Bro Wrecsam
Pigion Bro
- Pigion Bro
This week, Iolo Williams and Shân Cothi head to the North East and to Wrexham - the largest town in North Wales which has a population of 42,576.
The larger Wrexham county itself is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, close to the border with Cheshire. It was once famous for its iron works, bricks and breweries, but today the town attracts thousands of shoppers each year, especially with the new Eagles Meadow shopping centre having just opened less than a year ago.
Wrexham's history as a market town dates back to over 600 years and the markets are still a prominent part of the town, even today. Shân and Iolo will take to the streets and to the surrounding villages to meet some of this district's most interesting characters.
Alex Greene - Expert on Klingon language
Alex Greene from Hightown in Wrexham has been a fan of the Star Trek films since the release of the first film in 1979, and he has been interested in the Klingon language ever since. Today, there is a Klingon Language Institute in the US, and it is now possible to follow a degree in the language. Shân meets Alex in the town's cinema complex as he prepares to go to see the latest Star Trek film. Shân gets a few lessons in the language from Alex, and also learns what's so special about this unique language.
Phil Phillips - Historian
An expert on Wrexham's history and heritage, Phil Phillips and his wife run Wrexham Town Trails. They started the new tourism and leisure facility last year, and they offer guided tours through the medium of English and Welsh in the town centre.
Recently, Phil has scooped accolades from Croeso Cymru for the sense of place and ambience he's achieved in his heritage tours, including his use of the Welsh language. Phil takes Iolo and Shân for a tour around Wrexham and highlights some of the town's most prominent features, such as St. Giles' parish church and the three market buildings.
Pol Wong - Gung fu expert
Iolo travels to the local village of Ruabon to meet Pol Wong, who is of Chinese-Welsh origin. Pol runs the Chen Loong Oriental Arts school which offers training for adults and children in the arts of gung fu and qi gong.
Pol began training in martial arts when he was 10 years old, and dedicated a lot of his time and energy in learning, developing and researching Gung fu. He's studied under a wide range of teachers and masters and also spent some time studying in a Shaolin temple.
Iolo calls in at the gymnasium in Ruabon to see Pol at work and to help out during the gung fu class.
Kay and Stephen Lee - Calon
Shân calls in at the Five Crosses Inn which is situated between the villages of Minera and Coedpoeth, to meet Stephen and Kay Lee - two local singers who perform as Calon.
When both were pupils at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, their teacher Aled Lewis Evans asked them to sing at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in 1996. The two became close friends and gradually became a couple. Stephen and Kay have now settled in the village of Coedpoeth and they have a five-year-old daughter, Megan.
They have been singing together for many years now, and have had many experiences and travelled to entertain a wide range of audiences with holiday companies such as Haven Holidays.
Aubrey Thomas - Canal boat skipper
On their journey around the Wrexham area, Iolo and Shân also visit the village of Froncysyllte, home of the famous Fron choir and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct - one of Thomas Telford's greatest civil engineering achievements. The aqueduct was built between 1795 and 1805 and sits 37 meters above the River Dee.
It was opened in 1805 to improve the area's traffic connection, and today is one of the region's biggest tourist attractions, bringing in around 250,000 visitors a year. This year, the aqueduct was crowned as one of the heritage wonders of the world, becoming one of 28 locations in Britain which are already on the list.
Shân and Iolo travel across the aqueduct on a barge, chatting to one of the skippers, Aubrey Thomas.
Aubrey is a former ambulance driver, and after 30 years of whizzing around, he decided to go for a more leisurely job. He's been driving the boat across the canal for three years now, taking a barge full of visitors through the valley twice a day.
Rosemary Ralphes - Artist and Welsh learner
In Llwyn Isa' park in Wrexham, Iolo meets Rosemary Ralphes, or "Ro" as her friends call her. Ro is currently following a degree in Welsh at Glyndŵr University in Wrexham.
Ro is very fond of the nature world and spends a lot of her time watching wildlife in the back garden of her home in Tallarn Green on the outskirts of Wrexham - she is also interested in painting.
Landscapes and animals are the focalpoint for most of her paintings, but she hasn't had much inspiration lately as she has had to fully concentrate on trying to learn Welsh.
Iolo chats to Ro about her paintings and her inspiration, as well as her effort to learn Welsh in Wrexham.
Spencer Harris and family - Wrexham football club supporters
One of the most famous locations in Wrexham town is the Racecourse, the town's football field - where Wrexham have played ever since the club was formed in September 1872.
Spencer Harris lives in Coedpoeth near Wrexham with his wife Jen and their three children - Emyr, Megan and Mali Elin. He has been a supporter of the football team since he was 3 years old and the family are all regular visitors to the Racecourse as they own four season tickets.
Spencer is also a former winner of the Welsh Learner of the Year, and a member of the Wrexham football team board of trustees. He also presents a weekly radio programme on the football team on the local community radio station, Calon FM.
Iolo meets the family at the Racecourse and chats to Spencer about the football club and its current situation.
Wrexham street shepherds
As it gets dark in Wrexham, the town's streets are turned into a very busy area as people from all parts of north Wales travel to Wrexham town centre for a good time in the nightclubs.
But whereas most of the people who go there are there to relax and enjoy, one team of people have to work voluntarily until the early hours - the Wrexham Street Pastors.
The main objective of the Street Pastors is to bring the love of God to the community, and although the Christian faith is a central part of what they do - preaching is not their intention, but to care, listen and help anyone in need.
Sue Allen is one of fifteen Street Pastors who have received training in Wrexham and the Pastors have been working in the town since April 21st 2006. Sue is originally from Wolverhampton, but decided to learn Welsh when she moved to Wales as she felt it was very important to be able to speak Welsh in order to communicate with her daughters.
Shân meets Sue at the church in Wrexham to see her preparing for another busy night, before following the Street Pastors onto the streets in Wrexham to see them at work.