2002 in Wales
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 2002 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- First Minister – Rhodri Morgan[1]
- Secretary of State for Wales
- Paul Murphy (until 24 October)[2]
- Peter Hain
- Archbishop of Wales – Rowan Williams, Bishop of Monmouth (translated)
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
- Meirion Evans (outgoing)[3]
- Robyn Llŷn (incoming)
Events
- In the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons poll,[4] those with a Welsh connection who finished in the top 100 were:
- Diana, Princess of Wales - 3
- Elizabeth I of England - 7
- Owain Glyndŵr - 23
- Henry VIII of England - 40
- Aneurin Bevan - 45
- Henry V of England - 72
- Richard Burton - 96
- 14 February – at the Ogmore by-election, the Labour Party candidate Huw Irranca-Davies holds the seat held by Sir Ray Powell until his death[5]
- 13 March - The ferry MS Stena Europe is introduced on the Fishguard–Rosslare route.[6]
- April - Welsh Assembly Government concessionary travel scheme (‘Cerdyn Cymru’) entitles over-60s and registered disabled people to uniform free off-peak travel on all stage carriage bus services.
- May - H & Claire release their debut single.
- May 25 - Jessica Garlick represents the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Estonia.[7]
- June
- Archaeologists discover the Newport ship.
- DNA from the exhumed body of Joe Kappen proves beyond reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the murders of three teenage girls in 1973.
- June 18 - Cowbridge businessman Peter Shaw is kidnapped while working in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is held in brutal conditions until he escapes in November.
- June 28 - David Morris receives four life sentences for the Clydach murders of June 1999. Despite his having been a suspect days after the murder was committed, it had taken police 21 months to arrest and charge him.
- July
- Research reveals that Wales has the highest figures for company failures of any region of the UK.
- Ebbw Vale Steelworks shut down.
- August - "Barney" saves his owners' lives by warning them of a fire at their home in Wrexham.
- August 5 - Rowan Williams is admitted to the Gorsedd of bards.
- October - Archaeological excavations on a Bronze Age site recover the Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc, one of the earliest gold objects found in Wales.
- October 24 - Paul Murphy is appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Arts and literature
- Teenage actor Gethin Rhys Williams is killed in an accident in Spain.
- Connie Fisher wins the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship in the National Eisteddfod "Songs from the Shows" competition.
- Menna Elfyn is named Poet Laureate for the Children of Wales.
Awards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - Myrddin ap Dafydd
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Aled Jones Lewis
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - O! Tyn y Gorchudd - Hunangofiant Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price
- Wales Book of the Year:
- English language: Stevie Davies, The Element of Water
- Welsh language:
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Eurig Wyn
- John Tripp Prize for Spoken Poetry - Cliff Forshaw
New books
English language
- Richard J. Evans - Telling Lies About Hitler
- Ken Follett - Hornet Flight
- Steve Jones - The Descent of Men
- Jo Mazelis - Diving Girls
- Jan Morris - A Writer's House in Wales
- Steve Strange - Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
- Rachel Trezise - In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl
- Rowan Williams - Arius - Heresy and Tradition
Welsh language
- Grahame Davies - Cadwyni Rhyddid
- Angharad Price - O! Tyn y Gorchudd
- Eirug Wyn - Bitsh
Drama
- Dic Edwards - Franco's Bastard
Film
- Christian Bale stars in Laurel Canyon.
- Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter for the third time, in Red Dragon.
Welsh-language films
- Gwyfyn.[8]
- Oedd yr Addewid
Music
- 3SL - "Take it Easy" (single)
- Carreg Lafar - Profiad (album)
- Feeder - Comfort In Sound (album)
- Mclusky - Mclusky Do Dallas
- Bonnie Tyler - Heart & Soul/Heart Strings (album)
Broadcasting
English-language television
- Cable TV (chat show with Stuart Cable)
Welsh-language television
- Gwyfyn
Sport
BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year
2002 Commonwealth Games
- 25 July to 4 August – At the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the Wales team wins a total of 31 medals: 6 gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze.
Cycling
- Andrew Windsor wins the Welsh National Road Race Championships.
Football
- John Fashanu becomes Chairman of Barry Town.
- Barry Town are Welsh Cup winners after beating Bangor City 4–1, and win a sixth League of Wales title.
- Winners of the three divisions in the Welsh Football League are: Ton Pentre (Division 1), Garden Village (Division 2) & Newport YMCA (Division 3).
- Welshpool Town are champions of the Cymru Alliance.
Horse racing
- 27 December – The Welsh National is won by Mini Sensation, ridden by Tony Dobbin.[10]
Rugby union
- December – Brynmawr RFC and Abertillery RFC withdraw from the Principality Cup, after the Welsh Rugby Union makes an error during the live radio draw for the fifth round.[11]
Snooker
- 27 January – Paul Hunter wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.[12]
- 3 March – Mark Williams wins the China Open tournament in Shanghai.[13]
- 15 December – Mark Williams wins his second UK Championship title.[14]
Births
- 23 February - Emilia Jones, actress, daughter of Aled Jones
- 15 September - Medi Harris, swimmer[15]
- 17 December - Matt Richards, Olympic swimmer (in Worcester)[16]
- 22 December - Emma Finucane, cyclist[17]
Deaths
- 2 January
- Ian Grist, politician, 63[18]
- Arthur Joseph, cricketer, 82
- 7 January - Jon Lee, rock musician, 33
- 12 January - Moss Evans, trade union leader, 76[19]
- 3 February - Edward Thomas Chapman, Victoria Cross recipient, 82
- 22 February - David James, cricketer, 80
- March - Geoff Charles, photojournalist, 93
- 2 March - Mary Grant Price, costume designer, 85[20]
- 3 March - Bill Hopkin, rugby player, 87
- 6 March - David Jenkins, Librarian of the National Library of Wales 1969–79, 89
- 7 May - Sir Ewart Jones, organic chemist and academic administrator, 91[21]
- 26 September - Willie Davies, Wales international rugby union and league player, 86
- 6 October - Nick Whitehead, athlete, 69
- November - Ernie Jones, footballer, 81/82
- 3 November - Sir John Habakkuk, economic historian, 87[22]
- 20 November - George Guest, organist and choirmaster of St John's College, Cambridge, 78
- December - Brian Morgan Edwards, businessman, 68
- 10 December - Steve Llewellyn, rugby league player, 78
- 24 December - Jake Thackray, singer-songwriter, 64[23]
- 31 December - Billy Morris, footballer, 84
See also
References
- ^ Hannan, Patrick (18 May 2017). "Rhodri Morgan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
- ^ "BBC NEWS - UK - Wales - Murphy returns as Welsh secretary". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ^ "An Archdruid's Experiences". People's Collection Wales. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ "100 great British heroes". BBC News. 21 August 2002. (contains the top 100, sorted alphabetically)
- ^ "Labour holds Ogmore with cut majority". BBC News. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Stena Europe - Stena Line". NIFerrySite. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Final of Tallinn 2002". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "Mwynhad yn y tywyllwch" [Enjoyment in the dark] (in Welsh). BBC. 26 November 2002.
- ^ "BBC Wales Sport Personality winners". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "2:50 Chepstow, Coral Welsh National Showcase Handicap (Chase) Class A Grade 3". Racing Post. 27 December 2002.
- ^ "Abertillery withdraw from Cup". BBC Sport. 11 December 2002.
- ^ "2002 Welsh Open Results". Snooker Database. 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "China Open 2002". snooker.org. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "UK Championship full results". BBC Sport. 11 December 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ "Medi Harris profile". Eurosport. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ "Richards Matthew". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "Profile". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Andrew Roth (22 January 2002). "Ian Grist". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Geoffrey Goodman (14 January 2002). "Moss Evans". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Veronica Horwell (16 April 2002). "Mary Grant Price". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Pearce Wright (18 May 2002). "Sir Ewart Jones". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Negley Harte (14 November 2002). "Sir John Habakkuk". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Alan Clayson (28 December 2002). "Jake Thackray". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2019.