Patron

Born in South Africa in 1943, Mr Win Griffiths was educated at Brecon Boys’ Grammar School and the University College, Cardiff.

Prior to embarking on a full-time political career, Mr Griffiths was a teacher and held posts in Tanzania, Birmingham and Barry before becoming Head of the History Department at Cowbridge Comprehensive School in 1976.  He entered politics on a local level, serving as a councillor for Dinas Powis with the Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council, whose Leisure Services Committee he chaired from 1973 to 1976.  He left teaching in 1979 and became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South Wales that year.  During his ten year tenure as an MEP, he served as Vice President of the European Parliament (1984-1987).

Mr Griffiths was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bridgend in 1987, an office he held until his retirement in May 2005.  His many responsibilities during his time as an MP include serving as a Member of the Speaker’s Panel of Chairs in the House of Commons, Shadow Minister for Wales (1994-1997) and Parliamentary Under Secretary for Wales.  Many of his other roles reflect some of his special interests.  These include serving as Minister for Children, Minister for the Countryside, Front Bench Spokesperson for the Environment (1990-1992) and Education (1992-1994) and other public sector roles, including those that are health related.

Mr Griffiths has also been very active in the voluntary sector and has especially been involved with health related voluntary organisations, such as the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID). At the beginning of 2006 he became the Chair of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, having served six months as Shadow Chair. He was also Chair of the former Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust.

Married with two children, Mr Griffiths lives in Cefn Cribwr, Bridgend.  He has been a Methodist Lay Preacher since 1966 and is currently president of a number of organisations, including Cefn Cribwr’s Boys’ and Girls’ Club.  After serving as President of the Boys’ Brigade in Wales for ten years, he was made Honorary President of Boys’ Brigade, Wales.  He is also president of Kenfig Hill Male Voice Choir and Porthcawl Choral Society.  His other interests include cultivating house plants and he is an erstwhile marathon runner.