Note from the Room - Opening

The Wrexham Room opened its doors on the 26th of February, with a series of creative workshops that brought together pupils from Ysgol Clywedog and Ysgol Rhosnesni with the Future Generations Commissioner, Derek Walker. Since then, the room's activities have been going from strength to strength.

At the heart of our work is a commitment to working with young people in a creative and meaningful way. Creative ways of working enable us to look at things from a different perspective and encourage us to rely not only on logic, but to listen to our bodies and emotions when thinking about our relationship with place. This way of working can enable young people to express their experiences of their local area in more complex and personal ways.

Since the launch, we have been working closely with Year 7, 8 and 9 school pupils in Ysgol Rhosnesi and Ysgol Clywedog and members of the Wrexham Youth Parliament. The young people received training from the Public Map’s expert mappers - a digital platform that has been developed over the past few years by the Public Map team on Ynys Môn. This map offers an interactive way of mapping experiences, memories and perspectives, creating a rich picture of a place informed by local voices.

At the moment, we are currently setting up a piece of research together with young people, as well as a programme of events to mark international intergenerational week at the end of April, and onwards throughout the spring and summer.

Meanwhile, the room is beginning to develop its own unique identity. Thanks to kind donations from Tŷ Pawb's former tenants, the space has been furnished in a way that reflects the community spirit of the room. Artist Sophia Leadhill called by to donate examples of her work with local place names for display.

Following a suggestion from young people that they would like to see a library in the space, a small collection of books has now started to grow here. At the beginning of May we will hold an event to launch the book Real Wrexham: Becoming the City by Sara Erddig. We are also grateful to poet Tesni Peers for permission to reproduce her poem Enaid Wrexham, which is displayed alongside photographs taken by young people.

The smallest details offer opportunities for moments of creativity and fascination. The collection of historical maps on display in the room has sparked many interesting discussions about change, memory, identity and place, and many visitors have contributed a Post-It note to our in-progress map of people's favourite places in Wrexham.

These elements create layers of meaning that reflect the multi-layered nature of the city, its past and its present, as we turn our eyes to the future and to the city's position on the City of Culture shortlist and the success of its football team. As the project develops, the value of working creatively with young people is becoming clearer than ever as it allows young voices the space to lead and explore in re-imagining the relationship between people and place.