An emergency Covid support hub in Plas Madoc, set up during the pandemic has developed into a community support hub used by thousands.

Covid hubs were created in the midst of the pandemic with the aim of providing emergency care for those that needed it, in the form of Covid tests and food supplies.

Betsi Cadwaladr have since progressed them from the initial emergency support, to a more long lasting source of help in the form of community support hubs. The hubs are dotted all over North Wales, but the centre in Plas Madoc is now helping thousands.

Based at the Leisure Centre, the hub provides services such as legal advice, heating support, mental health support and food support. That support has been welcomed with over 6,000 people benefitting from the Plas Madoc support hub alone, the most used in North Wales.

Lisa Goodier, Test Trace Protect: lead manager, operational support and protect, said: "Plas Madoc is the busiest hub in North Wales, around about 6,500 people have walked over the doorstep there - that is phenomenal.

"It used to be called a Covid support hub because they were set up in the pandemic but actually now we've had a review and we've renamed them as Covid was a bit of a stigma. Now they are called community support hubs.

"The idea is to bring a lot of people together. It doesn't cost us a lot of money to run the hubs, they're quite cost effective, we bring in providers that have funding to deliver their service and we fund the gaps.

"People can just walk in or you can contact them, you can benefit from services personally or virtually, anyone can go there.

"One of the common misconceptions is that you can only use the hub if you are out of work or significantly disadvantaged in some way but but the hubs are open to everyone, irrespective of their circumstances.

"The offerings in Plas Madoc are increasing, they have networks with people not always in the centres but they are certainly able to provide, things such as virtual counselling. It is always seen as quite a personal thing but what we're finding is young people especially really like to do counselling when they are typing not talking about how they feel."

Darrell Wright Vice Chair of Cefn Community council, Plas Madoc ward:

"Getting things away from the centre of Wrexham is good for all communities and I applaud the decision to bring it here.

"It would be pointless opening it if people weren't going to use it, so it's obviously worked. It's great to see that it's being used by the community."