Alun Pugh
Encyclopedia
Alun John Pugh is a former Labour
Welsh Assembly Government
Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport. Pugh was born into a poor coal mining
family in the Rhondda
Valleys
. He moved to North Wales in the mid 1980s. Pugh currently lives in his former constituency near Ruthin
, and lived in Deganwy
for much of his time in North Wales. He has learnt Welsh as an adult.
and education
.
, a large further education
college. Four years later, he was promoted to an associate principalship at West Cheshire College. where he became assistant principal as well as teaching business finance ). Following the 2007 elections he took a mountaineering sabbatical in the Himalyas, and on his return to Wales was appointed as Director of the Snowdonia Society
, an environmental charity. He also contributes to the work of the Vestri Foundation, a not-for-profit company supporting sustainable development and community regeneration in Wales.
. Became the Deputy Minister for Economic Development in October 2000. He was re-elected in 2003 as well as being appointed to the post of Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport
in the Welsh Assembly Government
. Pugh remained an Assembly Member until his 2007 election
defeat by Conservative Darren Millar
by a margin of 1,596 votes. Pugh stood in the new constituency of Arfon
in the 2010 Westminster election but lost to Plaid Cymru
's Hywel Williams
.
Wales Labour Party
Welsh Labour is the part of the United Kingdom Labour Party that operates in Wales. Labour is the largest and most successful political party in modern Welsh politics, having won the largest share of the vote at every UK General Election since 1922, every Welsh Assembly election since 1999, and...
Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport. Pugh was born into a poor coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
family in the Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
. He moved to North Wales in the mid 1980s. Pugh currently lives in his former constituency near Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
, and lived in Deganwy
Deganwy
Deganwy is a village in Conwy County Borough in Wales with a population of 3,700. It is in a more English-speaking region of North Wales, with only 1 in 4 residents speaking Welsh as a first language...
for much of his time in North Wales. He has learnt Welsh as an adult.
Education
Pugh has a degree in business finance and post-graduate qualifications in computer scienceComputer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
Professional career
Pugh was Head of Business Studies at Coleg Llandrillo CymruColeg Llandrillo Cymru
Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is the largest College in North Wales with around 22,000 learners studying either on campus, in the community, in the workplace or over the Internet....
, a large further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college. Four years later, he was promoted to an associate principalship at West Cheshire College. where he became assistant principal as well as teaching business finance ). Following the 2007 elections he took a mountaineering sabbatical in the Himalyas, and on his return to Wales was appointed as Director of the Snowdonia Society
Snowdonia Society
The Snowdonia Society is a members based environmental charity. Formed in 1967, it is concerned with all aspects of the Snowdonia National Park. Members take part in practical activities to improve the environment and engage in campaigns to prevent inappropriate development in the area...
, an environmental charity. He also contributes to the work of the Vestri Foundation, a not-for-profit company supporting sustainable development and community regeneration in Wales.
Political career
Pugh was elected in the National Assembly for Wales election in 1999 to the marginal Clwyd West seat of the National Assembly for WalesNational Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
. Became the Deputy Minister for Economic Development in October 2000. He was re-elected in 2003 as well as being appointed to the post of Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
in the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
. Pugh remained an Assembly Member until his 2007 election
National Assembly for Wales election, 2007
The 2007 National Assembly election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, and the Scottish Parliament election took place...
defeat by Conservative Darren Millar
Darren Millar
Darren Millar is a Welsh politician. He is currently a Welsh Conservative member of the National Assembly for Wales for Clwyd West.-Personal:Darren Millar lives in the Kinmel Bay area with his wife and two children...
by a margin of 1,596 votes. Pugh stood in the new constituency of Arfon
Arfon (UK Parliament constituency)
Arfon is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Although the constituency is relatively large by geographical area, it is a predominantly urban rather than rural seat, with the majority of the population living in the two towns on which the constituency is...
in the 2010 Westminster election but lost to Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
's Hywel Williams
Hywel Williams
Hywel Williams is a Welsh politician and Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Arfon. He previously represented Caernarfon.-Biography:He was educated at Ysgol Glan y Môr, Pwllheli and the University of Wales, Cardiff....
.