these will take place in the Holywell Arts & Crafts Mill on the evening of Monday 12 March.
 

Holywell & District Society is busy collecting memoirs about the town and is keen to hear from anybody with interesting personal memories, photo’s, drawings, documents, books, 8mm film or videos etc about Holywell.

Archive sessions take place between 10am and 12 noon every Monday at Holywell Library and people are being asked to bring along their Holywell memorabilia which will be copied for the society’s archive while they wait and returned safely to them afterwards.

To find out more, contact society chairman, Brian Taylor, by phone on 01352 714840, by e-mail at enquiries@holywellsociety.org.uk or visit the society’s website at www.holywellsociety.org.uk

The Celyn Farmers’ Market Group has announced that following its successful test visits to Holywell in the latter half of 2011 that it the market is to be a regular monthly event in the town throughout 2012.

The market will be in the town centre between 9am and 1pm every fourth Friday of the month, except in December when it will be on the third Friday.  The market sells a wide range of locally sourced produce including meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, preserves, jams and chutneys, cheese and eggs and a host of other food and craft items.

The market’s next visit to the town will be on Friday 24 February.

To find out more about Celyn Farmers’ Market, visit: www.celynfarmersmarket.co.uk    

Keep Wales Tidy has announced that it intends to organise two litter picking events in Holywell this year and wants to hear from any individuals or groups interested in taking part.

The first will take place on Saturday 18 February and Keep Wales Tidy will be joining forces with wardens from Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, Holywell Communities First and members of Transition Holywell & District. The event starts at 10am and the aim is to clean up the grass bank between the Tesco car park and the entrance to Greenfield Valley Heritage Park.

The second, called ‘Stop the Drop’ is a Holywell-wide event and will take place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st April. It will involve Holywell schools on the Friday and groups of volunteers on the Saturday.  Pupils and volunteers taking part will be able to adopt their own part of the town to carry out the litter pick.

Any groups or individuals who would like to take part in either event can obtain further details by contacting Keep Wales Tidy project office, Judith Wright by phone on 07717 495188 or by e-mail at: Judith.wright@keepwalestidy.org    

Line dancing classes previously held in Carmel have now moved to the Holywell Arts & Crafts Mill near St Winefride’s Holy Well and are held there every Friday.

Absolute beginner’s classes run between 6.30pm and 7.30pm followed by learners of all levels until 10pm.  Everybody is welcome and partners aren’t needed.

For more details, phone organiser, Julie Gabriel, on 01352 713858.

Greenfield Valley Trust is looking for what it describes as ‘an inspired individual or company’ to run the cafe and develop it in partnership with the trust’.

The trust says the successful candidate should be able to raise the profile of its catering operation, who can provide high quality, freshly prepared food and drinks using Fairtrade products, healthy options for children, a range of freshly prepared hot and cold lunches and snacks using locally sourced food and ingredients and with a commitment to a high level of customer service.

Anybody interested can find out more by contacting park manager, Chris Wright, by phone on 01352 714172 or by e-mail at: info@greenfield-valley.com

Rural development agency, Cadwyn Clwyd wants to hear from any organisation in Holywell interested in applying for grant-aid from its Rural Key Fund to help establish or develop community-led projects that aim to enhance the quality of life and strengthen capacity within the town.   

The grantwill fund 75% of the cost of any eligible projects up to a value of £24,999.  The grant might also be available to fund a distinct element of a much bigger project.  The sum of £475,000 available and the money will be allocated to groups on a first come first served basis.

The grant isfunded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Any group interested can contact Andrew Redfern at Cadwyn Clwyd on 01824 705802 or by e-mail at: andrew.redfern@cadwynclwyd.co.uk for more information

The Friends of Pen y Maes Woods who manage the woodland on behalf of Flintshire County Council have launched their own website providing visitors and local residents with details about the woods, what can be seen there and how to find it.  The website address is: www.wix.com/fopymwoods/holywell

The winners of this year’s Best Decorated Holywell Christmas Shop Window competition is the Hughes Parry Partnership Property Shop at 35 High Street which has now won the competition for four years in a row.  Second was C M Scott Jewellers, 46 High Street and third was Cresta at 63 High Street.

The judges were this year’s head boy and head girl at Holywell high School: Tom Seel and Rebecca Hall and their deputies, Chris Hoey and Bronwen Edwards.

The overall winner receives an engraved shield that they will be able to display for the next twelve months and the two runners-up will receive certificates.

The aim of the competition is to encourage shop owners to give their windows a Christmas theme in the hope that people who stopped to admire the window display that might be tempted to go in and make a purchase.

A new Line Dance class for beginners and people who wish to improve their line dancing skills has started at the Holywell Arts & Crafts Mill next to St Winefride’s Holy Well. To find out more, phone 01352 713858.

Parking at all Flintshire County Council-owned car parks in Holywell will now be free until and including Saturday 24 Of December.

The gesture has been made by the county council to encourage people to support town centre businesses during the lead-up to Christmas.

Holywell Chess Club is looking for new members to provide existing members with new challenges.

The club, established more than 20 years ago, meets at the Rock Inn, Lloc, at 7.30 every Monday evening from September to April, except when they have away matches, and wants to hear from anybody with an interest in chess whatever their ability or even if they can’t play but would like to learn.

Anybody interested is urged to just turn up at the Rock Inn on a Monday evening or contact the secretary, Stephen Williams for more details.

Stephen can be contacted by phone on 01352 714004 or by e-mail at: s.williams386@btinternet.com

Flintshire County Council has announced that it will go ahead with its plan to open a one-stop-shop facility in the old town hall building in High Street.

The facility, the first of six similar centres proposed for the county, will provide access to county council services including, housing, council tax benefits, street scene services and debt advice as well as services provided by other organisations such as the police and Communities First.

The new facility is likely to be operational by mid to late 2012.

Butcher, Michael Kennedy, owner of F R Kennedy & Son whose shop is in the Pen y Maes area of the town, has just received the Supreme Sausage Champion 2011 award at the English Winter Fair in Stafford which he won with one of his many specialities; Moroccan lamb sausage.

There will be festive entertainment in the town centre on the following days during the lead up to Christmas.

• Thursday 8 December.  10.30am to 11.30am.  Pupils from Ysgol Perth y Terfyn and Ysgol y Fron will be entertaining shoppers to some festive music outside the old town hall building in High Street.
• Saturday 10 December.  10am to 1pm. Fflint & Holywell Rotary Club’s Christmas Float with Santa will be entertaining shoppers to some festive music outside the old town hall building in High Street. 
• Thursday 15 December. 10.30am to 11.30am.  Pupils from Ysgol Gwenffrwd and St Winefride’s School will be entertaining shoppers to some festive music outside the old town hall building in High Street.
• Saturday 17 December. 10am until 1pm. Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Hospital Radio playing festive music outside the old town hall building in High Street.