Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 1:35 pm on 15 February 2022.
Thank you, Llywydd. Well, the appallingly sad news of the loss of Aled came as a huge shock to many of us, of course. I was aware that he hadn't been in the best of health over the past 12 months, but when the news broke yesterday, we were all shaken by the loss of a sincere, warm, humorous, and very passionate man. But it was a gentle passion that Aled had—he was one who was always willing to work across party boundaries for the benefit of his community and his nation. And that was clear, of course, from his days as leader of Wrexham council, when his door was always open for one and all. And, of course, he gave clear leadership in terms of the Welsh language during that time, opening new Welsh-medium schools in the county and ensuring that the Welsh language was a corporate priority for the council at that time. And having the opportunity to carry that through at a national level, in his role as Welsh Language Commissioner, was something that I know Aled was extremely proud of.
I had the privilege, like many of us in this Senedd, to work very closely with him in the fourth Senedd—both of us elected on the same day in 2011, and both of us representing the North Wales region. We spent hours putting the world to rights on those lengthy train journeys from Wrexham to Cardiff and back, and the conversations varied from discussing the detail of parliamentary legislation to the performance of Wrexham football club on the weekend. Of course, he was a huge fan of his local football club, but also a huge supporter of his community more broadly. He was chair of the Stiwt in Rhos—a building that he played a central part in its reopening. He sang in local choirs, he was an organist at his chapel and a governor of local schools. He was very much the man of his people.
Therefore, the loss of Aled is a huge blow in many ways, and, of course, our thoughts are with Llinos, the boys, and his whole family at this difficult time. I and everyone in Plaid Cymru want to extend our sympathies to them. But I also want to express our thanks—our thanks for all the work that he did, and to give thanks that he was able to achieve so much in a life that was cut short far too soon.