13 June 2002: The Queen receives a 'welcome in the valleys' on the last day of the Jubilee tour of Wales

Industrial heritage and future hopes were key themes of the third and final day of The Queen's Golden Jubilee visit to Wales. Having begun her day in the coal-mining landscapes of the Welsh valleys, The Queen ended with a look at the futuristic Wales Millennium Centre under construction in Cardiff.

Having arrived at Bridgend on the Royal Train, The Queen and Prince Philip travelled by car through Ogmore and Rhondda valleys, slowing as they travelled through villages. The valleys of South Wales, with their coal mines and iron and steel works, were industrial powerhouses during the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries.

The coal industry at its peak in Wales employed one in every ten persons and many more relied on the industry for their livelihood. Rhondda valley alone at one time contained 53 working collieries, and was the most intensely mined area in the world. Today no productive collieries exist in the Rhondda, but the area's history has been preserved in heritage parks.

At the village of Treochy The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed by school children singing: "She'll be stopping in Treorchy when she comes." There was time to meet some of the local residents before driving over Penrhys mountain to the Heritage Park Mining Museum at Trehafod, Porth.

Inside the museum, The Queen visited the picture gallery. There she met ten winners of an art competition, who talked about their pictures to Her Majesty. The Duke of Edinburgh meanwhile met local participants in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, and representatives from the Penrhys Partnership.

His Royal Highness saw displays of work carried out on the deprived Penrhys Estate, on which a number of schemes are in place to improve the quality of life for its residents. Before leaving Prince Philip was presented with a book of 'Dreams' written by some of the young people of Penrhys.

Outside the museum The Queen and Prine Philip viewed some of the items used in the coalmines. Also present were many ex-miners and their families, representatives from local community organisations, and friends of the Heritage Park.

Lunch was at Newport Leisure Centre in Gwent, with 250 civic guests. City status had been conferred on Newport earlier in 2002 to mark The Queen's Golden Jubilee. Before the meal The Queen viewed the Letters Patent, the charter granting city status to Newport. Her Majesty then made a speech, in which she paid warm tribute to Wales and its people.

Acknowledging difficult times in Wales' recent history, The Queen looked to a bright future for the country. "The past 50 years has witnessed the birth of a devolved National Assembly for Wales and along with political identity has come a revival of the Welsh language and culture. Common to these developments is the Welsh people's determination to face the challenges of the 21st century with tough-minded optimism and ingenuity."

Her Majesty also paid tribute to the contribution of Welsh people to the cultural life of the whole UK. "The rest of the United Kingdom owes a great deal to your artists, sportsmen, and - perhaps best known - your musicians. Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones were singing in the garden of Buckingham Palace only last week."

The Queen concluded by wishing the new city of Newport and Wales as a whole every future success. "In Newport and in the rest of Wales, you are building your future by tackling new challenges and opportunities. I wish you every success in your endeavours."

Before leaving Newport , there was time for a walkabout down the city's Commercial Street. School children, who had been given the day off in honour of the occasion, lined the route.

The day ended in Cardiff, the Welsh capital. At the National Assembly for Wales on Cardiff Bay, The Queen and Prince Philip were welcomed by political leaders and Assembly officials. The Presiding Office, Lord Elis-Thomas, gave a speech of welcome, to which The Queen replied with praise for the Assembly's work.

"I am not sure what Rhodri the Great, or indeed King Edward VII, would have made of this Assembly, or of Wales at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

But as Queen of the United Kingdom, I follow with great interest the work of the Parliaments and Assemblies which we now have. I hope and pray that you, as Members of the National Assembly for Wales, will continue to work together to serve the common good and the people of this proud and beautiful land."

Outside the chamber, The Queen and Prince Philip viewed a model of the design of the Millennium Centre, due to be built on a site across the road from the National Assembly chamber. The building will be a base for Welsh National Opera and other important cultural institutions.

The Wales tour ended at Cardiff's City Hall, where The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed by the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor to a reception.

The 200 guests included representatives of Welsh sport, music, media, Jubilee charities, and the Lord Mayor's Jubilee Award Winners. There were also delegates from Cardiff's bid for status as the European City of Culture 2008.

The Queen also met Sir David Rowe-Beddoe, who showed Her Majesty a model of Cardiff's Music and Drama School. The Queen had earlier announced that the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff would in future be called the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

The Queen unveiled a plaque to mark her visit before travelling to Cardiff International Airport for the flight back to London.
  
Read the full text of The Queen's speech in Newport (pdf, 148kB)
Read the full text of The Queen's speech to the National Assembly for Wales (pdf, 148kB)

Back to June index