- Val Feld
Val Feld (née Valerie Breen Turner) (
October 29 ,1947 -July 17 ,2001 ), was a Welsh Labour Party politician.Background
Born in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, she was educated at the Abbey School in Malvern and in 1969 married John Feld, with whom she had two children. Worked as a journalist in London and in housing advice, working in Lancashire. She became a local Labour councillor in Chorley, Lancashire, and worked as a social worker. 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 . In her spare time she studied for an MA atCardiff University , and in 1989 was appointed head of theEqual Opportunities Commission for Wales. She held the post for ten years, until her election as Assembly Member for Swansea East. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13086.stm Val Feld| accessdate=1999-09-01]Political career
Local Labour councillor in Chorley, Lancashire. Treasurer 'Yes for Wales'.
Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Swansea East from 1999 to July 2001. [cite web | title=BBC News AMs profile | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/uk/wales/13086.stm Val Feld| accessdate=1999-09-01]Feld holds the distinction of being the first member of the
National Assembly for Wales to die in office and thus cause a by-election (By-election fixed for September 27, 2001) [cite web | title=Assembly Member Val Feld dies | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1445234.stm| accessdate=2001-07-18] , but she was also a highly-regarded politician with a history of social activism, and was Chair of the Assembly's Economic Development Committee until May 2001.First Minister
Rhodri Morgan 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".References
Offices held
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
