Month: February 2014

Allan Pritchard, the former Plaid Cymru leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, described as “a giant of the Valleys”, has passed away after battling against cancer.

Allan, who was 71 and lived in Oakdale, leaves a wife Pauline and two daughters, Kailey and Rhayna, as well as three grandchildren.

Lindsay Whittle, South Wales East AM, said: “Allan served two terms as my deputy when I was leader of Caerphilly council and took over as leader after I was elected to the National Assembly.

“Allan was a giant of the Valleys, a larger than life character who was always committed to doing his best for his community and those across the county borough.

“Alan was a musician, a poet, a first class rugby player, a family man and a Welsh Nationalist. He was the epitome of a Welshman. I will miss my close friend dearly. His life has been cut short far too early.”

Fellow South Wales East AM Jocelyn Davies, who served with Allan Pritchard on the former Islwyn council, said: “Allan’s passion for his home village of Oakdale – which he always referred to as the city on the hill – as well as the community and his country never waned one jot in all that time.

“Allan devoted his life to public service with the support and understanding of his wonderful family. He was a politician of commitment who always stood up to challenges and never shied away from difficult decisions. His retirement was well earned, but sadly all too brief.”

Colin Mann, Leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly council, said: “Allan was truly a giant of a man, not only in his stature but also in his personality and his beliefs.

He served his party and his country with honour for many decades.

“Allan battled bravely against cancer and my thoughts at this difficult time are with Pauline, his daughters and the family.”

Leanne Wood, Leader of Plaid Cymru, said: “Allan was an amazing man who gave so much to the Welsh national cause.

“His dedication, belief and ability to inspire and enthuse others was incomparable while his humour and love of life was infectious. He was always personally supportive to me. My thoughts are with his family.”

Allan Pritchard joined Plaid Cymru following the Aberfan Disaster and was first elected as a councillor on the former Islwyn Borough Council in 1979. He left the authority due to work commitments in 1991 but after the formation of Caerphill County Borough Council decided to stand again in 1999 and won back his old Penmaen ward seat.

When Plaid Cymru took control of the authority in 1999, he was elected Deputy Leader and was responsible for Personnel and Modernisation. In 2008 when Plaid re-took control of the council, he again became Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Human Resources and Constitutional Affairs.

He started work in 1957 at the age of 15 with the National Coal Board as an underground mining trainee and gradually worked his way through the ranks becoming personnel manager at the Oakdale mining complex and was also awarded British Coal Personnel Manager of the Year.

When the colliery closed, he moved to the Princes Youth Business Trust in 1993 as a regional manager for South Wales and helped more than 300 disadvantaged youngsters set up their own businesses.

In 1996 Allan Pritchard became Director of Development for the Tredegar Development Trust, helping to regenerate the old town. His focus brought new concepts to the area such as cyber cafes and training opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

He was a rugby enthusiast and a former captain of Tredegar, Blackwood, Oakdale and Monmouthshire County (Gwent).

Reflecting on his political career after losing his council seat in 2012, Allan Pritchard listed his achievements as:

• Leading the successful campaign against proposals to close Oakdale Comprehensive School.
• Witnessing the development of Oakdale Business Park on the former Oakdale Colliery site where there are now more people employed than there were at the colliery before its closure in 1989.
• Leading Caerphilly to become the first council in Wales to negotiate a Single Status Agreement and introduce Equal Pay for lower paid women workers.
• Introducing the highly successful training and apprenticeship scheme within the council.
• Freezing council tax for two consecutive years, the only authority in Wales to have achieved this.

Regenerating town centres such as the Blackwood Miners’ refurbishment and new or refurbished libraries and customer first centres at Bargoed, Risca Palace, Blackwood, Abercarn and Caerphilly.

The long-standing Plaid Cymru member and artist, Eirian Llwyd, 63, died in Ysbyty Gwynedd following a short illness in January  2014.  Eirian was the wife of the former Plaid Cymru leader and former AM and MP for Ynys Môn, Ieuan Wyn Jones.  She was also the loving mother of three children, Gerallt, Gwenllian and Owain and grandmother to six grandchildren. A statement from the family. Eirian’s contribution has been invaluable – she gave a lifetime of love to her friends and family, a lifetime of service to her nation and to humanity, and more recently she worked with great passion in the field of the arts. She qualified as a nurse in Liverpool in 1969-73 and then worked as a midwife at St Asaph Hospital. Born at Prion, near Denbigh, she passionately loved her native area. Wherever she spent time, she regularly returned to Tanywaen, the family farm, from which she derived inspiration and strength. Her brother John and her sister Bethan meant so much to her. She married Ieuan in 1974 – over forty years of love and firm friendship. Eirian gave him every support during his political career as Member of Parliament, Assembly Member, Leader of Plaid Cymru and as Deputy First Minister in the One Wales Government. Without her continued sterling support, he could never have achieved so much. She worked to promote women’s position in politics, and was responsible for amendments to Plaid’s constitution in the 1980s and for securing women a more prominent place on Plaid’s major committees. She battled prejudice within her own party and beyond, and did everything in her power to secure fairness and equality for women in the ranks of political parties. Eirian was responsible for establishing the Rhyl branch of Women’s Aid in the 1970s and 1980s. She persuaded Clwyd County Council and the Borough Council to fund a women’s refuge in the town, and helped to secure a temporary home for women and children who were victims of domestic violence. She campaigned vigorously to change attitudes within local agencies, such as social services departments, the health service and the police. This was in a period when many agencies were reluctant to admit the need for intervention in cases of domestic violence. After moving to Ynys Môn, she qualified as a health visitor and worked in that field until the late 1990s. She was highly respected, and prominent in her concern for children and families in need, for whom she battled to win a fair deal. She wrote a thesis on accidents to children in the home, and organised a seminar on the subject, bringing all agencies together. A number of the recommendations were implemented, including that of making children’s play areas safer. In 2001, she changed direction, and graduated in art at Cardiff Institute. She specialised in the field of print, and her work was regularly exhibited in Wales and further afield. She created work in several print media, and her work was very often based on the natural world, ancient monuments and the churches of Ynys Môn, using such media as linocuts, etchings and lithograph. With two friends, she established The Original Print Place, to bring the original prints of a number of prominent Welsh artists to the attention of a wider audience. She felt passionately that original prints needed to be better appreciated and understood, and to be seen as an affordable means of purchasing the original works of some of the nation’s best artists. She launched the enterprise by having a stand at the National Eisteddfod’s Exhibition Hall, and the work has now been exhibited at several Welsh galleries, including Ucheldre at Holyhead, Plas Glyn y Weddw at Llanbedrog, Wrexham and Cardiff. Recently, the work of Welsh printmakers was taken to Brussels and Amsterdam. Eirian convened meetings of printmakers across Wales and sought to persuade them to establish a Print Council in Wales. She saw this as a means of providing an even better platform for artists. In many respects, Eirian was a pioneer, a principled campaigner with a clear vision of what needed to be done, in whichever area she worked. To many of her contemporaries and colleagues, she was an inspiration. As an outstanding mother to her three children, Gerallt, Gwenllian and Owain, Eirian has rejoiced in their success, and was a grandmother of six – Elin and Tomos, Annest and Rhodri, Morgan and Megan. Her care for them has been constant, and she has shared with them her love for art and for nature. Eirian was a passionate nationalist, and has campaigned for the Welsh language with Cymdeithas yr Iaith, taking part in a number of protests in the 1960s and 1970s. Within Plaid, she worked closely with Ieuan, and he depended heavily on her for support, advice and campaigning work. Eirian’s faith was unshakeable, and during her illness, she displayed extraordinary resilience, facing all that came her way with grace and dignity. We came to know her better, and her family and close friends were privileged to be in her company. We are better people because of her.