The Welsh national flag is the Red Dragon. The flag incorporates the Red
Dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, along with the Tudor colours of green and
white. It was used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 after
which it was carried in state to St Paul’s Cathedral. The red dragon was then
included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was
officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959.
There are 22 principal areas in Wales, they came into being on 1 April
1996. Eleven are named as counties, including the Cities and Counties of
Cardiff and Swansea (marked *), and eleven are styled as county boroughs
(marked †). In 2002 Newport was granted city status, and the county borough is
now styled as the City of Newport. The principal areas are;
Today was Day 253 of my BRIT 2012
mile walk and I was hosted by the University of Wales, Newport within the
preserved county of Gwent.
There are eight preserved counties (Lieutenancy areas) and they are Gwent,
South Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan, West Glamorgan, Dyfed, Powys, Gwynedd and Clwyd.
Gwent is a preserved county and a former local government county in
south-east of Wales. It was formed on 1 April 1974 and was named after the
ancient Kingdom of Gwent. Under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Gwent
was abolished on 1 April 1996. [The name however remains as
one of the preserved counties of Wales used for the ceremonial purposes of
Lieutenancy and High Shrievalty, and it also survives in various titles, e.g.
Gwent Police and the Newport Gwent Dragons.
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| Newport Coat of Arms |
Newport is a city and unitary authority in south east Wales. It is located
on the River Usk near to the Severn estuary and about 12 miles east of Cardiff.
It is the third largest city in Wales. Newport has been a port since medieval
times, when a castle was built by the Normans. It grew significantly in the
19th century, when its port became the focus of coal exports from the eastern
valleys of South Wales.
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| The attack of the Chartists on the Westgate Hotel on the 4th November 1839 |
Newport was the site of The Newport Rising; the last large-scale armed
rebellion against authority in mainland Britain. On 4th November
1839, somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 Chartist sympathisers, including many
coal-miners, most with home-made arms, led by John Frost, marched on the town
of Newport, intent on liberating fellow Chartists who were reported to have
been taken prisoner in the town's Westgate Hotel.
Chartism was a Victorian era working class movement for political reform
between 1838 and 1848. It takes its name from the People’s Charter of 1838.
Chartism was the first mass working class labour movement in the world. "Chartism"
is the umbrella name for numerous poorly-coordinated local groups, articulating
grievances in many cities from 1837. Its peak activity came in 1839, 1842 and
1848. It began among skilled artisans in small shops, such as shoemakers,
printers, and tailors. The movement was more aggressive in areas with many
distressed handloom workers, such as in Lancashire and the Midlands.
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| A photograph of The Great Chartist Meeting on Kennington Common on 10th April 1848 taken by William Kilburn |
It began as a petition movement which tried to mobilize "moral
force", but soon attracted men who advocated strikes, general strikes and
physical violence. One faction issued the "People's Charter" in 1838
and it was widely adopted by the movement. The People's Charter called for six
basic reforms to make the political system more democratic:
1.
Universal
male suffrage;
2.
A
secret ballot;
3.
No
property qualification for members of Parliament;
4.
Pay
members of Parliament (so poor men could serve);
5.
Constituencies
of equal size;
6.
Annual
elections for Parliament.
Eventually, the first five goals were achieved, but that happened long
after Chartism was a spent force.
Chartism flourished in hard times, and faded during prosperity. Political
elites saw the movement as dangerous and refused to negotiate with it or deal
with its demands. The government permanently crushed the movement in 1848. The
movement produced no immediate reforms, but it did attract the attention of the
working class, which was not allowed to vote. Historians see Chartism as both a
continuation of the 18th century fight against corruption and as a new stage in
demands for democracy in an industrial society.
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| Shipping in Alexandra North Dock, Newport in the 1920s |
During the 20th century, the docks declined in importance, but Newport
remained an important manufacturing and engineering centre. It was granted city
status in 2002. It is the home of the University of Wales, Newport and the
Newport Gwent Dragons rugby union regional team. Newport hosted the Ryder Cup
in 2010.
Today I was given a super welcome
to Wales and hosted by the University of Wales, Newport http://www.newport.ac.uk/Pages/home.aspx
by kind permission of Chris O Malley, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University.
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| With the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, the Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly & the Mayor of Newport on Day 253 of my BRIT walk |
I was honoured that the Lord
Lieutenant of Gwent, Simon Boyle, the Presiding Officer of the Welsh Assembly
and local Assembly Member, Rosemary Butler AM, and the Mayor of Newport,
Councillor John Guy, all took the time to come to the University and welcome me
to Wales, Gwent and Newport.
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| Answering student questions |
The University of Wales, Newport can
trace its roots back to 1841 and today attracts students from all over the
world.
It has a long tradition of
providing high quality undergraduate, postgraduate and professional courses.
They have well-qualified and experienced academic and support staff who care
about all students and indeed the Quality Assurance Agency gave the University
a ‘confidence’ rating (the top rating given) for the quality of its academic
teaching standards. Their courses are modern, challenging, innovative, creative
and relevant to the needs of the 21st Century.
The University is internationally
recognised and renowned for many of its highly advanced facilities. It has some
of the best-equipped, fully serviced workshops and studios in Europe.
The University has two campuses at Caerleon and in Newport city centre.
The University has two campuses at Caerleon and in Newport city centre.
Mission Statement
Our mission is
to inspire and enable individuals, organisations and communities to succeed
through innovation in high quality learning, research and enterprise.
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| Wonderful welcome to Wales on Day 253 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk at the Univeristy of Wales, Newport, Gwent |
It was a pleasure to meet many students and staff from the University who
joined me on my 6 mile walk around the campus today.
I was delighted that Caerleon
Endowed Junior School http://www.steplearn.net/cejs/ were invited by the
University to join us.
I’d like to thank Dominic Hannigan of the University of Wales, Newport for organising the day and hosting me and to Kahla Delahay, Communications Officer at the Newport Student’s Union, for hosting me.
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| Showing students the charity badges on my walking staff |
I’d like to thank Dominic Hannigan of the University of Wales, Newport for organising the day and hosting me and to Kahla Delahay, Communications Officer at the Newport Student’s Union, for hosting me.
My sincere thanks to the Vale
Hotel, Golf & Spa Resort for looking after me during this first week and
assisting with my accommodation http://www.vale-hotel.com/ and to the all the staff who
have made me feel so welcome on my arrival here. Every ounce of support to
assist with reducing costs of my BRIT 2012 mile walk makes a huge difference
and I am grateful to the Vale Hotel for making these first few days in Wales so
much easier.
Ending day 253 of my BRIT 2012
mile walk with 413 miles to go.
Kind regards,
Phil