Community news

Mostyn reveals new exhibition

Llandudno’s Mostyn Gallery is running a new exhibition. Tarek Lakhrissi: My Immortal, is the first UK institutional solo

exhibition by Tarek Lakhrissi. Taking the 2003 song ‘My Immortal’ by American pop group Evanescence as its title, this is the first solo exhibition in the UK by this exciting French

artist. This new commission consists of existing and new work comprising film, sculpture and text presented as an installation

across the gallery spaces. Rooted in poetry, Lakhrissi’s practice seeks to challenge contemporary language and narratives around minoritised communities. Tarek Lakhrissi: My Immortal, is on show until 19th September.

www.mostyn.org

Law firm encouraging staff to bee helpful

With bee populations in steep decline, staff at a law firm in North

Wales are doing their bit to help create a better environment to allow them to flourish.

Lanyon Bowdler, which has offices in Conwy, has given every

member of staff a “bee bomb”, and is holding online talks about why bees need protection. Debbie Brooks, HR manager at Lanyon Bowdler, said the activity was part of an ongoing project to keep staff connected to nature – and each other. “During the pandemic we have made a concerted effort to engage staff in activities they could do together, things like online cocktail making classes at Christmas, to give them some light relief and to help them stay in touch. The aim of the bee bombs is twofold – hopefully providing an enjoyable activity for staff to plant them, perhaps with their children’s help, and also helping to prevent bees from dying out.” As part of the project, Lanyon Bowdler is donating funds to the Shropshire Beekeepers’ Association to help volunteers continue their work to conserve the honey bee.

www.lblaw.co.uk

Artisan market celebrates birthday

Stella McClure has been a market trader for 20 years. She started selling vintage on Portobello Road in London in the early 2000’s, and developed a love of markets. The idea for the Colwyn Bay Artisan Market came about as Stella was traveling to Manchester from North Wales with her vintage & custom fashion stall to attend artisan markets and realised there’s nothing similar closer to home. “I started working on the business in autumn 2019 then jumped at the opportunity to take over the tender from Conwy Council for the Colwyn Bay markets,” says Stella. “My partner Ben and I put our proposal in to the council and won the bid. We took over the Colwyn Bay markets days before the first lockdown!” Now they run the twice weekly

market and monthly artisan market, which has just celebrated its first birthday. “We’re delighted

at how well received it has been and how many amazingly talented crafters and makers there are in North Wales,” adds Stella. “We want to emphasis the importance of shopping locally, and actively encourage people to support small local businesses and make Colwyn Bay a thriving bustling town once again.”

www.theartisanmarketcompany.co.uk

Supporting vulnerable customers in Rhyl

CWelsh Water has been working with organisations in Rhyl to help customers reduce their bills and advise them of support schemes available. The company’s Water Resilient Communities Project works with and involves customers to co-create and co-deliver more resilient services within the area. Activities include helping people struggling with their bills, providing water-saving devices, visiting schools for fun lessons, and supporting local community groups – with existing services used to deliver a variety of community benefits. “Over the last 12 months a great working relationship has been formed providing essential support and advice

to job centre customers, not only in Rhyl, but in other areas of North Wales too,” explained Rachel Sorahan, employment adviser for the DWP. “Throughout the last year, in excess of 100 customers have had appointments with Tracey Jones, from Dwr Cymru, who has assisted many of them to save money on their water bills whilst others, who are already on a reduced tariff, have gained confirmation that they are on the correct scheme for their circumstances. Tracey offers a

confidential, informative and efficient service that has been greatly appreciated by those who have spoken with her.”

Through Welsh Water reaching out to offer a helping hand it is estimated there has been a saving of over £20,000 for those customers.

www.dwrcymru.com

My Conwy Career – Get a taste for hospitality

Where can your journey to work pass stunning countryside and coastline? Conwy County, that’s where. Conwy Council believes that living and working in Conwy County is second to none, and there are currently plenty of exciting job opportunities in tourism and hospitality. If you are interested in working in one of the priority sectors you can: J Develop valuable, transferable skills. Get valuable experience working in a busy, fast-paced environment and develop globally recognised skills which can help you find a job in any country. J Become part of a close-knit team and work with amazing people. Most roles in hospitality are customer facing and these roles tend to be occupied by friendly, positive and hard-working individuals. J Enjoy a varied work style as no two days are the same!

Anything can happen on a typical day – from organising last minute bookings to helping with event planning. J Benefit from fantastic career prospects. There is strong job

growth and high employment levels in this industry. Many senior-level professionals have worked their way up in the industry – perhaps you can do the same! J Enjoy flexible working hours and explore our beautiful

landscape in your spare time. After work enjoy seaside strolls, explore our countryside or try a taste of the finest

Welsh produce in our pubs and restaurants.

Local tourism and hospitality businesses are currently recruiting for a variety of roles – from front of house staff, room attendants, chefs and even managerial positions. Conwy Council can match your job requirements to the available roles within the sector.

Email: communitiesforwork@conwy.gov.uk

Scarecrows of Jeremy Clarkson in his new farming TV show have sent social media into a frenzy. But they’re only a handful of the scores of straw-like models populating the hillside village of Llysfaen – and they’re bringing a smile to everyone’s faces. There are scarecrows of AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, former US President Donald Trump, the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. There are also Wallace and Gromit lookalikes and characters from TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine, set in Holmfirth near Huddersfield. The

ingenious figures were created by villagers

in Llysfaen as COVID-19 restrictions brought misery to many people over the last 16 months. “We organised some scarecrows on our road during lockdown last year for Halloween and Christmas,” said joint organiser Louise Tod. “The whole village took daily walks to see them. More people said they wanted to join in so we opened it up to the whole village. Now we have 95 scarecrows at 65 different locations.” She said some are made from papier mache, others have all sorts of materials. “The Jeremy Clarkson one’s gone viral. It’s not just been liked by people in Llysfaen and North Wales, but around the world. There’s Jeremy and his sidekick Kaleb and even a real tractor.” The scarecrow festival has brought joy to the community, after so many months of isolation.

Graffeg supports summer reading challenge

Swim, Shark, Swim! and Fletcher and the Caterpillar books by Graffeg are featured in this year’s recommended book list for the Summer Reading Challenge from The Reading Agency and funded by Arts Council England. The books fit perfectly into this year’s theme of ‘Wild

Word Heroes’ encouraging children to explore nature and provide an awareness of some of the environmental issues facing our planet today. Children can read whatever they like in their chosen format – fiction, fact books, poetry, joke

books, picture books, graphic novels, audio books and eBooks can all be used to complete the challenge. Children receive special rewards each time they finish a book and there’s a certificate

for everyone who completes the challenge. The Summer Reading Challenge is open to all primary school aged children and is designed for all reading abilities. Children can sign up for free at a participating library during the summer holidays. Throughout the Challenge, library staff and teenage and adult volunteers support children, helping them to explore a wide range of different types of books and enjoy a range of creative activities and events.

www.graffeg.com