More than 30 key organisations are teaming up in a bid to transform Wrexham into \u201cone of the best places in the world to grow up\u201d.<\/p>\n
They came together at an event called WrexChange that was designed to showcase and harness the growing sense of optimism, ambition and investment in the city<\/p>\n
Among those taking part were senior leaders from business, culture, education, sport, the voluntary sector and local government.<\/p>\n
The meeting at Coleg Cambria was organised by Wrexham City Board (WCB) which has secured \u00a320 million in funding from the UK Government\u2019s Pride in Place Programme to invest in local people\u2019s priorities over a 10-year period.<\/p>\n
In just two hours the audience heard 15 five-minute presentations and 10 rapid fire 60 second updates from other organisations delivering or planning major projects across the area.<\/p>\n
According to WCB chair Rachel Clacher, co-founder of the hugely successful Wrexham-based Moneypenny and founder of the WeMindTheGap young people\u2019s charity, everybody in the room had a shared purpose to connect and coordinate the work being done to change Wrexham for the better.<\/p>\n
She said the eyes of the world were now on the city, thanks to the continuing success of the football club and the global popularity of the club\u2019s owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac\u2019s Welcome to Wrexham Disney+ documentary series<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWe all know that Wrexham is in an extraordinary moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo other town or city in the world has the opportunity that we have right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat combination of opportunity and momentum and attention that we currently have is something that we cannot waste.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe WrexChange event captured both the enormity of the opportunity facing Wrexham and the responsibility to seize it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo other town or city has quite the combination of global attention, momentum and local ambition that we have right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrexChange is about joining the dots between the brilliant things already happening<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we work together, we can turn this moment into something generational.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy ambition through that collaboration is that we could become one of the best cities in the world to grow up in – why not aim high?\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a view echoed by Amanda Evans, director of Wrexham\u2019s bid to be named UK\u2019s City of Culture in 2029.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cYou\u2019ve got the key players around the table and the influencers who can actually make a difference.<\/p>\n
The City Board are talking about \u00a320 million. Through City of Culture, we are talking about potentially \u00a3200 million \u2014 and together we can lever even more.<\/p>\n
What matters is that we are aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Business leaders like Alex Jones, owner of The Bank Wine Bar & Bistro and lead for Wrexham Business Improvement District, are also backing the WrexChange initiative.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201c\u201cIt\u2019s vital that the business community is deeply involved in what\u2019s happening across the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWrexChange was well-attended, high-energy and positive. It felt like we were looking at the bigger picture together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Dawn Roberts-McCabe, Chief Officer of the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW), described the event as unique.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very rare that business, local government and the third sector all come together like that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was definitely a buzz in the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gave a real flavour of everything that is happening in Wrexham right now \u2014 and it felt like a springboard moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jamie Edwards, Head of Foundation and Community for Wrexham AFC, also spoke at WrexChange<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cAnything that brings our communities together is something that we want to be involved in all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the football club\u2019s point of view, what the takeover and ownership have done is give the area hope and confidence we can achieve things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to get the right people in the room speaking so passionately about the future of Wrexham.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development of the city is what the ownership and the football club wants to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to develop the whole community and not just the football club, because they go hand-in-hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Wrexham City Board Programme Manager Lisa Scully,\u00a0 the event marked the start of a new way of working across the county borough<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThe inaugural WrexChange event was a real success in bringing partners together and generating positive energy \u2014 and now we need to build on that momentum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe created space for organisations to understand what each other is doing and identify where stronger collaboration can make our collective investment go further.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the City Board is responsible for delivering the Pride in Place programme over the next 10 years, we also see our role as a convenor and connector across Wrexham.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy working in a more joined-up way and continuing to involve our communities, we can ensure the benefits are felt right across the county borough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Videos of every speaker from the inaugural WrexChange event have been recorded and will be made available online, with highlights to be shared ahead of the next WrexChange gathering.<\/p>\n
The next event, scheduled for early summer, will build on this momentum and energy and will be focused on engaging with members of local communities and the general public, giving residents the opportunity to hear directly about the projects shaping Wrexham\u2019s future \u2014 and explore how they can get involved.<\/p>\n