2009 in Wales
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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 2009 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
- Prince of Wales – Charles
- Princess of Wales – Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (does not use title)
- First Minister
- Rhodri Morgan (until 9 December)
- Carwyn Jones
- Secretary of State for Wales
- Paul Murphy (until 5 June)
- Peter Hain
- Archbishop of Wales – Barry Morgan, Bishop of Llandaff
- Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
- Dic Jones (outgoing)
- Jim Parc Nest (incoming)
Events
- 1 January
- The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, broadcasts a New Year message on BBC television. He warns against losing sight of our "real treasure" and says: "Our hearts will be in a very bad way if they’re focused only on the state of our finances." [1]
- Record numbers of swimmers participate in New Year's Day charity swims at Amroth, Saundersfoot and Abersoch.[2]
- 2 January - Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson denies having criticised the failure to include all UK Paralympic gold medal-winners in the UK New Year Honours List.[3]
- 9 January - The UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, visits south Wales as part of a 3-day tour of the regions [4].
- 11 January - Eight rescuers are injured as four mountain rescue teams help bring two climbers to safety from the summit of Snowdon[5].
- 15 January - Welsh Conservative Assembly Members issue an announcement saying that they give their unanimous support to Nick Bourne as leader of the Assembly group.[6]
- 19 January - The Cardiff International Sports Stadium opens, replacing the old Cardiff Athletics Stadium
- 22 January - After having been the only police force in the UK to record an increase in crime during 2007-2008, South Wales Police witnesses a 4% drop in crime in its area, according to the latest British Crime Survey [7].
- 26 January - Corus announces the loss of up to 1,100 jobs at its plants in Wales and the mothballing of the Llanwern hot strip mill [8].
- 2 February - After a 24-hour search, the Llanberis mountain rescue team recovers the bodies of two brothers from south-west England who went missing on Snowdon on 31 January [9].
- 8 February - At the 51st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Best Pop Vocal Album goes to Duffy for Rockferry.
- 11 February - Four people are killed in a mid-air collision between two light aircraft near Kenfig. They are two female air cadets from Rhondda, aged 13 and 14, and two RAF instructors.[10]
- 18 February
- Duffy wins the Best Female and British Breakthrough Act awards at the 2009 BRIT Awards; her album Rockferry wins Best Album.
- The inquest opens into the Kenfig air crash of 11 February.[11]
- 21 February - Rescuers have to abseil 500 feet (150 m) down a sheer rock face in the dark to rescue a team of three climbers stuck on Snowdon.[12]
- 6 March - Boxer Joe Calzaghe wins a court action against his former manager Frank Warren, claiming £2 million in unpaid fees.[13]
- 13 March - The Hoover Company ceases washing machine production at Merthyr Tydfil.[1]
- 1 June - ftrmetro Swansea bus rapid transit system begins operation.[14]
- 21 July - The first race meeting is held at Ffos Las racecourse, the first new National Hunt racecourse to be built in the United Kingdom for 80 years.[15]
- 22 July - Official opening of the new Cardiff City stadium, Wales' 2nd largest stadium, when Cardiff City F.C. drew against Glasgow's Celtic F.C.
- 1 August - The National Eisteddfod of Wales opens at Bala.
- 8 August - The first test of the Ashes 2009 series, seeing England against Australia in Cricket, begins at Cardiff's SWALEC Stadium.
- 12 August - Wales begins the process of digital switchover with the turning off of parts of the analogue signal from the Kilvey Hill transmitter.[2]
- 29 September - On his 70th birthday, Rhodri Morgan announces that he will stand down as First Minister in December.
- 22 October - The St David's Centre in Cardiff re-opens as one of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom after its multi-million pound extension and the reconstruction of the surrounding area.
- November - Mererid Hopwood, the first woman to be nominated for the position of Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod, withdraws her name from consideration, leaving T. James Jones as the only candidate.
- 12 November - Health & Social Services Minister Edwina Hart declines a request by Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams to review how £1 billion has been spent on NHS services in Wales.
- 13 November - The agreement A New Understanding is signed by representatives of the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Local Government Association.[16]
- 18 November - A report by the All Wales Convention finds that public opinion is narrowly in favour of increasing the powers of the Welsh Assembly.[17]
- 21 November
- Dannie Abse receives the Wilfred Owen Poetry Award.
- Pride In Barry announces the planned placement of a Blue Plaque on 19 Porth Y Castell, Barry, in memory of boxer Jack Petersen.
- 9 December - Carwyn Jones takes office as First Minister for Wales.[18]
- 16 December - The Afan Lido leisure complex in Port Talbot is badly damaged by fire.[19]
- 29 December - A crater approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep appears in Brynmair Close, Aberaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Nearby residents are evacuated as the cause is investigated.[3]
- undated - Completion of The Tower, Meridian Quay, in the Maritime Quarter of Swansea, the tallest building in Wales, standing at 107 m (351 ft).
Arts and literature
Awards
- Glyndŵr Award - Llŷr Williams
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair - withheld
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown - Ceri Wyn Jones
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Drama Medal - Dyfed Edwards
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Fine Art Medal - Elfyn Lewis
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal - Siân Melangell Dafydd
- Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen - Fflur Dafydd
- Wales Book of the Year:
- English language: Deborah Kay Davies - Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful
- Welsh language: William Owen Roberts - Petrograd
- Kyffin Art Prize: Louisa Theunissen [20]
- Cân i Gymru: Elfed Morgan Morris - "Gofidiau"
- BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition:[4]
- Main Prize - Ekaterina Scherbachenko
- Song Prize - Jan Martinik
New books
Welsh language
- Robat Gruffudd - A Gymri Di Gymru?
- Lloyd Jones - Y Dŵr
English language
- Emyr Humphreys - The Woman at the Window
- Siân James - Return to Hendre Ddu
- Nigel Owens - Half Time
- Malcolm Pryce - From Aberystwyth with Love
- John Powell Ward - The Last Green Year
Music
Classical
- Catrin Finch - Goldberg Variations (transcribed for harp)
- Rhydian - O Fortuna
Albums
- Derwyddon Dr Gonzo - Stonk!
- Only Men Aloud! - Band of Brothers
Singles
- Vanessa Jenkins and Bryn West - "Barry Islands in the Stream" featuring Sir Tom Jones and Robin Gibb
Theatre
- May - National Theatre Wales established
Film
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, starring Michael Sheen
Broadcasting
Welsh-language TV
English-language TV
- Doctor Who - David Tennant films his final scenes as The Doctor in Cardiff.
- Gavin & Stacey - series 3
Sport
- January - Simon Lawson of Cardiff wins the 28th annual Richard Burton 10 km run [21] in a time of 31 minutes.
- 21 March - Wales are narrowly defeated by Ireland to finish third overall in the 2009 Six Nations Championship (rugby union).
- June - The first race meeting is held at the newly constructed Ffos Las racecourse.
- 12 December - Ryan Giggs wins the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for 2009.
- 28 December - Blackwood-reared Dream Alliance wins the Welsh Grand National.
Births
- 11 January - Dexter Lloyd Henson, son of Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson
Deaths
- 9 January - T. Llew Jones, writer, 93
- 10 January - Eluned Phillips, writer, 94
- 13 January - Dai Llewellyn, socialite, 62
- 22 January - Vic Crowe, footballer, 76
- 9 February
- Gareth Alban Davies, academic, 82
- Reg Davies, footballer, 79
- 10 February - Gerwyn Williams, rugby player, 84
- 14 February - Bernard Albert Ashley, entrepreneur, 82
- 19 February - Ian L. Jenkins, former Surgeon General of the British Armed Forces, 64
- 26 February - Jackie Bowen, Wales international rugby league player, 93
- 2 March - Gerard Morgan-Grenville, environmentalist, 77
- 4 March - Wynne Roberts, hypnotist, 66
- 12 March - Huw Thomas, broadcaster, lawyer and politician, 81
- 22 March - Emyr Price, historian, 64
- 23 March - Geoff Holmes, cricketer, 50
- 12 April - John Maddox, biologist, 83
- 22 April - Cliff Curvis, British and Commonwealth boxing champion, 81
- May - Ralph Morgan, rugby league player, 88?
- 14 May - Ken Hollyman, footballer, 86
- 16 May - Einion Evans, poet, 82
- 31 May - Brian Edrich, former Glamorgan cricket coach, 86
- 5 June - Haydn Tanner, Wales international rugby union player, 92
- 19 June - Major Sean Birchall, soldier, 33
- 6 July - Bleddyn Williams, rugby player, 86
- 11 July - Geraint Owen, actor and politician, 43
- 27 July - Aeronwy Thomas, writer and daughter of Dylan Thomas, 66
- 18 August - Dic Jones, poet and archdruid, 75
- 28 August - Noel Jones, Anglican bishop, 76
- 6 September - David Glyndwr Tudor Williams, barrister and academic, 78
- 9 September - Stanley Cornwell Lewis, artist, 103
- 7 October - Helen Watts, operatic contralto, 81
- 10 October - Sir Bryan Hopkin, economist, 94
- 11 October - Patrick Hannan, radio and TV journalist, 68
- 17 October - Douglas Blackwell, actor, 85
- 20 October - Hubert Rees, actor
- 12 November - Orig Williams, wrestler and TV presenter, 78
- 16 December - T. G. H. James, Egyptologist, 86
- 30 December - Maldwyn Evans, bowls champion, 72
References
- ^ "Hoover Washing Machines Page 2". Old Merthyr Tydfil. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
- ^ Digital UK - Kilvey Hill Archived August 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ BBC Wales News
- ^ "2009 competition". BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. BBC. 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ^ Rygbi