Cllr Ronnie Prince was elected as Mayor of Wrexham on May 25, and we caught up with Cllr Prince recently as he settles into his new role to give residents a chance to know a little bit more about him.
Cllr Prince said: “I am a Wrexham born lad and have lived here all my life. I am a proud father of five children and grandfather to eleven. I attended Alexandra and Bromfield schools then went onto Yale College. I then served an apprenticeship at T.E.Roberts and qualified as an electronic engineer. I am also a keep fit instructor.”
He has a number of hobbies, which stems from a piece of advice he received in is childhood. He told us: “Growing up my mother always said to me ‘Ronnie, everyone needs a hobby to keep their mind occupied’. I always listen to my mum, hence my hobbies now include keeping fit, boxercise, jogging, country walks and cycling. I’m also a self-taught artist/painter (see image for examples of his work) and I’m a collector of trilby hats.”
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Cllr Prince represents the Cartrefle ward of Caia Park and he shared how he first became involved in politics. He said: “I got interested in local politics after I successfully campaigned to save a local gymnastic centre, which was based here in the Cartrefle ward, from being closed down. I got elected as the chairman of the gymnastics club on the day we received notification to vacate the premises because the land where we were based was going to be redeveloped.
“A high profile campaign to save the club lasted for about 18 months. The constant press and TV coverage of our fight for survival paid off. We then applied for lottery funding and set up a top gymnastics centre for the children of Wrexham. A number of the gymnasts went on to represent Wales in competitions including my eldest son.”
Cllr Prince spoke about his family roots in Wrexham, which date back many years. He told us: “My ancestor Edward Prince was head carpenter at Erddig Hall in 1792. A painting of Edward, done at the time of his service, is still on display at Erddig Hall.”
Also, sadly, his grandfather (William Prince) and his great grandfather (Mark Prince) were two of the victims of the Gresford Collery Disaster of 1934, which claimed the lives of 266 men from Wrexham and the surrounding areas.
Cllr Prince told of his excitement around the future of Wrexham Football Club after the recent investment from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and even jokingly offered his services to the team. He said: “Wrexham FC is on the up with great expectations now Hollywood has come to town. Everyone here will get behind the team for sure. If they are ever in desperate need of a striker with a couple of dodgy knees, count me in.”
Asked for some final words, Cllr Prince stated: “It is a great honour and a real privilege to be elected to the position of Mayor of Wrexham, the town I was born and raised in. Wrexham is a great town with a lot of wonderful people. I look forward to the coming year with great enthusiasm. All the best to the people of Wrexham.”
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