LIFE GOES ON: OCT 2018

European citizenship is the most valuable thing that
Welsh people have ever been given.
Fight for  second chance to keep it.

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It used to be a matter of routine to take a photo of passengers setting out on a day trip, as in the Rhyl & Potteries Motors image above.

Here the background is interesting: Midland Hotel, Rhyl, on your left with Ye Olde Welsh Cafe (not very olde) in basement on right.

Midland Hotel was a Victorian building in East Parade, close to High Street; now the site is part of White Rose Centre.

I am obliged to Philip Lloyd for a reminder of its location.

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During October 2018 the following Rhyl Life posts were updated:

Comic postcard, Rhyl -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2017/11/flashback-30.html

Kinmel Hall as Kinmel School for boys -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2009/12/clarendon-school.html

L. Volpé photographer, Rhyl -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2017/03/flashback-22.html

Pennaf / Clwyd Alyn, new boss -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2017/06/nothing-wrong-with-rhyl.html

Pickard, Rae, Dining Hall at the Alex hospital -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2010/05/from-canada.html

Pickard, seashore picture -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2015/10/rae-pickard.html

Pickard, WW1 soldiers on parade -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2010/03/anyone-for-it.html

Plaid Cymru, new leader -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2017/10/plaid-on-display.html

Rhyl OAP Friendship Club, Silver Threads Choir -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2010/01/friendship-club.html

Scottish independence -

https://rhyl-life.blogspot.com/2017/03/local-council-elections-2017.html

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'The Hague' guest house, Rhyl, was at 2a North Avenue, just round the corner
from Butterton Road. The building still exists, still has same name
and is now in residential use.

You may have passed No.36 Eastville Ave and thought it unremarkable, but the very
existence of this late-1940s postcard suggests it was a small B&B.

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Photo: Daily Post Wales

Pictured above is Carl Foulkes who is taking over from Mark Polin as Chief Constable of North Wales Police. Mr. Foulkes is from Caergwrle near Wrexham.
Until recently he has been Deputy Chief  Constable of Merseyside so I'm sure he will see many familiar faces in North Wales, especially in Rhyl.

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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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QUIZ QUESTION # 195

In the late 1950s this entertainer topped the bill at a Sunday concert in Rhyl Pavilion.
The question: What is her name?

In the early 1970s the entertainer below topped the bill at a Sunday concert in Rhyl Pavilion.
The question: What is his name?

No need to send me an email - just check your answers against mine on Sunday 26th November 2017 after 12 noon.

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I note with glee that Scottish Government has overcome legal objections and is to impose a minimum price per unit of alcohol. Welsh Government is poised to follow suit.
The alcoholic drinks industry is pernicious; more action is needed against it. Imagine how much less our social services, NHS and policing would cost if alcohol consumption in general were cut back drastically.
The Chief Medical Officer for Wales and Chief Constable of North Wales Police are both on record as supporting the idea of a minimum price per unit of alcohol, so it's time for everybody – including the legions of local daily drinkers of the stuff – to realise that it has been dangerously cheap for too long.

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QUIZ ANSWER # 194

Last Sunday I listed some Rhyl places with every other letter removed.
The question: What are the full names of the places?

The example given:

-e-l-n-t-n / -o-d = Wellington Road

The answers:

1) -u-l-n-t-n / -r-s-e-t = Burlington Crescent

2) -a-n-l-a / -o-r- = Magnolia Court

3) -a-d-w-r-h / -r-s-e-t = Handsworth Crescent

4) -l-s / -o-i- / G-c- = Llys Robin Goch

5) -a-f-r- / A-e-u- = Walford Avenue

Did you get them all right?
Of course you did!

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Alas, Daily Post reports that Rhyl has become North Wales' most crime-ridden railway station:
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/revealed-north-wales-most-crime-13861680

Criminals continue to make a bee-line for Rhyl because they have family/ friends/associates here, and they know the town is an easy place to get drugs, and policing is weak.
As far as I can see, little or nothing is being done to deter these people from coming. On the contrary they are welcomed by publicly-funded support projects including housing services.
Your taxes, dear readers, are being used to help Rhyl gain and keep a bad reputation.

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NEW YEAR QUIZ (# 181)

Here are eight Rhyl questions - not too difficult I hope - to help put your brain back in working order after the Christmas break.

1. In this photo of the trough/fountain on the promenade, what is hidden behind the red dots?

2. In this 1950 photo of Rhyl councillors and staff, what is the occasion?

3. This recent shot shows part of a block of flats. What is the English name of the building?

4. In this image of a religious gathering, what was the nearest theatre?

5. Here is a flyer for Celebrity's night club. In what hotel was Celebrity's?

6. Below: pomp and ceremony draws a crowd. Where were they standing?

7. This building's name is hidden by a cluster of black dots. What is it?

8. The following roofs (rooves if you like) are where?

Those are the questions. No need to send me an email - just check your answers against mine to be published in this blog on Sunday 15th January 2017 around 12 noon.

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It was a quiet enough Christmas and New Year here at Jones Towers. No doubt there was traditional rowdyism, drunkenness and brawling elsewhere in Rhyl.
Daily Post has published North Wales Police statistics regarding alcohol-fuelled violence outside licensed premises during a three-year period up to March last year.
These included Rhyl venues: Ellis' Vaults, Water Street (37 violent incidents); The Barrel, Water Street (22); The Bodfor, Bodfor Street (17).
Surely these places should not be allowed to renew their licences and carry on in business unless they make serious efforts to attract a more civilised clientele.
Read complete story in Daily Post:
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/rise-alcohol-fuelled-violence-outside-12379487

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PASSING THE BUCK

Photo from Daily Post

(Owain) Arfon Jones, Crime Commissioner of North Wales Police, was elected to his post earlier this year. He was the Plaid Cymru candidate. Nowhere in his various statements before and immediately after the election do I recall his mentioning the subject of drugs.

Recently he has been in the news expressing the opinion that cannabis should be legalised for medical uses. (Nobody is arguing against that as long the NHS is in control.) Even more recently he has called for the legalisation of all drugs to be considered.

A few years ago the same call came from former Chief Constable Richard ‘The Clown’ Brunstrom whose antics brought North Wales Police into disrepute. Perhaps some influential person within North Wales Police is persuading his or her seniors round to this point of view – someone with budgeting responsibilities perhaps.

Legalisation of drugs would certainly save police forces a lot of money (not that the taxpayers would get a refund). Legalisation of everything would save them even more money and allow them more time to loll around in canteens and sit yawning in police cars.

Some young people are being discouraged from getting into illegal drugs because they don’t want to risk trouble with the law. Legalisation would remove that deterrence, increase the number of users and increase the long-term cost of care incurred by NHS and social services.

Police, having failed to enforce drug laws effectively, now wish to pass the buck to other agencies.

Crime Commissioner Jones’ comments may well encourage drug users and dealers and make the situation even more difficult in drug-blighted communities such as Rhyl West.

Plaid and ALL other parties should ensure their candidates are open and honest with the public on highly controversial topics such as abortion, illegal drugs, gay marriage, whatever. If they hold strong views (for or against) we should be told before we cast our vote and not after.

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CATCHING UP WITH MARK

A few years ago Rhyl West residents saw large numbers of problematic people being dumped into the ward by resettlement agencies.

The uninvited guests included habitual criminals, addicts of alcohol and illegal drugs, antisocial types, dysfunctional families and so on.

The cost of Social Services went sky high and so did the crime rate.

Some old holiday accommodation in Abbey Street/ Aquarium Street area has been demolished and tenants dispersed – some as far as Denbigh. This should reduce the density of problems in Rhyl West.

Lately the ward seems a more relaxed place, not so low-life, and not so dangerous, but some fundamental difficulties remain. There is still a lot of poverty and deprivation.

One man who knows about the difficulties is Mark Webster who lives in Rhyl West and served as a ward councillor until his wife Coral became ill. (She has since passed away.)

Mark is concerned about disabled people having to switch to new benefits and have their conditions re-assessed by private companies that have no medical expertise.

He is unhappy about the prospect of our losing access to the European Regional Development Fund. Money is needed to help new businesses get started.

On the other hand, he feels optimistic about the forthcoming Marina Quay (ex-Ocean Beach) and other local indicators of better times ahead.

Mark Webster (pictured below) is casting around for a role to play. It would be no surprise to see him back in public life in due course.

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Daily Post has published a list of food places top-rated for hygiene. There are lots of top-rated places in Denbighshire, many in Rhyl:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/north-wales-eateries-five-rating-11887768

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OUT OF PUFF

A reader has asked if I know the whereabouts of Jeffrey Ditchfield who began trying to run a cannabis café known as the Beggar’s Belief in 2002 in Water Street, Rhyl.

Mr. Ditchfield seemed to me to be using disabled people as a starting point towards supplying cannabis for recreational purposes. We wrestled in the letters columns of local newspapers like Holmes and Moriarty.

Although I never disliked him personally I hated the drugs image he was helping to give the town. Use of illegal drugs for medicinal purposes is a matter for the Government and NHS not cowboy operators.

Mr. Ditchfield was treated as a celebrity in some quarters. The Visitor newspaper went as far as asking him to name his favourite things and Rhyl Town Council gave him an award for his hanging baskets.

It took four long years for North Wales Police to put a stop to his illegal activities in Rhyl, and the force was virtually shamed into it by a TV documentary that revealed more about him.

[Local criminal Johnny Gizzi (John Damon Gizzi) had been a household name as a drug dealer for considerably longer before they got round to convicting him of his first drug offence.]

Do I know where Mr. Ditchfield is now? Nope.

What I do know is that sometime after he lost his final court case in 2006 he sold his Water Street premises to officers of Welsh Government and thereby pocketed a pile of our money.

No doubt he felt much obliged.

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QUIZ ANSWER # 137

Last Sunday I posted these images of four persons of Rhyl interest and asked who they were:

Above is Don Splendlove, Rhyl Football Club's incomparable goal scorer of the late 1940s and 1950s. Mr. Spendlove was also a plumber:

The Spendlove items were supplied by Dave Williams. Thanks, Dave!

Below is G. Mervyn Williams who was a teacher at Christ Church School, Vaughan Street in the 1950s. Mr. Williams left in 1957 to be headmaster of the C. of E. School in Garston, Lancs.

Above is Linda Trehearn in her 'flipping burgers' days at the snack bar in the family's arcade, Vern's Amusements in West Parade. Last I heard of Linda she was working in a care home in Rhyl.

Below is Mohammed Mehmet who has been the Chief Executive of Denbighshire County Council for the last 7 years. Recently I saw him on TV in his role of Chief Returning Officer announcing an election result in English and Welsh. 

Scoring 1 win for each correct name: The Great Gareth 2, Jane Shuttle 2, Dilys Bagnall 1, Sue Handley 2.

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Earlier this month there was an election of Police & Crime Commissioner for North Wales. The winner was the Plaid Cymru candidate Owain Arfon Jones who is an ex-police inspector and a Wrexham councillor.

Click here to read about Mr. Jones' plans and priorities in Daily Post:

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-north-wales-crime-tsar-11314190?ptnr_rid=381515&icid=EM_DailyPost_Nletter_News_smallteaser_Image_Story2

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WHAT'S TO DO?

Here are some sights that greeted me this week as I walked into town. Firstly, in Kings Avenue: a notorious litter hot spot has flared up again opposite the G.P.'s surgery:

A couple of hours later when I passed the pile was even higher. When such problems recur in same places, the same people are likely to be responsible. I would support the idea of police detection methods being used to trace them and then maximum penalties applied - including a prison sentence if necessary.

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In Wellington Road: the window has been kicked in at KFC only yards from the police station. From time to time other businesses suffer the same fate:

Whatever the circumstances in this case, alcohol is very often a factor in these incidents. The stuff is too cheap and too easy to obtain. Councils and governments should clamp down on the alcohol industry.

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In High Street: a beggar outside the White Rose Centre. He is one of several regulars on the mooche.

Persistent begging is compulsive behaviour and not based on need. Projects in and near Rhyl town centre have been set up in support of problematic people. These projects draw in more of the same kind of clients and they need to be closed down.

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It gives me no pleasure to publish pictures like these, but for a long time I've been watching the town committing suicide by lousy housing policies and dubious 'community' strategies. Rhyl is failing. 

The message to our local elected representatives is: GET TOUGH! Stop pandering to litter louts, vandals and tramps. You won't restore the social balance, business confidence or the town's dignity by letting things carry on this way.

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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

See my Rhyl videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RhylTime

Only the videos marked RhylTime are mine!

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SEA HERE

Seems there has been a disagreement elsewhere on Internet about Foryd Bridge - somebody believes it has always been blue. No, it hasn't. These contrasting images have appeared previously in this blog:

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While we are the subject the Foryd, the following have not appeared previously in this blog. The first is undated and catches a figure of a fisherwoman. Underneath it is a watercolour by Shropshire-based artist Ken Field.

Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

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And thrown in here for good measure is an HMS Rhyl miniature shield which I thought you might like:

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LIFE IN PERHYL

Today, out shopping on foot, I encountered a car in Kings Avenue, parked squarely on the pavement forcing pedestrians to walk on the road.

At corner of Wellington Road and Princes Street my shopping trolley collided with an advertising board put there by a 'community' group.

On my way to Morrisons a cyclist wobbled towards me on Vale Road Bridge, one hand on the handlebars while talking into a mobile phone.

Later in High Street there were vehicles on the pedestrianised area, more advertising boards and more cyclists, and twice I received a faceful of cigarette smoke.

When finances allow, please may we have pavement safety wardens?

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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

See my Rhyl videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RhylTime

Only the videos marked RhylTime are mine!

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THAT WAS THEN

This shot of Rhyl Pavilion taken in 1964 captures the flavour of the paddling pool on its west side. The paddling pool outlived the Pavilion and sometimes drew a bigger crowd anyway.

Unlike the present paddling pool in Drift Park the one above had no admission charge, it was open every summer day, and anybody could enjoy the sight of kiddies having fun kicking about in the water without being thought of as a pervert.

We live in sad times.

Sex abuse scandals involving children (once believed to be exclusively a Catholic Church issue) have been brought to light in such a wide variety of settings that the overall extent of the problem has been revealed as enormous.

The age of innocence that produced the multiview postcard below seems long, long ago. Those of us who can remember that far back must be forgiven for feeling nostalgic.

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MANIFESTATIONS

Not often we get something new in Wellington Road but a couple of weeks ago this pole appeared, fixed on the edge of pavement outside Police Station. The man behind the desk said, “Nothing to do with us. It’s a council thing. Go over to the Town Hall and ask about it.”

Over at the Town Hall the man behind the desk said, “I only know what was in the papers last weekend. It’s supposed to be monitoring the accident blackspot (junction of Bodfor Street and Queen Street – Ed).

Previously on Rhyl Life it has been noted that some drivers hurtle round town as if nobody lives here. I went outside and looked at the pole again.

I doan like it, but if it saves lives . . .

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While in the cop shop I mean Police Station the amnesty bin below caught my eye. Every home in Rhyl should have one:

Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

See my Rhyl videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RhylTime

There are hundreds of Rhyl videos on YouTube. Only the ones labelled RhylTime are mine - don't blame me for the others!

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BACK TO NOTHING?

Two news stories about North Wales Police circulated this week. One pointed to the large number of working days (close to 4,000) lost by North Wales Police in 2009-10 because of sickness, particularly stress, anxiety and depression. The other pointed to the possibility of NWP losing up to 700 officers and support staff due to cost cutting by the Conserberal government in Westminster.

It seems odd that the Conservatives, who claimed to be the party of law and order, are seeking to save money by letting criminals out of prison (or not putting them in there in the first place) and cutting police budgets. Also I hear that Home Secretary Theresa May, pictured above in London, is to scrap the system of ASBOs or Antisocial Behaviour Orders.

As a resident of Rhyl West where a few years ago small gangs of trouble-making youngsters seemed virtually out of control and vandalism rates were high, I noticed a difference for the better after ASBOs were introduced. The system is not all perfect, and in about half of cases it is not effective, but it's a lot more useful than what we had before – which was nothing.

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SKID ROW

Yesterday’s Daily Post revealed that from Sunday 9th May 2010 groups of two or more troublesome people on Rhyl seafront can be dispersed by police; this follows reports of nuisance caused by gangs of drunks. The penalties for not complying with a dispersal order could be stiff.

A couple of days ago the same newspaper said that local criminal Johnny Gizzi (John Damon Gizzi) had been arrested by police near Burnley, Lancs, for conspiring to sell Class A controlled drugs. It is only just over a year since he was released from being imprisoned for other offences.

Rhyl Life supports the clamping down on antisocial behaviour caused by alcohol and illegal drugs. If this had been done years ago Rhyl might never have gained such a bad reputation.

Illustration by Tony Husband from ‘The Yobs’ cartoon strip in Private Eye magazine.

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WED 11th APR 2018 UPDATE: Johnny Gizzi was convicted on drugs charges in 2011 and jailed for 11 years. The story of what happened to his home Richmond Hall (formerly Bronwylfa) in St. Asaph, is told here:
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/look-inside-former-mansion-north-14514804?

Note: Johnny Gizzi is listed in this blog as John Damon Gizzi. According to Daily Post and some other sources he is John Damien Gizzi. Whichever is correct, the purpose of using his middle name is to distinguish him from his father, the environmentally-unfriendly builder John Albert Gizzi, who was convicted of illegal dumping in 2015.

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EYES DOWN

Above is a photo of Mark Polin the new-ish Chief Constable of Heddlu Gogledd Cymru / North Wales Police.

Last week the Daily Post reported that the number of well-known criminals being monitored by North Wales Police had dropped from 247 in 2005/6 to currently 156 according to Home Office figures. That doesn’t mean the number of offenders has dropped, just the number being monitored.

It seems as if the whole of Wales has become a dumping ground for people with behavioural problems such as persistent offending, and in Rhyl we have projects using money from the public purse to settle criminals in our midst – with the knowledge our elected representatives.

Offenders can get housing priority and special services that are unavailable to other people. In these ways bad behaviour is rewarded.

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SAT 16th SEP 2017 UPDATE: The watchdog outfit HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has discovered that North Wales Police records only 88.3% of crimes. That means the force fails to record more than 5,000 crimes a year, including nearly one in five violent crimes. Well, that's one way of making North Wales look safer.

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KINGS AVENUE

The photograph of Kings Avenue at the top was sent by George Owen and must be over 100 years old; it was taken at the far end looking towards Wellington Road. The corresponding colour picture underneath, taken by Yours Truly, shows that the houses on the right haven’t changed much. The big difference is the prevalence of cars.

The Wellington Road end of Kings Avenue, opposite Kings Surgery (Dr. Landon) is a notorious pavement parking spot. Pedestrians with a lot of shopping, mums with prams or pushchairs, and wheelchair users from the old folks’ flats round the corner, get forced off the pavement onto the road because of this kind of parking.

I’ve been complaining about this hazardous situation for 8 years. If residents in this part of town were comparatively wealthy instead of comparatively poor an answer to the problem might have been found long ago.

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WED 30th JUN 2010 UPDATE: Early yesterday morning, a police officer took action against pavement parking (see photo below). Now we need a permanent barrier so that pedestrians in Kings Avenue can be as safe as in other streets.


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HIGH STREET

Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

No sooner had I created a HIGH STREET label, bringing together all previous posts about the street, when George Owen kindly sent the photographs above.

The monochrome photo of the corner of High Street and West Parade may be from late 1940s. It captures neatly the wall advert of H. A. Steer wine merchants and a policeman directing traffic and gives us a rare glimpse of Cafe Elite.

The colour snaps are possibly from early 1980s; one shows Summers Cafe where Cash Converters is now (3-5 High Street) and that's Currys on the far side. The other shows the bus station where Jobcentre is now (No.80) and in those days the building to your right of the bus station was Baxters butchers.

In the pipeline here at Jones Towers are items sent by George relating to the Gas School, Glyndwr School, Laurel & Hardy, Odeon Cinema and the pier – and they will appear before your very eyes in due course.

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6720. Additional image added here in June 2020:

A 1992 snapshot of the old bus station disappearing to make way for the Jobcentre. The works are flanked by the Flamingo cafe on your left and Baxters successor, Dewhurst - The Master Butcher.
Seeing the Flamingo brought back memories of grabbing take-away chips before catching the last bus home (to Rhuddlan).
Bill Ellis' wife Gaynor used to work at the Flamingo.

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TREAD SOFTLY

This photograph shows the scene outside my door this morning.

On days like this the prospect of snuggling down in a cosy pub may seem attractive. Alcohol is an insidious drug, an enemy posing as a friend. Last week in Daily Post, Martin Williams reported that North Wales is the third worst place in UK for heavy drinking.

In Wales as a whole, nearly 13,000 people a year turn up in hospital for alcohol-related reasons, and booze kills a thousand a year. The damage done to individuals and communities is serious and the cost to social services, police and health services, is enormous.

Dr. Tony Jewell the Chief Medical Officer for Wales calls for more education about the harm that alcohol can do, and he would like to see a minimum price per unit. He calls for stricter rules against promoting alcohol, and higher tax on booze.

In the same week, a Conservative Party booklet was delivered to households in Rhyl district, clearly promoting alcohol and calling for lower tax on booze. At the heart of the Tories' concern is decline in the number of pubs. The Party need not worry. There is an old saying, ‘Nothing good ever came out of a pub’. It was true then and it’s still true.

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FRI 15th JAN 2010 UPDATE: So far this month, ministers at Welsh Assembly Government and the new-ish Chief Constable of North Wales have expressed support for the idea of having a fixed minimum price per unit of alcohol.

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MON 2nd JUL 2018 UPDATE: Last month, after eight years or more of deliberation, Welsh Government voted to introduce minimum pricing from next Summer onwards. The amount per unit is to be announced soon (probably 50p, same as Scotland). Cheap, high-strength alcoholic drinks are expected to more than double in price.

I have noted that in Rhyl alcohol consumption seems heavy on lottery nights. Perhaps it wouldn't be if people knew their real chances. The odds against winning  or sharing a National Lottery jackpot are more than 45 million to 1. The odds against a Euromillions jackpot are more than 139 million to 1.

For the vast majority of people, alcohol and gambling have something important in common – they are both a waste of money.

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THE STING

Three town centre bars have been caught selling drinks to under-18s. They are Boswell’s (currently known as Rumours at Boswells) in Bodfor Street, The Grapevine in Water Street and Venue4Events in High Street. By way of agreed punishment the bars will be closed for 48 hours from Friday 11 Dec at 7pm to Sunday 13 Dec at 7pm.

Two girls aged 15 working on behalf of North Wales Police and Denbighshire County Council were able to buy alcohol in 13 out of 15 licensed premises in the north of the county.

According to Daily Post reporter Kelly Barker, only Zu Bar in West Parade and Rendezvous in Water Street asked the children for identification.

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