During my latest ‘catch up’ meeting with Glyndŵr University’s Vice Chancellor, discussion ranged from their efficiency review to their international university franchise arrangements. I was pleased to hear that their student applications are up on last year and that they had exceeded the UK average for both teaching quality and academic support in the National Student Survey 2017, which gathers opinions from students across the UK.
It was a pleasure to attend the 2017 Denbigh and Flint County Show, where my visits included CLA Cymru (Country Land and Business Association), NFU Cymru and the Show President’s reception.
I held a useful meeting in my Holywell Office with the Communicating with Confidence (CWC) Charity, the Association of Convenience Stores and the Welsh Retail Consortium, to discuss CWC’s system to help people communicate. The CWC Scheme was developed in North Wales by people who had communication difficulties after experiencing a stroke, to raise awareness within retail and support services of the difficulties which can be faced by those who have problems communicating.
It was an honour to present an £1,100 cheque from grant-provider ‘The Xerox (UK) Trust’ to Flintshire-based charity ‘British Dyslexics’, to fund free information packs. British Dyslexics provides free help, support and advice for parents with dyslexic children.
As Patron of Flintshire Disability Forum (FDF) , I also popped in to the FDF Centre for Independent Living (formerly Flintshire Disability Forum) in Mold Town Hall for a quick chat.
I have long been backing apolitical calls by professional bodies for the Labour Welsh Government to take action to tackle the GP shortage facing North Wales. Over three years’ ago the North Wales Local Medical Committee warned, at a meeting in the Assembly, that General Practice in North Wales was facing crisis, unable to fill vacancies, with GPs considering retirement. It is therefore deeply concerning that the North Wales Local Medical Committee has now felt the need to write to all North Wales Assembly Members stating that “as the statutory body representing the voice of GPs in North Wales, we feel we need to inform you of the escalating crisis developing in Primary Care in North Wales. We warned of this possibility a few years ago and it seems to be coming to pass whereby increasingly large areas of North Wales are losing their traditional General Practice provision”.