A former dolphin trainer, micro-brewery owner and sports enthusiast have become the first female Conservative MPs ever elected in Wales.
Sarah Atherton became the first female Welsh Tory MP after taking Wrexham from Labour in the early hours of Friday morning.
Then Virginia Crosbie took Ynys Mon and Fay Jones won Brecon and Radnorshire.
But who are the three women who have made history for the Tories in Wales?
Sarah Atherton – micro-brewery owner
A passionate Brexiteer, single mother Ms Atherton said she believed in an “honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work”.
After leaving school at 16, Ms Atherton served in the Intelligence Corps, before leaving to start a family.
She later retrained to become a district nurse and went on to become a social worker, specialising in older people and mental health.
Ms Atherton also runs a micro-brewery in Wrexham and is a community councillor.
In 2018, she stood in the Alyn and Deeside by-election, triggered by the death of former Welsh government minister Carl Sargeant.
During the general election campaign she was criticised for the “lack of Welsh” featured in her campaign material, but said it was a “sensible call’ after researching the amount of people that spoke the language in the area.
Virginia Crosbie – former dolphin trainer
Image copyright Welsh Conservatives
A former dolphin trainer and scientist, Ms Crosbie is a maths teacher living in West Sussex with her three children and husband.
Ahead of the vote, she said she would move to Anglesey if elected.
Ms Crosbie has a degree in microbiology and worked as a dolphin trainer for Terry Nutkins on the BBC’s Animal Magic show.
Working for leading multinational pharmaceutical companies, she worked on the production of targeted cancer drugs and went on to become one of the youngest directors at UBS and HSBC, before retraining as a teacher.
She previously stood in the Rhondda in the 2017 general election, winning 10% of the vote.
Fay Jones – sport enthusiast
Triathlete Ms Jones worked for politicians and royalty ahead of being elected.
The 34-year-old backed Remain but said “we need to get Brexit done so we can move on to focus on the priorities that matter to local people.”
She won back Brecon and Radnorshire from the Liberal Democrats just months after they gained it in a by-election.
The election was triggered after then-MP Chris Davies admitted two charges of making a false expenses claim.
Born and brought up in Cardiff, Ms Jones is the daughter of ex-Wales Office minister Gwilym Jones, who was the MP for Cardiff North between 1983 and 1997.
Ms Jones has worked in Brussels for Jonathan Evans MEP and as a researcher to Clwyd West MP David Jones.
She has also worked as a researcher for the Prince of Wales and worked for the National Farmers Union on the future of the industry post-Brexit.
Outside of politics, Ms Jones said her passion lies in sport, having run the New York Marathon and competed in a number of triathlons.
Original Article : HERE ;
from MetNews https://metnews.pw/dolphin-trainer-among-first-welsh-female-tory-mps/
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