CHIRK Castle will star in a promotional video aims at helping Wrexham's City of Culture bid.

The National Trust property was lit up in the bid colours as part of a night of filming earlier this week which saw members of the Fron Male Voice Choir perform in front of the castle entrance.

A further night of filming took place at the Trust's Erddig property.

Joe Bickerton, destination manager for Wrexham Council, took to Twitter to say: "It’s been a fantastic week in Wrexham with businesses backing the bid and filming taking place as we gear up to our 2025 UK Culture bid! Thankyou @ErddigNT @ChirkCastleNT @Cleopatrasfoods @filmcafe and tonnes of others! #wrecsam2025"

The filming came just days before the Wrexham City of Culture bid goes on tour.

Two eye-catching red buses will be touring the county from Friday, January 14 to Sunday, January 16 to raise awareness and support for the bid.

Border Counties Advertizer: One of the City of Culture buses. Picture by Wrexham Council.One of the City of Culture buses. Picture by Wrexham Council.

The buses will have on board performers and artists who will be hopping off at different locations for a short performance, before jumping back on board and heading to the next location.

 

Where can I spot one of the buses?

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions the City of Culture team have had to amend their original plans where over 40 events were to go ahead across the county – this also means that they are unable to share the exact locations and timings of where and when the busses will be passing through.

But they are asking residents across the county to keep their eyes peeled and if you spot one they'd like you to take pictures and share them using the hashtag #Wrecsam2025

Hugh Jones, lead member for Communities, Place and Partnerships at Wrexham County Borough Council, added: “The buses are a novel way of engaging with the entire community of Wrexham, without encouraging large gatherings or unnecessary journeys.

"As much as we would have liked to have greater engagement, we’ll need to wait until it’s safe to do so.

“Becoming UK City of Culture in 2025 will be a fantastic tool in our future recovery from Covid and I encourage everyone to learn more about the competition and the benefits it will bring to Wrexham.

"In the meantime I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled over the next few days for the big red culture buses."

 

What is the City of Culture 2025?

Wrexham is in the running for the UK City of Culture after it successfully fought off 20 bids – including those from Powys, Conwy County and the City of Bangor, to make the longlist of eight areas that received £40,000 to develop a full application.

The winner will be announced in spring 2022 and will be at the centre of the UK’s cultural spotlight in 2025, following Coventry's tenure as UK City of Culture in 2021.

Winning the prestigious title has enormous benefits with previous hosts attracting millions of pounds in additional investment, creating jobs and attracting thousands of visitors to their local area.

The places will work with a panel of experts and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to finalise their bids before the shortlist is announced early next year.

To find out more about Wrexham's bid click here.

 

Who is in the running?

The other areas in the longlist are:

  • Armagh City
  • Banbridge and Craigavon
  • Bradford, Cornwall
  • County Durham
  • Derby
  • Southampton
  • Stirling
  • Wrexham County Borough

 

Is this different to Wrexham's city status bid?

Yes. Wrexham is also bidding to become a city and is currently on the shortlist along with 39 other towns aiming to be granted city status as part of a competition to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.

It is the fourth time it has bid following unsuccessful attempts in competitions to mark the new Millennium and the Queen's Golden and Diamond jubilees.

According to the Cabinet Office, winning city status can provide a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there.

As part of their bids, applicants were asked to talk about the distinct identity and community which they feel means their area deserves to become a city, as well as evidence of links to royalty.

Unlike previous Civic Honours competitions, an expert panel will work closely with ministers to make their recommendations, which will then be approved by the Queen.

The final decision for that bid will be taken in spring 2022 and announced shortly afterwards.