A view from Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home – you can find them all here. ‌ ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

In her column for February 2023, Wrexham’s MS writes… ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

I was pleased to welcome the Welsh Government Minister for Social Justice, Jane Hutt MS to The Yellow and Blue Hub (YaB).

Located in the heart of Wrexham on Henblas Street, YaB was founded by the inspirational Pete Humphreys in memory of his late father.

The non-profit social enterprise primarily offers support to some of the most vulnerable members of society.

In a relatively short amount of time, YaB has become a bustling community hub. It provided a safe, warm and friendly environment during the festive period when many other buildings and services were closed.

To help ensure YaB can continue to provide support to those who need it, the organisation was recently allocated £10,000 by Wrexham Council – funding that had been passed on to the Local Authority by the Welsh Government to address the cost-of-living crisis.

It was good to highlight to the Minister all the invaluable work Yellow and Blue does for the Wrexham community.

The meeting was extremely useful and I hope there will be further funding opportunities open to YaB in future.

Pleased to welcome @WG_Communities @JaneHutt to @Yabgroupltd

The hub was buzzing with activity and it was good to highlight to the Minister all the invaluable work it does in the #Wrexham community. pic.twitter.com/pCuWb6DxVC

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) February 1, 2023

The day the Minister for Social Justice visited Wrexham coincided with Holocaust Memorial Day, a national commemoration where we remember the victims and survivors who suffered under Nazi persecution, as well as other genocides throughout the world.

The Minister and I joined a number of Wrexham residents and representatives at the Holocaust Memorial Day event in Ty Pawb, hosted by the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW).

This year’s theme was ‘Ordinary People,’ whether that’s the people who helped facilitate genocide by turning a blind eye or those persecuted for belonging to a particular group.

Hate and prejudice are not issues confined to the past.

Ensuring the innocent victims of the Holocaust are never forgotten allows us to learn vital lessons from history and hopefully inspire a better future.

In my role as the Minister for North Wales, I recently launched the first of Transport for Wales’ (TfW) brand new fleet of trains.

Built in Wales, the new trains will become the backbone of TfW’s services across the country in the coming years.

In addition to offering passengers a more comfortable experience, the £800m investment will allow TfW to run faster and more frequent services to destinations such as Holyhead and Liverpool.

Caption: Alongside Tabitha Shields with Richard Garner, CAF’s UK Director and James Price, Transport for Wales CEO. Tabitha – a Year 5 pupil from Ysgol Tudno in Llandudno – was one of the winners of TfW’s competition to name the new trains, with her winning entry ‘Happy Valley’

Caption: Alongside Tabitha Shields with Richard Garner, CAF’s UK Director and James Price, Transport for Wales CEO. Tabitha – a Year 5 pupil from Ysgol Tudno in Llandudno – was one of the winners of TfW’s competition to name the new trains, with her winning entry ‘Happy Valley’.

Readers will be aware ‘Levelling Up’ funding for the Wrexham Gateway Project was rejected by the UK Government for the second time last month.

Since the disappointing announcement was made, Welsh Government officials and Gateway partners have held discussions looking at alternative funding options.

It’s important to reiterate the Welsh Government, Wrexham Council, Transport for Wales, Wrexham Glyndwr University, the FAW and Wrexham AFC have worked in partnership on the Gateway Project for many years.

Despite the latest setback, these partners remain committed to delivering this game changing development for the people of Wrexham.

“They agreed unanimously that the commitment to deliver the Wrexham Gateway project remains resolute, and that, obviously, includes Welsh Government, and alternative funding options would be looked at in relation to the Kop part of the development” https://t.co/zQeoDT3Bqe

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) January 25, 2023

I recently took part in a brand new live show and podcast that celebrates Wrexham’s culture. ‘Live in the Window’ takes place at 16 Yorke Street every other Friday and features guests, challenges and discussions all related to Wrexham.

The show and podcast is hosted by 73 Degree Films and is supported by Wrexham Council via the Cultural Commissions for Wrexham 2029.

️ Good to join Rob, James and Owen on the Live in the Window podcast to have a chat about all things #Wrexham @73degreefilms pic.twitter.com/170EpThfwG

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) January 16, 2023

Finally, I met with local police officers for a walkabout the city centre.

Keeping in close contact with the police ensures I’m kept up-to-date with local issues, as well as providing me with the opportunity to raise constituents’ concerns directly with the police.

Good to catch up and have a walk around #Wrexham city centre with @NWPWrexhamTown pic.twitter.com/ucyzdnWUfW

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) January 20, 2023

If you’re a constituent in Wrexham and there is anything I could help you with, please email me: [email protected] or call 01978 355743. You can sign up to my regular e-newsletter by clicking here. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​