Four women from around Wales will be celebrated this year’s ‘Wonderful Welsh Women’ campaign.
The collaboration between Chwarae Teg and the Youth Parliament is now in its third year, and it aims to showcase female role models from all walks of life, from history and the present day.
Wonderful Welsh Women aims to highlight achievements of 'fantastic females', and giving girls and young women across the nation role models to aspire to.
The digital campaign will culminate in a social media vote which will lead to one woman receiving the people’s Choice trophy at Chwarae Teg’s Womenspire awards in June.
This year, Chwarae Teg has collaborated with the Wales Youth Parliament on the campaign, with the youth parliament members selecting the four women to be showcased, one for each parliamentary region. A number of women were initially nominated by youth parliament members, with votes then held within each region to select the woman that they wanted to profile for ‘Wonderful Welsh Women’.
The four women that have been selected by the youth parliament members are:
- North Wales – Betsi Cadwaladr
- Mid and West Wales – Senedd Presiding Officer, Elin Jones AM
- South West Wales – singer-songwriter, broadcaster, actress, author and composer, Caryl Parry Jones
- South East Wales – German-born Egyptologist and Welsh language writer Käthe Bosse-Griffiths
Chwarae Teg’s chief executive, Cerys Furlong, said: "Today on International Women’s Day many of us will be celebrating and talking about the achievements of women. But all too often girls in Wales, and throughout the world, are only told about the achievements of male role models.
"We at Chwarae Teg want to change that. Our Wonderful Welsh Women campaign seeks to showcase women who have achieved something remarkable, whether that be in science, sport, music, art, politics or elsewhere.
"We’re delighted to be collaborating with the Youth Parliament on this year’s campaign. The Youth Parliament members are themselves inspirational role models and we’re excited to be highlighting the achievements of the women who have inspired them.
"The profiles of the Wonderful Welsh Women that they have selected will be appearing across Chwarae Teg’s digital platforms on Instagram, twitter, facebook and our website over the coming months, with voting opening in May."
Greta Evans, Youth Parliament Member, said of Kate Bosse-Griffiths, the South-East Wales nomination:
“Kate Bosse-Griffiths originally came from Germany, and moved here in 1936. Her mother had Jewish blood, and Kate was sacked from her post as a museum curator in the centre of Berlin because of this. She became a refugee to Britain, in order to escape the Nazis and later obtained a post at St Andrews in Scotland, before studying Egyptology at Oxford. She was my great grandmother. At Oxford she met her husband, who was a Welshman, before moving to the Rhondda to live. She learnt Welsh fluently; she was eager to integrate, and ensure her new family belonged in Wales. She raised her children (including my grandfather) through the medium of Welsh. She wrote novels and other Welsh works. She is a true heroine to me. I think she’s incredible, the way she took pride in a new life and embraced Wales with open arms. Although she was a refugee, she became Welsh, and belonged here. We can be proud that Wales gave her such a welcome. She was brave, enthusiastic and wanted to contribute towards Welsh culture.”
Ifan Price, Youth Parliament Member, said of Elin Jones AM, the Mid & West Wales nomination
“Democracy in Wales would not be the same without our nomination, Elin Jones. From laying down the first building blocks of our Welsh Youth Parliament, ensuring that we as young people finally have a say on how we’re governed in Wales - to being at the forefront of our Senedd representing Wales globally as Our Llywydd, and also keeping to her roots ensuring Mid Wales is represented with her great work as a member of the Senedd. Modern Wales and Politics in Wales would be in a much worse position without Elin Jones.”
Efan Fairclough, Youth Parliament Member, said of Caryl Parry Jones, the South-West Wales nomination:
“I have chosen to nominate Caryl Parry Jones for this award because of her contribution to the Welsh language. Caryl’s music has become an intrinsic part of Welsh language culture and has been an inspiration to many young Welsh speakers. Caryl brings fun to the Welsh language, a very important factor as we wish to reach one million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050. Her personality shines through in her many roles as a singer-songwriter, broadcaster, actress, author and composer. Caryl proves that speaking Welsh can be fun and is a very valuable Welsh entertainer. She is skilled in the business of putting a smile on people’s faces. Her work in trying to promote the Welsh language has been incredible and for that reason, I believe she deserves to win this award.”
