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The North Wales estate where '99.9% of people would give you their last £1 if they could'
Wrexham is a county of contrasts with some of the most affluent areas in Wales, including Marford and Hoseley and Rossett. These two areas rank 1908 and 1805, respectively out of 1909 areas on the Wales Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD).
These measure relative poverty across the country - with the higher the number the more affluent an area is.
However six miles south, lying just outside Wrexham city's centre on the south eastern side sits the Caia Park estate, which is home to around 13,000 people. Here the WIMD statistics tell a different story, with the core of the estate ranked as having some of the worst poverty levels in Wales.
The Queensway 1 area within the estate, was ranked 9th on the scale; Wynnstay 45th; Queensway 2 80th: Cartrefle 2 156th and Smithfield 3 163rd. Moving outside of the heart of the estate, poverty levels start to drop off with Smithfield 2 ranked 488th and Whitegate 1 599th.
It is fair to say the last figures for WIMD were in 2019 and they are awaiting an update, so the data may have changed since then. However in 2023, Caia Park was again cited as one of the hardest areas to live in Wales, following research commissioned by the Building Communities Trust.
For those that live on Caia Park, they see the day to day issues, with some parts experiencing deprivation and drugs, like other poorer areas in Wales. The cost of living crisis, with rising food and energy costs, has also hit hard, again like other areas of the UK, stretching people's budgets, as they juggle bills and work multiple jobs to survive.
But despite the difficulties there are also great stories of how the community pulls together, helps each other in times of need and has a strong sense of togetherness, which can shine through the toughest of moments.
Walking along Queensway, you may be forgiven for thinking the roads and gardens would be covered with litter and vandalism, given its poverty ranking. However this is not the case.
Yes there are pockets, that can be found, like in any suburban areas, but the roadsides are tidy, with greenery and hedgerows, many people's gardens are well kept, blossoming with flowers and plants, a testament to the pride many have in Caia Park.
The estate is also full of people stepping out to support and enhance the community, like Colette Butler who, apart from a couple of years working in the Falklands, has lived on Caia Park all her life and bought the house she now lives in off her mum and dad. She praised neighbours and residents for their community spirit and willingness to help each other when times are hard.
The 54-year-old is currently studying for a degree in mental health and wellbeing at Wrexham University and campaigning, with Julie Cowans, from Summerhill, for an annual memorial day to be held at Erddig's Hafod y Bwch Covid Memorial Woodlands. If it gets the go-ahead, it will be to remember those that died during the outbreak and provide support for those who are still struggling in its aftermath.
Collette lost her mum, who had lived with her, to Covid in November 2020. She says she had issues with Wrexham Maelor Hospital to see her mum, who had worked as a teacher and then with the Salvation Army following retirement, after she was rushed into hospital.
"You have the Covid inquiry, that is going on at the moment to stop this happening again. But in the meantime there are people, who have not just lost people, but they have lost their mental health, their relationships - they have lost a lot," said Collette.
"We are trying to set up an annual event that commemorates Covid - like Remembrance Sunday - so it would be the nearest Sunday to the 23rd of March when we went into lockdown. One of the things that is said on Remembrance Sunday is 'lest we forget' - we don't want to forget the people we have lost and the lives that have been lost. We want there to be something that shows people still care.
"There are people that are struggling, there are children that are still struggling. The cost of living crisis has also come, which has had such a knock on effect for everybody."
Collette, who has been married to Mike for 20 years and got married at the estate's St Anne's Church, says they are now in negotiations with the Welsh Government and the National Trust, to get the green light for the event. They are also setting up a Facebook page to ask people what they would like to see.
Speaking about Caia Park, Colette said, on her street, children who had moved out of the family homes had moved back because of the strong sense of community.
"We are a strong community. We know each other. We have grown up with each other. We look out for each other," said Colette, whose dad was a pharmacist.
"I have never had an issue on Caia Park, there are problems, like there are problems everywhere, but it's time that people stopped stigmatising Caia Park. As a community, when mum died during Covid, I was only allowed 15 people in the church and 20 at the cemetery, but the amount of people that lined the street, to say goodbye to me, that moved me more; and the amount of homeless people she helped, they were outside the cemetery.
"It's a great community, they are strong and caring. I would say that 99.9% of Caia Park people would give you their last £1 if they could."
After finishing her degree, Colette hopes to get her PGCE and set up an emotional support prescribing service, with a fellow student.
In the Coed Aben area, 31-year-old Samantha Keith was enjoying a stroll in the warmth with her little boy Grayson. "I used to live in Liverpool and I moved here three years ago into a flat with my partner in Y Wern," she said.
"However we moved three months ago to the Coed Aben area, which is a lot nicer. I was used to the busy city life in Liverpool. But it has been really nice, the neighbours are great and it feels very family orientated," said Samantha, who is looking to get back into wedding planning, when she can.
But there are still issues with crime on Caia Park. One resident who did not wish to be named, living in the Prince Charles Road area, told how a thief had stolen garden and pillar lights, from outside his home the previous Saturday, which was captured on camera.
"There are also problems with youngsters on e-scooters riding up and down," he said: "The estate did feel like it was improving, but now if feels like it is slipping again."
Malcolm King has been a mainstay councillor for the Wynnstay ward for years, he is also the Chief Officer for the Venture Integrated Children's Centre, which supports needy youngsters and provides them with a positive environment. Cllr King praised residents for their strength despite the adversity they face.
"What carries the community through is, despite the difficulties that people face in their everyday lives, there is a hugely strong spirit in Caia Park," said Cllr King. "Although there are a very small number of people who may cause issues, the vast majority of families are amazing.
"The difficulties they have to negotiate every day of the week is hard to see, but you can only admire how people manage to survive, especially with the cost of living crisis which has hit the least well off the most.
"They deserve everybody's respect, working all hours, with multiple jobs, to make ends meet. The big problem is low wages and the cost of food and heating going up is also affecting everyone's budget. But it is inspiring and uplifting to see people trying to make the best of their difficult circumstances and doing extremely well."
Cllr King also said juvenile crime has dropped off dramatically in the area over the years and was at a "massively different level" due to efforts on the estate. He said the Venture also now offers food to children attending it throughout the week.
There are other organisations on the estate, like the Caia Park Community Partnership that provide support for families, that work alongside the schools and churches to sustain the community.
When North Wales Live covered issues on Caia Park, in 2019, on Prince Charles Road, the former Red Dragon pub stood empty and boarded up. Now in its place stands a new Co-op store, a sign of some investment and changes the estate has seen in recent years. Then local leaders spoke of fears that children were going hungry as families struggled to make ends meet.
Despite the issues the estate faces, Wrexham County Borough Council says it is doing what it can to support the community.
Initiatives include providing support for the Safer Streets project that saw investment in projects to improve safety, such as installing CCTV, ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) and environmental improvements.
The council has also provided financial aid to the Caia Park Partnership, to help support 16-24 year-olds not in employment, education or training.
For children, the council says it has giving money to support Gwenfro Valley Adventure Playground and The Venture; and to the Caia Park Partnership to support parents. There are also a number of initiatives including Activ8, Together Achieving Change and the Waking Hours Team, to aid families needing extra help.
And in housing, local authority chiefs say they have been investing to upgrade properties on the estate with £17m spent on 1,300 properties since 2019, with extra "financial inclusion officers" on hand to handle residents issues.
A Wrexham council statement added: "Caia continues to be the largest area where properties have, and continue, to receive major refurbishment works when empty. Void Refurbishment Programme has seen investment of £16,770,000 to 691 homes in the Caia Park Estate since January 2020."
Interim Chief Executive Alwyn Jones said: 'As with all local authorities the opportunities for area based interventions within Wrexham comes mostly from UK or Welsh Government, with WCBC playing more of a facilitator and distributor role as opposed to redistributing funds raised locally here in Wrexham.
'This means that our ability to fund projects is mostly dependant on successful funding bids and the allocation of funding and investment from UK and Welsh Government.
'We will continue to bid for and explore further funding opportunities as well as work with the UK and Welsh Government in securing funding and investment for Wrexham.'
