THE general election is fast approaching and candidates for the Vale of Clwyd are now set in stone.

Chris Ruane is the candidate for Welsh Labour; James Michael Davies is the candidate for the Welsh Conservatives; Gavin Christopher Scott is the parliamentary candidate for the Welsh Liberal Democrats; Glenn Swingler is the candidate for Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales and Peter Christopher Dain is standing for the Brexit Party.

Mr Ruane is hoping to keep his seat at this election. He has been the MP for the Vale of Clwyd since 1997. He lost his seat in 2015 to Mr Davies and then reclaimed it at the snap election in 2017.

Mr Ruane was born, raised and educated in Rhyl. He is married and has two daughters. Prior to being elected, he was a primary school teacher.

He said: "The biggest issue facing the country is who is best placed to bring it together. Brexit has created huge divisions across the country which need to be healed.

"We also need to address the growing environmental problems caused by climate change such as flooding and the problem of mental health issues in young people."

Dr Davies is married to Nina and has two sons. He has been a doctor in the NHS for 15 years and said health, social care and local regeneration will be his top priorities - after Brexit.

He said: "The outcome of the 2017 election left me disappointed not to have the opportunity to continue the work I had begun at Parliament and it would be a real honour to be able to be able to re-engage with the many important issues that I was working on."

Mr Scott runs industrial printing firm Labelsprint in Rhyl. The 47-year-old, who is married with three children, feels 'honoured' to be selected and is 'excited' at the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the area.

"The Lib Dems are the only party standing up for those who don’t want to suffer the impact of Brexit," he said.

Mr Swingler, a county councillor for Denbigh Upper / Henllan, wants to “put Wales at the heart” of decisions on issues including child poverty, education funding, food banks and the homeless crisis. The 56-year-old is a mental health support worker.

"It’s time to redress the balance. It’s time to put Wales at the heart of decisions that affect us." he said.

Mr Dain lives with his civil partner of 25 years and their five adopted sons who all speak Welsh fluently. He is a teacher and a consultant in outdoor education for early years pupils.

"Brexit needs delivering first and foremost as a matter of urgency, everyone in the Vale of Clwyd including those who voted to remain in the EU are entitled to a proper functioning and effective political system," he said.