'I’m so proud to be patron of Erlas'

MS for Wrexham

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.

Come rain or shine, Erlas is open Monday to Thursday from 9am – 3:30pm and on Fridays 9am – 3pm. Plants and seasonal fruits and vegetables are sold daily and visitors of all ages are always welcome.

If you’re a constituent in Wrexham and there is an issue I could help you with, please contact me via email: lesley.griffiths@senedd.wales or call 01978 355743. You can also keep up to date by following me on ‘X’ (Twitter) and Facebook, just search @lesley4wrexham.