Heledd Fychan (born 20 September 1980) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

politician and is the current director of

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organ ...

and political education for Plaid Cymru. She was elected to the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

for the South Wales Central region in May 2021.

Early life

Fychan is originally from

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, and attended Ysgol Gynradd Talwrn and Ysgol Gyfun David Hughes. She studied History and Political Science at Trinity College Dublin, becoming Education Office for Trinity College Dublin's Student Union in 2003-2004, and Education Officer for the Union of Students in Ireland in 2004-2005. After completing a Masters in Medieval History at Bangor Univeristy, Fychan worked for the Plaid Cymru group in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. From 2009 to 2021, she worked for National Museum Wales. In 2016, she was elected to the Board of the

Museums Association The Museums Association (MA) is a professional membership organisation based in London for museum, gallery and heritage professionals, museums, galleries and heritage organisations, and companies that work in the museum, gallery and heritage s ...

, becoming Chair of their Nations and Ethics Committees.

Political career

In May 2017, Fychan was elected for Pontypridd Town ward on

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf) is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council headquarters are located in the community of Cwm Clydach o ...

and also Pontypridd Town Council. She was the second candidate for the party's North Wales Regional Constituency at the

2011 National Assembly for Wales election Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *'' ...

. She also stood as a candidate for

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

in the

2010 United Kingdom general election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom unde ...

. As a local councillor, Fychan has been a vocal community activist. In 2017 she successfully campaigned to reopen Mill Street Post Office and in 2018 she campaigned to save the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd, of which she was a volunteer trustee. In 2020 she dealt with severe flooding in Pontypridd and led calls for an independent inquiry.

Senedd

Fychan was selected in May 2020 to be the Plaid Cymru candidate for the Pontypridd constituency for the

2021 Senedd election 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

. She came second in the election, behind Labour's

Mick Antoniw Mick Antoniw ( uk, Мік Антонів; born 1 September 1954) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician, serving as Counsel General for Wales since 2021, and previously from 2016 to 2017. He has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Pont ...

, with 22.4% of the vote but was elected to the Senedd from the South Wales Central regional list. Following the election Fychan became Plaid Cymru's spokesperson on culture, sport and international affairs. In December 2021, Fychan also became the spokesperson for children and young people, and the Welsh language. In October 2022, she was elected by Party members as Plaid Cymru's Director of Policy and Political Education, a role she previously held in 2013.

Personal life

Fychan is married and has a son, as well as two step-children. She lives in Pontypridd.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fychan, Heledd 1980 births Living people Plaid Cymru councillors Welsh women activists Plaid Cymru members of the Senedd Wales MSs 2021–2026 Female members of the Senedd Welsh-speaking politicians