we’re going to be looking at the community gardens which have been created in Wrexham
As one of the Low Carbon Communities in Wrexham
Rhosllanerchrugog Community Council has been working with the Decarbonisation and Open Spaces Teams to create a community garden and Tiny Forest on a redundant space at Penygraig in Rhos
the garden helps local people learn the benefits of growing their own
and enjoying the fruits and vegetables cultivated in the space
With the support of Rhosllanerchrugog Community Council a redundant space has been revitalised and a fully accessible garden has been created with several raised beds and some fruiting trees and bushes
Being a larger site there is plenty of scope for further development and there are some ambitious plans with proposals for more raised beds
increased tree-planting and a wildflower meadows along with a small orchard
Lead Member for Housing and Climate Champion
residents can grow their knowledge and awareness of how easy it is to support nature and grow your own vegetables
herbs and fruits as well as harvesting rainwater and creating compost
“You can learn some great skills that will help to combat climate change and then share these with others
The community garden is a great asset for the community.”
Local councillor Steve Joe Jones said: “The local community has been at the very forefront of giving this piece of land a new lease of life
and the garden is proving to be a wonderful place to spend time for everyone
People are getting the chance to learn skills around growing their own plants
and in doing so they are supporting nature.”
Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF)
Groundwork North Wales has supported the creation of the site and – along with Incredible Edible – has been working with the community to get started on some early planting
Groundwork is currently running sessions for people to get involved and learn new skills on Wednesdays between 10am-12pm
All are welcome and if you want to take part, you’ll need to pre-book via email or you can call 01978 757524
Funded by Welsh Government through the Heritage Lottery and delivered in partnership with Woodworks CIC
the community garden hosts one of the four new and innovative
small but mighty Tiny Forests being created in Wrexham
with 600 trees planted densely in the previously prepared ground of a tennis-court size plot
The current group is looking for people to get help with looking after the garden, and if you want to get involved there is an active WhatsApp group you can join
If you have some good ideas for activities that could support Rhos as a Low Carbon Community, please get in touch
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For our third instalment of interesting things about places in Wrexham County Borough
we’re focusing on Rhosllanerchrugog – or ‘Rhos’ as it’s more commonly known locally
It was quite difficult to keep it down to just five things
So here’s our five interesting things about Rhosllanerchrugog 🙂
Rosemarie was born in Rhosllanerchrugog on February 1
1943 and she would go on to achieve worldwide fame
She was incredibly beautiful and at just 18 years of age
she was crowned Miss World in 1961…she was also the runner-up at Miss Universe 1961 too
And all this was merely months after she was working behind the counter in Marks and Spencer
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More than 10 million viewers saw her being crowned as Miss World
which added to her previous titles of Miss Lancashire
More of Rosemarie’s story can be found in this article from The Telegraph
The old Llanerchrugog estate was owned by the Jones family from the early 1400’s up until the 19th century – which is remarkable in itself – but we’re going to focus on a single event that can only be described as an extraordinary act of defiance
suggested that he should be exempt from paying taxes
which he dated back 2,400 years to Dyfnwal Moelmud
He gave an incredibly detailed account of his pedigree
which is recorded in the book ‘Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion’
It’s incredible that he thought his ‘research’ could free him from paying his taxes
It’s the only known account of a person using genealogy to claim a tax exemption
There’s a great walk that starts in Rhosllanerchrugog that you might or mightn’t know about…
It involves a fairly gentle climb up to Esclusham Mountain and it’s highly recommended
which once formed part of the previously mentioned Llanerchrugog estate
It later goes on to pass Tŷ Mawr and the Cae-llwyd reservoirs…with some extraordinary views along the way
you’ll need the best part of a full day to complete the route
It’s a 5.5 mile walk and it’s advised that you allow at least three hours to complete it
so you can stop and take in some of the scenery 🙂
We also have an easy-to-follow walking guide for the route that you can download from our website…
The development of Rhosllanerchrugog as a village is largely because of the beds of coal that were situated nearby
This meant a coal mining community was established in the 18th century and it grew substantially from the 1840’s onwards
and a lot of this immigration came from Welsh-speaking areas in West Wales
This led to Rhosllanerchrugog being renowned as a Welsh speaking area
the population of Welsh speakers didn’t fall beneath 50% until the 1981 census
Rhosllanerchrugog has always had a strong local community
And the strength of this local community is signified by the fact that the Stiwt theatre was actually paid for by weekly contributions from the miners’ wages 🙂
It was founded in 1926 by the Miners’ Institute (which is where the word ‘Stiwt’ comes from)
There’s always plenty going on at the Stiwt – be it pantomime
They even recently showed the Rugby Union Autumn Internationals
We recently did a blog article on the Stiwt and it’s well worth a look
We hope you enjoyed our five interesting things about Rhosllanerchrugog 🙂
keep your eyes peeled as we’ll be featuring more places around Wrexham County Borough in the coming weeks
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A post shared by Ben Barlow (@benisneckdeep) on Nov 24
Welsh pop-punk band Neck Deep are to become the main shirt sponsor of fourth-tier Welsh side Rhosllanerchrugog
With a combined following of 934,000 followers on Facebook
the sponsorship is sure to bring added exposure to the village side
He joined the club as a player back in November and is a good friend of coach Matt Griffiths
Coach Matt Griffiths said: “To have a sponsor from a band about to start an American arena tour with Blink 182 and Lil Wayne is huge for the club and will raise our profile.
“I give a big thanks to Ben Barlow who will be staying with us for another season for making this all happen.
“It’s brilliant to have Hope For The Day on board and we will proudly wear their logo on our sleeve and help promote suicide prevention and raise awareness of mental health education
“We can’t wait to start a great partnership.”
Barlow won’t be joining up with his Rhos teammates anytime soon though. Neck Deep will be supporting American rock band Blink-182 and rapper Lil Wayne on a North American tour
He has however signed forms for a playing role next season and could feature
It is not the first time that a Welsh football club has been had a band as their main sponsor. Previously the Super Furry Animals were the main shirt sponsors of Cardiff City
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Wrexham Council has paid tribute to former councillor and Welsh Language Commissioner Aled Roberts
who has sadly passed away at the age of 59
Mr Roberts represented Rhos and Ponciau from 1991 to 2012
and was also Mayor of Wrexham from 2003 to 2004
He became Leader of Wrexham Council in 2005 and went on to serve as a Welsh Government Assembly Member from 2011 to 2016
In 2019 he became Welsh Language Commissioner – helping to protect and promote the language across the whole of Wales
current Leader of the Council Mark Pritchard
“On behalf of the whole of Wrexham Council
we would like to extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Aled’s family
and a wonderful public servant who did so much for Wrexham and Wales
“Aled will always be remembered here at the council as a kind and warm person with a lovely sense of humour
and was hugely respected by everyone he worked with
“He was also incredibly passionate about Wrexham and Wales
and was a tremendous ambassador for the Welsh language
and his former colleagues here at the council – both councillors and employees – will miss him very much
The flags outside the Guildhall will be flown at half-mast
He’s part of a band which has had millions of views on YouTube
but now Ben Barlow will be playing in the fourth tier of Welsh football
Barlow who is lead vocals for Welsh band Neck Deep announced on his verified Instagram account of 175,000 followers that he would be playing for the village side
following a previous playing spell with Penycae
Rhosllanerchrugog are currently third in the Welsh National League Division One
trailing league leaders Plas Madoc by eleven points
Ben joins the club having been good friends with Rhos coach Matt Griffiths
after training with the club for a number of weeks
A statement from Rhos said : “He wanted to get back into playing local football and Matt suggested he comes and takes a look at us and he’s done well in training so far and mixed in great with all the lads.”
Barlow posted on Instagram: “Started playing football again after almost 10 years out
Thanks to @redjeff1977 and @mbgriff94 for taking me on and to all the lads for welcoming me to the squad
“Looking forward to getting stuck in and hopefully scoring a few screamers over the next few months… and writing a record somewhere amongst it all.”
The band Neck Deep have existed for six years and have released three albums
In 2014 they won the Best British Newcomer in the Kerrang
Neck Deep had 11.1m views on their single ‘In Bloom
Award for ‘Best Single.’ They also reached 1.6m views on a cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’
Barlow is not the only Wrexham based footballer to go into music
Cefn Druids’ Jordan Evans is part of the band Faded Strangers
ONCE upon a time in a land not so far away, one man was busy preparing himself for the festive season and a unique Christmas challenge set for a small Welsh community.
His name was Stifyn Parri and his mission led him back to his homeland in Rhosllannerchrugog, near Wrexham.
As he put it: “With this magic wand I bring you a challenge that will bring us all together, young and old, the shy and the bold, the pretty and the pretty ugly, Welsh speakers and non Welsh speakers, performers and singers, set-makers and dress makers, dancers, writers and musicians all in the name of charity.”
Their challenge was to create and perform a festive community panto with the eyes of an entire nation on their every move.
Fast forward to the present day to Seren Nadolig Rhos (Christmas Star of Rhos), a brand new S4C fly-on-the-wall reality series that follows the community as it embarks on its mission.
Stifyn is in charge of keeping an eye on the project and presenting the television series as well as running his own creative events and PR company, Mr Producer, back in Cardiff.
For him, Rhosllannerchrugog was an obvious choice of location for the series. Although he hasn’t lived in the area for more than 30 years, the village still plays an important role in his life.
He explains: “I love coming back to Rhos – I have fond memories of living in the village and I often return to visit my mother Marilyn who still lives here.
“Last year, I spent a lot of time back in the area when filming S4C series Codi Canu. My task was to conduct a newly formed choir in a special concert at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.
“It gave me a chance to reconnect with the community and meet the new generation of singers and performers.
“The legacy of that series is the choir continues to perform at various events, including the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod earlier this year.
“Hopefully, we can create another legacy through this latest project.”
A lot has changed in Rhos – once dubbed Wales’ largest village – since the television producer and former West End star lived there.
Shops and local businesses have closed because of the out-of-town shopping centres. The family chip shop once owned by Stifyn’s parents has gone.
Made of striking red bricks, the Stiwt Theatre has been the heartbeat of the community since it opened in 1926. Built by the Miners’ Welfare Organisation, the Stiwt has attracted theatre companies, opera, musicians, comedians and shown the latest movies in its cinema.
Stifyn has fond memories of the building as a youngster.
“The Stiwt itself played an integral role in my childhood. I remember spending hours and hours there as a child and now I want the young people of the area to enjoy the same experiences as I did.
“Performing on that stage with the local school and watching various plays, musicals and operas has helped me grow into who I am today.”
The building was forced to close in 1976 but re-opened in 1999 thanks to the hard work of local volunteers and a Heritage Lottery grant.
Eleven years after its grand re-opening, cracks in the structure of the building are emerging.
The community room, home of the local youth theatre, is in need of a revamp and the fire exit stairwell to the upper level has been deemed a health and safety risk.
With that in mind, all monies raised from the ticket sales will be returned to the Stiwt to develop a brand new community and rehearsal room for the youth theatre and local community to enjoy.
A special charity skydive has also been organised to raise money to replace the fire exit stairwell.
In 1986 a group of locals, including Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Aled Roberts, took to the skies to take part in a special charity sky dive.
Twenty five years on, some have reunited and agreed to jump again.
But can Stifyn himself keep his feet firmly on the ground or will he also be flying through the Wrexham skies?
This isn’t the first time for the presenter and a television production team to descend on a sleepy suburban village and thrust them deep into the television spotlight.
In fact, Seren Nadolig Rhos follows the success of Seren Bethlehem, which was broadcast on S4C in 2009.
The challenge facing the Carmarthenshire village at the time was to re-enact the nativity in a large barn on the outskirts of Llangadog.
The series made overnight celebrities of many local characters.
More than 100 people took part in that production, including a newborn baby, a donkey who suffered from stage fright and a very noisy lamb who upstaged the elderly shepherds.
“Seren Bethlehem really captured the imagination of the community and everyone got behind the concept to make the finale a night to remember,” says Stifyn.
“Now it’s the turn of the North to hopefully do the same.
“It’s a truly unique concept as the true stars of the production and the series are the Rhos locals.
“And there is certainly no shortage of talent here. At the auditions I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout, the amount of preparation beforehand and the standard of performances.
“This project offers a stage for people who have always dreamed of starring under the bright lights of the theatre but never had the opportunity. My passion for acting and performing came from watching Theatre Wales pantos as a child in the Stiwt.
“They inspired me to follow my dream and pursue my passion professionally. And the rest, as they say, is history.
“Hopefully, our community panto will inspire others to follow their ambitions.”
As an audience, we’ll hop on board the magic carpet and follow the yellow brick road to Rhos over the coming weeks as the challenge gains full steam.
S4C’s cameras follow the ups and the downs, the tears, laughter and stress as the community gets to grips with this unique challenge. They’ll need to agree on every aspect of the planning, including which panto to stage.
Cinderella, Peter Pan, Dick Whittington, Aladdin, The Wizard of Oz and Puss in Boots are annual favourites in theatres across the UK. Perhaps they’ll decide to shun the originals and opt to write a brand new panto or even bring all your favourite characters to life in one show.
In the opening episode, viewers will see a different side of the television producer, who also starred as Marius in the West End production of Les Miserables and in Channel 4 soap Brookside as Christopher Duncan.
With an audience of more than 300 local to explain his idea to, Stifyn decides to do so in a specially made Fairy Godmother costume.
“I’ve done many outrageous things in my time, but little did I know that a year before my 50th birthday, I’d be standing in front of 300 people dressed in a blonde wig, white dress and fairy wings!
“You couldn’t make it up could you?” laughs Stifyn.
“The reaction was incredible. People knew that I was planning something in the area for weeks before the actual launch, but they had no idea what.
“There was real speculation about it – they know me well enough to know to expect the unexpected! When I stepped out from behind the curtains, the locals had quite a shock.
“Maybe it’s best not to mention the Fairy Godmother outfit anymore, although my mother did say that I looked rather pretty!”
As with all fairy tales and pantomimes, there will be love and war, unity and division, tears and laughter in this series.
There is no room for individuals here – this requires a real team effort.
“From designing the set to writing the script, dress-making and raising money for the chosen charity – the community will have to join together to complete the project,” explains Stifyn.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on them throughout the experience as they attempt to put everything in place.
“Rhosllannerchrugog has accepted my challenge and with Christmas getting closer, it’s a real race against time to make this a panto to remember.”
With a business to run on a daily basis more than 140 miles away and various other television projects in the pipeline, time is vital for Stifyn.
He has enlisted close friends and family to become his eyes and ears when he’s not around.
Daily updates from his mother Marilyn and regular contact with old school friends have ensured that Stifyn misses nothing during the making of the series.
TV aerial fitter Dylan Williams and Stifyn were close friends at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. But when Stifyn left the quiet village for a life under the bright lights of the West End, they lost touch.
The pair were reunited last year while filming Codi Canu and have been the best of friends ever since. So it was always inevitable that Dylan would help out with this project.
But he didn’t expect to be co-producing the show with sisters Caroline and Paula, who are also old friends of Stifyn.
“I went along to the initial meeting to support Stifyn and see what he had up his sleeve. No idea is too big or too small for Stifyn so the whole village was talking about what he could be planning!
“A panto wasn’t really on anyone’s radar,” explains Dylan.
“We’ve been friends for years – and in that time we’ve kept little from each other – but surprisingly he managed to keep quiet about this project.
“At the meeting I was expecting to volunteer in some capacity but not as a producer! To be honest, I couldn’t tell you what the job spec for a producer is.
“I know it’s an important role but I expect I’ll be learning on the job. And maybe I can get some tips from Stifyn along the way.”
So the stage is set, the production is well under way and Stifyn’s little helpers are all in place for this festive challenge.
The pressure is on to ensure that the show is more of a Christmas cracker than a Christmas turkey.
Tickets for the bilingual pantomime are now on sale at the Stiwt on 01978 841300. The production will be filmed on Sunday, December 4 and highlights of the finale will be shown on S4C on Christmas Day. The series Seren Nadolig Rhos starts on Tuesday at 8.25pm on S4C. English subtitles are available