Josephine in Beaumaris

Josephine Kneale moved to Beaumaris 16 years ago when her husband’s job was relocated to the area.

She became involved in voluntary work with Cancer Research, and also the local Cameo group – a self help group associated with lymphatic cancers.

Josephine attended the All Wales Convention meeting in Llandudno in order to discover its aims and objectives and sounding out opinion on the future direction of the Welsh Assembly.

Josephine said:

I think that the Welsh Assembly is still a young institution and has not been given sufficient time to prove itself. There is much criticism in the north of Wales that the Assembly is too strongly Cardiff-based. That it is a waste of money, and that people do not feel connected to it. It is too remote.

Improvements in hospital care in the south do not affect, nor help, the people in the north. Their children still have to travel to AlderHey hospital in Liverpool. Patients with serious heart problems and those with rare or complicated cancers also travel to Liverpool, Manchester, Chester and the Wirral. Nor is there a specialist Orthopaedic hospital in the area: for complicated problems the trip is Gobowen in Shropshire. Providing free prescriptions seems an imprudent policy when limited resources can be better used elsewhere.

I think the All Wales Convention tour of Wales is an interesting idea and a good one if it is able to enlighten and educate people about the work of the Welsh Assembly Government throughout Wales. Apathy needs to be replaced by enthusiasm if a balanced political agenda is to be achieved.