Froncysyllte, Wrexham

Froncysyllte, Wrexham, has won not only the North Wales region award for the 2008 Calor Village of the Year® for Wales, but is also the overall winner.

With a population of approximately 750, the village of Froncysyllte is situated to the south of Wrexham in north east Wales.

Following a period of decline after the closure of local quarries and the loss of local employment in the 1950s, Froncysyllte has gone on to make some incredible achievements.

Today is a great example of a thriving community that is helping itself through practical action and taking advantage of the skills and talents of its residents.

Key to all that Froncysyllte has achieved most recently is the local initiative Cakes and Company, which was launched in 2007 following an amazing response to a fundraising project to raise money for improvements to the Community Centre.

The sale of cakes and light refreshments at the weekends to raise money for the renovation works was so successful and everyone involved enjoyed themselves so much that it was decided to formalise this as a community business under the name ‘Cakes and Company’.

A community café that is open from Easter until October, offering different activities each weekend such as craft workshops and local produce sales, young and old are brought together through the project and visitors also enjoy the benefits.

But what is most impressive about Cakes and Company is that it has been, and continues to be, the conduit for so much more within the community. The success of this community business has instilled a fresh vibrancy and ‘can do’ attitude in Froncysyllte which is benefiting everyone in many different ways.

Everyone who lives in Fron is passionate about their village and this is also represented through the great environmental work they do. One project in the pipeline is the provision of community allotments.

Residents are also keen to make the most of their surroundings and improve the look of this industrial village which is split in the middle by the A5 trunk road.