Talented pupils who starred in video given sneak peak of new ‘anthem for Wrexham’

Talented pupils at a Wrexham school have been given a sneak preview of a video for a song which they hope will become an anthem for the city.

The video for A Song For Wrexham is the culmination of months of work involving local musicians and every secondary school in the area.

It pays homage to the area’s proud coalmining and steelmaking heritage, with nods to  the famous red brick of Ruabon and St Giles’s Church, one of the seven wonders of Wales, as well as the rise and rise of Wrexham AFC  thanks to the Hollywood glitz of its celebrity owners.

Viral

The catchy tune and lyrics have already been hailed as a “love song to Wrexham” and “masterpiece that has all the ingredients to go viral”.

Members of Wrexham Music Cooperative wrote the song and launched a competition challenging the schools to write their own verse and a rap to be included within the new song.

Workshops were held at every secondary school and the competition organisers chose Ysgol Rhiwabon as the winner.

The video made starring the pupils who took part in the contest and was screened for the first time at a special assembly at the school.

Amazing

And there was double celebration as the prize for winning the competition – £1,000 worth of music instruments – was officially handed over.

The music and some of the lyrics were written by the music cooperative’s Scott Lloyd and Wyn Pearson, with the video being put together by colleague Matty Roberts.

Wyn Pearson, the co-operative’s artistic lead, said: “We put a verse and a chorus together and we invited every secondary school to write their own verse and a rap to go with the song.

“Every student involved at Ysgol Rhiwabon played a part, it was an amazing effort.

Scott Lloyd added: “There was just loads of creativity flowing from every school, and they were all really, really good.

“We love the finished song and video to bits. We’re humbled by it.”

A star of the video is 12-year-old pupil Holly Jones who raps one of the verses.

Fun

Music fan Holly said: “I really enjoyed it, it was great fun.

Holly, who has been singing all her life and has taken part in music competitions, said:

“I was just so happy to be involved with the song and the rap.

“I volunteered straight away to do the rap because I felt I was confident enough to do it.

“My family are really proud of me, it’s one of the biggest things I’ve ever done in my life.”

Holly is hoping it will become a favourite of Wrexham AFC fans and the anthem is sung at the club’s Racecourse ground.

She said: “I hope they do, the song’s words are all about Wrexham.”

Heather Powell, head of service at the Wrexham Music Cooperative, said: “We congratulate Ysgol Rhiwabon on their entry to the competition.

“All the high schools in Wrexham took part in the competition and we had some brilliant entries, and for me Ysgol Rhiwabon was the clear winner.

“The project was a successful collaboration between the Wrexham Music Cooperative and all the high schools in Wrexham and was funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund in Wrexham.

“The song was a way of engaging with the students through music and helping to educate them about the city where they live.

“The winning students were able to record their song professionally with our sound engineer Matty Roberts and it was a great experience for them all.”

Sandra Tarver, curriculum leader for music at Ysgol Rhiwabon, said: “We are delighted the school has won the competition, it’s a fantastic achievement.

“Many thanks to the members of the music cooperative for coming into the school and making this all happen.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for us all to take part in. The students absolutely loved the whole process.

“We are a community school and it was very evident with the ideas the students were coming up with that they deeply care about their community, and that is shown in the lyrics they came up with.”

The students who saw the sneak peak of the video said they were thrilled by the finished work.

Proud

Elsie Davies-Bottomley said: “I think the video is great because it represents Wrexham so well and represents the music industry as well.

“It’s bringing a good thing to Wrexham.”

Emily Stephenson added: “The video makes us so proud to be from Ruabon and from Wrexham.”

Music co-operative chair Councillor Mark Young attended the screening and said: “Wrexham is definitely on the up and the song does Wrexham justice – it’s positive, it’s proud and it reflects the community and its history.

“The song shows how proud the youngsters are about where they come from, and we should be proud of them.

“It’s a wonderful love song to Wrexham. It’s a little masterpiece that has all the ingredients to go viral.”

Councillor Phil Wynn, lead member for education at Wrexham Council, attended the video screening.

He said: “In Wrexham we are just so fortunate to be able to work with Wrexham Music Cooperative and this project is another example of how creative the cooperative and our young people are.

“The end product demonstrates the benefits of picking up a musical instrument and going for it.”

Karen Evans, education and early intervention services chief officer at Wrexham Council, said: “It’s great to see the students engage so well with these projects.

“Every secondary school in Wrexham was involved in the project and had the opportunity to take part in the competition, so well done to everyone for their efforts.

“It’s a fantastic song that’s brilliantly performed by the pupils at Ysgol Rhiwabon. Hats off to everybody who was involved.”

Song for Wrexham

VERSE1

Up in Brymbo, men of steel, the boys from over the hill
We pray for the miners at the colliery wheel, as we remember them still
We march with pride along Clywedog trail through Bersham waterfall
The walls of Erddig standing mighty and tall

CHORUS

Wrexham’s home, it’s the place to be
Once a town now a big city
A hundred million things to do
Wrexham we love you!
From the roar of the ground to the bells of St. Giles
Hailing the heroes for miles and miles
Voices together in harmony singing ‘Wrecsam, dwi’n dy garu di’!

VERSE 2

Down in Johnstown take a walk past Hafod Colliery
Take off all of your shoes and socks and paddle in the River Dee
The boys from Hollywood have come across and April was sublime
The boys in blue will never see the victory line

CHORUS

Wrexham’s home, it’s the place to be
Once a town now a big city
A hundred million things to do
Wrexham we love you!
From the roar of the ground to the bells of St. Giles
Hailing the heroes for miles and miles
Voices together in harmony singing ‘Wrecsam, dwi’n dy garu di’!

RAP

Ruabon rocks yn y ty, dreigiau coch for eternity
Ruabon red brick in our history, building blocks of our community
Talk about Wrexham, yeah that’s me. Here’s a tour around our city
From the church to the stadium and the university; here’s a few places that you need to see

CHORUS

Wrexham’s home, it’s the place to be
Once a town now a big city
A hundred million things to do
Wrexham we love you!
From the roar of the ground to the bells of St. Giles
Hailing the heroes for miles and miles
Voices together in harmony singing ‘Wrecsam, dwi’n dy garu di’!
singing ‘Wrecsam, dwi’n dy garu di’!