Athletes come together to lead panel on women in sport

A Welsh television presenter, adventurer and ultra-marathon runner has led a panel discussion on women in sport at Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre.

Lowri Morgan, who is a world-class extreme endurance runner and the main presenter on BBC Sport 's flagship rugby show 'Scrum V ', chaired the panel which also included one of Britain 's greatest Paralympic athletes Tanni Grey-Thompson, Welsh triathlete Non Stanford, Welsh shot putter Adele Nicoll and CEO of Hockey Wales Ria Burrage-Male.

The First Minister for Wales Mark Drakeford was also in attendance and delivered an opening speech at the four-star hotel.

Commenting on the event, he said: “There is work for us all to do, to create more opportunities for women and girls to take part in sport, and to make those opportunities genuinely available to them.

“The panel explored the challenges which have to be addressed, to ensure young people believe they can achieve the success of our elite athletes in future.

“We want to bring our achievements here in Wales to the attention of the world and learn from others about how we can do even better. ”

Dawn Bowden MS, the Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport brought the discussion to an end, thanking the panel for sharing their experiences and reiterating the Welsh Government 's aim to increase participation in sports by women and girls across Wales.

The lunch for around 100 guests involved a specially created Welsh-themed menu which was led by Matt Loughrey, head of operations at Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, part of the University of Birmingham Group.

The guests had a choice of tucking into Welsh rarebit, Welsh cockles, Glamorgan sausages, Laverbread, Welsh lamb loin chops and a selection of Welsh cheeses, while Welsh White Castle wine was available along with Heartsease soft drinks which are manufactured in Radnorshire in mid-Wales.

Matt said: “We worked closely with the organisers to produce a menu which showcased a variety of fine Welsh food and drink to deliver on their expectations.

“The team worked hard to source local produce and by going the extra mile to find suppliers who were outside our usual list, we provided a memorable lunch. ”

Pictured: The Welsh lunch (l-r) - Lowri Morgan, Non Stanford, Ria Burrage-Male, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Adele Nicoll.