A view from Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited local 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:

Wales’ new First Minister paid a visit to Ty Pawb earlier this week to listen to the views of Wrexham residents.

Eluned Morgan MS is currently undertaking a ‘listening tour’, stopping off at different towns and cities across Wales to get feedback from local businesses and citizens.

I know the First Minister enjoyed her time in Wrexham and I am grateful to everyone who took part in the discussions.

First minister Eluned Morgan visited Wrexham today as part of her ‘Listening Tour’. She spent time in Ty Pawb approaching businesses and members of the public to hear their views on the Welsh Government and the issues impacting them pic.twitter.com/pYLWXUhKf7

— Wrexham.com (@wrexham) September 2, 2024

Woody’s Lodge, a charity dedicated to supporting veterans, former emergency service personnel and their families, opened its very first shop in Wrexham last month.

It was a real pleasure to be invited along to the grand opening.  As a city with a proud military tradition, Wrexham is the ideal location for a charity shop which is committed to raising vital funds for veterans in Wales.

In addition to offering a wide variety of pre-loved clothing, accessories, homeware and more, the shop will feature a unique display of military memorabilia, kindly loaned by local veterans and associations.

Establishing a presence in the city centre will also help raise greater awareness of the essential services Woody’s Lodge provides.

The new shop can be found on Chester Street and is part of the Ty Pawb complex.  It was lovely to meet the team and volunteers and I wish them all the very best.

It was a pleasure attending the opening of the very first @woodys_Lodge shop.

As a city with a proud military history, #Wrexham is the ideal location for a charity shop dedicated to supporting veterans and I wish the team all the very best. pic.twitter.com/r3hT06ePgG

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) August 27, 2024

Andrew Ranger MP and I recently visited the team at Wrexham Lager.

These are exciting times for the iconic brewery and it was good to discuss their plans for the future.

Always good to catch up with the team at @WXM_Lager

The business continues to move from strength to strength and the future is bright @AndrewRangerMP #Wrexham pic.twitter.com/paWXH1WM3K

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) September 2, 2024

Discussions are underway looking at potentially reinstating open-access rail services between Wrexham and London Euston.

The plan has been put forward by Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway Company Ltd (WSMR).

Under the proposals, five trains would run in each direction on Mondays to Saturdays, with four both ways on Sundays.

Starting at Wrexham General, trains would make eight stops before arriving at London Euston, including Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes.

If the bid is successful, the new service will create 50 jobs and the first trains should depart in the summer of 2025.

The application process is competitive and the WSMR’s bid is now in the hands of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), an independent regulator that will analyse the merits of restoring rail services between Wrexham and London, as well as other routes across the UK.

WSMR has been consulting with a wide range of stakeholders and, along with Wrexham Council, I have written a letter of support to the Chief Executive of the ORR, John Larkinson.

Wrexham, and the wider North Wales region, deserves better rail services, particularly now the spotlight is on our city like never before. North Wales is a destination of choice for many travellers so it is vital we have fast, frequent and reliable rail services.

I will continue to do all I can to support the WSMR’s proposals.

Wrexham to London Trains a real possibility

A three hour journey from Wrexham to London is a step closer today following a very positive meeting between Wrexham Council and the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway Company Ltd https://t.co/5Eci2pkmBG pic.twitter.com/sNneQqlcY1

— Wrexham Council (@wrexhamcbc) August 2, 2024

Engaging with young people is a key element and enjoyable aspect of my job and it was a pleasure to talk with students from Ysgol Rhosnesni.

The virtual meeting, which took place before the schools broke up for the summer holidays, was arranged by The Politics Project.

This educational organisation specialises in running digital surgeries which aim to build relationships between young people and their politicians.

During the Q&A session we discussed a wide range of topics that matter to the students. The programme is a great way to engage young people in politics and I am grateful to The Politics Project for organising the event.

Earlier this year, I approached all Wrexham’s secondary schools, as well as Coleg Cambria, highlighting the work of The Politics Project so I hope to take part in more surgeries with students in the not-too-distant future.

On Friday our young people got to experience a Q & A with @lesley4wrexham. An informative and interesting session enjoyed by all involved. Thank you to both @lesley4wrexham and @PoliticsProject for this fantastic opportunity.#TeamRhosnesni pic.twitter.com/gZDILDhSGy

— Ysgol Rhosnesni (@RhosnesniHigh) July 15, 2024

As always, if you’re a constituent 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.