POPULAR Wrexham artist and muralist Liam Stokes-Massey has been announced as the latest official ambassador for Wrecsam2029, the city’s campaign to secure UK City of Culture status.
LIAM, a familiar figure in Wrexham’s creative community, has played a leading role in the development of the city’s Public Art Trail, which has transformed streets and public spaces with artwork celebrating Wrexham’s history, heritage and identity.
The project has seen a series of large-scale installations unveiled across the city in recent years, featuring work by a range of local artists. Among the latest additions is Liam’s own Wrexham Tailor’s Quilt artwork, with further phases of the trail due to be launched later this year.
The Public Art Trail is expected to form a key part of Wrexham’s official bid to become UK City of Culture 2029, showcasing the creativity and cultural strength of the city.
If successful, the bid would secure £10 million in UK Government funding for regeneration and cultural projects. It is also estimated that City of Culture status could attract a further £200 million of investment to the area.
Speaking about his appointment, Liam said: “I’ve been involved in Wrexham’s UK City of Culture bid for quite some time, as the Public Art Trail has been a huge part of the process.
“Being able to work with talented local artists to celebrate Wrexham’s culture and heritage across the streets of Wrecsam makes me so proud, and it’s been lovely to see how it has brought communities together.
“I’m proud of being from Wrexham and that feeling of contributing positively to your hometown is really special. If Wrexham wins the bid, it can open a lot of doors for local people, including those in the creative scene, so I’m glad to be an official ambassador so I can continue flying the flag for our sector and help raise awareness of the Wrecsam2029 campaign.”
Wrecsam2029 Culture Bid Co-ordinator Morgan Thomas welcomed the appointment, describing Liam as a natural choice for the ambassadorial role.
“We’ve loved watching the Public Art Trail come to life and hearing the positive response from those living and working in the city,” he said.
“It’s such a highlight when you visit Wrexham, and it’s exactly why we’re so delighted to have Liam as an official ambassador for the bid.
“Liam has already been doing so much to support our bid, so it made sense that he became an official ambassador, joining a few familiar faces who are just as passionate as we are to make it to the top.”
Liam joins a growing team of ambassadors backing the campaign, including Welsh television presenter Sian Lloyd and Wrexham AFC representative Lili Jones.
The Wrecsam2029 team is continuing to recruit ambassadors from across the community as it builds support for the bid ahead of the UK City of Culture 2029 decision.
