Monmouthshire County Councillor Sara Jones has been recognised in a national ceremony in Cardiff which celebrates professional and personal achievements of women across Wales.

The Womenspire awards, run by Chwarae Teg, saw more than 300 guests attend an awards ceremony where women from a wide range of backgrounds were honoured for their commitment and performance across 13 different categories, including the media, community, sport and education.

Councillor Jones, who represents the Llanover ward, was shortlisted for the ‘Women in Public Life’ award alongside three other nominees.

Judges were unable to come to a definitive conclusion for this category and therefore congratulated all nominees for their dedication to helping women achieve and prosper in Wales.

Since becoming a County Councillor in 2012, Sara has combined her role, where she chairs the Council’s Economy and Development Committee, alongside commitments in her day job as well as being mum to two children under the age of four.  She is the Council’s Diversity Champion and regularly attends events encouraging women and under-represented groups to get involved in local government.

Speaking about her awards, she said, “I’m honoured to have been recognised by the event organisers. One of the reasons for me standing for election in 2012 was down to the fact that we have such low levels of representation by women in local politics, with only 27% of all councillors being female.

“I wanted to show that you can get involved even if you have other commitments such as a career or caring responsibilities. I’m passionate about encouraging others to get involved and will continue to work as Diversity Champion to support participation by all groups.”