Valerie Anne Feld (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Valerie Breen Turner; 29 October 1947 – 17 July 2001), was 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 ...

Labour Party politician.

Background

Born in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, she was educated at the Abbey School in

Malvern Malvern or Malverne may refer to: Places Australia * Malvern, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Malvern, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne * City of Malvern, a former local government area near Melbourne * Electoral district of Malvern, an e ...

and in 1969 married John Feld, with whom she had two children. She worked as a journalist in London and later as a social worker and housing advisor in Lancashire. In 1981, following the break-up of her marriage, she took a job in her native Wales – founding and becoming the first Director of

Shelter Cymru Shelter Cymru describes itself as Wales's people and homes charity. Its vision is that a Right to housing, decent, secure home is a fundamental right and essential to the health and well-being of communities. Information background Shelter Cymru p ...

. In her spare time she studied for an MA at

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

in Women's Studies, and in 1989 was appointed head of the Equal Opportunities Commission for Wales. She held the post for ten years, until her election as Assembly Member for Swansea East.

Political career

Feld had been a Local Labour councillor in Chorley, Lancashire. She was a leader in the campaign for Welsh devolution and was Treasurer of the

Yes for Wales Yes for Wales! (Welsh: ''Ie dros Gymru'') is the name used to refer to two separate cross-party pro-devolution groups that were formed in the lead up to the 1997 and the 2011 devolution referendums held in Wales. 1997 campaign Yes for Wales w ...

campaign leading up to the 1997 referendum. Her oversight ensured that the enabling legislation for devolution,

Government of Wales Act 1998 The Government of Wales Act 1998 (c. 38) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed in 1998 by the Labour government to create a Welsh Assembly, therefore granting Wales a degree of self-government. This legislative bo ...

, included clauses requiring equal opportunities. She was subsequently elected as a

Member of the National Assembly for Wales A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd ...

for Swansea East, and served in that position from 1999 to July 2001. Feld died on 17 July 2001 after suffering from cancer, becoming the first member of the

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...

to die in office and thus cause a by-election. She was a highly regarded politician with a history of social activism and commitment to equality and social justice, and was Chair of the Assembly's Economic Development Committee until May 2001. First Minister

Rhodri Morgan Hywel Rhodri Morgan (29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017) was a Welsh Labour politician who was the First Minister of Wales and the Leader of Welsh Labour from 2000 to 2009. He was also the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011 and t ...

said of her, "I believe I speak for the whole of Wales when I say that the death of Val Feld is a grievous blow for us all".

Legacy

In 2017 the

Purple Plaques The Purple Plaques (Placiau Porffor) scheme in Wales, UK aims to install plaques on buildings to increase recognition of the lives of women who have had a significant and long-lasting impact associated with Wales. The scheme was initiated by seve ...

campaign was started to commemorate remarkable women in Wales, aiming to install purple plaques on buildings in Wales to recognise significant women. The first purple plaque was placed on the Senedd building to commemorate her. Feld is included among the 100+ Welsh women selected by the Women's Equality Network Wales to have made a significant contribution to national life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feld, Val 1947 births 2001 deaths Deaths from cancer in Wales Welsh Labour members of the Senedd Wales AMs 1999–2003 Councillors in Lancashire People from Bangor, Gwynedd 20th-century British women politicians Female members of the Senedd Welsh women activists Women councillors in England