2002 in Wales
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See also:List of years in Wales
Timeline of Welsh history
Timeline of Welsh history
- 2002 in
- The United Kingdom
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| See also: | List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 2002 to Wales and its people.
- 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.[8]
- 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
- 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[9]
- Welsh language:
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Eirug Wyn[10]
- John Tripp Prize for Spoken Poetry – Cliff Forshaw
New books
English language
- Richard J. Evans – Telling Lies About Hitler
- Ken Follett – Hornet Flight[11]
- Steve Jones – Y: The Descent of Men[12]
- Jo Mazelis – Diving Girls
- Jan Morris – A Writer's House in Wales[13]
- 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[10]
Drama
- Dic Edwards – Franco's Bastard[14]
Film
- Christian Bale stars in Laurel Canyon.
- Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter for the third time, in Red Dragon.[15]
Welsh-language films
- Gwyfyn.[16]
- Oedd yr Addewid
Music
- 3SL – "Take it Easy" (single)
- Carreg Lafar – Profiad (album)[17]
- Feeder – Comfort In Sound (album)
- Mclusky – Mclusky Do Dallas[18]
- Bonnie Tyler – Heart & Soul/Heart Strings (album)
Broadcasting
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 33 medals: 6 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.[22]
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.[23]
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.[24]
Snooker
- 27 January – Paul Hunter wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.[25]
- 3 March – Mark Williams wins the China Open tournament in Shanghai.[26]
- 15 December – Mark Williams wins his second UK Championship title.[27]
Births
- 23 February – Emilia Jones, actress, daughter of Aled Jones
- 15 September – Medi Harris, swimmer[28]
- 17 December – Matt Richards, Olympic swimmer (in Worcester)[29]
- 22 December – Emma Finucane, cyclist[30]