PRESS RELEASE : Wrexham becomes Wales’s seventh city

The press release issued by the Secretary of State for Wales on 1 September 2022.

Wrexham became a city on Thursday 1 September after winning the prestigious status through a competition which was part of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The honour was granted earlier this year and the official ‘Letter Patent’ confirms city status from 1 September 2022.

Wrexham now becomes the seventh city in Wales joining Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bangor, St Davids and St Asaph. The competition to receive civic honours was last run 10 years ago to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, when St Asaph was honoured with city status.

Secretary of State for Wales, Sir Robert Buckland said:

Congratulations to Wrexham on achieving city status. The city and surrounding area already has so much to offer – it’s home to the famous Wrexham Lager Brewery, the Unesco World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a fantastic football club which is Wales’s oldest and one of the oldest in the world.

There is already much for Wrexham to be proud of and its future is equally exciting. I hope that the city of Wrexham continues to prosper and grow.

Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, said:

We have so much to celebrate in Wrexham. We have an amazing World Heritage Site, and incredible football club with incredible owners, and a rich and diverse arts and culture scene. We have strong links with our armed forces, world-class businesses and friends all over the world.

But our greatest asset is our communities, and it’s the amazing passion, character and creativity of the people who live here that make Wrexham what it is.

City status is a wonderful achievement and reflects the growing confidence and ambition we have in Wrexham. I’d like to thank everybody who supported the ambitious city status bid, from MPs and MSs, to elected councillors, and all the businesses within Wrexham and beyond.

I’d also like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for granting Wrexham city status. We’ve received congratulations from supporters and friends all over the world, and this is a truly historic day.

Wrexham Council is planning a month of weekend events throughout September to celebrate Wrexham:

Saturday 3 September

• Reaffirmation of the Freedom of the Borough to the Royal Welsh – starts at Llwyn Isaf at 11am.

Saturday 10 September

• Invited guest service at St Giles Church to celebrate city status at 12pm.
• Wrexham AFC vs Maidenhead Utd FC at The Racecourse stadium at 3pm.
• Live music from The Royston Club plus guests on Llwyn Isaf from 6pm.

Saturday 17 September

• Wrexham City Fun Day – activities throughout the city centre for all the family.

Saturday 24 September

• Wrexham Feast food festival at Waterworld car park from 10am (also Sunday, September 25)
• Wrexham AFC v Torquay United at the Racecourse at 3pm.

The Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition required applicants to demonstrate how their unique communities and distinct local identity meant they deserved to be awarded city status. They were also required to highlight their royal associations and cultural heritage.

Winning city status can provide a boost to local communities and open up new opportunities for people who live there, as is the case with previous winners, Perth and Preston, where residents have described how their success contributed to increased national and global standing, putting them on the international map as a place to do business.

Perth, which was granted city status in 2012 as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, has seen the local economy expand by 12% in the decade it was granted city status.