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Featured posts

  • Why does Rob like trading in the Butcher’s Market?

    Why does Rob like trading in the Butcher’s Market?

    Meet Rob Clarke, he’s a trader in the Butcher’s Market and has been there for 11 years which is a great advert for being an independent trader in Wrexham.

    Rob is married with two small children and he makes his living selling DVD’s and Blu Ray’s from his shop “Mad4Movies” which caters for all ages and tastes.  He also sells some DVD’s online although this is not his main business as he prefers the face to face contact with his customers.

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    “One big department store”

    So why does Rob like trading at the market?

    “Wrexham people are very friendly and I get to meet a lot of them who are always happy to stop and chat.  There’s also a great community in here as everyone helps one another and the traders get on really well.  We’re just like one big department store really.

    “Trading in the Butcher’s Market is great and I wouldn’t consider moving as that would affect my costs.  People know where I am and I know my business so I’m able to help them when they can’t quite remember the name of a film.

    We asked him what advice he would give to a new trader

    “New traders can learn a lot from all the traders in here.  When I first started I received help from the Council’s Businessline Team which really helped and I also listened to the advice of the older, more established traders.  New traders also need to be prepared to put the hours in and to get to know their product so they can sell it with confidence.”

    We also asked Rob if he had any advice re advertising.  This is what he had to say.

    Social media is the trader’s best friend for advertising

    “I haven’t had to use costly advertising and I have been pleasantly surprised at the power of social media, particularly Facebook.  It’s free and is the trader’s best friend for advertising and relatively easy to build up an audience who will soon start interacting with you.  A lot of my customers fine me online and ask if I have certain movies for them so it’s really useful for them.

    A quick visit to Rob’s shop soon shows why his business has remained popular for so many years.  His neatly arranged shelves offer a wide range of DVD’s from, perhaps his most memorable title, “Attack of the Lederhosen Zombie” to a large variety of “Carry On’s” and from new releases to old westerns.  He is also happy to source DVD’s for customers when he doesn’t have a particular title in stock.

    We have some stalls available at the Butcher’s Market and if you are interested in taking the first steps to become a market trader take a look at our previous article:

    “Fancy Trading in the Butcher’s Market?”

    If you’re thinking seriously about becoming a market trader call our Markets Team now on 01978 292545

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  • How a helping hand led to a new home..

    How a helping hand led to a new home..

    A new homeowner has thanked Wrexham Council for helping her and her family to buy their first house.

    Leah Thomas bought a property in Rhostyllen with the help of a Homebuy Loan, provided by the Council in partnership with Grŵp Cynefin Housing Association.

    Homebuy is a scheme which offers support to potential homeowners by providing an equity loan to assist in purchasing the property. The loan is normally 30% of the approved purchase price, but can be increased to 50%.

    (Right to left): Cllr Paul Pemberton (Local Member for Ponciau), Leah Roberts, Harrison Thomas, Maureen Lee (WCBC Affordable Housing Officer), George Thomas, , Gerwyn Lloyd (Grŵp Cynefin)

    “We couldn’t be more pleased with the house..”

    Leah has now settled into the property with her husband, Damian Thomas, and two sons, Harrison and George.

    She explains how the scheme helped her: “We were already on the applications list for a council house when we were told that the Council might be able to offer help though the Homebuy loan scheme.

    “We were able to get a mortage and we don’t need to pay the loan back until we sell the property so it’s really been massive help in helping us buy our first house.

    “We couldn’t be more pleased with the house. It’s very modern and light and it’s in great location. It’s safe and there isn’t too much traffic, which is great when you’re bringing up a young family. It’s still close enough to all the local shops and the bypass though, which is very handy.”

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    The funds for the loan scheme were provided by a commuted sum from the Mountain View Housing Development built by Taylor Wimpey.

    A commuted sum is an amount of money, paid by a housing developer to the Council, where the size or scale of a development triggers a requirement for affordable housing, but it is not possible to achieve appropriate affordable housing on site. The cash can then be used to assist people with affordable housing elsewhere.

    “It’s great to see that the scheme has proved successful..”

    Lead Member for Housing, Cllr David Griffiths, said: “Buying a new home can be very difficult in the current financial climate so it is vital we are able to do everything we can to help people find their feet on the housing ladder. It’s great to see that the Homebuy loan scheme is proving successful and that Leah and her family have been able to benefit.”

    For more information on housing options in Wrexham check out the council website

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  • Are you an unpaid Carer? read on to find out more

    Are you an unpaid Carer? read on to find out more

    Do you look after a relative or friend who due to disability, addiction, illness or age couldn’t manage without you?  If the answer is yes then the Carer’s Service will be of help to you.

    This free service brings together a load of great information, advice and guidance to help you in your caring role and also gives you access to training and offers.  Did you know, for instance, that you can get cool 50% discount at any of the Freedom Leisure Centres if you attend as a carer?  Or that you could get some free beauty treatments and discounted rates at Salon Ial at Coleg Cambria?

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    You can also get access to counselling and telephone befriending services, both of which are very popular for Carers and they get lots of referrals for these services.  There’s the social side too with events and outings to make sure you don’t feel isolated at all.

    You can attend support groups and on the first Thursday of the month between 10.00 and 2.00 you can just drop in and see someone for a chat or to get information, advice and support.  There’s no need for an appointment.  The service is based based at the AVOW building, 21 Egerton Street in the town centre.

    “the Service is invaluable in helping people feel part of a group and end their isolation”

    Cllr Joan Lowe, Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said:

    “The Carer’s Service is an invaluable help to many carers in Wrexham who would really struggle without their help and support.  Being a carer can often make people feel isolated and alone and very frustrated so the support network and all the advice and guidance available from the Service is invaluable in helping people feel part of a group and end their isolation.”

    So if you answered yes to are you an unpaid carer – what’s stopping you from registering in order to get the benefits and support straight away?

    Ring for further information on 0800 276 1070 or 01978 318812, drop them an email contact carers@avow.org or telephone  or take a look at their website here

    They’re also on Facebook, facebook.com/Wrexham Carers Services and Twitter, @WrexhamCarers

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  • Visitor numbers up in the town centre

    Visitor numbers up in the town centre

    There’s excellent news for the town centre as new figures show that visitor numbers were up 6% to around 77,000 pedestrians per week. The figures were collected along Hope Street between April and July of this year.

    The figures also show Saturday is the busiest day for pedestrians in town, with a peak around midday.

    Following an analysis of Wrexham’s High Street performance by the Manchester Metropolitan University back in 2014, a number of recommendations were put forward and last year a new town centre steering group was created to implement a 25-point plan for the town.

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    One of these goals was to look at ways of increasing footfall, through initiatives such as enhancing the appearance of town along with developing new events. Data from a new electronic pedestrian counter installed on Hope Street has been feeding through weekly counts to the Town Centre Management team.

    “Town has been buoyed by monthly street festivals and community events”

    Councillor Terry Evans, Lead Member for the Economy was pleased to see the latest data. He said;

    “The town centre team and the steering group have worked hard this year to ensure that the town and our markets are prioritised in terms of appearance and promoted well. Along with cornerstone events like the St David’s Day parade, the food festival and the Victorian Christmas Market – the town has been buoyed by the monthly street festivals and community events that regularly occur throughout town.”

    Wrexham is one of seven towns selected to take part in the Innovate Project, a 2-year government backed project to track sales and footfall in Wrexham. Along with the footfall counter, sales data is also collected from a dozen businesses across the town centre every week. This data looks at week on week sales % change and also year on year sales % change.

    The businesses currently taking part in the project are spread across the town centre and their sales figures (expressed as a percentage increase or decrease) are submitted every Wednesday. The town centre team then processes the data and return a sales report to each business showing how their sales have done vs the town centre, plus they receive an overall view of sales and footfall in Wrexham.

    Officers from Wrexham County Borough Council now hope to install additional counters in other parts of town as they continue to collate more information to support future initiatives and the development of the town as a competitive destination.

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  • Just what does WHQS mean?

    Just what does WHQS mean?

    One of the terms you’ll hear us use a lot is “bringing all our housing stock up to WHQS by 2020.”

    It sounds great to us and it will be a major achievement…. but what does it mean to you, particularly if you are one of our tenants?

    Well, it means that all our tenants will be renting housing that is of a certain standard, the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, a standard which is set by the Welsh Government.

    Our council housing properties are:

    • In a good state of repair
    • Safe and secure
    • Adequately heated
    • Equipped with up to date kitchens and bathrooms
    • Located in safe and attractive environments
    • Be well managed

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    We own over 11,300 properties, the largest number in North Wales and the third largest number in Wales.  They’re all of a different age, shape and size and built from all sorts of different materials but all of them will need to meet the Welsh Housing Quality Standard by 2020.

    “Over £100 million has been invested in our properties”

    Last year we spent a record £54m and this year a further £56.4 million will be ploughed into improvements to homes and also to the environment where our properties are.  In Plas Madoc for example we are not only bringing the homes up to the standard but we are also taking a look at the whole environment and knocking down properties to create a more open and pleasant area to live.

    All properties will have, or already have, new bathrooms and kitchens installed.  This includes replacing kitchen units, sink units and laying safe floors, tiling and re-decorating and any necessary works required to make the kitchen to a high standard.  Bathrooms will have new suites installed and a shower followed by tiling and re-decorating.

    Some of our tenants haven’t wanted the disruption that the works will cause and have declined …… and that’s OK…. but we will be revisiting them to make sure they’re still certain they don’t want the works to go ahead.  These properties will be brought up the WHQS when they become empty at some time in the future to make sure we have no  properties that are not up to a high enough standard.

    We’re also removing asbestos, improving insulation, repairing/replacing roofs and where necessary improving footpaths, outhouses/sheds/clothes drying facilities, boundaries, fencing…. the list goes on.

    We’re proud of what we are doing to achieve the WHQS and we know the majority of our tenants are very pleased with the results.

    Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing, said:

    “Achieving the Welsh Housing Quality Standard remains a priority for us in housing and I am very pleased that we are getting it right and our tenants are able to live in comfortable, warm and safe housing.  Everyone involved in this major project deserves a big thank you!”

    Take a look at our artist’s impression of how Plas Madoc will look following the works:

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  • Check out the construction project that’s benefiting young people in Wrexham

    Check out the construction project that’s benefiting young people in Wrexham

    Building projects around North Wales are proving popular with the local economy as more and more young people are securing training and employment with them.

    Young people who have are not in employment, training or education are able to take part in a “Get into Construction” training programme organised with the Prince’s Trust and the North Wales Construction Framework.

    In Wrexham one such young man to have taken part is Christian Davies from Acton who has now secured full time employment with contractor Wynne Construction at the new £4.5 million Arts and Market facility in the town centre.

    He recently attended an award presentation in Wrexham where he received his certificate.

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    “I’ve managed to come out of it with full time work”

    After the event Christian said:

    “This scheme has worked out brilliantly for me. I was on benefits before and found out about the scheme through the Job Centre. We had a mix of classroom learning and on-site work during the course. It’s been really interesting and good fun along the way and I’ve managed to come out of it with full time work so I couldn’t have asked for more. It’s been great seeing everyone again today. We all had to do a short presentation which was a bit nerve racking.

    (Christian Davies, Thomas Morris Jonathon Rowe, Alleisha Carey, Gavin Ansonia, James Newnes with Cllr Phil Wynn)

    Cllr Phil Wynn, Lead Member for Education was present to congratulate all those involved. he said:

    “It was a pleasure to see and hear of the successes of this project and it is always great to hear how our young people are getting on once they leave school and enter the world of training or employment. I am very supportive of the Framework and hope it goes from strength to strength.”

    The opportunities are available thanks to the “North Wales Construction Framework” which was recently praised by industry leaders. Created in 2014 it has provided a cost effective means to secure contractors to build new schools and other public sector buildings as well as delivering benefits for local sub-contracting businesses and communities.

    “29 permanent new jobs created”

    Benefits to the North Wales economy include more than 7,800 hours of work experience, 29 permanent new jobs created for unemployed people, 8,800 pupils involved in engagement events and 30 work placements for individuals not in employment, education or training secured in partnership with the Prince’s Trust.

    The Framework is hosted by Denbighshire County Council.

    You can find out more about this training project at your local Job Centre.

    Derbyniwch newyddion a gwybodaeth gan Gyngor Wrecsam yn syth bin drwy Fy Niweddariadau.

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  • 5 things you can do for free this week

    5 things you can do for free this week

    As we enter the second week of the school holidays there’s still plenty of activities that are free for you and the kids to do.

    Number one this week is of course Playday in the town centre

    It takes place between 12.00 and 4.00 on Wednesday – it really is for kids of all ages and is completely free. Favourites will return this year including the giant sand pit, mass water fight, junk play and rope springs. All that’s required is a playful mood and some clothes you don’t mind getting wet and messy. A picnic is also a good idea so you can stay all afternoon.

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    Number two is take up the reading challenge

    The Summer Reading challenge is on so why not sniff out some Animal Agents with the Dogs Trust at Llay Library between 3.00 and 4.00 on Friday 4 August. The event is suitable for 7 – 11 year olds who can listen to “The Mysterious Case of the missing honey” by Claire Fredman and Holly Swain.  Will Inspector Clueless and his dog “Sniff it out” solve the mystery? There’s a senses game to see if you young ones have the skills to “sniff out” a clue and a rescue dog will be visiting to show off her skills with solving puzzle boxes. If you wish to go to this event you will need to book a place by calling 01978 855100.

    Read more about the Summer Reading Challenge here

    Number three is free swimming

    Taking place in the council’s leisure pools at Waterworld, Gwyn Evans and Chirk there’s free swimming at various times and you can find out more here

    Number four is a visit to one of our country parks

    Always a good choice for all ages. Country parks have everything to offer from sculptures to wildlife and of healthy walks. There’s eleven to choose from and 6 of them have the coveted Green Flag award so why not pack up a picnic and enjoy some time at one of them.

    Number five

    On either Monday, Tuesday or Thursday kids can take part in free trial lessons for piano, keyboard, guitar and drums at Acton Community Resource Centre. There’s a minimum age restriction on some instruments. All you need to do is register for the free leassons at www.PrestoMusicSchool.co.uk and the admin team will book you in.

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  • Fancy trading in the Butcher’s Market?

    Fancy trading in the Butcher’s Market?

    Ever thought you’d like to be a sole trader, but didn’t know where to begin?

    If so, we’ve got stalls available at the Butcher’s Market that may be the perfect starting point for you

    Stalls are available for only £10 per day for the first two months.  That’s just £55 per week, with smaller stalls available for just £30 per week!

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    “…excellent start-up opportunity…”

    Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: “This is an excellent start-up opportunity for anyone who is looking for an opening to enter the market trade, but is perhaps nervous about getting into a longer term commitment.

    “The rates are extremely competitive and are meant to encourage new traders into the town centre.

    “With the new arts and markets facility set to open next spring, this is an exciting time to be in the market trade in Wrexham.”

    So if you fancy having a chat about taking this a step further, just pick up the phone and call our markets team on 01978 292545 or 01978 667000 to find out more.

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  • Scarecrow Festival

    Scarecrow Festival

    Friday, July 28 to Monday, July 31 at Bellevue Park.

    The Friends of Bellevue are holding a scarecrow festival in the park tonight (Friday, July 28).

    The scarecrows made by local community groups and children will be tied to trees around the bandstand this evening, so they can be admired during the Music in the Park event.

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    If you would like to submit a late entry to the competition, please bring your scarecrow to the park and tie it to a tree before 6pm.

    There is a minimum donation of £1 to enter your scarecrow. Please ensure that your name and telephone number are on the rear of the scarecrow.

    During the evening the scarecrows will be judged and the most impressive will win a prize.

    Money raised will be used by the Friends of Bellevue to fund a memorial to remember those who served during World War One.

    If due to bad weather the Music in the Park event is cancelled, the scarecrows need to be taken to the community centre in the park next to the play area for 6pm, where they will be judged inside.

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  • Want some great discounts at local hotspots?

    Want some great discounts at local hotspots?

    There’s a fantastic new card offer from This is Wrexham which lets you support local tourism scene and also gives you access to a range of exclusive and impressive discounts at some of the county’s best places to stay, eat, shop and visit!

    The cards are available to buy at just £10.00 and can be used at outlets such as Erddig, Chirk Castle, the Fat Boar, Wrexham Museum, the Ramada Plaza and Lemon Tree Hotel and Restaurant to name but a few.

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    “help us train and support new employees in local tourism”

    Speaking at the launch of the card, This is Wrexham’s Chairman, Peter McGivern said:

    “The aim of launching our new card is two-fold.  Firstly it provides a way of rewarding card holders with exclusive discounts at fantastic hotels, eateries and attractions.

    “Also, visitors should know that the £10 they invest will ensure that our team has funding to continue supporting our tourism businesses and complement the work of the Council’s tourism team to make Wrexham an even better place to visit!  For example, some funds generated will help us train and support new employees in local tourism so that they can become proud ambassadors for Wrexham.”

    “Innovative work with our tourism sector”

    Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said:

    “This is an excellent initiative and supports our tourism sector whilst giving you fantastic benefits at the same time.  From discounts on hotel rooms to local eateries and and local shops it’s certainly worth the relatively small investment of £10.00.  The team here in Wrexham are to be congratulated for their innovative work with our tourism sector which not only benefits visitors to the area but also you, our local residents.”

    Want to find out more about the card and where to get one?  Just take a look here

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