North East Walescounty

The Leader reports that Penyffordd Community Council has issued a warning to parents after children aged between seven and nine were caught on CCTV vandalising The Millstone Play Area on 2 November. The children were seen riding bikes and scooters and kicking a litter bin until it became dislodged. The council has urged parents to speak to their children about respecting community facilities and the consequences of damaging public property.

North Wales Police is supporting Operation Insight, a national road safety campaign highlighting the importance of good eyesight when driving. The police are urging motorists to have regular eye tests and wear prescribed glasses or contact lenses. The Leader reports that a national survey found more than 1.2 million motorists were driving with defective eyesight, with some unable to read a registration plate from the required legal distance of 20 metres.

North East Wales Search and Rescue (NEWSAR), which covers Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and surrounding areas, has received a Land Rover from Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team in Cumbria. Patterdale obtained a new Defender 130 rescue vehicle and handed over their former Mobile 1 to NEWSAR. NEWSAR said the donation would make a real difference to its operations supporting the community.

Plans to retain a large timber shed at a Llangollen property have been approved by Denbighshire County Council's planning committee, which voted 17 in favour and two against a retrospective application submitted by Adam Taylor. Councillors requested an additional condition requiring a change to the roofing material due to concerns about its appearance from neighbouring properties. The applicant has agreed to remove a raised patio area to address privacy concerns.

Iceland Foods opened a new The Food Warehouse store at Holyhead Retail Park in Anglesey, with 114 customers queuing from 5.40am for the opening. The store gave away £1,500 in vouchers to the first 150 customers and held a raffle with prizes including air fryers and a supermarket sweep-style trolley dash.

The Leader has published a gallery of photographs from its archives covering Wrexham and Flintshire. The outlet invites readers to identify themselves or others in the images and encourages those with photographs from the past—such as school class pictures, sports teams, or local events—to share them.

Communities across Wrexham and Flintshire will hold Remembrance Sunday events on 8 November, including services, parades and wreath-laying ceremonies. Armistice Day commemorations follow on 11 November, marked by a two-minute silence at 11am. Events include services at War Memorials, churches and town centres across both counties.

Clwb Cwtsh, based at Deeside Leisure Centre in Flintshire, risks closure without £60,000–£80,000 in additional funding. The Leader reports that the club, which launched last year as a pilot, has grown from 30 families to 118 in under 12 months. Parents say it provides children with complex and additional learning needs a safe place to play and helps families support one another, with significant benefits for mental health and wellbeing.

Residents of Picton, near Holywell, are campaigning to restore the Picton War Memorial, erected in 1927, as it approaches its centenary year in 2027. Led by retired Royal Navy officer Phil Beal and Sea Cadets instructor Nicky Bedward, the project aims to improve the memorial's condition, make it more accessible, create a garden of remembrance and record additional service personnel not currently named on it. The team is appealing for fundraising and community support to complete the work during the memorial's centenary year.

Gemma Buxton, a self-employed cleaner and mother-of-four from Wrexham, was diagnosed with grade three invasive breast cancer in September after discovering a small lump in her right breast. She underwent surgery in October to remove a 16mm tumour and is awaiting further test results to determine her next treatment steps. Buxton has launched a campaign called 'Too Young to Screen, Not Too Young for Cancer' to raise awareness of breast cancer in younger women and to push for a review of current screening policies in Wales.

Chirk Court, a care home near Wrexham housing 66 residents including those with dementia, has created a striking poppy cascade flowing from its balcony to the ground. Residents and staff spent months crafting hundreds of handmade poppies from recycled plastic bottles and knitted designs. Manager Jane Humphreys said the project was a team effort to reflect respect and gratitude for those who served in the armed forces, and that the local community response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Four shoplifters have been banned from north Wales for 12 months after appearing at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Wednesday. They admitted two theft offences at a Tesco in Cefn Mawr: the first in October when they stole goods worth £560, and a second five days later when they took items worth £240. The court issued 12-month community orders with GPS exclusion tags, after their defence representative argued against a punitive sentence and noted that two had previously good character.

Jan Kardasz, a two-time Welsh veteran cyclo-cross champion from the Wrexham area, has died aged 66 following a battle with bladder cancer. He died at Nightingale House Hospice on 31 October. His siblings paid tribute to his competitive spirit and his encouragement of younger riders.

A one-year-old baby from Wrexham, Isaac Venables, is the face of Hope House Children's Hospice's Christmas appeal, which aims to raise £125,000. Isaac was diagnosed with Foetal Hydrops, a life-threatening condition causing dangerous fluid build-up around his body, at 32 weeks in the womb. His parents, Vickie and Nick, say the hospice's neonatal nurses provided crucial support during his pregnancy and beyond.