Wrexham – City of Culture 2025

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  • #208133

    Rex Ham
    Participant

    Now it all becomes clear. The illuminated “WREXHAM” sign on Bersham Colliery bank is in fact an art installation designed to support our bid to be City of Culture in 2025.
    It would appear you don’t need to be a city to be the city of culture, so we can drop the city staus bid. There is a few bob saved already.
    I relish reading the debate on this expenditure considering the opposition to the expediture on Ty Pawb and the fact that a few years ago, our forward thinking councillors refused to top up a government grant which virtually paid for a civic theatre in the town.
    Being serious for one minute there are many individuals and groups who develop, support and enhance culture in the borough and perhaps the expenditure will have a lasting “legacy” effect for all of us, but I can’t help thinking there is a band wagon being jumped on here but we haven’t got the ladder to get on it.

    #208135

    katy
    Participant

    The sign was a Vanarama publicity stunt.

    Highly unlikely Wrexham will win so expenditure will be limited to the cost of the application. Now, if they had teamed up with Llangollen then they may have stood a chance. Maybe the RR/RM angle will give them a slightly improved chance but can’t see it winning.

    #208158

    AMA Express
    Participant

    Anyone offering odds on how long it’ll be before the local hoolies get up there and demolish or set fire to it ?

    #208175

    BenjaminM
    Participant

    Wrexham, a city of culture? There’s more culture in a Petri dish.

    If my memory serves me correctly, several weeks ago the subject was raised about submitting a bid and discussed at length by members of the public on a forum. Public opinion was firmly against it, yet still, certain Councillors in their wisdom have continued to progress this folly.
    When are WCBC going to do what the people want, not what they decide we want?.

    #208176

    Rex Ham
    Participant

    Aw Katy. Ironic humour not your strong suit…..

    #208180

    JaneJ
    Participant

    Any of these types of Award can create a buzz in an area and get people involved but when yiu see the full list of applications Wrexham County like Wrexham FC is still in the non league compared with other applicants. – https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2021/08/20/record-number-of-areas-across-uk-bid-to-be-crowned-next-city-of-culture/

    The success of any application is engagement with local people — what did the Council do before they submitted an application – virtually nothing, no meetings (virtual or face to face). The Council in Wrexham have the arrogance that they can do these types of things by themselves.

    Why did they not engage with people like Evra Rose and others who are part of the Culture in the area? It is sad to say that the Wrexham bid is a non starter due to no engagement.

    The Council failing in Culture is typified with Ty Pawb and the massive subsidy required to keep the doors open – hand the place over to those people who know how to engage and have the enthusiasm to make the white elephant into a shining example of community culture.

    #208184

    Ioan y Ffin
    Participant

    Criticisms about Ty Pawb’s cost are misplaced. Anyone who thinks that public art galleries make a profit, obviously knows very little about the art sector. Money is made in the art world by buying and selling art; the National Art Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery, the Walker, the Whitworth etc are museums of art, not art dealers intent on flogging off our cultural heritage to wealthy private collectors. All these big national institutions rely on public subsidy for which they deliver an incredible amount in return year in year out. Likewise Ty Pawb delivers a lot for the people of Wrexham, not least improving the town entre leisure offer while in comparison the retail offer is mediocre tp put it politely and the food offer is almost non-existent (apart from one or two notable exceptions, once you take out fast food). In contrast Ty Pawb replaced the depressing, soul-destroying People’s Market and provides art exhibitions, activities, workshops, performance space for gigs and films, a food court, community social spaces and the market stalls have much better premises from which to trade.

    #208185

    jimbow
    Participant

    Ioan y Ffin,
    Likewise Ty Pawb delivers a lot for the people of Wrexham. 12 months footfall for Ty Pawb estimated 600,000 of which 33,631 supported arts activities 5.6%. £380,626 permanent staff wage bill. It delivers a lot for the people of Wrexham.

    #208199

    JaneJ
    Participant

    The criticism of the cost of Ty Pawb as an arts facility was not that it should be a ‘profit’ earner but the fact the level of subsidy is growing every year when it was supposed to have a diminishing level of subsidy.
    The income from the traders is approx. 50% of what had been planned as a number stalls are free and not income generating the same as the income from the car park.
    Jimbow – where did you get your figure of 600,000 footfall – the traders in the stalls would dispute that level of throughput!

    #208200

    jimbow
    Participant

    From the Report to the Scrutiny Committee. Maybe it is overstated by WCBC, but it probably suits their agenda. I believe there are counters on all the markets. I know Butchers Market stallholders never believe the footfall figures.

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