news.wrexham.gov.uk

Category: Council Services

Education chief will retire in 2020
It’s always sad to note when we’ve got someone leaving.
So we’re sorry to announce that one of our Chief Officers will be retiring late in 2020.
Ian Roberts, Chief Officer for Education and Early Intervention, will be retiring from his post with Wrexham Council in August next year.
Ian said: “I’m sad to say that I shall be retiring from my role on August 31 next year.
“I began working at the authority in May 2017 and although it has been a relatively short tenure I have thoroughly enjoyed providing leadership to education services in Wrexham and thank the Council and its leadership – both politically and at officer level for being incredibly supportive during my time here.
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
“I would also like to thank the staff in the Education and Early Intervention Department, our headteachers and governing bodies, who have at all times demonstrated a strong intent and commitment to provide the very best education for the children and young people of the County Borough.
“Whilst there are many challenges ahead there is much to celebrate in Wrexham. In particular we have some of the best primary schools in Wales in Wrexham, our results at Key Stage 3 have improved and are now above the Welsh average, and we are committed to supporting schools to achieve sustainable improvements at Key Stage 4.
“In addition we are delivering some fantastic projects under the 21st Century Schools programme, including new schools, remodelled schools and extensions.”
He added: “Our Education services were recently inspected by the inspection body Estyn, and we await the results of that in the very near future.
“I will, of course, be here to start carrying out whatever work the outcome of the inspection requires, and to ensure as smooth as possible a transition to whoever it is who succeeds me.
Ian added: “My leaving date will mark 35 years to the day since I began working in the field of education in the public sector and I’m privileged to have had the opportunity to work for Wrexham County Borough Council before I decided to retire.”
Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 13, 2019
Getting a taxi home after your Christmas do? You should read this!
As Christmas approaches and we’re all gearing up for Christmas parties we’re reminding everyone of the need to check that any taxi you get into is properly licensed.
All private hire or hackney cab vehicles should be displaying white and purple coloured licence plates which should be on the outside of all vehicles.
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
Private hire vehicles will also have yellow adhesive signs in the rear windows.
All drivers should have an ID badge with their name, photograph, licence number and expiry date. If you can’t see it please ask to see it before you set off.
Ian Bancroft Chief Executive, said, “It’s so easy to jump into a waiting taxi when you leave a night club or similar venue and expect to get home safely. Christmas is a time when some unscrupulous people see a chance to make a few pounds by posing as a legitimate taxi driver. On these occasions the vehicles will be unlicensed and will not have gone through the necessary tests for transporting the public and will not have adequate insurance so it’s worth a quick check before you get in and if you can’t see the driver’s ID badge, please ask to see it.”
During December, licensing officers will be working with Wrexham Police to spot check taxis to ensure they are all legal and fit for purpose.
Wrexham Council and its partners are promoting the #DrinkLessEnjoyMore campaign, encouraging young people to look after themselves by cutting back on how much they drink before they go out…as well as how much they drink once they get to the bars, pubs and clubs in Wrexham.
It’s true that by drinking less, and knowing your limits, you can have a much better night out.
Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 13, 2019
The Ripple Effect: Glyndŵr student makes dream a reality
Glyndwr student John Brinkley had dreams of being a published comic book illustrator/writer. And, with thanks to BCCM Boarder Collectables in Tŷ Pawb his dreams have become a reality.
Along with his friend and former colleague Tom Griffiths, the pair have been writing and illustrating their very own comic book series in their spare time for the past few years.
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
John, a first year student at Glyndŵr University studying illustration, took the plunge and visited BCM Boarder Collectables at Tŷ Pawb in Fresher’s week this year. After a chat, the shop agreed to stock the comic.
This marks the first time that their comic will be available to buy as a hard copy in a shop.

The pair have written 20 issues of the comic, The Ripple Effect. Two issues are currently available as hard copies with subsequent issues being available on their website in digital form to download. They are hoping to be able to expand and get more issues in print in the near future.
The Ripple Effect is a comic series which follows the life and adventures of Connor Cutler.
If you would like to take a look at the comic, visit BCCM Boarder Collectables in Tŷ Pawb.
https://www.patreon.com/therippleeffect
Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 12, 2019
Christmas Village to bring some sparkle to Christmas
The Christmas Village opens tomorrow and promises to be a festive feast of shopping and entertainment.
There’s a huge teepee with a fab lineup of local talent and there’ll be walkabout entertainers that will appeal to younger visitors and a land train on Saturday and Sunday.
That’s in addition to over 50 stalls that have been set up over this week and will be ready to open tomorrow. They’ll be selling everything from food and drink to toys and presents with a difference.
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
And don’t forget parking is free in the majority of our car parks. You can read more here.
Here’s the schedule for the teepee and stage:
Friday 13th December 12 noon-8pm
1.00 – Salsa Dancing
2.00 – Clockwork ballerinas
2.30 – Clockwork ballerinas
3.00 – Clockwork ballerinas
6.00 – AMY GRACE
7.00 – LUKE GALLAGHER
8.00 – TOBACCO ROAD
Saturday 14th December 10am – 8pm
- 10.30 – The Story Teller, Jacqui Blore
- 11.30 – Salsa Dancing
- 12.30 – Wrexham and District Pantomime Company
- 2.00 – Gary Sausage Children’s entertainer
- 5.00 – AMY GRACE
- 6.00 – KARL JOSEPH
- 7.00 – CARL HARRISON
- 8.00 – EGO FRIENDLY
Sunday 15^th December 10am -4pm
- 10.30 – The Story Teller, Jacqui Blore
- 11.30 – Salsa Dancing
- 13.00 – BOBBY JO
- 14.00 – KARL JOSEPH
- 3.00 – LUKE GALLAGHER
Walkabout entertainers will be out and about and on stage as below:
Friday 13th December 12 noon-8pm
- 2.00 – 2.05 Clockwork Ballerinas on stage
- 3.00 – 3.05 Clockwork Ballerinas on Stage
- 4.00 – 4.05 Clockwork Ballerinas on Stage
- 16.00 0 16.45 Juggling Elf Walkabout
- 17.15 – 18.00 Juggling Elf Walkabout
Saturday 14th December 12 noon-8pm
- 11.00 — 11.45 Toy Soldier Walkabout
- 11.45 – 12.30 Snow Queen Walkabout
- 12.30 – 13.15 Ice Juggler Walkabout
- 13.15 – 14.30 Toy Soldier Walkabout
- 14.30 – 15.15 Snow Queen Walkabout
- 15.15 – 16.00 Ice Juggler Walkabout
- 16.00 – 16.45 Toy Soldier Walkabout
- 16.45 – 18.15 Ice Juggler Walkabout
Sunday 15 December 12 – 4
Naughty Elves will be walking about between
12.00 – 12.45, 13.30 – 14.15 and 15.00 – 15.45
And don’t forget there’s the beautiful reindeers at the bandstand between 12 and 4pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Christmas Village opens at 12 noon on Friday, December 13 and closes on Sunday 15 December.
On Friday and Saturday the stalls are open until 8pm and live music and the bar will continue until 10pm in the teepee.
The Christmas Village closes at 4pm on Sunday.
Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 12, 2019
Listen in….a national radio event at Tŷ Pawb
Tŷ Pawb is set to host a community listening event to mark the national radio broadcast of a radio play commissioned for a prestigious art exhibition.
Wales in In Venice is a showcase for Welsh artists which takes place at La Biennale international art exhibition in Venice every two years.
You may have read the fantastic news earlier this year that Tŷ Pawb had been chosen as lead organisation for this year’s Wales in Venice.
This year’s Wales in Venice artist is Sean Edwards. His solo exhibition, Undo Things Done, was on show a the beautiful Santa Maria Ausiliatrice church in Venice from May to November of this year.
The exhibition included a play, Refrain; a co-production with National Theatre Wales performed by the artist’s mother Lily Edwards.
This play was performed daily during La Biennale, streamed from her flat in Cardiff to the Wales in Venice venue, Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, Castello.
A specially commissioned BBC Radio 4 version of the play produced by John Norton and Martin Williams will be broadcast on December 17 at 4pm.
Tŷ Pawb will be tuning into the broadcast on Tuesday, hosting a live community listening event.
Refrain weaves Lily Edwards’ biography, growing up in a Northern Irish Catholic Children’s Home and her subsequent life in Wales, with found materials and Sean Edwards’ memories from childhood.
ARTS, MARKETS, COMMUNITY EVENTS – GET NEWS FROM TŶ PAWB STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.
A “hugely symbolic moment”
Sean Edwards, Artist representing Cymru yn Fenis Wales in Venice 2019 said: “I’m delighted that the work produced for Wales in Venice will have the opportunity to be experienced by audiences in Wales and that the adaptation of Refrain, a work that has been at the heart of the installation in Venice, will be broadcast into people homes.
“It is an honour to be able to present this work on BBC Radio 4, and marks a fitting culmination to my mother’s generous commitment to daily performances for the duration of the Biennale.”
Jo Marsh, Creative Director of Tŷ Pawb, lead organisation for Cymru yn Fenis Wales in Venice 2019 said: “It has been a huge honour for Tŷ Pawb to be lead organisation for Wales in Venice this year, and we are looking forward to bringing Sean Edwards’ moving and poignant exhibition to Wrexham in February.
“The live national radio broadcast of Refrain will be aired across our Market Hall – a hugely symbolic moment for us, connecting Tŷ Pawb to the presentation in Venice and creating a prelude to the exhibition for our local audiences.”
- Join us at Tŷ Pawb for the the Refrain community listening event on Tuesday, December 17 at 4pm.
- The full exhibition – Undo Things Done – starts its UK tour at Tŷ Pawb on Friday February 14, 2020. Exhibition runs until Sunday April 26 2020.
- The exhibition then travels to Bluecoat, Liverpool, opening on Friday November 6, 2020 until 14 March, 2021.
Undo Things Done is presented by guest curator Marie-Anne McQuay together with lead organisation Tŷ Pawb and is commissioned by Arts Council of Wales, marking the ninth Biennale Arte presentation by Wales. National Theatre Wales are the co-producers of Refrain. The tour of Undo Things Done is kindly supported by Art Fund and Colwinston Charitable Trust.
Follow Tŷ Pawb on:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Sign up to receive regular news and updates from Tŷ Pawb
December 12, 2019
Turkey bones and chestnut shells…things your food caddy will love this Christmas
A few months ago, WRAP said, “2018 was the year Britain woke up to recycling, 2019 is the year we’re taking action”.
As we’re striving to get better with our recycling, it’s important to remember that recycling our food waste is something that makes a massive difference in Wrexham.
And at Christmas, lots of us will be dealing with a greater quantity of food than at any other time of the year.
Taking action
If we can all step up our game and make sure that all our leftovers get recycled this Christmas, we’ll definitely be ‘taking action’ and doing our bit for Wrexham.
Last month we recycled over 195 tonnes of food waste in our caddies and we’re doing better than last year, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Sadly, a number of us are still putting our leftover food into our general waste despite us supplying free caddies and free caddy liners.
Need a new food caddy? Click here to order one FREE…
Find out how to get FREE caddy liners here…
So it’s probably a good time to remind ourselves what can be recycled in our food caddy yeah? Agreed? Alright then, lets run through the things your food caddy will love this Christmas 🙂
Turkey bones
Not just turkey bones either, all meat bones and carcasses can be recycled as food waste…and remember, your food caddy gets emptied every week, but your general waste doesn’t. So if you don’t recycle these things they’ll sit, rotting in your bin for a couple of weeks. No one wants a stinky bin…especially at Christmas.
Got some leftover turkey or other meats? You could try cooking with your leftovers…think risottos, curries, soups and stews. Need some inspiration? The Love Food Hate Waste website has some great recipe ideas!
You can recycle cooked meat in your caddy, but please try to avoid waste caused through overbuying.
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
Raw food, mouldy foods and plate scrapings
Try as we might, there might sometimes be that one item that gets stuck at the back of the fridge and goes past the use by date.
When this happens, we should always look to our food caddy. If it’s a raw meat, it can go in your caddy. If it’s something that’s gone mouldy it can go in your caddy too. We know we’re repeating ourselves, but your caddy gets emptied every week…stinky bin…you get the picture.
Another good habit to get into all year round is scraping your plate into your food caddy if you have any leftovers.
And don’t forget, if you’re running low on caddy liners you can just tie an empty one to your caddy handle on your collection day and we’ll leave you a new roll 🙂
Shells, peelings and cores
Shells can be recycled as food waste. So if you enjoy chestnuts or any nuts at Christmas, be sure to recycle the shells in your caddy. Other less festive shells, like eggshells can be recycled too 😉
All vegetable peelings, and fruit peelings, can be recycled along with apple cores. Any uneaten fruit and veg can be recycled as well, sprouts and all.
Fast food
Perhaps there’ll be the odd day over Christmas where nobody feels like cooking. On these days you might order takeaway food, but keep in mind that things like uneaten chips and leftover pizza can still be recycled.
All the other stuff
There’s also all the other stuff you shouldn’t forget about that can go in your food caddy, like:
• Tea bags
• Coffee granules
• Shellfish
• Uneaten ready meals
• Wooden cutlery
Right, now we’ve got all the info…so let’s all play our part and take action this Christmas 🙂
Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 12, 2019
It’s almost time for the Christmas Village
Our final Christmas event is taking place from Friday, December 13 until Sunday, December 15 when the festive Christmas Village opens on Llwyn Isaf.
Now in its second year the 3 day event was visited by over 27,000 last year! We’re hoping even more will join us this year. 🙂
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
The Village offers an authentic feast of mouth watering goodies, a mix of handcrafted goods and bespoke artisan produce. There’s a real Christmas atmosphere and you can take it all in in the teepee whilst enjoying a glass of mulled wine and listening to some live festive entertainment.
The Village will open at 12 noon on Friday and is on until Sunday, December 15 at 4pm. On Friday and Saturday the stalls will be open until 8pm with entertainment in the teepee until 10pm.
We’re also offering free parking after 10am in most of our car parks:
- Waterworld
- Library
- St George’s Crescent
- Crescent Road
- St Giles
- Market Street
Tŷ Pawb is offering free parking after 3pm parking every Friday until Christmas to support its Film Night events.
You can read more about this below:
Free parking to add to Wrexham’s Christmas attractions
But please remember that doesn’t mean you can park anywhere – only in designated car parking spaces in the car parks mentioned above after 10am. Not on double yellow lines, restricted areas or any other place you wouldn’t normally park. We don’t want you to receive a parking ticket and spoil your visit.
Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 9, 2019
The world is ‘changing habits’ on plastic…are you on board?
“I think we’re all shifting our behaviour, I really do…”
This is what Sir David Attenborough said to the BBC in a recent interview, before adding, “I think we are changing our habits, and the world is waking up to what we’ve done to the planet.”
Plastic is certainly being talked about more than ever, with the issue of single-use plastics being of particular concern. Around the world, people are beginning to realise this more, and we want to play our part and take action.
It’s by cutting out as many of these single-use plastics as we can, and recycling and reusing our other plastics that we can make a real difference in Wrexham, but we need to all do this together.
WANT TO GET MORE TIPS AND INFO? SIGN-UP FOR OUR RECYCLING EMAILS…
What are single-use plastics?
Simply put, single-use plastics are stuff that tends to get used once and then thrown away. They’re not environmentally friendly and this throwaway nature is the worst attitude we can have when thinking about recycling.
One of the main ways you can get better at recycling is by cutting out single-use plastic and using biodegradable or re-usable options as much as possible.
Are you one of the people who has started ‘changing habits’? If you’re not on board yet, here’s some background to this massive issue.
Why plastic is a problem…
Quite simply, we’re becoming a plastic world…79% of all the plastic waste ever created has ended up in our environment (RecycleNow).
This is an extraordinary figure. Just think about it. Around only one fifth of plastics we’ve used on Earth no longer exist. The rest are still out there…yet plastic continues to be produced in mass volume.
Recycling plastic in Wrexham
In Wrexham, lots of plastic containers are recyclable…and many of these can be recycled in your green box/middle wheelie box. Take a look at our guide for more info.
Please give all of these items a quick wash in your used dishwater before you recycle them. You don’t need to spend ages doing this, but the items should be free from any food or drink residue when you recycle them.
This means that a much better quality of material is sent off to be recycled into new products, and your recyclables won’t contaminate the clean materials that have already been picked up by the recycling vehicle.
Our guide also shows that there’s many plastics that you can recycle at our three recycling centres in Wrexham. Familiarising ourselves with which plastics can or can’t be recycled is the only way we can make informed choices about the things we buy.
Let’s work together on this
We want to play our part in helping the planet overcome this problem, but it’s only by collectively working together in Wrexham that we can make a real difference.
Let’s all tackle this plastic problem together 🙂
Want to get more tips and info? Sign-up for our recycling emails…
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=”https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_29″] SIGN UP [/button]
December 6, 2019
New start-ups at Tŷ Pawb
There’s four new businesses starting up in December in Tŷ Pawb as part of a project the popular venue has been running with Town Square. They will be there throughout December so why not pay them a visit the next time you’re in town?
STAY UP TO DATE – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR TOP STORIES.
The fab four are:
Hand Made By Nana’s – who produce bespoke knitted, embroidered and crocheted gifts and products.
Live Green – who offer eco-friendly, zero waste reusable products and gifts.
Rosadonna Arts & Gifts – who specialise in crystals and witchy wares.
Orangutans – who specialise in plastic free, zero waste and refillable products which offer an eco-alternative to consumables and necessities.

Get the latest news and info straight into your inbox.
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKWCBC/subscriber/new?topic_id=UKWCBC_5″] SIGN ME UP NOW [/button]
December 5, 2019
Man falsely claimed to work for council in attempt to access a property
Wrexham Trading Standards have received a very concerning report of a man falsely claiming to be from Wrexham Council’s “gas and water board” to attempt to gain access to a property.
The man approached a woman at her home in Gwersyllt and when he was asked to provide valid ID, he was unable to do so.
Suspicious of this, the woman then called up Wrexham Council and we confirmed to her that the man didn’t work for our service.
Please be aware that Wrexham Council doesn’t have a ‘water board’ and that all service providers such as Hafren Dyfrdwy (our local water company) would make an appointment before visiting. They wouldn’t call out of the blue expecting to gain entry into your home.
DON’T GET SCAMMED BY FRAUDSTERS! SIGN UP FOR TIPS AND ALERTS ON SCAMS IN YOUR AREA
That wasn’t the end of the matter though. The trader later returned with another man and was more aggressive, banging on the door and shaking the door handle to try and gain entry, which left the woman and her husband feeling very intimated.
Roger Mapleson, Trading Standards and Licensing Lead, said: “It’s good to see that in this case the householder identified that the caller was suspicious and took steps to check and protect themselves. However, this doesn’t always happen.
“Many people faced with this kind of situation will be either charmed or intimidated by the caller and can end up becoming a victim of doorstep crime, paying large sums for unnecessary and poor quality work.
“Householders faced with a caller who says they are from the council or any other organisation should try to check with the organisation directly to verify that the caller is genuine. Any legitimate caller will completely understand and will wait while checks are made.
“If in the end you cannot be sure that the call is genuine, don’t let the person into your house or give them personal information. If the caller becomes aggressive or if you are feeling threatened at all, call the Police.
“I urge all residents to be on their guard against this type of caller, report anything suspicious in your neighbourhood and, in particular lookout for friends, family and neighbours who may be vulnerable”.
If you want to report something you think is suspicious, please contact either Citizens Advice Consumer Services on 03454 040506 or North Wales Police on 101.
If you want to complain or get any advice about goods or services you have bought please contact Citizens Advice Consumer Services on 03454 040506.
Keep safe from fraudsters, get our alerts!
[button color=”” size=”large” type=”square_outlined” target=”new” link=” https://wrexham.gov.uk/english/user_register/register.cfm”] Sign up for scam alerts here! [/button]
December 5, 2019