An official announcement to mark the proclamation of the new Sovereign, King Charles III, will take place on Llwyn Isaf in Wrexham this Sunday, September 11.
The announcement will be made from the balcony of the Guildhall at 2.30pm by the Mayor of Wrexham as part of the official arrangements that will see the announcement made across the country.
Members of the public who wish to mark this historic occasion are invited to gather on Llwyn Isaf shortly before 2.30pm.
The flags at the Guildhall and on Queens Square will be raised to full mast for a period over the weekend while the proclamation takes place across the UK.
The flags will then be lowered to half-mast again for the official period of mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“It has been announced by Buckingham Palace that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away.
It is with great sadness that the Council received this news and it sends its deepest sympathies and those of the people of Wrexham to the Royal Family.
As a mark of respect the flags have been lowered to half-mast and a Book of Condolence is open at the Guildhall.
Community Catalysts in Wrexham are proving to be invaluable in helping those in receipt of Direct Payments and in need of care at home.
The project has now helped over 50 Community Micro-Enterprises to set up and are really beginning to make a difference to people’s lives.
One example is that of Colin who had been the sole carer for his wife Sandra for over two years and struggled to receive any help to care for Sandra, who has Parkinson’s disease.
Colin said, “I was no longer able to do the important things in my life and I was really struggling to care for Sandra “
Colin got in touch with Wrexham social services who in turn told him about the many new community micro-enterprises – individuals or small groups of people who have now set up in Wrexham offering care and support.
Colin said, “I was able to look at the directory and contact community micro-enterprises in Wrexham to see if any could come and help me. This was when I found Ilona who recently set up Real Care. Wrexham Council were very helpful enabling me to receive Direct Payments to pay for the support I needed from Ilona.”
Ilona now visits Colin and Sandra most days to help with cooking, cleaning and any other support to make Colin and Sandra’s day easier.
As part of Ilona’s support to Colin she arranged a surprise birthday meal out for Colin with his daughter. On the day of Colin’s birthday Ilona surprised him with balloons, flowers and prosecco. They then drove to the Corn Mill listening to Colin’s favorite album by Dire Straits.
“These community micro-enterprises are a cracking idea”
Colin said, “It was a wonderful meal and Ilona had even baked a cake, I hadn’t celebrated my birthday in two years due to my caring role and it made me so happy.”
“These community micro-enterprises are a cracking idea. I feel more secure now I have the back up and support from Ilona. I must admit it has come as a surprise as to how good it was. It seemed to plug the gap, where we tried for an agency for 12 months but were not able to get the support.”
Ilona was supported by Community Catalysts to set up offering care and support as a community micro-enterprise.
Tom Hughes from Community Catalysts said, “Community Catalysts provides free support to enable passionate and caring people like Ilona to set up working as self-employed or running their own community micro-enterprise offering care and support to their neighbours. It only took six weeks for Ilona to set up her enterprise “Real Care.”
“We work in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council to help local people to use their talents to help other local people.”
Cllr John Pritchard, Lead Member for Adult Social Care, said, “It’s amazing what Community Catalysts have done in a short period in Wrexham. People are now able to use their Direct Payments to get the type care they need to help them with their day to day lives. Ilona is an excellent example of how it can benefit and I would encourage others to get in touch to find out how Direct Payments can help those in need of care.”
Ilona who runs Better Care said, “Running my own enterprise doesn’t feel like a job, it feels like spending time with friends or family. I feel like I can personalise care to people’s needs and I have a better work life balance.”
Ilona’s advice for anyone thinking of setting up a community micro-enterprise to provide care – “The rewards against the risks are unbelievable. It doesn’t feel like going to work, it can be challenging but you feel truly valued. I would definitely recommend contacting Community Catalysts to access support to launch your own enterprise to support local people.”
If you know someone who could benefit from a community micro-enterprise providing support you can see the directory of Wrexham enterprises here.
Or if you are thinking about joining the 50+ people in Wrexham who have received free support to set up their community micro-enterprise contact tom.hughes@communitycatalysts.co.uk.
We’ll be flying the 999 Flag on Friday, September 9 to mark Emergency Services Day and lighting up the Guildhall in blue at 9pm.
#999Day promotes the work of the emergency services, promotes using the emergency services responsibly, educates the public about basic lifesaving skills, and promotes the many career and volunteering opportunities available.
Promotes career and volunteer opportunities across the emergency services.
Promotes using the emergency services responsibly.
Educates the public on essential life-saving skills.
Promotes emergency services charities and the work they do.
Promotes campaigns being run by frontline emergency services.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Pritchard, said: “On behalf of everyone in Wrexham I would like to thank every serving and former member of the emergency services for their selfless dedication to duty, their bravery and their passion for the job they do here in Wrexham and across the country.”
Chief Executive, Ian Bancroft, echoed these words and said “We should all take a few minutes on Monday to reflect on what the emergency services mean to us, how we rely on them in a 999 situation and how we can encourage everyone to be respectful of the job they do and to be grateful that they are there should we need them in an emergency.”
A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a relative, partner or friend who is frail, ill, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.
NEWCIS (North East Wales Carers Information Service) are commissioned to provide a service for unpaid carers by Wrexham County Borough Council. NEWCIS provide timely information, one to one support, respite, financial support, training, social events, counselling and more.
Significant quantities of illegal tobacco were seized last week by Trading Standards Officers supported by North Wales Police from various locations around Wrexham.
Over 30,000 cigarettes, a quantity of hand rolling tobacco and £10,000 in cash was seized as part of Operation Cece with the intention of causing maximum disruption to the illegal tobacco trade.
This latest operation follows on from previous operations over the past 18 months targeting the supply of illegal tobacco in our community with the intention of seizing product, disrupting the market and, where appropriate, taking legal action including prosecution of dealers.
Smoking is the single biggest cause of premature death in the UK and in Wales kills about 5,500 people every year. Many more suffer long term illness and disability as a direct consequence of their habit. Whilst smoking rates in Wales and the rest of the UK have been steadily declining over recent years, prevalence amongst teenagers has remained the same. About 30 children start smoking every day in Wales.
Trading Standards and Licensing Lead, Roger Mapleson of Wrexham’s Public Protection Service said, “Illegal tobacco is a threat because its low cost and availability make it easy for children to obtain cigarettes and risk a life-long addiction to tobacco and it makes it harder for existing smokers to quit. Illegal tobacco sellers don’t care who they sell to and non-smoking children are a lucrative target.
“At least 1 in 3 young people who experiment with smoking end up with a long term addiction. Most adult smokers want to quit but easy to obtain cheap fags is a difficult temptation to resist given the highly addictive nature of tobacco. We need the help of the local community to tackle illegal tobacco and drive it out of local communities. It is supplied as part of an organised criminal activity that is linked to other criminal activity including the supply of illegal drugs, smuggling and modern slavery”
Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for Planning and Public Protection, said, “If you see, or know of cheap tobacco being sold in shops, from private houses, in pubs or the workplace or through social media please help protect our communities and report it. You can do this in confidence by reporting on line or 029 2049 0621.”
Wrexham’s smart new Visitor Information Centre is now open!
The VIC – which is based on Chester Street, right next to Ty Pawb – launched at the end of August, and is open Monday to Saturday, from 10am until 4pm.
And with the eyes of the world very much on Wrexham right now (shout out to Rob and Ryan) and events taking place in the city centre every Saturday during September, it feels like good timing.
The VIC will help showcase everything that’s great about the county borough, and provide all sorts of useful info about things to do and places to go. Why not pop in and take a look?
Global audience
Councillor Nigel Williams, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Economy, said: “The VIC will be a wonderful resource for both residents and visitors, and we’ve been working really hard to get this facility open.
“We’re still in the process of recruiting key members of the team, but other employees are stepping up and staffing the centre in the meantime, which is wonderful.
“The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ docu-series is attracting a global audience, so more people are becoming aware of the place. There’s a real buzz about Wrexham at the moment – both at home and abroad.
“And with events taking place every Saturday in September to help celebrate the county borough, it feels like a great time for the VIC to be opening.”
If your child will be receiving a free school meal this year – whether it is a universal free school meal or one you have applied for – you will need an account on the Parent Pay website – www.parentpay.com.
Here’s how you get one:
Email schoolmeals@wrexham.gov.uk with your child’s full name, date of birth and name of their school, and ask for a Parent Pay activation code.
You will receive an activation code to get your account up and running.
If you have any questions about financial help available for your child while they are at school you can contact us at freeschoolmeals@wrexham.gov.uk.
Wrexham became a city on Thursday 1 September after winning the prestigious status through a competition which was part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The honour was granted earlier this year and the official ‘Letter Patent’ confirms city status from 1 September 2022.
Wrexham now becomes the seventh city in Wales joining Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bangor, St Davids and St Asaph. The competition to receive civic honours was last run 10 years ago to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, when St Asaph was honoured with city status.
Secretary of State for Wales, Sir Robert Buckland said:
“Congratulations to Wrexham on achieving city status. The city and surrounding area already has so much to offer – it’s home to the famous Wrexham Lager Brewery, the Unesco World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a fantastic football club which is Wales’s oldest and one of the oldest in the world.
“There is already much for Wrexham to be proud of and its future is equally exciting. I hope that the city of Wrexham continues to prosper and grow.”
Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, said:
“We have so much to celebrate in Wrexham. We have an amazing World Heritage Site, and incredible football club with incredible owners, and a rich and diverse arts and culture scene. We have strong links with our armed forces, world-class businesses and friends all over the world.
“But our greatest asset is our communities, and it’s the amazing passion, character and creativity of the people who live here that make Wrexham what it is.
“City status is a wonderful achievement and reflects the growing confidence and ambition we have in Wrexham. I’d like to thank everybody who supported the ambitious city status bid, from MPs and MSs, to elected councillors, and all the businesses within Wrexham and beyond.
“I’d also like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for granting Wrexham city status. We’ve received congratulations from supporters and friends all over the world, and this is a truly historic day.”
Wrexham Council is planning a month of weekend events throughout September to celebrate Wrexham.
Celebrations to mark the International Older People’s Day are held on 1st October each year.
This year, could you celebrate by organising an event in your community – perhaps a coffee morning or afternoon tea? Your event need not be on 1st October itself, but should be near to that date.
Wrexham CBC is offering a small grant of £50 to help facilitate an event.
