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Featured posts

Town centre footfall increase “cause for optimism”
Footfall in Wrexham town centre increased by more than half in early February, according to figures gathered by Wrexham Council.
Compared to the same time in 2017, footfall figures for the week from February 4 to February 10 were up by 54pc.
We monitor the footfall figures with the help of Springboard – a retail analyst – based on figures gathered by a counter on Hope Street.
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Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economic Performance and Regeneration, said: “While we will, of course, need to look at broader data before we can really start to make more detailed predictions about shopping and footfall trends in the Town Centre, these figures do provide cause for optimism.
“The figures will also be very useful to traders to offset against or compare with their takings each day, and through that we will be able to monitor the regeneration of the town centre in greater detail.
“And it’s all the more encouraging when the figures are set against the backdrop of other good news about the future of the Town Centre, especially with the upcoming opening of Tŷ Pawb on April 2 and the excellent news that the former TJ Hughes will be taken on by Techniquest Glyndwr for 12 months.”
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February 22, 2018
Budding writer? Aged 11-25?
This article is written as part of a series of posts about Young Wrexham
Could you be the next contributor to the Young Wrexham website? Wrexham Youth Service is looking for budding writers to create interesting content for their website.
If you think you could write relevant stories on topics that affect young people then this is the ideal opportunity!
Got something to say?
You too can write blog posts and see them published on the young Wrexham website. The website has a wide range of information and advice on issues that young people face on a daily basis.
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The website covers topics such as:
– Drink, drugs and smoking
– Education
– Health and relationships
– Housing and accommodation
– LGBT+
– Mental Health
– Money
– Travel
– Work and training
– Internet safety
Cllr Andrew Atkinson, Lead Member said, “The Young Wrexham website is a great resource for anyone aged 11-25. Not only is there a wealth of information on the site but young people are encouraged to upload and contribute content as well. I want to encourage all young people to take a look at the site and consider contributing content themselves.”
Want to become part of Young Wrexham?
If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in then all you have to do is fill in and submit the form on the website
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February 22, 2018
Audit Committee to meet today (22 Feb)
Our Audit Committee takes place today (22 February) and members will consider the work of the Council’s Internal and External Auditors and also the results of a survey of the Committee’s own effectiveness.
The Audit Committee is an open meeting and members of the public are encouraged to attend. It from 4.00 pm at the Guildhall.
One of the reports they’ll take a look at relates to Internal Audit work completed between December 2017 and January 2018. Internal Audit undertakes regular planned audits of the Council’s financial systems, key governance processes and services.
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Jerry O’Keeffe, the Independent Lay Member who is the Chair of the Audit Committee, commented on the report: “Internal Audit provides the Audit Committee with independent assurance on the effectiveness of controls within services. Where this is found not to be the case, then the Audit Committee can – and does – take further action, such as calling senior officers and Councillors to offer explanations
The Audit Committee will also receive a report from the Auditor General for Wales, whose role includes examining how public bodies manage and spend public money to achieve value in the delivery of services. The report will update the Audit Committee on the extent to which the Auditor General’s findings from national performance studies have been incorporated into the Council’s local plans.
Mr O’Keeffe said “Where these national reports focus on areas that could be improved at Wrexham, then the Audit Committee will be looking to see that the Council has responded positively”.
The Audit Committee will also consider a report on the Committee’s own effectiveness, based on a recent survey of councillors and officers against recognised best practice. The Audit Committee has a key role in providing assurance to the Council, members of the public and external organisations on the effectiveness of the governance and financial control arrangements and that the annual financial statements represent fairly the Council’s financial position.
Mr O’Keeffe said “While it is encouraging that the survey again found the Audit Committee to generally be effective, we will consider carefully any possible improvements have been highlighted and will include them in the Audit Committee Development Programme as necessary. He added that attention will continue to be given to ensuring that the Audit Committee’s role is properly understood as distinct from the Council’s Scrutiny committees, whose role is to review/scrutinise any executive or non-executive function within their defined areas of responsibility.
Mr O’Keeffe also stressed the importance of ensuring that members of the public and any external organisations are aware that the Audit Committee’s meetings are open to anyone interested in attending.
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February 22, 2018
Good news for heritage works in Brymbo
A major heritage project, looking to shape up some of Wrexham’s best industrial and prehistorical assets, has some good news which will allow it to revamp one of its most recognisable features.
The Brymbo Heritage Trust recently received confirmation of £1.1m in funding from the Big Lottery Fund, which will go towards renovation of the former Machine House – one of the most prominent signs of Brymbo’s industrial past and the history of the Steelworks.
Built in the 1920s, the Machine Shop played a strong role in the day-to-day life of the Steelworks, turning out parts and repairs for the rolling steel mills.
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Since 2005, it is the only building remaining from the steelworks era, and has served as a daily base for Heritage Trust’s team of volunteers.
Volunteers have carried out a number of gradual works on the Machine Shop building, while also using it as a base for activities such as brewing cider, providing refreshments to visitors, and exhibiting fossils from the nearby Fossil Forest and memorabilia from the Steelworks’ heyday.
But the building still needs weatherproofing and insulating, with a number of broken window panes and holes in the roof left since the works closed.
Thanks to the £1.1m Big Lottery funding, the Machine Shop will be given a new lease of life, with a new roof, glazing and floor to be installed.
The work is due to start in the summer, with the renewed building set to open in the spring of 2019.
The front part of the site will be used to hold arts, exhibition, social and entertainment events, with trials to see what works in the new space from early 2019 onwards. The area could become a reception space and main exhibition area when the site re-opens in 2021.
The rear of the redeveloped Machine Shop will become a workshop again, giving a space for the training of construction trades with the help of Coleg Cambria and other providers.
Those trained at the new workshops will be involved in the further redevelopment of the Brymbo Heritage area, including narrow gauge railway platforms and garage platforms.
Cllr Paul Rogers, Local Member for Brymbo, said: “Wrexham Council has always been a very keen supporter of the work carried out by the Brymbo Heritage Project right from its inception, and it’s very pleasing to see that the former Machine Shop will be one of the first parts of the project to see physical regeneration thanks to the funding.
“That building means a lot to the people of Brymbo and figures a lot in the history of the area, so it’s very fitting that it will be the first element to see major work.”
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February 22, 2018
Loads of fun on the way for St David’s Day
In association with Menter Iaith Fflint a Wrecsam, Wrexham Council has organised a St David’s Day parade to take place on Thursday, March 1.
But in addition to the annual parade, a carnival of fun has also been organised for Saturday, March 3.
On St David’s Day itself, the annual parade will be joined by hundreds of primary school children, along with a number of bands and organisations.
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The parade will assemble outside the Guildhall from 12.45pm, before starting at 1pm sharp, led by the Cambria Band.
The parade will make its way through town and come back to Queens Square, where pupils from local schools will perform and where everyone will have an opportunity to join in singing Calon Lân and the National Anthem to the accompaniment of the Wrexham County Senior Brass Band. People are also welcome to join in at any point along the route of course.
“Warm welcome for everyone”
Gill Stephen, Chief Officer of Menter Iaith Fflint a Wrecsam, said: “There is a warm welcome to anyone who is interested in taking part in the parade to contact us, whether an individual, school, society or local youth club.”
Cllr John Pritchard, the Mayor of Wrexham, said: “The annual St David’s Day Parade has always proven a very popular event in the heart of Wrexham and we don’t expect this year’s celebrations to be an exception.
“I’d like to thank Menter Iaith and officers at Wrexham Council for the work they put into this event, and extend a warm welcome to anyone who wishes to take part.”
A “best dressed window” contest will also take place in the run-up to the event, with businesses encouraged to deck out their frontages in Welsh and St David’s Day themes, with the winning business taking a trophy.
Anyone interested in getting involved in the parade or taking part in the window dressing competition should contact Gwen Smith, Menter Iaith Fflint a Wrecsam on 01352 744040 or email gwen@menterfflintwrecsam.cymru
More fun on March 3
Further fun and games will take place on Queen’s Square from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, March 3.
Families and visitors are invited to come along and join the fun during the Saturday, with entertainment provided by singer-songwriters Danielle Lewis and Meilir Tomos, and the Welsh learners’ choir Côr Daw.
Other fun on offer during the day will include a bilingual Punch and Judy show and bilingual magician; cooking demonstrations from famed Welsh chef Dai Chef and free arts, crafts and painting.
A variety of stallholders will also set up shop, including King Street Coffee, Oriel Wrecsam, Llangollen Brewery, Welsh T-Shirt and memorabilia producers Cowbois and more.
Stephen Jones, Welsh Language Co-ordinator at Wrexham Council, said: “We know that the annual St David’s Day parade always sees hundreds of people turn out to celebrate all things Welsh, but this year we wanted to make the celebrations last even longer and wanted to organise a fun day for the following Saturday. The events on Saturday promise to be an additional fantastic day out for families.
“”It will also be an excellent opportunity for learners to come along and practice their Welsh, and to hear Welsh being sung and spoken in the heart of Wrexham.”
These celebrations are a part of numerous events that will take place across Wales to celebrate our Patron Saint’s Day, so use #DewiWrecsam on social media for information, to share photos, and to follow the event throughout the day.
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February 22, 2018
Find out what’s so different about these new apartments..
Ex-service personnel from the Armed Forces will soon be moving into homes they helped to build, thanks to an innovative new housing development.
Tŷ Ryan, on Croesnewydd Road in Wrexham, features 16 apartments and is due to receive its first tenants once the building work is completed in March.
During the construction, ex-service personnel were given the opportunity to get involved with the building work and gain valuable trade skills and qualifications.
8 ex-service personnel successfully took part and have now been offered apartments at the scheme.
This is the first project of its type to take place in Wales.
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Cllr David Griffiths (Lead Member for Housing), Richard Lloyd (Director of Operations – First Choice Housing Association), Mike Bellamy (Community Self Build Agency), Maureen Lee (Housing Development Project Manager- WCBC)
A succesful partnership
Tŷ Ryan has been developed thanks to a successful partnership between Wrexham Council, who supplied the land, First Choice Housing Association, who managed the construction of the scheme, and the Community Self-Build Agency (CBSA) who mentored the self-builders during the construction phase.
The construction itself is being carried out by Williams Homes Bala.
A guided tour of the construction site was arranged recently for a small group which included Lead Member for Housing, Cllr David Griffiths.
Cllr Griffiths said: “I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen today and with the scheme as a whole. We’re developing good quality modern housing for some of those who need it the most. Many of the ex-service personnel who will be living here will have come from difficult situations including homelessness.
“Since we signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2013, Wrexham Council has worked hard to strengthen our links with the armed forces and I think the success of this scheme and how it’s been able to benefit those involved through training, qualifications and support for employment is evidence of our commitment to this.”
Local Member for Brynyffynnon, Cllr Phil Wynn, said: “New housing schemes such as this one have a vital role to play in tackling the housing shortage. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to work so successfully in partnership with a number or organisations to develop a scheme that is going to make a real difference to housing in the local area.”

‘Commitment and hard work’ shown by ex-service personnel
Tŷ Ryan has been funded through the Ministry of Defence Veterans Accommodation Fund, created from the Libor fund. This is a grant to help ex-forces personnel access housing and support services after leaving the armed forces. A total of £2.263m was allocated to schemes in Wrexham.
Ken Hames from the Community Self-Build Agency (CSBA), said: “On behalf of the CSBA, we would like to thank everybody who has managed to bring this challenge to fruition.
“One of the pillars of the scheme is that it generates sustainable community, particularly in the light of a self-build strategy that provides transformation for ex-service personnel.
“The self-builders we’ve worked with on the project have put enormous commitment into engaging with us and being professional and hard working on site and we are very proud of them. It is very rewarding to see the project now coming together and we are all looking forward to seeing them moving into their new homes.”
Richard Lloyd, Director of Operations at First Choice Housing, said: “We’ve been proud to work alongside our partners at Wrexham Council and the Community Self Build Agency on such an innovative and forward thinking project.
“I’m very pleased with the progress on site and excited that we have 8 self-builders due to take up their accommodation in March with another on the waiting list for a suitable apartment.
We are accepting applications from all ex-forces personnel so I would urge anyone who wishes to apply for an apartment to get in touch.”
How to apply
Are you:
- Ex-service
- Related to an ex-service person
- Have links to an ex-service person through marriage
- If so contact 02920 713765 or 02920 713752
- or email wrexhamhousing@fcha.org.uk
How long will it take?
- A quick and easy registration taking no longer than 15 minutes
- Allow 4-6 weeks for full application process
Housing is available for:
- Employed or Unemployed people
- Single people & Families
- Affordable rents
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February 21, 2018
Young footballers battle for international fixture
Primary School Football Tournaments organised by the Active Wrexham Active Young People Team took place at The Rock ground, the home grounds of Cefn Druids AFC, in the build-up to a Welsh Under-18s Schoolboys fixture against the Republic of Ireland.
Eight schools took part in a Year 5 & 6 tournament, and five schools took part in a Year 3 & 4 tournament, with primary schools including Cefn Mawr, Rhosymedre, Penycae, Maes Y Mynydd, St Mary’s Overton, Maes Y Llan, Deiniol and Madras, with more than 100 pupils taking part.
Two teams from each tournament qualified to take part in the finals, which took place on the evening of the Welsh Schoolboys game.
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In the Year 3 & 4 tournament, Cefn Mawr defeated Maes Y Llan and in the Year 5 & 6 tournament, Penycae were the winners against Maes Y Mynydd.
Pupils were then invited to stay to watch the Under 18s schoolboy fixture, which was won 2-1 by the Republic of Ireland. A presentation took place on the pitch at half time, during which the winning teams received their trophies.
John Mann, Chairman of the Welsh Schools FA, said: “It was great to see so many schools taking part in the finals and enjoying themselves on the evening of the game. We are definitely looking to do more work with schools in the Wrexham area in the future.
“We are grateful to Cefn Druids for hosting the game. It was a fantastic turnout and there was a real sense of community with so many children and parents in attendance.”
Tudor Jones of Cefn Druids and the Welsh Schoolboys Liaison Officer for the game said: “We have a good working relationship with the staff from Active Wrexham and we were thrilled to see so many school pupils using the facility in the tournaments in the lead up to the game, and also in the finals on the evening. It was a great event, and we saw fantastic attendance on the evening of the game.
I’d just like to congratulate the winners Cefn Mawr and Penycae, as well as all other schools from the local area who took part. We hope to see them all again at tournaments and fixtures in the near future.”
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February 21, 2018
Wrexham pubs support ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign
Bars across Wrexham are supporting the Ask for Angela campaign, which encourages people to discreetly ask for help if they feel unsafe on a date.
If you are feeling vulnerable, all you have to do is approach the bar and ask for Angela, the staff are then alerted to the situation and can help.
The initiative aims to reduce sexual violence and vulnerability by providing customers with a discreet way to gain assistance from staff in order to get help when they feel unsafe due to a person’s actions, words or behaviour.
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Once alerted, staff can then offer to call a taxi, contact their friends or family or ensure that the individual causing the distress leaves the venue.
‘Simple yet effective’
Inspector Paul Wycherley said, “This is a simple yet effective scheme which empowers members of the public to seek help if they are feeling vulnerable, by allowing them to raise concerns with staff. It may be that they are in the company of someone who is not what they seemed and they want to get away safely and with minimum fuss. This initiative will facilitate this and hopefully prevent situations from escalating into something more serious. Of course, where scenarios do develop we know bar staff will contact police to attend the scene“
Available at participating venues across Wrexham, people are encouraged to look out for the ‘Ask for Angela’ posters.
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February 21, 2018
Can you help with our telecare equipment?
Our Telcare Team are asking anyone who has been supplied with their equipment but who doesn’t use it anymore to return it so it can be re-used by someone who can make good use of it.
Telecare give out a range of equipment such as Day date clocks, Memrabels which reminds some elderly people when to eat, get dressed or something else and can vastly improved their way of life, whiteboards, key finders, wallet finders, talking microwaves or MemRabels clocks
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If you still use your equipment, don’t worry, you can continue to do so and we’d love to hear how you are getting on with and how it has helped you.
To return equipment or to let us know how you are getting on please go to WCBC Greenacres, Rhosddu Road, Wrexham Ll11 2NW or if you can’t deliver it just contact us via email at telecare@wrexham.gov.uk or telephone 01978 298543.
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February 20, 2018
Local lunch club served up a treat..
Sheltered housing tenants from Brymbo and Bryn Cefn have been treated to lunch at a specially organised event.
The lunch took place at Brymbo’s Enterprise Centre, near the famous steelworks heritage site.
Members of Brymbo’s Luncheon Club also came along to join the tenants for the event.
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A community effort
The lunch was organised by Local Member for Brymbo, Cllr Paul Rogers and Local Member for Bryn Cefn, Cllr Beverly Parry-Jones. Funding was partly provided by Novus Property Solutions, a contractor that has been carrying out housing improvement work to council owned homes in the local area. Kevin Clague of the Eat With Kev cafe at Brymbo Enterprise Centre also donated towards the event and supported with cooking the meals.
Novus were able to fund the event as part of a Community Benefit scheme. Contractors that carry out housing improvement work are required to ‘give something extra’ to support local communities and the local economy.
Cllr Rogers said: “It’s been a very successful event and everyone who has come has really enjoyed it. Social events like this are very important to our sheltered housing schemes so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support this by holding this lunch club. We are planning to do it again very soon.”
Cllr Beverly Parry-Jones, said: “I’d like to thank Kevin and Novus for helping to make this event happen. It’s been lovely to talk to all the tenants here today and I would be very supportive of holding more of these lunch clubs again in the future.”
Extra benefits from investment in housing improvement work
Community Benefit schemes such as this one have been made possible across the county borough recently, thanks to the record investment we are making in housing improvement work to our council owned homes.
£56.4m has been invested in the programme in 2017/18. This is to help us achieve the Welsh Government’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard. The Welsh Government has contributed £7.5m to this investment though the Major Repairs Allowance grant, which they award to local authorities to help them achieve the standard.
As well as funding community events, other community benefits schemes have included boosting local employment, taking on modern apprentices and refurbishing community facilities such as village halls.
Lead Member for Housing, Cllr David Griffiths, said: “It’s vital that our local economy is able to benefit from the huge investment being made in the housing improvements programme. It’s been great to see so many local communities benefitting from these schemes, particularly voluntary groups who rely on donations to keep their services running. We’ve been able to all sorts of positive contributions to communities across the county borough and this is something we should be very proud of.”
If you’d like to find out more about Community Benefits and the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, visit the council website
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February 16, 2018