Offa Community News Summer 2015
Offa Community Council
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news Have you got what it takes to be a School Governor? A governing body provides core support to the school. From overseeing financial performance, school standards and strategic direction, as governors we are there to help improve the life chances of children. As a church school, St Giles’ VC Church in Wales Primary School has strong links with St. Giles’ Parish Church. The Governors meet at least once a term (three times a year). We also use sub-committees to look at more detailed aspects of the work (i.e. pupil performance, the curriculum, staffing, finance and premises) and advise on decisions. At St. Giles’ we have a strong, skilled governing body and we currently have a community vacancy. We are keen to retain the current skill mix, so we are hoping to find someone with legal experience to join our team. All governing bodies need committed and enthusiastic people with relevant skills. Training can be provided, and there are many sources of advice and support available. The main benefit of being a school governor is the personal satisfaction you will get from being involved in the most important volunteering role in education. You really can make a difference to the future of our children. Would you like to join us? If so please contact us the school on 01978 318880, or I can be emailed on Chair@stgiles-pri.wrexham.sch.uk. Jane Redfern Jones
Calling local community groups Santander’s Community Plus provides grants of up to £5,000 for small local charities or local projects of national charities with funding available to cover salaries, equipment or materials. Grants must directly help disadvantaged people in the local area. This year so far three local groups have benefited - £1,200 Wrexham branch of the National Autistic Society; £2,400 Llangollen Railway Trust; and £2,000 Powys Carers Service. To find out more about grants available, pop into Santander on Regent Street in Wrexham. Email your news and stories for inclusion in our magazine or for our website to webmaster@offacommunitycouncil.gov.uk.
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news Welcome to Offa Garden A new community garden area has just been constructed in Hightown at the entrance to the Wales and West Housing Estate off Kingsmills Road. Funded by Offa Community Council the project was constructed by Cambria Maintenance part of Wales and West Housing who have also agreed to undertake the future maintenance of the site. A Tidy Towns grant from WCBC provided the funding to purchase the plants and planting was carried out by representatives from Offa Community Council assisted by staff from the National Trust and local residents. Offa Community Council Chairman John Williams thanked everyone involved in the project which has produced such an attractive feature as you enter the Offa Community and also provided a lovely community garden area for local residents.
Bradley Road Evangelical Baptist Church Tuesdays 9.30 to 11.00am Little Ones/ Rhal Bach Playgroup. For parents/ grandparents/carers and pre-school children. £1.00 per session (first session free). A relaxed time of play and chat with each other, lots of toys and activities, songs and refreshments for children and adults. Cover photograph: ‘Music in the Park’ at Bellevue Park
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St Giles’ Church news
The Babes in the Pew session each Wednesday runs from 10-11.30am, and provides a pleasant opportunity for parents and babies to spend time together. New members are always welcome, and it is worth noting that the sessions continue during the school holidays.
A warm welcome awaits you at our All Age Worship Why not come to St Giles’ and try our new style of worship. *Lasts about 35 minutes *Lots to join in *Tea, coffee and soft drinks
All welcome 9.30am on the second Sunday each month. For more information call 01978 358808 Or better still, just come along and give us a try!
Follow St Giles’ Church on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/stgileschurch.wrexham
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St Giles’ Church news The Rev. Dr. Jason Bray was recently appointed to be Vicar of St Giles’ Church, a historic moment in the life of this ancient place of worship, since after 40 years St Giles’ is recognised again for its central role as a Town Centre Parish Church. Dr Bray, who has two teenage sons, is keen to develop and enhance this profile of St Giles’, and to maintain its historic civic and military connections whilst building new ones within the business, educational, family and individual lives of the town. As well as the usual services, St Giles’ holds an All Age service at 9.30am on the second Sunday of each month. This is a relaxed gathering of young families, with some songs and a short talk, and lasts about half an hour. Everyone is welcome. St Giles’ musical life continues to thrive, with a number of events scheduled for the coming months. During the summer there will be concerts on Sunday afternoons, followed by tea, and Llangollen visiting choirs will be singing during and after the 11am Eucharist on 5th and 12th of July. Information about these and all events, plus answers to any other enquiries, can be obtained by emailing stgiles.wrexhambenefice@gmail.com or phoning 01978 355808. Picture shows Rev. Dr. Jason Bray blessing the bounds of St Giles Church on Rogation Sunday.
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walk Located on the southern edge of Wrexham and only minutes away from the town centre, Erddig Country Park is a haven of peace and natural beauty. 1. From the dovecote, walk back along the driveway with the house on your right. After the Coachman's Cottage with its tea-garden (open to non-members) turn right and then head down towards the Cup and saucer. 2. On your left you will see the cup and saucer waterfall where Black Brook drops quickly through a weir constructed in 1775. The nearby dam was built in 1899 to lift spring water to Erddig Hall. Follow the path over the bridge under which flows the Black Brook. 3. Continue along the path until you reach the next bridge. Turn right leading onto the pathway with the River Clywedog flowing to your right. 4. Continue along this riverside path with the meadow and lake on your left. 5. When you reach the slush gates by the weir, take the small path to your left leading towards Sontley car park. 6. Enter the car park and head to your left into Coed y Glyn Wood. Coed-yGlyn Wood is a haven for wildlife including badgers, foxes, owls and kestrels. There are also many old trees, mainly oak and beech, but also some more unusual species such as field maple and hornbeam. 7. Follow the path until you reach the kissing gate. Cross over Erddig Road into Court Wood. 8. At the end of the path turn left through the gate at the end across the river into Felin Puleston village. This village was once a thriving community Shoemakers, grocers, pipemakers, coachmakers and maltsters all lived in the village. Up until the 1930s there were fifty or more of these pretty stone cottages all owned by the Yorkes. Eventually all the cottages except the one you see today, now owned by the National Trust, were demolished. 9. At Felin Puleston go through the gate on your left back into the country park. 10. Continue along the path through two sets of kissing gates until you get to the stone bridge. 11. Turn right at the bridge back onto the path heading towards the Cup and saucer. Continue up the path back to the main drive and return to the Dovecote. Jane Redfern Jones Easy terrain—approx. 4 miles. Start from dovecote near main Erddig Hall car park.
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history: when pupils ruled! The 1920s were characterised by strikes, most famously the General Strike of 1926, but there was only one strike in Wrexham which was different to all the others – the pupils’ strike of 1921. Early that year it became known that Mr Job Mason was to retire as the Church of England National School (now known as St Giles) on Madeira Hill. Originally from Birmingham, he was first appointed to the post in 1886 and also served as an Alderman and Mayor of Wrexham. It appears that everyone believed that he would be succeeded by his deputy, Mr Jones, but those in authority had other ideas, and a Mr C. Brunner of Stratford-on-Avon was brought in, a complete outsider. This was not well received by either parents or pupils and, whether it was because of the mood of the times, or simply a spontaneous reaction, the pupils decided to go on strike in protest. They walked out on January 24 th. This is part of the account: “When the news that Mr Jones had not been appointed became known, a very general feeling of indignation was manifested by parents of the children in the Hightown district …. The strike began on Monday morning, when about twenty-five children left school. In the afternoon the number grew to 150 … By Tuesday the number of strikers increased to nearly 300, and the boys spent the day parading the town, singing and cheering, visiting the Guildhall Square and other public places.” As with any newsworthy happening in the town, the local press was on hand to interview the key players: “A spokesman for the youthful strikers said that if Mr. Jones was good enough to fight for them in the war, he was good enough to teach them in the future!” Clearly they felt that their loyalty to him after his sacrifices for them was the least they could do. Eventually the dispute was resolved, and Job Mason was succeeded by Captain J. Jarvis Jones R.A. who had served in the 1914-18 war, and who remained headmaster until 1932, but his appointment had not been without drama of an unprecedented kind and one that made for lively headlines in the Wrexham Leader. By Offa councillor David R. Jones
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virtual wrexham Wrexham Business Group is a group of business people which represents the interests of the business community in Wrexham and the surrounding area with the aim of helping to make Wrexham a vibrant and attractive place in which to do business. The Group meets quarterly and members include representatives from Retail; Legal; Estate Agency; Finance; Restaurant - Bar Night Time Economy; Wholesale; Property Ownership; Taxi; and Creative Sector. The Group has been able to support members in relation to commercial rates, helping some members to gain reductions. The Group engages with The Welsh Assembly over issues that affect business in Wrexham and has made formal representations to Wrexham CBC regarding Council managed car parks and the need to extend the maximum parking duration. The Group has also suggested innovative ways to attract shoppers to Wrexham’s car parks which support business and employment in the town. Communication between business and agencies is key to the success of any town and members are involved in The Town Centre Forum and the Healthy High Streets’ campaign. Membership is open to any business within the Wrexham CBC area. If you would like to make a positive impact and help Wrexham grow its business community, the Group would love to hear from you - for details contact admin@wrexhambusinessgroup.com.
Why do we shake hands? Historically, gentlemen would frequently carry swords as you could never be quite sure who your friends were. When about to engage in combat they would unsheathe their weapons using their right hand, as the sword was carried in a scabbard on their left hip. When meeting someone who was a ‘friend’ they would show that they meant them no harm by presenting their right hand, away from the left hip, palm open – to confirm they were not holding a weapon. From: The Bluffer's Guide to Etiquette (Bluffer's Guides) by William Hanson
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bargain hunting Mention our Seasons and we usually tend to think Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. However in this country we usually have a few more seasons to add to that list. Take the football season, tennis season, salad season etc. Everybody has their favorites. Me, I love the car-boot season! April to September, maybe longer with weather permitting! Every Sunday the fields of Bryn-y-Grog come alive with hundreds of people buying and selling. £5 per car, a little extra for a caravan or trailer, and you can de-clutter and make some pocket money. Or just enjoy a wander picking up bits and pieces you didn’t really think you needed or could live without. “Everything for 50p or fill a bag for £1” is music to the ears of a serious car -booter as well as a 7am start. Thanks to the Antique Road Show and similar type programmes we would all like to find that valuable item that could put some extra pounds into our purse. I read now that certain old VHS video tapes have become a bit of a money maker with some fetching up to £1,000, however they must be very few and far between. Just in case though, I will make sure I manage a good root around next time I find myself on a field surrounded by old boxes of years old videos. Speculating, I might even have a rummage through a few old music cassettes while I am at it. Faces without names become familiar over the years in one big all weather open air market! Toys, books, clothes and everything you can imagine can usually be found for little cost. Everybody loves a bargain, me included. Can you imagine going into one of the big supermarkets, filling your trolley, and asking if they will take such and such for your selected items? Nevertheless supermarkets do have their own rummage section, with their ‘sell by’ bargains in a state of mismatch piled in some aisle section. The possibilities of paying what we can afford may not be such a weird concept when I read how our shopping attitudes are, apparently, changing. Car-booting may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I wouldn’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried. Happy hunting! Margot Wicksted
Communities First Call in to see us at either office: Caia Park : You can find us in the Blue Building in Caia Park Partnership, Prince Charles Road. Hightown . We are still in Luke O’ Connor House, Barter Court on the Barracksfield Estate.
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summer in bellevue park Free sport and games sessions in the Park Wrexham Councils Sports development team are running special sports and games sessions through the summer holidays on each Wednesday afternoon(1pm to 3pm) at Bellevue. The events are aimed at 8-14 year olds, and are a wonderful opportunity for children to have a go at playing different sports such as rugby, football, cricket and rounders. The first session is on Wednesday 22nd July, meet at the bandstand. Tel 01978 298997 for details.
Other summer events in the park: Tree Walk. Thursday 25 June Bellevue Park. Join Wrexham’s Senior Tree Officer to have a look at the Bellevue’s huge variety of interesting trees. 10am All Ages Free. Offa Carnival. Saturday 4 July Bellevue Park. Community Carnival with a range of attractions. 11.00am – 3.00pm Free entry. Colour Crowns. Tuesday 4 August. Bellevue Park. Make your own fancy crown! Meet by the play area. 1.30pm – 3.30pm All Ages £2.50. Tennis Coaching. Thursday 6 August Bellevue Park. Learn from a qualified coach. At the courts. 1.30pm – 3.30pm 6-14 Free. Tricky Tree Trail. Tuesday 25 August Bellevue Park. Meet near the play area for a leafy tree quest. 1.30pm – 3.30pm All ages £2.50. For further details please contact Bellevue Park on 01978 264150.
Luke O Connor House Resource Centre The main room can be hired Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm or evenings. At weekends it can be hired between 9am and 5pm and is suitable for children’s parties etc. To book please contact Councillor John Williams on 290767 or Mrs Karen Benfield, Clerk to the Council on 291562.
The people and homes charity in Wales
Support line : 0845 075 5005
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music in the park 2015 The ever popular ‘Music in the Park’ summer concerts are returning to Bellevue Park for the 13th year. The concerts which run from 7pm to 9pm on Fridays are free, with many people bringing along a picnic to the park to enjoy the balmy summer evenings listening to live music. The events are hosted by the Friends of Bellevue in partnership with Wrexham County Borough Council. The concerts all take place from the Edwardian Bandstand in the award winning park, which is situated close to Wrexham Town Centre. The seasons kicks off on Friday June 26th with local Jazz band Jazzectomy followed by Tobacco Rd on July 10th, Mudslide on July 17th, Wall Street Krash on 31st July, finishing with 5 past 40 on Friday July 31st. For further details please contact Bellevue Park on 01978 264150. Friday 26 June Friday 10 July Friday 17 July Friday 24 July Friday 31 July
7pm-9pm 7pm-9pm 7pm-9pm 7pm-9pm 7pm-9pm
- Jazzectomy -Tobacco road - Mudslide - Wall Street Crash - 5past40
All the bands perform on the Edwardian bandstand, everyone welcome!
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wrexham museum For a number of years I have enjoyed volunteering as a gallery guide at Wrexham’s museum located in the old Police Station on Regent Street. For those who have not yet ventured in, it is a place of interest for all ages. Completed in 1857 for the Denbighshire Militia, to the design of Thomas Penson the younger (who was also responsible for High Street’s Market Hall and the old British School in Brook Street) the building later became the Police Headquarters and Magistrates’ Court until they left in 1977. For a while it was used by the Art College before being opened on 30 September 1996 as the Wrexham County Borough Museum. It re-opened on 14 February 2011 after an extensive refurbishment which enabled the more valuable items from the collections to be displayed. Beyond the souvenirs, books, and coffee shop, are the Community Cases whose contents are chosen by various schools and community groups, for example, the museum’s ‘Young Volunteers’ (those aged ten to fifteen). The main gallery focuses on Wrexham itself, beginning with the earliest exhibit, a Neolithic axe-head. The star of the bronze-age period is, of course, Brymbo Man; press a button and you can come ‘face-to-face’ with him courtesy of Dr Caroline Wilkinson’s reconstruction. Display cases feature a socketed axe-head from Rossett; Roman coins – the sharp-eyed may be able to read the names of the Roman Emperors – Roman artefacts (including a roof tile with a paw print), and mediaeval coins from Llay. Find out about Wrexham through the ages with the ‘Wrexham: Your Town’ touch-screen, one of nine around the museum, or listen to living history in the Hippodrome’ as local residents talk about their memories of the area:
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wrexham museum how many know, for example, that the late Noel Murless, the trainer of the Queen’s horses, had Wrexham connections? Younger visitors can play ‘historical’ snakes and ladders, with magnetic counters on a colourful board, or build a three-dimensional Holt Castle to see how it may have looked in the 1300s (and why not visit the real thing today?) They can also follow the trail of Rex the Wrexham Dog (one of the original four dogs of 1820 that graced the top of the gateway to Acton Hall) as he noses his way around the town sniffing the smells of Victorian Wrexham. Lift the flaps for a variety of experiences from the Cocoa Rooms to the Breweries to the Town Ditch! Gallery Two showcases items from the collections of the National Library of Wales and National Museum of Wales, while Gallery Three hosts touring and special exhibitions, such as the Mold Gold Cape which visited from the British Museum. The displays in these galleries keep changing, so keep an eye out for the latest events. There is also a display of plaques acknowledging supporters of the museum including one from Offa Community Council. So, as the summer holidays approach, and children may be stuck for something to do, why not visit the museum and enjoy learning more about Wrexham’s past. By Offa councillor David R. Jones
Museum Opening Times: Monday - Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm Saturday: 11:00am - 4:00pm. Contact Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives on 01978 297460 or email museum@wrexham.gov.uk.
Bryn's Buddies: Wrexham Museum's history club for children aged 7 - 11 years. Each session we travel back in time to discover and explore. Booking one month in advance is essential. Suitable for ages 7 – 11. Price: £3 per child. Find more out about Bryn's Buddies, events and exhibitions at the museum at: www.wrexham.gov.uk/english/heritage/events.cfm
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erddig
Follow Erddig on Twitter: @ErddigNT And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ErddigNT
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erddig Erddig has been delving into the archives to explore the past and inviting everyone to share their special Erddig memories as part of their living history project. Launched on Valentine’s day, hundreds of visitors have completed a luggage label with their special Erddig memory or shared their story online as part of a competition to win a family ticket to see The Secret Garden outdoor theatre. Old memories of our last squire Philip Yorke III whizzing around town on his penny farthing reign supreme followed closely by the new memories carved out by young adventurers in Wolf’s Den natural play area. Former Heritage Learning Officer Jill Burton has lots of memories of Erddig, including meeting Philip Yorke III, but she said: “The best must be the day I made lemonade in the Erddig kitchen for the Prince of Wales - and he drank it!” • Do you have a memory of visiting Erddig to share? Or perhaps you met Erddig’s last squire, a man who once met was rarely forgotten? • Help us bring these stories to life and continue the Yorke family tradition of recording and preserving memories of Erddig and its remarkable story for future generations. • Visit Erddig to share your memories or see how stories already shared are transforming the property this year. If you have a memory to share you can also email the team at erddigmemories@nationaltrust.org.uk or share it on social media using #erddigmemories.
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events For events at Bellevue Park see page 10. Wrexham Heritage Fair 04/07/2015 11am - 4pm One jam packed day of history, featuring exhibitions and activities by local heritage groups, heroic living re-enactments, stimulating talks and tours, plus activities especially for the little ones. For full programme details see www.wrexhamstory.co.uk - Wrexham Heritage Forum Free, At Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives. 360 Networking Meeting 14/07/2015 5:00pm - 6:45pm Businesslines 360 Networking group offers a relaxed, friendly and no pressure opportunity to: Meet and form relationships with local business professionals, Promote your products and services, Listen to presentations covering a diverse range of business topics. Discover more about the 360 Networking group via the following web-page: www.wrexham.gov.uk/360-networking or book your place to attend this meeting via our online booking form: www.wrexham.gov.uk/360-attend. Venue: Gresford Memorial Hall, off High Street, Gresford, Wrexham, LL12 8PS. Free guest pass, £5 casual member, £48 annual membership. Summer Scenic Landscapes : 21/07/2015 1.30pm -3.30pm. Make lovely tissue landscape pictures. Drop in at the Bowling Pavilion. Venue: Ponciau Banks. Price: £2.50. Clay Creatures 22/07/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Fun with Clay. Venue: Alyn Waters Country Park. Price: £2.50. Dancing dragonflies 23/07/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm Make a big beautiful bug to take home. Venue: Ty Mawr Country Park. Price: £2.50. Sports and games sessions 23/07/2015 1pm - 3pm. Meet by the playground on the Llay side for lots of fun Tel: 01978 298997 for details. Venue: Alyn Waters Country Park. Ages 8-14. Free. Design a Hieroglyph 23/07/2015 1pm - 4pm. Combining the skill of an Egyptian scribe with the artistry of JC Edwards, design your own hieroglyph and paint it on a tile to take home. Free. Venue: Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives. Beautiful Butterflies 28/07/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm Create a colourful butterfly. Venue: Nant Mill Country park. All Ages. Price: £2.50.
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events Professional BMX Coaching 28/07/2015 10.00 am - 3.30pm. Bring a packed lunch Limited spaces. Tel: 01978 844028 to book in advance. Venue: Ponciau Banks. Age 7+ Price: £3.00. Animal Magnets 29/07/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Create a colourful magnet creature. Venue: Alyn Waters Country park. All Ages. Price: £2.50. The Big Dee Invasion-Balsam pull up 29/07/2015 1pm - 3.30pm. Join up with the rangers and volunteers to help remove the alien plants that are damaging our river banks and native habitats. Gloves provided. Meet at the visitor centre at 1pm or on the riverbank until 3.30pm. Venue: Ty Mawr Country park. Bersham Ironworks Guided Tours 29/07/2015 Time: 10.30am - 12 noon. Made famous by John 'Iron Mad' Wilkinson, a leading figure in the Industrial Revolution, the once noisy Bersham Ironworks now nestles quietly in the attractive Clywedog Valley, two miles outside Wrexham in North East Wales. Tours start at Bersham Ironworks. Free. Clay cockerels and pottery pigs! 30/07/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Make a clay farm creature to take home. Ty Mawr Country Park. All Ages. Price: £2.50 History Alive! featuring Bersham Veteran and Vintage Rally 02/08/2015 11am - 4pm. Enjoy the spectacle of Wrexham's only annual living history festival. Soldiers of the Union and the Confederacy will bring the American Civil War to life to mark the 150th anniversary of the surrender of General Lee's Confederate Army to General Grant. Admission: Adults £5, Concessions £4, Children £1. Venue: Bersham Ironworks. Price: Adults £5, Concessions £4, Children £1 Broughton evening walk 05/08/2015 7pm. Meet at the Golf Club House, Moss Road ( LL11 6HA) 7pm 4 miles 2 hours No dogs . Inclines, grassland, stile and steps .Tel: 01978 292057 for details. All Ages. Free. Pebble painting 11/08/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Create your own perfect paperweight. Venue: Nant Mill Country park. All Ages. Price: £2.50 Natural Picture frame 12/08/2015 1.30pm - 3.30pm. Create a colourful frame. Venue: Alyn Waters Country Park. All Ages. Price: £2.50. For more events visit: http://tinyurl.com/wrexhamevents15
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children
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Children
Mr Mallard from Erddig has lost his colour. Can you help him find it and colour him in before Mrs Mallard finds out?
Brickfield Rangers FC Football for All Free fun football in the community social inclusion sessions. For boys and girls of all abilities aged 4-11 every Saturday 10am-12noon. At: Ysgol Clywedog Sports Hall. All coaches are FAW/UEFA Qualified. Call Paul on 01978 753186 www.brickfieldrangersfc.co.uk Follow Brickfield Rangers FC on Twitter @BrickfieldRFC and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brickfield.rangers Magazine edited and published by Jane Redfern Jones. www.janeredfernjones.co.uk with support from Karen Benfield (Clerk to the Council). Send items for insertion to webmaster@offacommunitycouncil.gov.uk or post to the address on page 2.
Offa Community Council Contact Us: Karen Benfield, Clerk to the Council: 01978 291562
clerk@offacommunitycouncil.gov.uk www.offacommunitycouncil.gov.uk