Wrexham Projects
Funded by UK Government via the ‘Levelling Up’ programme; back in February we invited organisations to apply for a share in the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), for projects in Wrexham. And we were pleased to have received over 100 applications for funding.
As a council we were in charge of distributing the £22,684,205 awarded to us to fund bids that support:
- Community and Place
- Support Local Business
- People and Skills
The final figures for the Wrexham only projects approved are as follows:
| Project Applicant | Project Name | Wrexham SPF Amount |
| The Prince’s Trust Cymru | Pathway to Employment – Wrexham | £261,639.00 |
| Erlas Walled Victorian Garden | Erlas Walled Victorian Garden | £264,375.00 |
| Splash Community Trust | Plas Madoc Leisure Centre Net Zero Project | £340,000.00 |
| Caia Park Partnership | Maps Plus | £357,586.78 |
| Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club | Gwersyllt Park Cricket Club Inclusive Facilities | £500,000.00 |
| Fair Event Management Ltd | Sustainable Large Scale Community Events Calendar for Wrexham County | £500,000.00 |
| WeMindTheGap | Lets change the lives of 1000 young people in Wrexham in 1000 days, together as a community with love and real opportunity. | £510,000.00 |
| Hwb Yr Orsedd Ltd | Hwb Yr Orsedd – Rossett Community Hub | £574,000.00 |
| Cadwyn Clwyd (Lead) & AVOW | Wrexham Community Key Fund | £600,000.00 |
| WCBC | Enhanced business support provision | £870,000.00 |
| The Rainbow Foundation | South Wrexham Community Heritage Inclusion and Resilience Project | £1,215,354.40 |
| WCBC | Welsh Football Museum/Museum of Two Halves | £1,300,000.00 |
| WCBC | Wrexham Community & Place Key Fund | £1,303,223.00 |
| WCBC | Wrexham People and Skills Key fund | £1,303,223.00 |
| North Wales Science | Wrexham City: Empowering a Green Evolution | £1,573,750.00 |
| WCBC | Sites & Premises Feasibility and Capital Grant Key Fund | £1,936,852.00 |
| Wrexham Tennis Centre Ltd | Wrexham Tennis Centre Transformation Project | £2,000,000.00 |
| WCBC | Wrexham Placemaking Plan | £2,146,723.75 |
| Total | £17,556,726.93 |
The projects were selected by a panel made up from a broad range of stakeholders across the community-for example leaders in their field in local business and investment, local partnership and strategic bodies, education and skills providers, faith organisations and WCBC.
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All bids were scrutinised on their strategic fit to the needs and priorities of Wrexham as well as their capability, deliverability and value for money.
Subject to successful talks, the remainder of the funding will be distributed to further non disclosed projects (as we are still in negotiations) as well as covering regional and local administration costs.
North Wales Projects
There are further projects that have applied to multiple Local Authorities in the North Wales area that are still being assessed. To be eligible to apply into the Shared Prosperity Fund across North Wales, projects had to be strategic to maximise impact and deliverability, with a minimum total value of £250,000 of UKSPF (either through a single authority or multi authority application). We will update on this once assessments have been completed and decisions have been made on the awarding of funding.
Key Funds
To enable local businesses, organisations and communities seeking smaller amounts of support to access UKSPF funds; most local authorities looked to establish local intermediary funds, providing a simplified application, approval and monitoring regime.
There are several such ‘key funds’ applications in Wrexham County Borough that have been approved. These intermediary funds will enable local businesses, organisations and communities seeking smaller amounts of support to access UKSPF funding and provide a simplified application, approval and monitoring regime.
We are aiming to have our key funds application process up and running by September 2023, and the SPF webpage will be updated with further details in due course – Shared Prosperity Fund: North Wales | Wrexham County Borough Council www.wrecsam.gov.uk/CronfaFfyniantGyffredin
Distribution areas for key funds
Wrexham County Borough Council – Wrexham Community & Place Key Fund – To create a Key Fund to enable smaller community / charitable organisations to access UKSPF in support of grassroots projects that enhance local communities and improve opportunities for the people living there. The Key Fund would be available County Borough wide for grants between £2,000 and £125,000
Wrexham County Borough Council – Sites & Premises Feasibility and Capital Grant Key Fund – This Key Fund will provide revenue and capital grants to inform sites, premises and business development within Wrexham. Aimed at current property owners, prospective developers, businesses and investors the key fund will provide financial support to access a wide range of design, feasibility and viability studies to inform new innovative approaches on the reuse of properties and de-risking of brownfield sites in order to stimulate inward investment and Wrexham County Borough’s economy. The key fund would also provide capital grants for tangible pieces of work and actions to be delivered in the real world, via specific outputs as identified in funded or existing feasibility studies. The feasibility and capital grants will require an element of match funding.
Wrexham County Borough Council – Enhanced business support provision – The delivery of a new, up to 50%, match funded business grant scheme (awarded as a reimbursement), with funding (of up to £50,000) being made available to financially viable pre-start and existing Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s). The initiative would encourage businesses to back themselves, whilst providing financial assistance towards eligible investments.
Wrexham County Borough Council – Wrexham People and Skills Key fund – To create a Key Fund to enable smaller community / charitable organisations to access UKSPF in support of grassroots projects that deliver learning and skills to address economic inactivity, barriers to work improve opportunities for the people living there. The Key Fund would be available County Borough wide for grants between £2,000 and £125,000.
Cadwyn Clwyd & AVOW – This project will support community led and / or community owned venues / facilities / spaces / groups to develop, strengthen and enhance community infrastructure and community-based projects. The Key Fund will support (i) smaller projects £2,000 to £10,000, and (ii) larger projects £10,000 £50,000 (larger amounts can be considered whereby projects can demonstrate they can deliver multiple benefits). More details will be available nearer the launch date.
Wrexham County Borough Council Leader, Cllr Mark Pritchard said: “These projects will deliver a measurable positive impact amongst the communities that they serve throughout the City of Wrexham. “I look forward to seeing the successful bids come to fruition.”
