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Melanie Wager has lived with renal failure for the past 22 years and was diagnosed two weeks before going to Westminster College, Oxford, where she studied to become an English teacher. She stopped teaching around five years ago after her health deteriorated. A volunteer for Kidney Wales Foundation, Melanie is able to dialyse at home thanks to the support of her husband Nick, who juggles his full time career with caring for her. Melanie keeps herself busy with hobbies and volunteer work, and hopes to return to teaching after a successful transplant.
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Greg Walker is WalesHome’s resident opera buff. Born and brought up in Caerphilly and Cardiff, Greg is Deputy Director of Higher Education Wales. He is a former associate lecturer at Cardiff University, where he is completing his doctoral thesis. An international opera goer, Greg has travelled to see and hear opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Salzburg Festival. |
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Marcus Warner is a 26 year old father of one. Enjoying music, politics and sport, he has brought into the world numerous blogs – but has now found a home at Sweet and Tender Hooligan. He currently represents many Welsh bands in the big bad world of music, with plans to set up a label of his own afoot. |
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Emily Warren is 28 and is a senior policy advisor at the WLGA, having previously worked for a Labour AM at the National Assembly and as a journalist. She specialises in Children’s policy issues and has represented local government on a number of Ministerial Advisory groups. She has recently completed a Masters degree in European Governance and Public Policy, is a Trustee of Children in Wales and a Committee member of the BBC’s Children in Need Campaign. She is a member of the Labour party and enjoys debating the hot political topics of the day, over a pizza and beer with friends. Outside of politics she classes herself as a bit of a football expert based on the fact that she is the reigning ‘question of sport’ champion in her house! She writes for WalesHome.org in a personal capacity. |
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Felicity Waters is a freelance journalist and former Western Mail health correspondent. She started her career on the Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer before joining the Western Mail as a general reporter. After a stint at ITV Wales she then worked for BBC Wales’s current affairs series Week In Week Out, where her undercover investigation into the exploitation of migrant workers in Welsh meat factories was shortlisted by BAFTA Cymru and the Celtic Film Festival. Felicity now writes for specialist journals and runs her own media consultancy www.felicitywatersmedia.co.uk |
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Cristina Weds grew up in Stockport. She did a first degree in English at the University of Wales, Bangor and, after two years’ research on John Henry Cardinal Newman she was awarded an MPhil degree. Cristina’s interests include politics, law and education. She has worked for a Labour MP at the House of Commons, was offered a place to study law at Cambridge, and is a passionate believer in home education. She home-schooled her own children for several years, as well as providing tutoring to other children. Drawing on her own experience, Cristina argues passionately for reform of a family court system. She is the author of Cinders V Charming, an account of the domestic abuse she has suffered. |
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Gillian White has worked in the Vending Industry for 20 years and now runs her own specialist Vending Consultancy 24vend Ltd. An Engineering graduate and self-professed “Vending Geek”, her experience has spanned beverages, snacks and ice cream vending for a number of companies across the world. Gillian sits on the board of the AVA and chairs the VCC, responsible for Political Affairs and Lobbying activities, in particular on topics relating to Health, Nutrition and Vending. She is also a Governor on the board of Coeliac UK. In her spare time Gillian is a fully qualified fitness instructor, teaching classes at Basingstoke Sports Centre and enjoys running to keep fit. |
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Victoria Whittal-Williams is an Account Manager at Warwick Emanuel PR and Film in Cardiff. A media and communications graduate of the University of Glamorgan, Victoria gained public relations experience working for a large government organisation and also a small privately owned business before joining Warwick Emanuel. Victoria is an avid supporter of social media as an effective means of communication and contributor to her firm’s blog. |
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John Wilkinson is a seasoned communicator with more than 17 years marketing, media and public relations experience. After five years in public service communications, John entered the private sector in 1997 and has worked at three of Wales’ leading consultancies before launching Wilkinson Public Relations in June 2009. He is Treasurer of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in Wales, a member of Public Affairs Cymru and sits on the commercial advisory board of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, of which he is an alumni. |
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Dr Andy Williams is the RCUK Research Fellow in Risk, Health and Science Communication at Cardiff University. His current major research interests relate to news sources and the influence of public relations on the UK media. He gained his MA and PhD at Cardiff University’s Centre for Critical and Cultural Theory and, after a stint as a political researcher for Leanne Wood AM, he moved to the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies in 2006. He runs an MA module on media representations of science, the environment, and health. He also guest lectures, has provided expert opinion and advice to a number of government bodies, and regularly contributes to the UK national and regional press and broadcast media. |
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Alex Williams is the Deputy Chairman of South Wales West Conservatives and Chairman of the Ogmore Conservative Association. Since his election in 2008, he has also served as a Councillor on Pencoed Town Council. He studied French & Politics at the University of Bath and Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Strasbourg and Transatlantic Politics at the University of Washington. He has worked for both Hewlett-Packard and Ofcom in public affairs and policy roles. He is a Member of the Tory Reform Group – an organisation which promotes the values of One Nation Conservatism. |
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Brian Williams is the Treasurer of the Communist Party in Wales. A former teacher, he is a graduate of the University of Wales and is married with two children |
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Ceri Williams is a Senior Policy Advocate at Consumer Focus Wales, specialising in energy issues. His report, Off-Gas Consumers & Micro-generation, is published today (20/7) at the Royal Welsh Show. Ceri previously worked as a special advisor to the Welsh Assembly Government, and headed up the Wales in Europe campaign. Educated at Swansea University, Ceri enjoys cycling, singing and Swansea City FC. |
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Kirsty Williams AM is the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and has been Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire since 1999. In the Assembly she had previously spoken for her party on a range of key issues including economic development, health and education. Kirsty was educated at the village primary school and St. Michaels School Llanelli. She studied for her degree, a B.A. Hons in American Studies at Manchester University and The University of Missouri. Prior to her career in politics, Kirsty worked at Carmarthenshire College and for a small business in Cardiff as a Marketing Executive. She lives on a farm outside Brecon with her husband and three daughters. |
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Dennis Yearwood has worked at UWIC, for a shade under two years, prior to that, it was IT consultancy at Swalec, and many others by day and vicarious rock ‘n’ roll thrills after lights out. Outside office hours, you might find him tending his asparagus, propping up a scrum, or sitting in the corner of a local hostelry supping real ale and struggling to complete yesterday’s cryptic crossword. |
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