Our Wrexham Active team has organised a series of weekly ladies only training sessions at the Queensway Leisure and Activity Centre, starting from 6pm on Monday, September 30.
The new Walk to Run sessions will encourage those taking part to get fit through running and jogging, but don’t be put off – sessions will start off with walking sessions.
Run as part of Active Wrexham’s Get Out, Get Active initiative, which aims to encourage more women to take part in training and fitness and activities, the Walk to Run sessions will run for six weeks and be led by a qualified coach.
Those turning up on September 30 will also receive a free t-shirt and branded water bottle.
Cllr Andrew Atkinson, Lead Member for Youth Services and Anti-Poverty, with responsibility for Leisure, said: “As well as keeping healthy, getting fit can be a great way of improving confidence and self-esteem.
“These free weekly sessions will give people who might not normally get involved with physical training activities the opportunity to try it out for themselves – and benefit from improved health as a result.”
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This year’s tournament is taking place in Japan and Wales are right up there with the favourites to win the tournament thanks to some great recent results, including the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year.
Because of the time difference between the UK and Japan, many matches will be taking place at the crack of dawn. Some as early as 5.45am UK time!
But a few bleary-eyed mornings are not going to stop us from enjoying the tournament!
We’re delighted to announce that Tŷ Pawb will be showing selected matches on their enormous big screen.
It’s a spacious, family-friendly setting to come and enjoy the games among the markets, galleries and food court – and there’s some big ones coming up!
75 years ago today (19.09) a young pilot lost his life, along with the majority of his flight crew, whilst taking part in an operation to supply ground troops with essential supplies during the Battle of Arnhem.
The pilot was Flight Lieutenant David Lord who had lived in Wrexham before moving to London in 1930. He attended St Mary’s Elementary School, served at the altar of the town’s catholic cathedral and later worked as a photographer’s assistant.
David and his crew were part of an operation to drop much needed supplies to ground troops and even though his plane was severely damaged and his plane came under constant and heavy fire he continued his mission and dropped all the supplies. He then continued to man the controls and ordered his crew to evacuate. Sadly, the Dakota he was piloting crashed soon after and David and all but one crew member lost their lives.
His remarkable bravery to ensure the supplies reached their intended target led to his being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour “in the presence of the enemy” to members of the British Armed Forces.
To commemorate the event a memorial was installed in Grosvenor Road and his brother flew over to photograph the large crowds that had gathered for the event. The memorial was later moved to the Memorial Hall where it is still on public view.
You can see a copy of that aerial photograph below.
To further commemorate his bravery we have recently commissioned a graphic panel to sit alongside his memorial which was unveiled earlier today by the RAF’s Air Commodore Adrian Williams, Air Officer Wales.
The panel explains to modern day visitors to the venue why the memorial is so important and is particularly relevant during 2019 which marks 80 years since the outbreak of WWII and 100 years since the signing of the peace treaties that concluded WW1.
You can see the panel on the wall outside the Memorial Hall just left of the entrance.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Pritchard, said: “The heroics of Flight Lieutenant David Lord VC show he was deserving of the highest honour for bravery that this country can bestow. Not once but twice he flew over the drop zone in Arnhem to ensure critical supplies were dropped for our ground troops. Under such heavy bombardment and at such low altitude he must have known all was lost but he heroically continued his mission. These acts are truly remarkable and humbling and the award of the Victoria Cross posthumously awarded is something we should be proud to commemorate here in Wrexham. We should always remember that then, as now, we owe a huge debt of thanks to our armed forces.”
Air Commodore Adrian Williams, Air Officer Wales said: “It is a great privilege to be here in Wrexham to unveil the graphic panel as part of the memorial to Flight Lieutenant David Lord VC. He served both his country and the Royal Air Force with great valour and it is important that his courageous airmanship over Arnhem seventy five years ago should never be forgotten. David Lord’s actions remain an inspiration to RAF aircrew to this day. I would also like to say thank you to the people of Wrexham for the way you have helped perpetuate and remember the service and courage of David Lord, which you have done in many ways over many years, including the addition of this graphic panel here today. Thank you Wrexham”.
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The panel was paid for by The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust which also saw the Memorial Hall itself receive a refurbishment.
The panel reads:
“On 19th September 1947 crowds gathered at the junction of Grosvenor Road and Regent Street to witness the unveiling of a memorial (now on your right) to Flight Lieutenant David Lord. It was three years to the day since he was killed during the Battle of Arnhem.
David Lord moved to Wrexham as a child He joined the RAF in 1936 and trained to be a pilot qualifying in 1939. He gained experience on the North West Frontier of India, flew sorties over Iraq and Syria and survived being shot down in North Africa. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his many dangerous missions delivering supplies to the Chindits, the British forces behind enemy lines in the Burmese jungle.
Lord returned to Britain in January 1944 and joined No. 271 Squadron preparing for the Normandy Landings in Operation Overlord. He saw action over Normandy during June 1944 earning the King’s Commendation.
His squadron was tasked in Operation Market Garden with delivering glider-borne troops to Arnhem and supplying the 1st British Airborne Division. It was his actions on 19th September 1944 during his final flight which ensured supplies reached the hard-pressed British troops that earned him the Victoria Cross.
Flight Lieutenant David Lord is buried alongside his crew at Oosterbeek Cemetery, near Arnhem, in the Netherlands.”
You can find out more about Flt David Lord VC DFC RAF in Heart of a Dragon: The VCs of Wales and the Welsh Regiments, 1914-82, by W Alister Williams. His Victory Cross is held in the Lord Michael Ashcroft Collection (https://www.lordashcroftmedals.com/) at the Imperial War Museum, London. The cross is one of many on show in the gallery that Lord Ashcroft sponsored. For more information on the Extraordinary Heroes exhibition at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery visit: www.iwm.org.uk/heroes
There is also a biography available: FLIGHT LIEUTENANT DAVID LORD, VICTORIA CROSS: AN ARNHEM HERO, by James Patrick Hynes.
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At 11am on Sunday, September 22, the annual memorial ceremony for Wrexham’s greatest tragedy, Gresford Colliery disaster, takes place at Miner’s Wheel Memorial in Pandy.
The disaster affected the whole of Wrexham with almost every village in the county borough losing someone.
Picture the scene…
It’s a Friday evening on September 21, 1934. 266 men are descending into the Dennis section of the Gresford Colliery to begin their shift. It’s particularly busy as many of them are ‘doubling up’ so they’ll be free to watch the Wrexham match on Saturday afternoon. Sadly, only six of them shall return.
At 2:08am Saturday morning (September 22), an explosion tore through the colliery, killing countless miners in the process.
Edward Williams, Engine Attendant at the Dennis recalled: “It came nearer like thunder and then the place was all black. You couldn’t see anything.”
Over 200 rescue workers were sent down in an effort to rescue the miners. All they recovered were 11 bodies – three of them belonging to the first rescue team. One of the rescuers described that mine as being ‘just like hell’.
Once news reached town, crowds began to gather around the mine – women and children waiting for loved ones who will never return.
After 40 hours of toiling it became clear to the rescuers there was nobody alive left to save, so they decided to close the shafts at 6pm Sunday afternoon.
The aftermath
The Gresford Colliery disaster was one of Wrexham’s greatest tragedies…but what’s often overlooked is the aftermath of the disaster and the effect it had on the victims’ families and fellow workers. The explosion left 200 widowed, 800 fatherless and 1,600 jobless.
This was in a time where women weren’t provided with the same opportunities as men. Losing a husband left more than a grieving widow…it left a widow with the responsibility of providing for herself and her children without a source of income.
The rest of the men employed at the mine were forced to look for other jobs – often to no avail. The future seemed bleak for Wrexham; survival alone would become a struggle for many. It would be six months until the mine re-opened.
The tragedy became national headline news and even received recognition from the King. Word travelled about the struggling families and a relief fund was established to aid those in need. More than £550,000 was raised in total, however the lives lost could never be replaced.
Remembering, 85 years on…
This year marks 85 years since the 266 men and boys lost their lives.
The annual memorial service to mark the Gresford Colliery disaster takes place on Sunday, September 22 at 11am at the Miner’s Wheel Memorial, Bluebell Lane, Pandy. This is a short informal service, which everyone is welcome to attend.
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Freshers’ Fairs are often places to grab as much free stuff as you can, but make sure you also grab the free advice – some of it could be life saving!
When you get to the Freshers’ Fair make sure you stop by Wrexham Council’s stand where there will be a load of great advice and things to look out for when you come to look for accommodation, including making sure it is safe, making sure you can get things fixed when you need to and how to make sure you keep hold of your deposit.
As well as that, the food team will be on hand to give you a few hints on how you should prep, cook and store your food so you can avoid food poisoning!!!
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It’s well-known that tourism spending in Wrexham is on the up.
We’ve partnered with a town centre business providing accommodation to visitors in order to help them carry out a major expansion to their premises.
We’ve provided a loan to The Lemon Tree, Rhosddu Road, to help them fund part of upcoming planned works to build a new extension to their current premises, providing seven new rooms.
The scheme has come about thanks to the Welsh Government’s Town Centre Improvement loan scheme.
The work will begin later this year, and will be complete by the spring of 2020.
Sam Regan, owner of The Lemon Tree, said: “In recent years, the visitor spend in Wrexham has increased significantly, and there is greater demand for accommodation spaces in the town centre.
“At present, we can provide 12 beds, but see fairly consistent demand for accommodation throughout the year. This work will allow us to add seven new bedrooms and expand our business further.
“We’ve been keen to expand the provision of our accommodation offer for some time, but given the scale of the work required, we wouldn’t have been able to raise the capital as a private business, and could only have done so with outside support.
“As such, I’m very grateful to Wrexham Council for the support they’ve provided in the form of the Welsh Government’s Town Centre Improvement loan – this will allow us to carry out much-needed expansion work.”
Sion Wynne, Housing Partnership Officer, said: “This will be the first loan of its kind that we’ve been able to provide, and likely one of the largest loans we’ve ever provided – so it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to provide it to a business like The Lemon Tree.
“The Lemon Tree is right in the heart of Wrexham, and is very well-known in the town as a local business – we’re very pleased that this loan will be able to support and enhance the town centre economy directly.
“And, moreover, the materials and labour supplied for this work will also come from local firms and contractors – that’s a further boost for the local economy outside of the direct expansion of The Lemon Tree.”
Cllr Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economic Performance and Regeneration, said “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to support The Lemon Tree with this loan, and would encourage any businesses considering expansion work to get in touch with our Housing and Economy Department.
“There will be criteria that would need to be satisfied in respect of any loan, but we would encourage businesses to discuss their options with us and see what sort of support is available.”
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Young women from across North Wales are being invited to apply for the chance to find out what it’s like working as a local Council Leader, with a unique one-day shadowing opportunity.
Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, has teamed up with Chwarae Teg to take part in its #LeadHerShip project, which aims to ensure that women become better represented in such decision making roles and public life.
Run by the gender equality charity, #LeadHerShip is open to women aged 18-25 who feel passionate about politics and are interested in finding out how decisions regarding local communities are made. Applications can be made online until the end of September.
The #LeadHerShip day itself will include one-to-one time with Cllr Pritchard and his staff, to help participants learn more about the day-to-day work of the Council Leader and how local government makes decisions for people in Wales.
Emma Tamplin, Chwarae Teg, said:
“Women are notably absent from decision-making roles in Wales, particularly at a local level. Currently women make up only 18% of Council Leaders and 28% of local councillors in Wales. Improving young women’s engagement with politics at a local level is key to increasing future representation.
“#LeadHerShip aims is to give young women a real insight into the political opportunities available to them and to inspire a generation of female leaders. We will only be able to truly address all of the issues we face as a society, when we have diverse representatives that reflect our communities.
“Gender should not get in the way of aspirations. It is so important that girls and young women grow up in the knowledge that they will be encouraged to realise their goals, and that as decision-makers they will be respected.”
Wrexham County Borough Council Leader, Cllr Mark Pritchard, said:
“I welcome the opportunity for myself and the authority to host successful #LeadHerShip participants. I hope it will play a part in giving more women and girls in Wales the chance to see what it’s like working in politics, show them that they have the potential to be leaders and hopefully give them the confidence to consider a political career. We need to make sure that we’re encouraging our younger generations to aim high and feel they have the potential to make changes.
“Councils are responsible for local education, care services, leisure facilities, taking care of our streets and environment, local housing and developing business in our regions. Decisions made in these areas affect the day-to-day lives of women across Wales, therefore it is crucial they are given a platform where they can get their voices heard and play an important part in shaping the future.”
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Former Mayor, Cllr Andy Williams and his wife and former Mayoress, Bev Williams, both had a very busy year in office last year and their final act to mark their year in office was to hand over cheques to their nominated charities 🙂
They attended almost 500 events during their year and raised over £30,000 and nominated a further £15,000 which saw his chosen charities receive over £45,000.
Blood Bikes – purchase of a blood bike of £14,000 see picture below
Wrexham and District Orchestral Society
The Katie Piper Foundation
Garden Village, Andy’s local ward, will also benefit from a defibrillator in the near future.
“Amazing Year!”
Andy said: “It was an amazing year! Being the Mayor and holding down a full time job was extremely tiring but it was so rewarding. Bev and I met so many inspirational and committed people over our 12 months that it would be impossible to mention them and to thank them all individually. Wrexham is an incredible town full of amazing people and history and we were both honoured and privileged to be Mayor and Mayoress for the year. I am very grateful to everyone that supported our charities to give us the final sum distributed to local charities of over £45,000. An amazing achievement and a credit to all the people, organisations and groups that supported us. Thank you everyone!”
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Did you know that in Wales around 20,000 more people are going to be needed by 2030 to work in care? That’s employment for carers that’s flexible, can fit in with family and circumstances and is very rewarding.
Here in Wrexham we support children, young people and vulnerable adults as well as their families and carers. The support comes from a range of roles to help individuals live as safely and independently as possible.
We provide care directly to individuals in a range of settings, from supporting people in their own homes with day to day living tasks, to accompanying individuals to day centres or activity groups, taking them swimming or visiting the cinema, to caring for people with complex health needs in residential homes or supported accommodation.
Each role in Social Care offers a variety of challenges and rewards and offers training and development opportunities for you if you wish to support people to get the most from their lives and enable them to be part of their communities.
We work with a number of contracted partners who support the authority by providing social care services to individuals living in Wrexham.
We work with partners to provide our social care and you can find out if there’s one near you and what’s available on the following link:
https://www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/links/links_social_care_partnership.htm We Care Wales has a fantastic website that has videos, information and advice direct from those working in the care industry right now. It’s worth a look and we’re sure you’ll find something to suit your personal circumstances.
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