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Mayor Marks the Spot for School Development Site
A turf cutting ceremony has taken place to mark the beginning of refurbishment works that are beginning at a local school in Johnstown.
Ysgol Yr Hafod received a multi-million pound investment as part of the 21^st Schools Band B Programme with a view to redevelop the site with improved facilities.
The vision for the project will see the old school house accommodate pupils aged 3 to 11 and the school united in one site.
The start of a new chapter
With work ready to begin with Wynne Construction on the Bangor Road side of the complex, the Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor Ronnie Prince, was invited to join staff and council representatives to mark the occasion.
Ready with spade in hand, the Mayor cut the first piece of turf on the grounds to celebrate the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in the school’s history.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Mayor said: “It has been a real pleasure to be here today to recognise this wonderful new development in our community. This will be a great benefit to the many generations that will pass through the corridors of this school as it will provide the best facilities they can give to ensure bright futures for the children of Wrexham”.
“My thanks go to everyone who has worked with the utmost dedication to bringing this project to fruition. I wish you all the very best going forward and may your achievements continue.”
Headteacher of Ysgol Yr Hafod, Mrs Alison Heale said: “It’s a very special day for us here at Ysgol Yr Hafod as this signifies the start of what is sure to be a very bright and exciting future for our school. Work is beginning in earnest and once construction is complete, we will offer the best possible facilities for the young children coming through our doors year after year.”
Also in attendance was Wrexham Council Lead Member for Education, Councillor Phil Wynn and local councillor and Chair of Governors at Ysgol Yr Hafod, Councillor David A Bithell. Cllr Wynn said: “The amalgamation of both the Infants and Junior age groups on one site will provide a streamlined provision of education for the pupils at Ysgol Yr Hafod, at the same as providing a modern school building which will serve the Johnstown community well for years to come.”
Echoing the positive sentiments, Cllr Bithell said: “This will significantly improve the educational facilities for children and staff from ages 3-11. We are working with our contractor to ensure that we communicate works as it proceeds and I am pleased that we have secured £4.5 million to bring all Children onto one site in a 21st century school. We hope to be on site in April 2023 in a new school.”
Mark Wilson, project manager at Wynne Construction, said: “We are thrilled to be starting the construction phase of the Ysgol Yr Hafod redevelopment project and this is following on from our design team who have been working closely with Wrexham CBC and key members to create a new school environment and expand the range of quality educational services the school provides.
“This development will be a significant boost to the community of Johnstown, creating a lasting legacy of sustainable communities for learning, allowing our supply chain partners to keep the project spend local where possible, and by engaging with pupils and learners to showcase construction and the built environment.
“We look forward to getting the work underway and delivering a high-quality project where the pupils will be able to further their own knowledge in a comfortable and progressive manner.”
March 17, 2022
Covid-19: Council buildings reopen to the public
Wrexham Council will reopen its public buildings on Monday, March 21 as Wales continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
Some buildings – such as libraries, community resource centres and Ty Pawb – have been open to customers for some time, but others have remained closed while the pandemic was more severe.
Buildings that will reopen to the public on March 21 include the Guildhall reception area, and local housing estate offices.
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Contact Wrexham
Contact Wrexham – the council’s customer contact centre on Lord Street – has been open for appointments since last year.
However, the centre will resume full face-to-face services for customers next week – including walk-in enquiries (note appointments will still be needed for more complex enquiries).
But before you make the journey, remember that all of the council’s public telephone numbers can be found on our website and a number of services are also available online.
In fact, accessing services online is usually the quickest and easiest option for customers.
Learning to live with the virus
Ian Bancroft, Chief Executive of Wrexham Council, says:
“Although Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, we’re in a much better place now thanks to high vaccination rates and immunity in the population.
“Like the rest of Wales and the UK, it feels like we’re now moving out of the emergency phase of the pandemic and into a phase where we’re learning to manage and live with the virus.
“As a result, any public buildings or face-to-face points of access that still haven’t opened yet, will reopen on March 21.
“This also reflects the continued easing of Covid restrictions across Wales.”
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March 17, 2022
Progress made on Green Spaces for Good
Progress is being made which will see ten parks in Wrexham legally protected with green space charity Fields in Trust.
A partnership agreement has now been signed between ourselves and Fields in Trust to ensure Deeds of Dedication will be put in place to protect areas of open space within our country parks before the end of the summer. This will mean they’ll all remain available for recreational use and delivering environmental benefits forever! Ownership and management remain with Wrexham County Borough Council.
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Following agreement to undertake this work at Executive Board at the end of last year, we’ve been working closely with Fields in Trust to agree the areas for protection, and develop a partnership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement both ourselves and Fields in Trust will work together ensure everything goes as planned on a legal basis.
Wrexham is the first council in Wales to protect a large portfolio of local green space to support climate change mitigation. The addition of these ten spaces brings to 300 the total of parks and green spaces protected by Fields in Trust in Wales of which 37 are in Wrexham.
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said, “This is excellent progress as we look to very soon seeing these parks permanently and legally protected.
“We are all very aware of our environment and not only will this protect these areas for future generations it will play a significant role in ensuring we achieve carbon neutral status by 2030.”
Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Council, said, “Our parks are green assets that we are very proud of and I’d like to thank everyone involved in progressing this work to ensure we continue to have a beautiful and natural environment across Wrexham.
Fields in Trust Senior Operations and Stewardship Manager, Angela Lewis, said “We look forward to working with Wrexham County Borough Council. We are very pleased that our partnership will protect these wonderful parks and green spaces for the people of Wrexham, forever.
“I congratulate Wrexham Council for their civic leadership, ensuring the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits will be future-proofed and the green spaces will be protected for future generations to enjoy.”
The ten parks that will become Green Spaces for Good are:
- Alyn Waters
- Ty Mawr
- Bonc yr Hafod
- Stryt Las
- Nant Mill
- Moss Valley
- Minera
- Acton Park
- Brynkinalt
- Ponciau
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March 17, 2022
Ending Physical Punishment in Wales
21 March 2022 is a historic moment for children and their rights in Wales. From this day on, physically punishing children will be illegal in Wales. We want to protect children and their rights, to help give them the best start in life.
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What is physical punishment?
There are lots of types of physical punishment.
It can mean smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking. But there are other types too.
It isn’t possible to give a set list of what makes up physical punishment because it can be anything where a child is punished using physical force.
Research suggests that any type of physical punishment could be harmful to children.
What does the change in law mean?
- All physical punishment will be illegal in Wales.
- It will give children the same protection from assault as adults.
- It will make the law clearer – easier for children, parents, professionals and the public to understand.
Will the change in law apply to everybody in Wales? (From photo on page 1)
Yes, it will apply to everyone – parents or anyone who is responsible for a child
while the parents are absent.
And as with other laws, it will apply to visitors to Wales too.
Physical punishment is already illegal in schools, children’s homes, local authority foster care homes and childcare settings.
What happens if people physically punish a child from 21 March 2022?
Anyone who physically punishes a child:
• Will be breaking the law
• Risks being arrested or charged with assault
• May get a criminal record, which is the same for any criminal offence.
Information, advice and support is available for anyone who needs it, to help them find positive ways to manage children’s behaviour and to help avoid such a situation ever happening.
Is it legal to use physical punishment against a child now?
It’s a bit of a grey area. Hitting a child is common assault. If a parent or someone with parental responsibility for a child is charged with common assault against the child, they could try to use the defence of reasonable punishment. From 21 March 2022, this defence will no longer be available in
Wales; all types of physical punishment will be illegal.
What should I do if I see a child being physically punished or if I am concerned about a child?
- Contact your local social services department.
- You can also call the police in an emergency, or if a child is in immediate danger.
(from bottom of page 1)For more information on ending physical punishment in Wales go to: gov.wales/EndPhysicalPunishment
For positive parenting tips and information go to: Parenting. Give it time: gov.wales/giveittime
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March 16, 2022
Schools to be invited to take part in carbon reduction workshop
We’re working with Xplore! Discovery Centre in the town centre to provide some interactive and engaging school workshops aimed at KS2 children in the county borough to educate them about climate change and highlight the ways in which they can help to reduce their carbon footprint.
They’ll take place in the coming months and those who attend will be asked to take part in a competition to create a decarbonisation character which may well see the winning entry becoming the figurehead for activities to support local communities as they begin to think about how they can reduce their carbon footprints too.
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As a finale to the workshops, Xplore! will host 2 showcase events for children from each school to celebrate and share what everyone has learned and introduce a selection of the character designs.
Back at the Science Centre, Xplore! will be working with designers to develop a funky interactive display to engage everyone in ideas for how we can all make changes.
We’ll look at buildings and using less energy, planting more trees and wildflowers, considering how we buy the things we need and where we get them from and making more of our journeys in an active and sustainable way.
“Carbon reduction work is really going at pace”
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said, “Our carbon reduction work is really going at pace now and the involvement of schools is an excellent move forward.
“Climate change is a real concern and we are looking to become carbon neutral by 2030 in order to leave our young people with a more sustainable future that’s manageable and good for our environment and the planet.”
Katie Williams, Business Development & Stakeholder Engagement Officer at Xplore! said, “We’ve certainly seen an increased appetite from schools for content about climate change so these fully-funded workshops are being really well received.
“Learners will get to build their own ‘Sustainability Street’ where they will start to understand the implications of some of their simple everyday choices.
“We’ll put our own unique stamp on the content to make it a fun and interactive session using age appropriate, relevant and meaningful examples of how students can reduce their own environmental impact.”
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March 16, 2022
Wrexham Council has officially opened its new office-space at Crown Buildings
The structure has undergone a major transformation over the past 18 months, turning it from a tired 1960s monolith into a modern, vibrant building – fit for providing modern public services.
Earlier today (Tuesday, March 15) the offices were opened by the Mayor of Wrexham Councillor Ronnie Prince, as well as the Leader of Wrexham Council, Councillor Mark Pritchard, and the Chief Executive, Ian Bancroft.
The opening coincides with a gradual return to the office for many council staff following long periods working from home during the pandemic.
And later this year, Wrexham’s new Community Wellbeing Hub – combining health services, social care and voluntary sector support, in partnership with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, will also open at the site.
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The work has been undertaken by local firm Reed Construction, with the help of Welsh Government funding.
Reduced carbon footprint
The Mayor of Wrexham, Councillor Ronnie Prince, says:
“This has been an incredible piece of development that’s given new life to a building that desperately needed modernisation.
“It’s now a key building in the town centre, and will provide a base for social care staff, as well as a new location for the council’s Education and Early Intervention Department.”
Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, says:
“The transformation has been incredible, and we now have a flexible workspace suitable for delivering modern services for local people.
“Around 625 staff will use Crown Buildings as a base, increasing the footfall in the town centre. The offices will include desks, breakout areas, video-conferencing and other facilities providing employees with the tools and environment they need.
“We’ve also improved the building’s energy performance, which has been a key driver from the outset.”
Ian Bancroft, Chief Executive, says:
“We’ve worked closely with the contractor to improve the thermal efficiency of the building, and we’ve also used the roof space to house solar panels that will further reduce its carbon footprint.
“We now have a building that’s not only good for employees and the communities we serve, but also better for the environment.
“It’s everything that a modern, flexible workspace should be.”
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March 15, 2022
#Wrecsam2025: Grants Summary
In support of the #Wrecsam2025 City of Culture bid, Wrexham County Borough Council was delighted to receive over 70 grant applications from local community groups, business owners and third sector providers, who came up with a fantastic variety of ideas for activities to celebrate the vibrant and diverse culture within the county.
For young people, these events will include workshops teaching performing arts and trade skills; play activities for kids; a photography competition for school children (with a masterclass hosted by local university students passing on their knowledge); and school projects to create an anthology of poems about Wrexham, and to design a mosaic on the theme “What Does Wrexham Mean to Us?”
To recognise our proud local heritage, a project to recreate the historic Wrexham Tailor’s Quilt for a new generation will soon be underway; we’ll see the long awaited return of the Chirk Carnival; Minera Lead Mines will welcome guests to a newly refurbished vistor’s café; and for the older generation, crafting sessions at local care homes, and a special WWII themed costume evening with a swing band to roll back the years!
To celebrate Wrexham’s diverse community, our much valued refugees and asylum seekers will welcomed to crafting sessions and entrepreneurial workshops; our vibrant hip hop community will be showcasing female and non-binary performers; an equal opportunities conference will build on grass roots support for marginalised members of the community; local volunteers will be creating an Autistic Sensory Garden; there will be a powerchair football event to highlight Wrexham’s inclusive environment for disability sports; the local Polish community will be hosting a full day of activities sharing their heritage and traditions, and we’ll be celebrating at a special fusion event with African and Welsh food, fashion and music.
We’re also so excited to see a showcase for Wrexham’s chefs and restaurants, performances from local choirs and orchestras celebrating our Welsh heritage, a display of award winning design and landscaping, the “Wrexfest” event featuring music acts from past, present and future, and an open mic evening with headline performances from the 3 current Welsh poet laureates sharing a stage for the first time ever!
With all this to look forward to, and so much more, we’re incredibly proud of everyone in Wrexham County Borough who has made their pride, passion and enthusiasm a part of #Wrecsam2025.
Further event details can be found on our #Wrecsam2025 Facebook events page

March 15, 2022
Climate Change – we’re aiming to become a Carbon Literate Organisation
We declared a climate emergency in 2019 in response to climate change and since then we’ve been working on the four areas in our Decarbonisation Action Plan that we’re concentrating on:
- Buildings and energy
- Transport and Mobility
- Land Use and Green Infrastructure
- Procurement and Supply Chains (how we get our goods and services)
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In order to make sure we have the right approach to these priorities staff in all areas will be invited to become Carbon Literate.
The training will be an excellent introduction to the issues and solutions that will help us on our road to achieving “Carbon Literate Organisation” status which will mean that we will be:
- Embedding consideration of carbon into everything we do
- Raising the status of decarbonisation in decision making
- Increasing our capacity to support and contribute to this work
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said, “Decarbonisation will be central to decisions relating to the priority areas going forward.
“We’ve already made a great start by installing electric car chargers in car parks and country parks, purchasing electric vehicles and of course generating income to support the project from our solar power field.”
“This is in addition to all the tree planting that’s been going on across the county borough which will continue in the coming months to help us reach our carbon zero target by 2030.”
We have more opportunities coming up for staff and councillors to take part in this really educational, eye opening and interactive training where each person can identify something they will do in their own lives and pledge to change something else in the organisation.
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March 15, 2022
Trees, Trees and even more Trees as we aim to be carbon neutral
As we work towards being carbon neutral by 2030 we’re looking at how we care for our green environment very carefully.
Its health is key and making moves to ensure it continues to contribute to reducing our carbon footprint as well as being a pleasant place to be.
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One of the ways we’re doing this is by planting trees, hedges and heritage fruit trees – and we’ve planted lots of them. 1,500 have been planted over the past two years and even more planned in the coming months such as Sessile Oak, English Oak, Scots Pine, Silver Birch, Field Maple, Rowan and apple, pear and plum which are all heritage fruit varieties that are mostly Welsh.
You’re carbon neutral if the amount of CO₂ emissions you put into the atmosphere is the same as the amount of CO₂ emissions you remove from the atmosphere so trees are essential to help us on our journey to net zero and address climate change. They reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2).
There isn’t a clear figure that we can put on the amount of CO2 they take out of our atmosphere as that depends on the type and size of tree but we can be sure that together they’ll make a difference.
Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said, “Not only does all this planting help our environment but it also creates important habitats for wildlife and helps create an environment that is beneficial to us all to enjoy.
“Addressing climate change is something we’re very focused on and this is just one of many initiatives that have taken place as we concentrate on our priority areas, Buildings and energy, Land Use and Green Infrastructure, Transport and mobility and Procurement and supply chains.”
“The addition of land at Erddig to become part of the National Forest of Wales will also only increase the number of trees we have in Wrexham.
As we progress with our plans to reduce carbon and address climate change in all of our priority areas we are also:
- Introducing electric vehicles to our fleet when it needs replacing
- Introducing electric bikes for staff to use, including a new ecargo bike – all to make journeys for work easier
- Assessing our schools to make them as low carbon as they can be
- Continuing to use the latest technology to make sure our new and refurbished buildings are carbon free and energy efficient
- Increasing the network of electric car charging points on our land
- Working with our staff to focus on carbon reduction in their service areas
- Working to achieve Carbon Literate status for the whole organisation
- Testing some new ideas to improve air quality around some schools
- Working with Xplore! to run school workshops and create and exciting interactive exhibit for everyone to visit and enjoy
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March 14, 2022
Licensees pass with flying colours
Last week our Trading Standards staff and North Wales Police visited 9 off-licences and pubs with young police cadets to do some test purchases of alcohol.
All are pleased to report that all cadets were asked for identification and each premises is to be commended on their vigilance.
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Protecting children from harm is a priority for the Council’s Public Protection Service. Trading Standards works closely with partners, including the Licensing Service and North Wales Police to restrict access to alcohol by under 18s.
Roger Mapleson, Trading Standards and Licensing Lead, said, “Another excellent result for licensees and its reassuring to know that young people would have difficulty buying alcohol in any of the premises visited.”
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March 14, 2022