The Venture, originally 'Wrexham Adventure Playground Association (WAPA)', was established in 1978 in response to extremely high youth crime and a lack of facilities within Caia Park, Wrecsam, the third largest Council housing estate in Wales.

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Over the last 40+ years The Venture has grown into one of the UK's leading local children, young people and family organisations. The multi-discipline team, many of whom are "home grown", work with hundreds of children, young people and adults, in partnership with a wide range of statutory and third sector organisations. 

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In 1969 a book called 'The Making of a Criminal' was written by eminent sociologist Patricia Elton Mayo which unfavourably compared Queens Park (as Caia Park was then known) with the worst end of Marseilles, France. The resulting local outrage hardened the already widespread stigmatisation of the area and the subsequent change of name from 'Queens Park' to 'Caia Park' did little to reduce the overwhelming sense of lawlessness within the estate. By 1977, 50% of juvenile crime in the North Wales Police D Division (pop. c. 170,000) was committed by children and young people from Caia Park (pop. c. 13,000).

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