Pictures by Mandy Jones
Business leaders have been urged to get behind Wrexham’s bid to become UK City of Culture in 2029.
The plea came from Wrexham Council’s chief executive, Ian Bancroft, who said it was vital to make the most of the city’s “time in the sunshine during a once in a generation moment”.
The Hollywood spotlight turned on Wrexham thanks to A-listers Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds taking over Wrexham AFC “turbocharged” the city's economy to levels which would never have been possible before.
Amongst other things tourism income had soared by 20 per cent, Kellogg’s were creating 130 new jobs with a £75 million investment at their Wrexham site and new businesses were springing up across the city, he said.
Mr Bancroft was speaking at a business breakfast meeting at Wrexham University’s William Aston Hall.
The meeting was organised by Theatr Clwyd, who operate the venue, in conjunction with the university.
It was hosted by Liam Evans-Ford, the executive director and CEO of Theatr Clwyd, and supported by Wrexham Business Professionals which represents the local business community.
According to Mr Bancroft, the success of Disney’s Welcome to Wrexham TV series had given the city global appeal.
Wrexham had lost out on a previous City of Culture bid but the city was now an “international brand”.
He said:
“You never win City of Culture in the UK unless you bid previously.
“Wales has never won City of Culture, so we will be bidding in 2029, and I think the signs are pretty good.
“We have an independent company established now to run the City of Culture bid and have a base level of funding.
“It is significant because immediately it will bring in at least £10 million worth of capital funding from national governments alongside a whole range of events nationally coming into Wrexham.
“So the one thing I would ask is for everybody to coalesce around those opportunities during that bidding year next year for City of Culture.
“For all of us who are part of Wrexham, we just need to grab hold of the moment that we are in.
“Our economic model is really interesting, and quite unique. It is about understanding the power of culture and understanding the power of sport.
“Basically in Wrexham, what is happening at the moment is sport and culture are bringing in a range of visitors who are spending money in the city.
“And that is upping our tourism figures. They are up 50 per cent pre-Covid to post-Covid, and they are up 20 per cent from last year to this year.
“As a result we are then seeing tourism investments opening in places like Hotel Wrexham, opening in places like Hickory’s.
“We are seeing people purchase properties. A number of properties close to the football ground and around the city centre are going to people who want to be here for match days in terms of the football club.
“And we are seeing hotels and other residential and commercial developments happen on the back of that.
“That in turn is attracting business investment and business growth and we have the National Eisteddfod coming to Wrexham in 2025.
“The creative industries are central to our success. They create a sense of fun, enjoyment, the ability to play and the ability to think out the box.
“They are part of Wrexham’s history and identity.”
Mr Bancroft praised Theatr Clwyd for launching business breakfasts in Wrexham. He said:
“It is our networks which create growth, it is our networks which create confidence, and it is our networks which mean we make connections with people that we value to do business with in the future.
“So, on that basis, it’s really brilliant to see Theatr Clwyd bringing their business breakfasts approach to Wrexham and to William Aston Hall.
“This venue is so critical in terms of our aspirations moving forward.”
The meeting also heard from Wrexham University Vice Chancellor Professor Joe Yates.
Professor Yates, a Liverpudlian, said his home city’s success at being named 2008 European Capital of Culture brought significant benefits.
He said:
“It was just such a big moment in terms of the renaissance of Liverpool.
“I think Liverpool did it very well and you can see the legacy of that today.
“There’s moments in time where these opportunities open up and this is a moment for Wrexham.
“The question is what are we collectively going to do about it.”
He urged businesses in the region to approach the university and let it know how it can work with them to help them meet their skills and employment needs.
He said:
“We are your university, we are in North East Wales and we committed to meet the needs of business.”
The final guest speaker was Gareth Boyd from Walking Food Tours UK which runs walking food tours in Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Chester and Liverpool.
Louise Harper from Wrexham Business Professionals, said:
“There’s so many exciting things happening in and around Wrexham right now and through networking opportunities, local firms and residents can really benefit.
“It’s always useful to receive insights from business and education leaders.”
Ian Edwards from Wrexham Business Professionals added:
“William Aston Hall is such an important venue for Wrexham and for North East Wales.
“The venue, along with Theatr Clwyd, plays a vital role for our region’s creative industries.”
