Sad news | Professor Hywel Francis

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Sad news | Professor Hywel Francis

We are sad to report the passing of the historian and adult educator Professor Hywel Francis on Sunday, 14 February, 2021.

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of Hywel’s passing. Hywel’s legacy will be forever etched in our nation’s story, and his deeply held values shown in his contribution as the Welsh Labour Member of Parliament for Aberavon. His books documenting the struggle of Welsh miners against Thatcherism, and their fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War, stand as monuments to our collective history. Through his work and life, he showed how powerful the idea of solidarity can be."

Before entering politics, Hywel led the Department of Adult Continuing Education (DACE) at Swansea University. He founded the South Wales Miners' Library in 1973, which preserves the South Wales Coalfield Collection, and maintains the educational traditions of the old Miners' Institutes and Welfare Halls as an educational resource in support of DACE's adult education and widening access initiatives. These included the pioneering 'Community University of the Valleys' (1993) which enabled community learners to access higher education.  

During his time in parliament, Hywel introduced the Carers Equal Opportunities Act in 2004, often referred to as Sam's Bill, in memory of their son Sam who died in 1997. It led him to establish and chair the All Party Parliamentary Carers' Group.

We send our condolences to his wife Mair, family, and friends.  

 

Judith James 

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