Val Feld

Valerie Anne Feld (née Valerie Breen Turner; 29 October 1947 – 17 July 2001), was a Welsh Labour Party politician.

Background Born in Bangor, Caernarvonshire, she was educated at the Abbey School in Malvern and in 1969 married John Feld, with whom she had two children. She worked as a journalist in London and later as a social worker and housing advisor in Lancashire. In 1981, following the break-up of her marriage, she took a job in her native Wales – founding and becoming the first Director of Shelter Cymru. In her spare time she studied for an MA at Cardiff University in Women's Studies,

Political career

Feld had been a Local Labour councillor in Chorley, Lancashire. She was a leader in the campaign for Welsh devolution and was Treasurer of the Yes for Wales campaign leading up to the 1997 referendum. Her oversight ensured that the enabling legislation for devolution, Government of Wales Act 1998, included clauses requiring equal opportunities. becoming the first member of the National Assembly for Wales to die in office and thus cause a by-election. She was a highly regarded politician with a history of social activism and commitment to equality and social justice, and was Chair of the Assembly's Economic Development Committee until May 2001. First Minister Rhodri Morgan said of her, "I believe I speak for the whole of Wales when I say that the death of Val Feld is a grievous blow for us all". Feld is included among the 100+ Welsh women selected by the Women's Equality Network Wales to have made a significant contribution to national life.