Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Challenges
It was a day of lists and challenges in the chamber yesterday. First off was Neath Labour AM, Gwenda Thomas, who set a new standard in the number of local organisations that can be squeezed into a single question:
Gwenda Thomas: I am sure that you will join me in welcoming the work of Neath Port Talbot Age Concern, which has developed two projects under the community food co-operative programme: the ‘you are what you eat’ lunch clubs and the Bangladeshi community women’s taster group. Will you also join me in welcoming the £160,000 recently received by organisations in my constituency from the Sports Council for Wales’s active lifestyles fund? The organisations that have received this money include Llangatwg Comprehensive School, Celtic Community Leisure, Tairgwaith trotting club in the Upper Amman Valley, the Cwmllynfell welfare hall, Tonmawr 2000 and the Neath YMCA. This is welcome news, as is the Welsh Assembly Labour Government’s investment through the ‘Climbing Higher’ strategy for the benefit of all our communities.
It is entirely possible that as the election looms then other members may seek to emulate this example. They will have a tough job beating Gwenda. Carl Sargeant did accept the challenge but his emphasis was slightly different. He was determined to paint his home County of Flintshire as a mecca of Welsh football:
Carl Sargeant: I did not take part in the overall debate, but I welcome the committee’s report and the contributions that have been made. Do you agree that Flintshire is pretty good on the wing, particularly Airbus? We have home-grown players such as Kevin Ratcliffe, Michael Owen and Ian Rush. We should recognise that football is associated with the whole of Wales, and we should embrace funding across the north and south.
I am sure he must have missed somebody out but cannot think of a name for now.
Gwenda Thomas: I am sure that you will join me in welcoming the work of Neath Port Talbot Age Concern, which has developed two projects under the community food co-operative programme: the ‘you are what you eat’ lunch clubs and the Bangladeshi community women’s taster group. Will you also join me in welcoming the £160,000 recently received by organisations in my constituency from the Sports Council for Wales’s active lifestyles fund? The organisations that have received this money include Llangatwg Comprehensive School, Celtic Community Leisure, Tairgwaith trotting club in the Upper Amman Valley, the Cwmllynfell welfare hall, Tonmawr 2000 and the Neath YMCA. This is welcome news, as is the Welsh Assembly Labour Government’s investment through the ‘Climbing Higher’ strategy for the benefit of all our communities.
It is entirely possible that as the election looms then other members may seek to emulate this example. They will have a tough job beating Gwenda. Carl Sargeant did accept the challenge but his emphasis was slightly different. He was determined to paint his home County of Flintshire as a mecca of Welsh football:
Carl Sargeant: I did not take part in the overall debate, but I welcome the committee’s report and the contributions that have been made. Do you agree that Flintshire is pretty good on the wing, particularly Airbus? We have home-grown players such as Kevin Ratcliffe, Michael Owen and Ian Rush. We should recognise that football is associated with the whole of Wales, and we should embrace funding across the north and south.
I am sure he must have missed somebody out but cannot think of a name for now.
