2009 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 2009 to Wales and its people.
Incumbents
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."
- Record numbers of swimmers participate in New Year's Day charity swims at Amroth, Saundersfoot and Abersoch.
- 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.
- 9 January - The UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, visits south Wales as part of a 3-day tour of the regions .
- 11 January - Eight rescuers are injured as four mountain rescue teams help bring two climbers to safety from the summit of Snowdon.
- 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.
- 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 .
- 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 .
- 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 .
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 6 March - Boxer Joe Calzaghe wins a court action against his former manager Frank Warren, claiming £2 million in unpaid fees.
- 13 March - The Hoover Company ceases washing machine production at Merthyr Tydfil.[1]
- 1 June - ftrmetro Swansea bus rapid transit system begins operation.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 21 November
- 9 December - Carwyn Jones takes office as First Minister for Wales.
- 16 December - The Afan Lido leisure complex in Port Talbot is badly damaged by fire.
- 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
New books
Welsh language
English language
Music
Classical
Albums
Singles
Theatre
Film
Broadcasting
Welsh-language TV
- Caerdydd
- S4C launches a new bilingual rugby website[5]
English-language TV
Sport
Births
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
- 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
2009 in Wales