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 this month’s column Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths, writes:

Huge congratulations to everyone at Wrexham AFC.

It was incredible to be at The Racecourse last Saturday to witness Phil Parkinson’s men seal back-to-back promotions in style.

Expectations were high after the record breaking 2022-23 season, but the players and staff have delivered once again and deserve enormous credit for everything they have achieved.

Wrexham’s wonderful journey will continue in League One and I, like all supporters, am so grateful for everything that is happening at our club.

The impact Rob and Ryan’s takeover has had on our city cannot be overstated. It has been amazing to see the community come together and these truly are special times for all those associated with Wrexham AFC.

Back to back promotions. What a day! What a way to do it! @Wrexham_AFC pic.twitter.com/yRj20h6LAz

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) April 13, 2024

The Erlas Victorian Walled Garden is one of Wrexham’s hidden treasures.

Located on Bryn Estyn Lane, the garden itself has been established for over 20 years.

It was brought back to life by a group of individuals who had a vision to rebuild the garden, and in the process, help rebuild the lives of adults whose disabilities and learning difficulties had limited their opportunities.

The Erlas charity promotes and protects the health of people with additional learning needs by providing meaningful daytime activity, education and work experience in horticulture.

I had the pleasure of visiting Erlas on two occasions this past month. Firstly, I met with representatives from Keep Wales Tidy and found out more about their recent work at the garden.

The charity has benefited from the ‘Local Places and Nature’ programme, which aims to restore and enhance ‘nature on your doorstep’.

For those who have not visited Erlas, outside the walls of the garden there is a wildlife area featuring one kilometre of disabled footpaths which wind around a woodland, an orchard and over a pond.

Along with the Erlas staff and volunteers, Keep Wales Tidy is helping redevelop this area and improve biodiversity onsite.

The work is ongoing but it was great to see their progress and discuss other Welsh Government funded environmental work, including Caru Cymru, National Forest and Eco-schools.

During the Easter recess, I also invited the now former First Minister, Mark Drakeford to Erlas. As a keen gardener, I knew it would be a place of great interest!

Mark enjoyed chatting to staff, volunteers and service users and was pleased to see how the garden is moving from strength to strength.

I’m so proud to be patron of Erlas. The garden remains a place of work, comfort and inspiration for adults of all abilities and the staff and volunteers continue to do an amazing job.

Really pleased to welcome @MarkDrakeford to the @ErlasGarden.

The staff and volunteers continue to do such a wonderful job and I am proud to be patron of the charity. pic.twitter.com/LRVNMpMc7o

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) March 27, 2024

Gwersyllt residents will be aware improvements are being carried out by Network Rail at Gwersyllt Station.

A new access point to Platform 2 recently opened off Station Court and improvements have been made to the highway and footpath linking Station Court, High Street and Hope Street.

I recently arranged to meet with Network Rail representatives at the station, along with Welsh Labour Community Councillor Sheelagh Mackenzie Jones, who has been campaigning on the issue on behalf of Gwersyllt residents.

Passengers could previously cross between platforms but due to the planned increase in trains that will be running along the Wrexham to Bidston line, Network Rail has closed the barrow crossing and locked the platform end gates.

This is to ensure the safety of all passengers and while there will be some disappointment locally, I understand it is highly unlikely that this decision will be reversed.

People with mobility scooters, wheelchairs and prams will be particularly affected and it is clear further improvements need to be made.

Although passengers can still reach Hope Street Bridge via steps leading from the platforms, there is no pavement at the access to the steps and the visibility is poor.

The pavement on the other side of the road is narrow and the road is busy so I can fully understand pedestrians’ concerns.

Network Rail is working alongside Wrexham Council and is looking to provide alternative and safer access to both platforms.

The work is ongoing and I will continue to monitor developments.

Improvements have been made at Gwersyllt Station, which are welcome, but I was pleased to hear Network Rail expects further work to take place in the coming months.@wrexham https://t.co/TIRsLUaAxz

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) April 5, 2024

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.