2010 in Wales - Events

Events

• 1 January – Welsh people honoured by The Queen in the 2010 New Year Honours List include Menna Richards, Director of BBC Cymru Wales (OBE) and banker Dyfrig John (CBE).
• 6 January – School closures and icy road conditions result from heavy snow in most areas of Wales.
• 7 January – A report issued by the Ministry of Defence concludes that the two pilots involved in the Kenfig air crash of March 2009 "did not see each other".
• 12 January – Further heavy snow hits south and west Wales, as local authorities begin to run out of grit to treat roads.
• 12 February – Welsh Secretary Peter Hain and Assembly Environment Minister Jane Davidson announce plans to make the M4 in Wales a "hydrogen highway", with alternative energy refuelling points.
• 5 February – Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson is recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission as one of four new non-party-political peers.
• 14 February – Welsh rugby international Andy Powell is arrested near Junction 33 on the M4 motorway at 0600 GMT 14 February 2010, in possession of a stolen golf buggy.
• 15 February – For behaviour "contrary to the squad's code of conduct", Andy Powell is removed from Wales' 35-man training squad for the Six Nations Tournament 2010.
• 16 March – Welsh Slate announces the closure of Oakeley Quarry at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• 17 March – Government figures show that the unemployment rate in Wales, at 9.2% is higher than any other home country, and higher than all but two other regions of the UK.
• 16 April – Four men are killed and a fifth is seriously injured in a car crash near Porthcawl.
• 6 May – In the United Kingdom general election, the Conservative Party wins 8 seats, Labour 26, Plaid Cymru 3 and the Lib Democrats 3.
• 12 May – Cheryl Gillan is confirmed as Secretary of State for Wales in the new UK government of David Cameron; she is the first woman to hold the post.
• 25 May – The Learned Society of Wales is launched .
• 28 May - Llanrwst celebrates the 400th anniversary of the almshouses built by Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet.
• 16 June – New members of the Gorsedd are announced by the National Eisteddfod of Wales. They include Tim Rhys-Evans, Edwin Regan and Jill Evans.
• 23 June - A Danish tabloid newspaper accuses Stephen Kinnock of tax evasion. (Kinnock is married to Danish politician Helle Thorning-Schmidt.)
• 24 June – Barry-born Julia Gillard becomes Australia's first female prime minister.
• 28 June – The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, unveils a new memorial on the site of Six Bells Colliery. The sculpture, known as "The Guardian of the Valleys", commemorates the pit disaster of 1960 and is a tribute to those who work in dangerous industries.
• 5 August - The Faenol Festival is cancelled for the second year running.
• 23 August - The remains of Anglesey-born MI6 worker Gareth Williams are discovered locked in a sports bag at his Pimlico flat.
• 29 August - Air-sea rescue services begin a frantic search for missing kayaker Elizabeth Ashbee, who became separated from four colleagues in rough waters and bad weather at Ynys Feurig near Rhosneigr, Anglesey.Wales Online Her body is found in Caernarfon Bay two days later.
• September – The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, created by the merger of Trinity University College and the University of Wales, Lampeter, admits its first students.
• 13 September – Archaeologists working at Caerleon announce the discovery of a suit of Roman armour.
• 4 November – The accident report on the Kenfig air crash of March 2009 is released. The AAIB makes no safety recommendations, referring instead to the recommendations made in January's Ministry of Defence inquiry report.
• 16 November – Buckingham Palace confirms that Prince William of Wales will marry Catherine Middleton in 2011. Her title following the marriage will be dependent on whether an additional title is conferred on the prince.
• 19 November - The Welsh Pony and Cob Society opens a museum at its new headquarters near Felinfach.
• 28 December – Andrew Craig, of Caernarfon, completes the challenge of climbing Snowdon every week for a year, thus earning £15000 for charity.