THE month started with a distressing discovery - four porpoise carcasses were found washed up on beaches in Kinmel Bay, Rhyl and Prestatyn.

The dead mammals were found in separate incidents.

Wendy Darbyshire who discovered one of the carcasses told the Journal: “It looked like a baby but it was fully intact so probably hadn’t been dead long.

“I live by the sand dunes and I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The name of a new Rhyl faith school, to replace Ysgol Mair and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School was revealed.

The Bishop of Wrexham, the Rt Rev Peter M Brignal, chose the name Christ the Word Catholic School. Despite receiving 120 suggested name submissions, the bishop chose a name he thought "best reflected what the school is going to be for."

He said: "The name focuses our attention that Christ is be the very heart and centre of all Catholic education, the life that he gives and the opportunities that education will give to our young people in making them whole people for the world in which they are to live their lives."

The £23 million development is to open in autumn 2019.

There was debate at Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph when boys put on skirts as part of a protest at not being allowed to wear shorts in the heatwave.

Denbighshire County Council said "The school did not challenge their decision and allowed them to wear skirts during the school day."

The school's uniform policy, which does not allow shorts, remained in force.

On July 11, the Journal reported how more than 1,400 beach-goers were helped to safety off the sandbanks in Rhyl and Prestatyn.

The funeral of former Journal photographer Terry Williams was held at St Thomas' Church in Rhyl and Prince Charles paid a visit to Llangernyw, near Abergele, and learned about the history of a yew, located at St Digain Church, believed to be dated between 4,000 to 5,000 years' old.

Towards the end of July, readers heard about Jacqueline Hickson's A&E nightmare in Glan Clwyd Hospital. The 76-year-old, of St Asaph, spent a night on a chair and then a second night on a trolley after being told there was a 62-hour wait for a bed.

Her daughter Janine Foden was given a pillow case, as there was no pillows, to make her mother a makeshift bed.