The next item is the 90-second statements, and the first statement is from Dawn Bowden.

Diolch, Llywydd. Last week, my colleague Vikki Howells made a statement to mark the thirty-fifth anniversary of the start of the 1984 miners' strike. But there is one aspect of that long, bitter industrial dispute that I believe deserves our further attention. I refer, of course, to the way in which the dispute politicised and radicalised women through the Women Against Pit Closures movement. That movement empowered so many women to act and to take on public roles in what had traditionally been male-dominated activities. It took them out of the kitchen and into the front line of politics.

During the strike, previously non-political women emerged as leaders, speakers, fundraisers, organisers and key supporters of that dispute. For most, life would never be the same, and many became political figures in their own right, like Sian James, who went on to become the MP for Swansea East. In her book, 'Is it Still Raining in Aberfan?', the journalist Melanie Doel records the thoughts of one of those women, Maureen Hughes. She conveyed what a striking miner at Merthyr Vale colliery had said to her. He said,

'You were the woman on the picket line—you’ll never know how much that boosted morale just seeing you there supporting us'.

So, as we remember the thirty-fifth anniversary of the start of the miners' strike, let's also remember the Women Against Pit Closures. They were, and are, remarkable women and we should never forget their contribution to the working-class history of our country. 

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

Thank you. Nick Ramsay.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Cyclone Idai was the worst storm ever to strike the southern region of Africa, affecting Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, leaving behind a trail of destruction and broken lives. The storm has created an inland ocean in Mozambique the size of Luxembourg. It has killed 700 people and affected around 3 million more. That's almost the same as the population of Wales. Houses, roads and bridges have been ripped apart and agricultural land is completely submerged.

Humanitarian charities have heard accounts of children dying as they fell from trees they had climbed to escape the flooding. Others fell because of hunger as they had been cut off for three days. There have been many reports of bodies floating in the floodwater. In Zimbabwe alone, over 300 people have lost their lives with at least 16,000 households displaced. Government Ministers say that the number of missing people will be much higher than earlier feared. 

My constituents David and Martha Holman, from the charity Love Zimbabwe, will be travelling to the country on 8 April to provide much needed support. They've already collected many essential items to take with them and distribute to those in affected areas and are appealing for more.

The Disasters Emergency Committee has also launched an appeal to support aid efforts. Charities are working to support the relief effort delivering emergency shelter kits; food, such as pulses and maize; water purification tablets; and urgent health assistance. I'm sure this Assembly will wish to pledge its support to the people of this troubled part of the world at this time. Anyone wishing to give their support can do so by visiting the website at www.dec.org.uk

Leanne Wood.

Last week, the Rhondda artist, Elwyn Thomas, sadly passed away. Elwyn, who was born in Tylorstown, was a well-loved artist in the Rhondda, known for his acrylic paintings, which depicted in main street vistas familiar to anyone who has lived or spent time in the Rhondda Fach. Many of his paintings were simply named after the streets and communities he depicted, but the occasional painting strayed from his format and gave you a bit more of a hint about the subject matter. 'Back lane chat', 'Rhondda courting couple', 'Rhondda gossips' are such examples. 

It's said that he only seriously took up painting in 1987, following his retirement as a teacher. He'd been head of art at Ferndale Grammar School, where he'd passed on his love and passion for art to the hundreds of pupils that passed through the school during his tenure. The outpouring of warm tributes to him from former pupils since his death is a testament to the mark he left in education in this part of the Rhondda.

I understand that there are plans at the Giles Gallery in Pontyclun, which is an exclusive outlet for original work by Thomas, to exhibit some previously unseen work, along with some of his more famous pieces, as part of a tribute. So, I would urge anyone with an interest in art to go along and check these paintings out in real life to fully appreciate the skill that Thomas had, as well as his unique eye for capturing and reflecting Rhondda life back at us. 

It has been said that Thomas simply painted what he saw through his window, but he did it with such warmth and with such skill. Elwyn Thomas has left us with a marvellous chronicle of Rhondda life, and I for one am very grateful to him for that.

Thank you.