Wrexham urged to back bid for UK City of Culture 2029

The plea came from Ian Bancroft, the council's chief executive, who said it was essential to capitalise on the city's 'time in the sunshine during a once-in-a-generation moment.'

This comes in light of the Hollywood spotlight on Wrexham, courtesy of A-listers Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' takeover of Wrexham AFC, which has 'turbocharged' the city's economy.

Mr Bancroft spoke at a business breakfast meeting at Wrexham University’s William Aston Hall, organised by Theatr Clwyd and the university.

He said: "You never win City of Culture in the UK unless you bid previously.

"Wales has never won City of Culture, so we will be bidding in 2029, and I think the signs are pretty good.

"We have an independent company established now to run the City of Culture bid and have a base level of funding.

“It is significant because immediately it will bring in at least £10 million worth of capital funding from national governments alongside a whole range of events nationally coming into Wrexham.

"For all of us who are part of Wrexham, we just need to grab hold of the moment that we are in."

Professor Joe Yates, Wrexham University’s Vice Chancellor and Liam Evans-Ford, the executive director and CEO Theatr Clwyd (Image: Mandy Jones)

He highlighted the city's economic model, which is based on culture and sport.

This model has led to a 50 per cent increase in tourism figures from pre-Covid to post-Covid, and a 20 per cent increase from last year.

Mr Bancroft said: "Basically in Wrexham, what is happening at the moment is sport and culture are bringing in a range of visitors who are spending money in the city."

He added that this increase in tourism is 'attracting business investment' and growth, with new businesses 'springing up' across the city.

The meeting also heard from Wrexham University vice-chancellor Professor Joe Yates, who spoke about the benefits his home city Liverpool experienced after being named the 2008 European Capital of Culture.

He said: "It was just such a big moment in terms of the renaissance of Liverpool.

"I think Liverpool did it very well and you can see the legacy of that today."

He encouraged businesses in the region to approach the university and let it know how it can work with them to help meet their skills and employment needs.

The final guest speaker was Gareth Boyd from Walking Food Tours UK.

Wrexham Council chief executive Ian Bancroft (Image: Mandy Jones)

Louise Harper from Wrexham Business Professionals said: "There’s so many exciting things happening in and around Wrexham right now and through networking opportunities, local firms and residents can really benefit.

"It’s always useful to receive insights from business and education leaders."

Ian Edwards from Wrexham Business Professionals said: "William Aston Hall is such an important venue for Wrexham and for North East Wales.

"The venue, along with Theatr Clwyd, plays a vital role for our region’s creative industries."

Theatr Clwyd's 'business breakfast' meetings are set to continue, providing a platform for local businesses to network and share insights.

Mr Bancroft said: "It is our networks which create growth, it is our networks which create confidence, and it is our networks which mean we make connections with people that we value to do business with in the future.

"So, on that basis, it’s really brilliant to see Theatr Clwyd bringing their business breakfasts approach to Wrexham and to William Aston Hall."