Video: Beautiful drone shots & Evrah Rose poetry as young people learn about heritage construction skills

Work to protect the Wrexham’s heritage and regeneration of properties in the town centre took a step forward recently, when pupils had the opportunity to attend an event at Coleg Cambria to learn about heritage construction skills.

The work follows the announcement last year that £1.5 million had been awarded to help renovate and regenerate properties in the Wrexham Town Centre Conservation Area.

A complementary Traditional Building Skills programme – aimed at upskilling traders and contractors – took another step forward recently when young people attended the event at Coleg Cambria.

Wrexham Council worked with Wrexham-based spoken-word poet Evrah Rose to see if she could sum-up the spirit of the project – and she wrote a piece to remind people that their hands are made for greatness. The piece is below in a video well worth a watch:

The pupils were joined by a few of Wrexham Council’s partners involved in the Townscape Heritage Scheme and the Traditional Building Skills programme, and were able to speak to employers and trainers such as National roof training group, Careers Wales, CADW and CITB.

The day provided the opportunity to:

• Tour the campus.
• Speak to construction tutors.
• Understand the need for skills in heritage construction.
• Attend talks to explore the subject in more detail.
• Access potential work and school placements through the Wrexham Townscape Heritage Scheme.

Wrexham Councillor Terry Evans, Lead Member for Economic Performance and Regeneration, said: “There’s a lot of exciting work planned in Wrexham through the Townscape Heritage Scheme, and with the associated Traditional Building Skills programme, this was an excellent opportunity for young people in Wrexham interested in traditional trades.

“Employers will always be on the lookout for those with extra skills, and the aim of events like these is to show young people how they can find a way into training in the more specialised skills required by employers in the heritage construction sector.”

The event was provided free through the Wrexham Traditional Building Skills programme. It has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and Welsh Government, and secured funding through ‘Have a Go’ training, a Welsh Government initiative.