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Birmingham hotel hosts Welsh First Minister for panel on women in sport

A Welsh television presenter, adventurer and ultra-marathon runner led a panel discussion focused on women in sport at a leading city hotel.

The First Minister for Wales Mark Drakeford gave an opening speech at the special lunch in the Writers’ Suite at the four-star Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre in Edgbaston Park Road.

Lowri Morgan, who is a world-class extreme endurance runner and is the main presenter on BBC Sport’s flagship rugby show Scrum V, chaired the debate which featured one of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes Tanni Grey-Thompson, Welsh triathlete Non Stanford, Welsh shot putter, Adele Nicoll and CEO of Hockey Wales Ria Burrage-Male.

Dawn Bowden MS, the Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport brought the discussion to an end, thanking the panel for sharing their experiences and reiterating the Welsh Government’s aim to increase participation in sports by women and girls across Wales.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “There is work for us all to do, to create more opportunities for women and girls to take part in sport, and to make those opportunities genuinely available to them.

“The panel explored the challenges which have to be addressed, to ensure young people believe they can achieve the success of our elite athletes in future.

“We want to bring our achievements here in Wales to the attention of the world and learn from others about how we can do even better.”

The lunch for around 100 guests involved a specially-created Welsh-themed menu which was led by Matt Loughrey, Head of Operations at Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre that is part of the University of Birmingham Group.

The guests had a choice of tucking into Welsh rarebit, Welsh cockles, Glamorgan sausages, Laverbread, Welsh lamb loin chops and a selection of Welsh cheeses while Welsh White Castle wine was available along with Heartsease soft drinks which are manufactured in Radnorshire in mid-Wales.

Matt said: “We worked closely with the organisers to produce a menu which showcased a variety of fine Welsh food and drink to deliver on their expectations. “The team worked hard to source local produce and by going the extra mile to find suppliers who were outside our usual list, we provided a memorable lunch.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .