Regent Street & Hope Street Clean-up Day Planned

Plans are underway to put the heart and soul back into the town centre, with a community clean-up and Saturday street festival scheduled for next month. 

In March ‘ambitious plans‘ to bring the heart and soul back into the town centre were unveiled, with local residents and members of the Town Centre Forum announcing a clean-up event for Regent Street and Hope Street on May 10th.

Working in conjunction with Keep Wales Tidy the aim is to create a ‘clean, vibrant street environment where more quality and varied businesses will wish to set up’.

Speaking at this morning’s Town Centre Forum Meeting, Cllr Phil Wynn said: “It’s to make the statement that the people of Wrexham have pride in their town, it’s a small stepping stone.”

In total there are four aims focusing on the improvement of Wrexham Town Centre, which are  – to bring the heart back into the old part of town by making it a clean, vibrant place where people want to visits and for new and exciting business to prosper; to align fully with the Healthy High Street Campaign of increasing footfall, improving pride, filling vacant units and by creating more jobs in the town centre. It is hoped that by getting the basics right, then a successful model can be rolled out to other streets in the town centre.

Chairman of the Town Centre Forum, Nigel Lewis said: “There will be a clean up on Sunday 10th, it is not a Heath Robinson affair – it’s properly organised so get in touch beforehand.”

Victoria CP School have also set up an Easter Project for all pupils on Wrexham Town Centre. The school will be supporting the clean up fat and some of the children will be having a stall at the Saturday Street Festival.

However it was reiterated that while there will be a clean up of sorts on Regent Street and Hope Street, it is ‘not a dirty street’.

Mr Lewis added: “It is our chance to give something back. It’s also an exercise to bring people together to have pride in their town. We have written to the agents of all empty properties and have had a mixed reply, some don’t want to speak to us. We are looking at putting vinyls in the windows.”

Reference was also made to a proposed street festival for the town centre, with plans currently underway in creating an event which would bring the community together.

The street festival is currently mooted for May 23rd and follows on from the success of Small Business Saturday in December 2014, which saw thousands of people flock to the town centre to support local and independent businesses.

Mr Lewis said: “We are looking at some kind of festival on the street and what we can do to make the core heart of the town vibrant on a Saturday.”

Speaking about the proposed street festival, one Forum member said: “With a market on a Monday we want to encourage that more and Saturday’s are busy enough already.”

Alun Hughes from Alun Hughes Film, Music and Nostalgia Wrexham said: “We can look at niche markets, perhaps targeting children.”

Mr Lewis added: “This is more home bases business, children’s entertainment – I wouldn’t call it a market, it’s more like the Small Business Saturday Event where hopefully people will visit Wrexham rather than Broughton or Oswestry.”

A document focusing on the street clean up and street festival, which was circulated round the Town Centre Forum this morning states: “The street festivals are seen as an ideal opportunity. These will hopefully be a stepping stone to getting many businesses into the town and then trialing stores in our indoor markets, and together we can support young companies through their growth into their first shops.

For further information on the Community Clean up then please contact Phil Wynn on [email protected] or Matthew McHale on [email protected].