A brief history of our Club ...

A group of us started Wrexham Squash, to promote junior squash (under age 19) in Wrexham across the Phoenix and Sports Connection Clubs in April 2002.

During 2002 we were reduced from five courts (when Sports Connection closed overnight) to two courts at the Phoenix Squash Club in Dean Road. Disaster again when overnight, and without any explanation, this building was closed by owners of the site NEWI, around September 2005. At that time we had around 50 juniors on our books, through the Wrexham Schools Squash Programme and through our Club Coaching programmes but with nowhere to play other that at the Queensway Sports Centre, in competition with members of the public and having to pay full commercial rates !

(To view early Wrexham Squash Newsletters, follow our links through the red box above)

In late 2005, the Directors of Brymbo Sports & Social Complex were looking to consider any proposal for a viable use of their Squash Court building and, through Wrexham Squash, a business plan and proposal were drafted and submitted to the Brymbo directors.

On having our proposals accepted in principle by Brymbo Directors, we then undertook a joint risk assessment of the building in February 2006, to consider our respective responsibilities. At this time we also met with potential Club members to form a task group to identify just what we had taken on.

Formal letters of support to our proposals were received from Squash Wales, Wrexham Council and local schools; local contractors were also identified to submit estimates for the necessary refurbishment work – which came in at approx £12,600. 

Later in February 2006 we met with Jo Clay, our contact at Sports Council, to go through our proposals and sought advice on the best way to progress our funding bid. In March 2006 we submitted our final grant application for three major elements of work – Heating; Electrical and Decoration. This was a time consuming process but our application was eventually considered under the Sports Council’s Capital Grant Scheme - meanwhile, the Sports Club Directors had expressed concern at an apparent lack of progress - as they were looking to us for some early return, although we still had to negotiate with them over detail rental, based on rates and energy costings !

In August 2006, our grant application with the Sports Council brought into question the Sports Club’s leasing arrangement (which was insufficient for their purpose) and a new twenty five year lease with Wrexham Council was subsequently agreed.

During August, September and October meetings and correspondence between ourselves, the Sports Council Grants Officer in Cardiff and Brymbo Sports & Social Complex was required to finalise our grant – now going through the Brymbo Directors as VAT registered and the lease holders to the building.

Our submission was finally agreed for a maximum of £10,000 (80% of the work required) and our refurbishment commenced with a highly motivated working party over the weekend of 13th and 14th January 2007.  Much work with contractors and volunteers took place over the rest of January and through February with the new Wrexham Brymbo Squash Club opening to members on Thursday, 1st March 2007.

To achieve support for a funding bid to the Sports Council for Wales we were required to become an appropriately constituted Club, with a business plan and Committee. Our agreed Constitution may be accessed by clicking on the red box above.

Having opened for business on 1st March 2007 the Club was managed by an interim Committee until the first Annual General Meetingwhich was held on 16th July 2007. A copy of the note from that inaugural meeting is also available by clicking on the red box.

We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Sports Council for Wales, through our contact Ceri Richards who came up from Cardiff to provide welcome advice and guidance as we bid for £10,000 capital grant. After many months of negotiation, obtaining professional assessments of the necessary work and convincing the Brymbo Directors that this would be a beneficial venture for all, the hard work was rewarded in achieving the funding required.

In total we've spent around £13,000 on our refubishment works of the Brymbo Squash Courts, which included considerable "in kind" support from a number of Club members.

Our photo gallery shows some of the work taking place in January / February 2007.

The whole of the Squash Club required a major overhaul with considerable investment going into a new heating system that included two new Ambirad gas court heaters. These were the latest and most efficient way of heating up an often very cold court.

We should also thank the members of the Brymbo Cricket Club for their help and support in the refurbishment, particularly in the toilet and changing areas of the Club.

Our thanks to all the volunteers.