Hefina Headon (8 June 1930 – 5 October 2013) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

community and

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing cam ...

. She became a notable figure in Wales through her activism during the UK miners' strike of 1984–1985. A

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

was released in August 2015.

Life and activism

Headon was born in Bryn-henllan,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, the daughter of Catherine Louisa "Katie" ( née Phillips d.1996) and Thomas Idris Lewis (d. 1972). She had two sisters, Verona and Norma, and a brother, John. She became an activist in the

Welsh Labour Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...

Party's support of the miners' strike of 1984–1985. Headon served as secretary of the Seven Sisters Labour Party branch and was organiser and speaker for many of the protests the group conducted. She was also a member of the

Swansea Valley The Swansea Valley ( cy, Cwm Tawe) is one of the South Wales Valleys. It is the valley from the Brecon Beacons National Park to the sea at Swansea of the River Tawe in Wales. Administration of the area is divided between the City and County of Sw ...

Women's Support Group. She dedicated her life to numerous social causes including

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

rights. She was director of the Dulais Valley Partnership from 1998 to 2001, an organisation that "finds solutions to the social and economic deprivation of the

Dulais Valley The Dulais Valley, one of the South Wales Valleys, is traversed by the River Dulais in southwest Wales north of the town of Neath, Wales. Settlements in the valley include Crynant, Seven Sisters, Banwen, and Dyffryn Cellwen, which are served ...

Portrayal in media

In the 2014 film ''

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

'', Headon was portrayed by English actress Imelda Staunton. Staunton won the

British Independent Film Award The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

and received a nomination for the

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film. This award ...

for her performance as Headon, who died while the film was in production in the autumn of 2013. Headon's contributions during the 1984–1985 miners' strike were chronicled in the book by

Hywel Francis David Hywel Francis (6 June 1946 – 14 February 2021) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberavon from 2001 to 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he chaired the Welsh Affairs Committee from 2005 to 2010 a ...

, ''History on our Side: Wales and the 1984–1985 Miners’ Strike''. A new edition of the book was released in 2015, dedicated to the memory of Headon. Francis stated that Headon "played a critical role in building the very special alliance between LGSM (

Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) was an alliance of lesbians and gay men who supported the National Union of Mineworkers during the year-long strike of 1984–1985. By the end of the strike, eleven LGSM groups had emerged in the UK ...

) and our local support group". He also said of Hefina Headon that she was "quite outstanding in her courage and political leadership, in her public speaking (including the big Afan Lido Rally), fundraising, picketing and unique style of minute taking". In 2006, Welsh artist Jacqueline Alkema created an art exhibit titled ''Women with a Past'', featuring Hefina Headon as one of six women. Alkema painted portraits of each woman, stating "I found something encapsulating about them, these were fighters and active women and the strike was still with them".

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Headon, Hefina 1930 births 2013 deaths British community activists British human rights activists Welsh LGBT rights activists Women civil rights activists