news.wrexham.gov.uk

Category: People & Place

New fruit and veg garden thanks to volunteers
Residents at a Wrexham sheltered housing complex are enjoying a new fruit and vegetable garden thanks to the efforts of Cyfle Cymru volunteers.
The group worked in scorching sunshine to dig and sow a new vegetable plot for residents of the Springfield Sheltered Housing Unit in Rhosddu.
Tenants are hoping for a bumper harvest after the group lifted turf, dug over topsoil and planted crops in the new bed.
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Led by charity CAIS, Cyfle Cymru is an EU-funded peer mentoring project which supports people with experience of substance misuse and mental health issues – and provides them with volunteering opportunities, access to training and help to find work.
“Can’t thank the team enough”
Springfield warden Melanie Child praised the volunteers’ professionalism and said she hoped to welcome them back to the complex for more hard graft in the near future.
She said: “All of us here at Springfield cannot thank the team at Cyfle Cymru enough for the effort they have put in to establishing our vegetable plot,” she said.
“What a great piece of community team work – and I have to say how professional it looks. We appreciate it sincerely, and hope this is not the last we will be seeing of them.
“The team conducted themselves brilliantly. They were polite, considerate of our tenants – and, most importantly, they were very enthusiastic.”
Assistant lead peer mentor George James worked on the Springfield project alongside a number of people who hope to increase their skills and boost their CVs before moving on to employment.
“Volunteers put in a massive effort”
“Our volunteers put in a massive effort to do this work for some of the older members of the Rhosddu community,” he said.
“We hope that the residents at Springfield enjoy watching their vegetables grow and are able to enjoy the fruits of our labours.”
So far, more than 4,700 people have received support from Cyfle Cymru peer mentors throughout the North Wales, Gwent, Dyfed, Powys and Western Bay areas.
Together, the team have delivered in excess of 71,000 hours of support, and helped more than 1,000 people to a new qualification or certificate. More than 600 people have taken part in volunteer events, making a significant contribution to communities across Wales.
Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing at Wrexham Council, said: “I know the work undertaken by the volunteers with Cyfle Cymru will be very much welcomed by the residents at Springfield, and we’re very grateful for the work they’ve carried out – particularly in such warm weather!”
You can find out more about the Cyfle Cymru programme by visiting the website, calling 0300 777 2256, e-mailing ask@cyflecymru.com or searching Cyfle Cymru on social media.
Need help with school uniform costs? Find out if you’re eligible.
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August 9, 2018
Sports Groups – get your hands on funding
Are you part of a sporting club in Wrexham?
There’s a wide variety of groups in Wrexham, offering training on sports such as football, rugby, boxing, athletics, tennis and many more.
Are you a member of one of these many community sporting groups? Maybe you’re involved in running one?
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If so, don’t miss out on the chance to get some extra funding, which could help out with everything from equipment to training.
Applications for the second round of 2018 Community Chest funding is now open.
The first round, which closed at the end of April, saw more than £12,000 given to local groups.
Applications for the current round of funding are open until Wednesday, August 29, with the panel meeting to discuss applications on Wednesday, September 19.
Groups can apply for up to £1,500 per year.
Cllr Andrew Atkinson, Lead Member for Youth Services and Anti-Poverty, with responsibility for Leisure, said: “There are a lot of great sports and athletics groups out there which do excellent work in their community.
“The Community Chest is there to help those clubs get the extra resources they need. Those involved should make sure they don’t miss out.”
For more information, visit our website.
Need help with school uniform costs? Find out if you’re eligible.
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August 9, 2018
WATCH: “We are NOT pensioners, we are young at heart!”
An over 50’s group, that meet at Acton Resource Centre, celebrate their first birthday.
Purple Orchids is a group for men and women over the age of 50 who may feel lonely or isolated.
The group meets once a month and costs just £5 per session. This includes all of the craft materials as well as a two-course dinner and tea/coffee.
Councillor Joan Lowe, Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care said: “The Community Inclusion grants aim to improve the health and wellbeing of people and reduce isolation as well as support the development of community based activities. Purple Orchids is one of the many groups that have been supported by the Community Inclusion Grant, which enriches the lives of the people who attend. I would like to wish them a very happy first birthday and hope there are many more to come.”
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Barbara Tasker, a member of Purple Orchids said: “The group has given me something to come out of the house for, something for me to do. Meeting new people and learning new skills and bringing people together is what the group is about.
We are not pensioners, we are young at heart. We are people that do lots of activities and learn from one another.”
Social contact and stimulation reduce isolation and enrich lives, so Wrexham Council offer one-off community inclusion small grants to support the development of community based activities.
Grants can be used for sessions run by volunteers where people can meet together on a regular basis for activities. Proposals are invited from individuals and organisations for activities such as:
- Lunch with good company
- Sharing hobbies
- Learning new skills
For an expression of interest form, please apply to:
Commissioning@wrexham.gov.uk
The next deadline for applications is September 28, 2018.
Need help with school uniform costs? Find out if you’re eligible.
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August 8, 2018
Plans for new school music provision
Following from our Difficult Decisions consultation in the winter of last year, it was decided to end the music service run by our Education Department.
We know a lot of people disagreed with this decision – and it wasn’t an easy one to make.
But at the same time, we wanted to ensure that children didn’t lose the opportunity for future training and tutoring in music.
With that in mind, we’ve planned the start of a new Wrexham Music Co-operative, which will be launched in September.
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Although no longer funded by Wrexham Council, our Education Department has worked hard to make sure there’s a new service in place.
It’ll be open to all pupils, however the council has made £50,000 in funding available for pupils receiving Free School Meals (FSM)
The new co-operative has already promoted the service within schools, with a number of headteachers already keen to have their schools join.
Group lesson packages will also be available, with prices starting from £4.50 per lesson, per pupil.
The co-operatives website is live at www.wrexhammusiccoop.com – and is already getting good feedback.
What’s available?
There’s a wide range of services offered under the co-operative, including:
- The new Music Mania summer course, which is already on offer for August this year
- Supply cover with music specialists for both primary and secondary schools
- Music therapy
- Foundation phase music programmes including “spoons” workshops and body percussion
- Beat-boxing and DJ courses
- Support for GCSE and ‘A’ Level music pupils
- A full range of instruments on offer for pupils
- A full time Wrexham administrator for Wrexham tutors, parents and schools
And many more.
Cllr Phil Wynn, Lead Member for Education, said: “As we said during the time of Difficult Decisions, none of the options we had available to us was an easy one, and none of them was a road we wanted to walk down, and this was true for the music service.
“But at the same time, while we were conscious of the need to make cuts, we also wanted to make sure that where elements of service could be preserved, we would do our best to make sure we could keep them going into the future, and the new music co-operative was planned with that in mind.”
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August 7, 2018
What’s next in store for Wal Pawb?
Wal Pawb, the two big moving billboards flanking the outer walls of Gallery 1, have already proven popular with guests as a bright and colourful feature of Tŷ Pawb’s design.
The current designs on Wal Pawb, showing foodstuffs and market wares, was designed by artist Katie Cuddon in the run-up to the centre opening in April this year.
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But now, it’s time for a new artist to come up with a new design.
Welcome to Kevin Hunt
Kevin Hunt
After an open call for proposals, we’ve picked artist Kevin Hunt to come up with the designs for Wal Pawb 2019.
A graduate of the North Wales School of Art & Design – now known as the School of Creative Arts – at Glyndŵr University, Kevin currently lives and works in Liverpool, and has retained strong connections with Wrexham since graduating 13 years ago.
He’s worked on a number of small projects in Wrexham since then – but this will be his biggest presentation of work in Wales to date.
Kevin will work on-site at Tŷ Pawb from August through to the installation of his Wal Pawb project in March 2019.
He will work closely with all users in the building, as well as members of the wider community in Wrexham, to produce a highly original project, collaborating with traders at Tŷ Pawb to create a new product for Wrexham as part of the commission.
Kevin will give an introductory talk at Tŷ Pawb about his work to date, and his proposals for Wal Pawb, at 6pm on Wednesday, August 29.
He’ll also make repeat visits to Tŷ Pawb on third Wednesday of each month from September 19 onwards while working on the designs for Wal Pawb.
“Couldn’t be more happy to be back in Wrexham”
Kevin said: “I’m really chuffed to have been selected for the Wal Pawb commission at Tŷ Pawb and to be able to realise a new, multi-faceted project that will play with the commissions’ structure whilst working closely with the team and traders at Tŷ Pawb to develop a new product for Wrexham.
“I also couldn’t be more happy to be working back in Wrexham, the town where I studied and had many of my important formative art experiences.”
Cllr Hugh Jones, lead member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Safety said: “Wal Pawb is an important artistic feature within Tŷ Pawb, emphasising the intersection between the gallery and the market hall.
“It is fantastic news that Kevin Hunt, a Wrexham graduate, has been selected for the next iteration of this commission. Kevin will be working with Tŷ Pawb traders and staff, as well local residents in innovative way, ensuring the Wal Pawb artwork infiltrates the market hall.”
Jo Marsh, Arts Lead for Wrexham County Borough Council and Creative Director at Ty Pawb, says: “We received a large number of consistently high quality proposals for the second commission for Wal Pawb, and would like to thank all of those who submitted a proposal for the new design.
“It is fantastic that we were able to select someone of Kevin’s experience as well as having strong connections with and a genuine fondness for Wrexham. We are sure everybody will enjoy working with Kevin over the coming months.”
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August 7, 2018
What ED can do for you!
No – that picture isn’t a mistake.
That is a Christmas decoration on here in August – and that’s because one of Europe Direct’s biggest annual projects is the Christmas decoration exchange.
More about that in a moment…
In the meantime, what is Europe Direct and what do they do?
Since 2006, Europe Direct – based in Wrexham Library – has been one of 450 EU information centres across Europe. They are politically neutral and they are there to provide information on the EU; they do not speak on behalf of the EU.
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What do they do?
So, what do they do and how can they help you:
- They can answer questions about your rights – whether that is because you are travelling with someone who is not an EU citizen or if you are an EU citizen living in the UK – or vice versa – you may wondering how Brexit will affect you.
- They can tell you what the EU is, how it works and how it came to be.
- Schools benefit from workshops about language, Europe, democracy and more as well as receiving free publications on EU countries, climate change, how the EU works, maps and more.
- They have information on the opportunities available to go abroad with Erasmus+ where you can study, work, train or volunteer in another country.
- Businesses looking to work within the European market and young people looking for work in other countries can benefit from Europe Direct’s links with specialist networks such as Enterprise Europe Network and Eurodesk.
- They are a local link to European institutions. If you have a question and they don’t have the answer to hand, they are able to go to the relevant institution to get an answer for you.
- And now, back to Christmas! Each year, Europe Direct organises a Christmas tree decoration exchange. This gives groups of 30 children the chance to make a Christmas decoration and information booklet that describes Christmas in their country. Last year it gave 20,000 children across Europe the chance to learn about geography, culture, language and more.
Remember, you can win yourself £50 this summer by sending us your pictures of places in the County Borough that you feel show off Wrexham’s heritage. Find out more by clicking here.
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August 6, 2018
Go back in time with Wrexham Museum Event
There’s a fantastic event planned for the whole family when Wrexham county Borough Museum take you back in time for a Victorian Extravaganza on August 22.
The Museum forecourt will come alive with activities and entertainment dating back over a century.
You will be able to see first hand how butter and candles were made – remember there was no electricity at the beginning of the Victorian Era so candles were as common as light bulbs are now – jugglers, stilt walking and penny farthing riders and traditional games will also bring back the era of Victorian entertainment.
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There’ll also be shades of Dickens’ Oliver with walking flower sellers and workshops to show you how it was all done in those days!
Ice cream and refreshments and children’s lunchboxes will be available from the Museum Cafe.
The event is free and takes place between 11am and 4pm on August 22.

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August 6, 2018
Housing for Older People – give us your thoughts
None of us likes to think about getting older.
But as we get older, our needs and circumstances will change – and some of the changes will be so important, they’ll need thinking about in advance.
And Wrexham is an area with a growing older population. According to figures from the last census in 2011, about 24 per cent of Wrexham’s population is aged 60 or over, and those numbers are only set to go up.
So it’s important that we make sure things are in place to suit people’s changing needs as they get older.
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Accommodation – what are your plans?
One of the biggest parts of that puzzle is housing and accommodation – and we want you to help us find out what those needs look like.
Maybe you’re someone who lives in Wrexham who is looking to change their accommodation plans once you reach older age.
Or maybe you’ve already moved to more suitable accommodation. If so, we’d like to hear about why you moved, and what benefits or downsides you’ve come across as a result of moving from your home.
Or perhaps you’ve got an older relative who’s considering moving.
Whatever your circumstances, we want to hear from you.
And it doesn’t matter whether or not you rent or own your property – we’re still interested to hear what you have to say.
For obvious reasons, our survey is aimed at people aged 50 or over – but anyone is welcome to fill it in.
“So important that we get this information”
Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing, said: “It’s vital that we make sure that the right plans in place for older people’s accommodation, so we can ensure their needs are met well into the future.
“As an authority, we have the ability to influence such things through planning processes, housing policies and the Local Development Plan – but unless we know what people want, we won’t be able to use that influence to its full effect.
“As such, it’s so important that people take just five minutes to provide us with the information asked for within this survey.”
Don’t miss out – take part
The details we’re after are fairly straightforward; things your current type of accommodation; the sort of changes you’ve made – if any – to your property to make it more suitable to your needs, and if you have any plans to move in future what type of accommodation you need.
The survey is available online here, and should only take about five minutes to complete.
All responses to the survey are anonymous, unless you need further information from us – in which case, you’ll need to provide your details.
If you have any questions about the survey or would like it another format, contact olderpersonshousing@wrexham.gov.uk or telephone 01978 298993.
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August 6, 2018
Are you one of our tenants? Have a look at this…
We’ve got a great day out lined up in a few weeks.
There’s not long to go before our Picnic in the Park, the annual tenants event at Bellevue Park from 10am until 3pm on Wednesday, August 22.
The day promises to be a great one, with lots of activities and competitions lined up.
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Events on offer include dog shows, welly-throwing contests and fancy dress.
And the grand finale will see tenants, council staff and councillors take one another in a tug-of-war contest!
Plenty on offer
There will also be dance shows and sporting activities delivered by the Active Wrexham team.
Local musicians The Factory Hens will provide live music and entertainment, and refreshments will be available throughout the day – though feel free to bring your own picnic.
Staff from our Housing service will be available to help and advise tenants, along with other organisations such as the Groundwork Trust, the NHS, Cambrian Credit Union and The Dog’s Trust, who will be providing free microchipping and health checks for dogs.
Free to all tenants
The event will be free to all Wrexham Council tenants, with tickets available on the day for free fairground rides and face painting.
Parking will also be available at Ysgol Clywedog on Ruthin Road.
Those coming along will be in with a chance to win prizes such as a TV and a £50 Tesco voucher, along with plenty of others.
“Don’t miss out”
Cllr David Griffiths, Lead Member for Housing, said: “I’d urge all tenants to not miss out on what promises to be a fun-filled day at Bellevue Park.
“There’s plenty on offer throughout the day, and it will be an especially fun event for children during the holidays.”
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August 6, 2018
Entertain the children for £1 or less!
If you are searching for things to do with your little ones this week, check out the list below!
This week, all of the activities cost less than £1 or, even better, are free.
7 August, 3.15-4pm
Craft at Coedpoeth Library
Summer crafts for children aged 3 and over (younger children to be accompanied by an adult). Come along to enjoy crafts, colouring and puzzles.
FREE
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8 August, 11.30
Chester Zoo workshop at Gwersyllt Library
Limited spaces so booking is essential. Call 01978 722890.
FREE
9 August, 2pm
Gwersyllt Library movie afternoon
Enjoy the adventures of Ferdinand with popcorn and a drink!
£1
10 August, 3-4pm
‘Fun Friday’ at Cefn Mawr Library
Simple crafts for small hands.
50p (under 8s)
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August 6, 2018