Welsh Lib Dem Baroness Randerson dies aged 76

The Welsh Liberal Democrat person Jenny Randerson has died astatine 76.

Baroness Randerson was elected successful 1999 and represented Cardiff Central, beating Labour campaigner Mark Drakeford for the seat.

She represented the enactment successful the past Welsh Assembly - now the Senedd - from 1999 to 2011 and served successful the Welsh Labour-Lib Dem medication of the 2000-2003 Welsh Assembly government.

Welsh Lib Dem person Jane Dodds said her enactment arsenic a curate "left an indelible people connected our authorities and society".

Ms Dodds added she would beryllium "deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and the galore individuals whose lives she touched done her nationalist service".

"From escaped introduction to Wales's nationalist museums to the determination to physique Wales Millennium Centre, Jenny dedicated her beingness to serving the radical of Cardiff and Wales."

The erstwhile person of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams told BBC Radio Wales that Baroness Randerson's power was "significant, but, arsenic ever with Jenny, it was done successful a precise quiescent and understated way".

She said: "Her publication to some the Lib Dems successful Wales, latterly the Liberal Democrats crossed the UK, but besides to Welsh authorities astatine the dawn of devolution is significant."

Williams, who met Baroness Randerson arsenic a young activistic successful the Liberal Democrats successful the 1990s, said she was struck by the fig of younger radical who had spoken of the mentorship she provided to them erstwhile she was a precise engaged person herself.

Baroness Randerson began her vocation successful acquisition arsenic a secondary schoolhouse teacher and aboriginal arsenic a lecturer astatine Coleg Glan Hafren successful Cardiff.

She besides served arsenic a Cardiff councillor from 1983 to 2000, helping to turn the Welsh Liberal Democrat party's beingness successful the superior and starring the council's authoritative absorption for 4 years.

She became the archetypal pistillate Liberal Democrat curate anyplace successful the UK arsenic Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language from 2000 to 2003 and was acting lawman archetypal curate from July 2001 to June 2002.

The enactment said she was "instrumental successful introducing a taste strategy aimed astatine promoting the Welsh language".

After stepping down from the Assembly successful 2011, she was appointed a beingness peer.

In the House of Lords, she continued her committedness to nationalist service, notably serving arsenic parliamentary nether caput of authorities for Wales.

She was the archetypal ever pistillate Welsh Liberal Democrat to clasp ministerial bureau astatine Westminster and the archetypal Welsh Liberal to clasp a UK ministerial station since Gwilym Lloyd-George successful 1945.

Beyond politics, Baroness Randerson served arsenic Chancellor of Cardiff University and was besides a patron of assorted charities including Wales Council for Deaf People, the Cardiff and Vale Youth Wind Band and the African Mothers' Foundation.

Cardiff University's vice-chancellor Prof Wendy Larner said she was a "longstanding person and advocator for the assemblage and for the benefits of higher education" and that she would beryllium "deeply missed".

Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group connected Cardiff Council Rodney Berman called her a "terrific mentor" and said the enactment owed her a indebtedness of gratitude.

Mr Berman added that her "contribution to Welsh beingness and to authorities implicit galore decades has been thing abbreviated of immense".