A law firm has fast become a key part of the community in Mold after forging strong links with local people and organisations in just a matter of months, says the town mayor.
Although Swayne Johnson can trace its history back to the 1850s, the firm is very much looking to the future with the official opening of its new office in the busy market town.
Mayor of Mold Councillor Brian Lloyd along with representatives from various businesses in Mold attended the official opening of Swayne Johnson’s office in New Street to celebrate its successful launch.
Managing director Lynette Viney-Passig said it marked a new era for the firm, which has its headquarters in Denbigh, and offices in St Asaph, Ruthin, Llandudno and Tattenhall, near Chester.
She said:
“Mold was very attractive to us because it’s such a busy and lively town.
“Opening an office in Flintshire in order to expand our reach across North Wales was within our sights for quite some time but we needed to find the right location.
“We are a High Street firm and so being on or close to the High Street is important to us. We want to be right in the heart of our local communities and we couldn’t have wished for a better location than here on New Street in Mold.”
The Mayor said:
“Mold is such a vibrant town. We have one of the lowest town centre vacancy rates in the country and a lot of that has to do with all the new businesses who choose to open in Mold or existing business, like Swayne Johnson who choose Mold as the town where they want to grow and expand their existing business.
“I’d like to thank Lynette and her team for choosing to open a branch here in Mold. It’s encouraging to see new businesses coming in as it all helps the town. We are looking to improve it further and that’s working well.
“The night-time economy is good. We’re getting more bars and restaurants coming in. It all helps the town.
“Mold has a population of around 10,000 but it serves as a hub for the surrounding area with a population of around 60,000 plus regular visitors from outside the area, as we often have coaches visiting or people from outside town coming to attend one of our town events or visit Theat Clwyd.
“It’s a great town for businesses to be and we are always encouraging new businesses and encouraging young people to set up in the town.”
Lynette added successful events such as the recent Mold Food and Drink Festival demonstrated how strong the town’s community spirit is.
She said:
“There is a thriving business community in Mold and we are so grateful for the warm welcome and support we have received. There is a local business group that meets and hold events regularly and we have been delighted to be a part of that.”
Lynette is also proud of the excellent team of staff at the new office, which has a good mix of experience and new faces to provide fresh energy.
She said:
“In terms of planning the team here, we were fortunate to make a couple of very high calibre appointments in our family and private client departments and we have also trained and developed promising individuals from within the firm.
“Almost all of the staff are local and live in Flintshire and everyone is involved with the local community and that helps us to engage with people in the area.”
Sally Johnson, a Welsh-speaker from Flint and a private client law expert who went to Ysgol Maes Garmon in Mold, manages the office and she said:
“It’s all gone very well so far. We cover all aspects of law here and our staff have actively engaged with the community.
“We’ve attended local events, provided sponsorship for the local football club and other community projects and hosted local seminars and talks.
“We’ve been supporting local charities such as Hope House when we had a stall in the market selling cupcakes – and got absolutely drenched!
“It’s not just a case of opening a new office – it’s about integrating ourselves into the very heart of the local community so that we do our bit to make it great.
“There are a lot of legal firms which are closing their offices because they are embracing remote working but as a legal firm you’ve also got to understand that not everybody wants remote advice.
“People like to have that face-to-face contact. That’s important to build relationships.
“It’s great to embrace technology and it is the way forward but you’ve got to respond to what clients want and feedback from our clients is that they value having a local office which offers and values face to face interaction.”
Jane Evans, Mold Town Council’s Events and Community Engagement Officer said it was important to promote new businesses in Mold and added:
“The Mayor plays an important part in that by visiting businesses and helping promote them.
“We have the Mold town centre Facebook page, and we put on or share on at least 10 to 20 posts a day on that, sharing local businesses posts, news and events.
“We continue to support established businesses and new businesses, helping to connect them with different people and different organisations and we like to keep in touch with them.”
The Town Council are currently helping set up a new monthly Artisan Market, The Sunday Gathering, which will be held on September 29 and October 27 with further dates in 2025 to attract footfall on Sundays.
She added:
“We also have our Totally Mold website where people can find out how wonderful Mold is. It has information about everything about the town – its history, how to get here, how to park, the businesses, it’s got everything.”
