The website's initial role is to communicate what is available in Chirk, what you can do to support us, and to communicate that a Chirk Community Forum now exists. The idea of the Forum is to work as a non statutory group which can bring in grants, support and bind groups already in existence. We hope to put into place the changes which will improve Chirk's facilities and environment to the benefit of visitors and residents.

This page will gradually change as the group moves forward and shows the projects we are working on, and how volunteers can assist with some of them. If you wish to take part please contact me on the email below. We are after your views on what you want to see improved. These may be very small or larger long term changes, but a priority list will be maintained.

To contact us for groups and others that are not on the site but would like to be, or wish to put forward events for the diary page please e-mail back on andy@chirknoticeboard.info   or post to PO box 75, Wrexham, LL14 5ZA
 

Chirk entry into Wales in bloom 2007
When the Chirk Community Forum developed into a fully operational group one of our first decisions was how to prioritise from the action list developed earlier in 2006. We had the option of doing our own priorities or losing the commitment of those who had taken part in the visioning day by dawdling along.

A bold suggestion was to enter into a recognised competition so we gauge how far we needed to raise our game after our first failure, or gain credibility from doing a decent entry. Well, the rest became history as a few volunteers brought together others who supported and financed the work and Chirk won a Silver Award in it's first year. This was in the Royal Horticultural backed competition where you don't just get Silver for coming second, you must also reach standards to receive awards.

One of the first contacts was to the Wales in bloom competition organisers and one of their judges from Colwyn Bay. If you remember the press release at the time this contact was Clive Addison and he made the journey to Chirk to meet and advise us. One of the first great bits of news was that nobody had entered or gained an award in our Small Country Town category the previous year. Well that seemed like we could come first as the only entry which suited us fine. However then we became aware of the bit about reaching a set standard, and Clive's advice was to start our work with a 5 year plan and hope to have some recognition at the end of that timescale. Not exactly what we wanted to hear, but we had set out to make change and get support for CCF and the competition still seemed to be our agreed route.

We worked on completing tasks within the action list and also make general improvements with the very limited budget. Our first supporting budget came through a grant from AVOW for 3500 and this was very useful. Our earliest spends were on painting some of the many railings along the roadsides which had not been touched for a number of years. The grant allowed us to purchase gallons of paint and a chance timing with a temporary manager with community payback brought in a largely unskilled workforce, but a very helpful resource for this monotonous work. I don't think we realised just the visual change to these railings by the Chapel and Holyhead Road would get people commenting and supporting us so quickly.

The community payback people went on to do many hours of work clearing ground, painting and other tasks over the Winter and Spring to which CCF are grateful.

Partners with CCF are Cadbury's work in the community through one of their Managers being on the Forum. These crews have previously worked on many areas especially the Infants School to which they re-attend regularly. For this years competition Chirk gardeners club worked with the School children to do some planting, grow vegetables and combine this with School topics. CCF supported with finance but it is down to the links between CCF people, partners and the efforts of the School family which made this happen in quick time and to such good effect, really pleasing for all.

The Junior School were initially asked if they would put a team together to alter the library grounds as that was going to be on our route and it would have worked well in the partnership scoring. After feeling this was too onerous the School did get involved in a lesser way and CCF hope to spend more time working with the School for 2008, with the Governors now making plans for improvements.

The Library project has started with a new shrub bed and a tidy up along the front. The site is still a little in limbo with the planning issues next door, but more work is in the pipeline.

When we contacted the Chapel to see if they would make sure the site was on top form for judging week they immediately discussed the request and made plans for some changes. CCF members cleared away the old soil at the side of the building, built some raised flower beds and laid the slabs. Cadbury's have recently completed security lighting along the side of the building and there will soon be a new notice board in place. We must also thank a local retired carpenter who made the troughs that are at the front of the Chapel. Shall we say he thought we may be joking when we said he had 2 weeks, and after completing these in a week we squeezed 2 more from him which adorn the Millennium Oak in the centre of the village. Great support when we needed it, especially from Richard Burbidges for supplying the timber to us.

Who else to mention? Well Chirk Court was an immediate success. Firstly it is well kept and their caretaker/handyman always keeps the gardens and flowers to a good standard. The extra benefit was that the very recent Manageress previously ran a home which had won awards from Wales in bloom. The staff entered into their own category and received a very good report with many good aspects mentioned, a credit to the staff that extra care and interest for their workplace.

The standard of screening and planting along Holyhead road to mitigate the factory view was well received by the judge on the day. We know we have major employment close to residents but the screening is now grown to be very effective. Generally the area has been improved with the 3A's and Parish Hall area looking good and the hanging baskets along Shannon's wall have blossomed to look like the Owner actually likes gardening when the opposite was the initial response to spending so much money to support our entry.

Thanks goes to all the business on this score as they self funded the hanging baskets. CCF did the organising, and with some honesty the baskets were too large and either not fully out or the late spring weather really hammered the plants. However they have looked good throughout September and into October so they did a came good for a lengthy season. Countless residents and our major business did hedge cutting and clearing the frontages in readiness, and the gardening competition went really well, with plans for 2008 already on the table.

The railway station formed part of the route and impressed the judge. It was still receiving a wash down by local fire service personnel 2 hours before the judge came to Chirk. As an entry in it's own right the station won Best in Wales to add to it's many accolades, what an entry to Wales and Chirk it makes.

The Caravan park became part of our route and we hope it will enter in a separate category of it's own in 2008 as it was named as one of the best the Judge had seen for many years, and we know by the amount of visitors it gets what an asset it is to Chirk business's for bringing visitor money to the Town.

Another site which we have influenced was Chirk Community Hospital which entered in another category. The circle of friend Chair bought into the idea immediately and with spouse in tow set about making some improvements. With the support of the hospital management and grounds contractors they quickly came up with improvements and sustainability of those standards. Again very good comments form their report and solid foundation for 2008 entry which CCF hope to spend more time with them this time.

Some of our volunteers worked extremely hard on clearing and strimming ready for judging, we were again fortunate with some changes to the way services were altering in WCBC. We suddenly had a local and supportive supervisor who could meet and react at short notice. This enabled a concerted effort prior to judging day and in the main this standard is being maintained so that has really been beneficial.

We are likely to enter some other individual categories in 2008, not least the Cemetery. There is tireless work ongoing to keep this site so nice and with the extra clearing at the top end with railings supplied by Kronospan it was somewhere our Judge remarked as one of the best he had seen.

Despite initial doom mongers saying any work would be vandalised we have had a very good first year, maybe with our PCSO's being in Town and members in CCF. We did plant out 6 sites with shrub beds which the Borough Council will maintain and these were quite expensive to do. Thanks to the rain during June and July all the shrubs quickly settled and the plants have grown. That is all except the Berberis shrubs which somebody took a liking to and pinched them out of most beds. I am sure that resident has a lovely hedge starting now and any information may get a reward as it was very disappointing for CCF after spending so much time and money.

It largely leaves it up to the Chairman to say a special thank you on behalf of CCF, residents and visitors to those who have supported this first year effort directly like our prized painter, chippy, rotavator, strimmer team, planters, wood suppliers and all of those already mentioned in the groups. If I have missed anybody then my deepest apologies, and in defence CCF are already going onto new projects so you can get a mention next year also if I remember then.