2002 in Wales

← 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 2002 in Wales → 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Centuries:	19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	List of years in Wales Timeline of Welsh history 2002 in The United Kingdom England Scotland Elsewhere Welsh football: • 2002–03

This article is about the particular significance of the year 2002 to Wales and its people.

• First Minister – Rhodri Morgan^[1]
• Secretary of State for Wales
  • Paul Murphy (until 24 October)^[2]
  • Peter Hain
• Archbishop of Wales – Rowan Williams, Bishop of Monmouth (translated)
• Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales
  • Meirion Evans (outgoing)^[3]
  • Robyn Llŷn (incoming)

• In the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons poll,^[4] those with a Welsh connection who finished in the top 100 were:
  • Diana, Princess of Wales – 3
  • Elizabeth I of England – 7
  • Owain Glyndŵr – 23
  • Henry VIII of England – 40
  • Aneurin Bevan – 45
  • Henry V of England – 72
  • Richard Burton – 96
• 14 February – at the Ogmore by-election, the Labour Party candidate Huw Irranca-Davies holds the seat held by Sir Ray Powell until his death^[5]
• 13 March – The ferry MS Stena Europe is introduced on the Fishguard–Rosslare route.^[6]
• April – Welsh Assembly Government concessionary travel scheme (‘Cerdyn Cymru’) entitles over-60s and registered disabled people to uniform free off-peak travel on all stage carriage bus services.
• May – H & Claire release their debut single.
• May 25 – Jessica Garlick represents the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest held in Estonia.^[7]
• June
  • Archaeologists discover the Newport ship.
  • DNA from the exhumed body of Joe Kappen proves beyond reasonable doubt that he was responsible for the murders of three teenage girls in 1973.
• June 18 – Cowbridge businessman Peter Shaw is kidnapped while working in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is held in brutal conditions until he escapes in November.^[8]
• June 28 – David Morris receives four life sentences for the Clydach murders of June 1999. Despite his having been a suspect days after the murder was committed, it had taken police 21 months to arrest and charge him.
• July
  • Research reveals that Wales has the highest figures for company failures of any region of the UK.
  • Ebbw Vale Steelworks shut down.
• August – "Barney" saves his owners' lives by warning them of a fire at their home in Wrexham.
• August 5 – Rowan Williams is admitted to the Gorsedd of bards.
• October – Archaeological excavations on a Bronze Age site recover the Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc, one of the earliest gold objects found in Wales.
• October 24 – Paul Murphy is appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

• Connie Fisher wins the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship in the National Eisteddfod "Songs from the Shows" competition.
• Menna Elfyn is named Poet Laureate for the Children of Wales.

• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Chair – Myrddin ap Dafydd
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Crown – Aled Jones Lewis
• National Eisteddfod of Wales: Prose Medal – O! Tyn y Gorchudd – Hunangofiant Rebecca Jones by Angharad Price
• Wales Book of the Year:
  • English language: Stevie Davies, The Element of Water^[9]
  • Welsh language:
• Gwobr Goffa Daniel Owen – Eirug Wyn^[10]
• John Tripp Prize for Spoken Poetry – Cliff Forshaw

• Richard J. Evans – Telling Lies About Hitler
• Ken Follett – Hornet Flight^[11]
• Steve Jones – Y: The Descent of Men^[12]
• Jo Mazelis – Diving Girls
• Jan Morris – A Writer's House in Wales^[13]
• Steve Strange – Blitzed! The Autobiography of Steve Strange
• Rachel Trezise – In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl
• Rowan Williams – Arius – Heresy and Tradition

• Grahame Davies – Cadwyni Rhyddid
• Angharad Price – O! Tyn y Gorchudd
• Eirug Wyn – Bitsh^[10]

• Dic Edwards – Franco's Bastard^[14]

• Christian Bale stars in Laurel Canyon.
• Anthony Hopkins plays Hannibal Lecter for the third time, in Red Dragon.^[15]

• Gwyfyn.^[16]
• Oedd yr Addewid

• 3SL – "Take it Easy" (single)
• Carreg Lafar – Profiad (album)^[17]
• Feeder – Comfort In Sound (album)
• Mclusky – Mclusky Do Dallas^[18]
• Bonnie Tyler – Heart & Soul/Heart Strings (album)

• Cable TV (chat show with Stuart Cable)^[19]

• Gwyfyn^[20]

• Mark Hughes^[21]

• 25 July to 4 August – At the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, the Wales team wins a total of 33 medals: 6 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.^[22]

• Andrew Windsor wins the Welsh National Road Race Championships.

• John Fashanu becomes Chairman of Barry Town.
• Barry Town are Welsh Cup winners after beating Bangor City 4–1, and win a sixth League of Wales title.
• Winners of the three divisions in the Welsh Football League are: Ton Pentre (Division 1), Garden Village (Division 2) & Newport YMCA (Division 3).
• Welshpool Town are champions of the Cymru Alliance.

• 27 December – The Welsh National is won by Mini Sensation, ridden by Tony Dobbin.^[23]

• December – Brynmawr RFC and Abertillery RFC withdraw from the Principality Cup, after the Welsh Rugby Union makes an error during the live radio draw for the fifth round.^[24]

• 27 January – Paul Hunter wins the Welsh Open tournament in Cardiff.^[25]
• 3 March – Mark Williams wins the China Open tournament in Shanghai.^[26]
• 15 December – Mark Williams wins his second UK Championship title.^[27]

• 23 February – Emilia Jones, actress, daughter of Aled Jones
• 15 September – Medi Harris, swimmer^[28]
• 17 December – Matt Richards, Olympic swimmer (in Worcester)^[29]
• 22 December – Emma Finucane, cyclist^[30]

• 2 January
  • Ian Grist, politician, 63^[31]
  • Arthur Joseph, cricketer, 82
• 7 January – Jon Lee, rock musician, 33
• 12 January – Moss Evans, trade union leader, 76^[32]
• 3 February – Edward Thomas Chapman, Victoria Cross recipient, 82
• 22 February – David James, cricketer, 80
• 7 March – Geoff Charles, photojournalist, 93^[33]
• 2 March – Mary Grant Price, costume designer, 85^[34]
• 3 March – Bill Hopkin, rugby player, 87
• 6 March – David Jenkins, Librarian of the National Library of Wales 1969–79, 89
• 7 May – Sir Ewart Jones, organic chemist and academic administrator, 91^[35]
• 26 September – Willie Davies, Wales international rugby union and league player, 86^[36]
• 6 October – Nick Whitehead, athlete, 69^[37]
• November – Ernie Jones, footballer, 81/82
• 3 November – Sir John Habakkuk, economic historian, 87^[38]
• 20 November – George Guest, organist and choirmaster of St John's College, Cambridge, 78^[39]
• December – Brian Morgan Edwards, businessman, 68
• 10 December – Steve Llewellyn, rugby league player, 78
• 24 December – Jake Thackray, singer-songwriter, 64^[40]
• 31 December – Billy Morris, footballer, 84

• List of statutory instruments of the Welsh Assembly, 2002
• 2002 in Northern Ireland