We’ve just heard the sad news that Lib Dem peer Jenny Randerson died yesterday at her home in Cardiff at the age of 76.

Welsh Lib Dem Leader Jane Dodds said:

I am deeply saddened by the news of Jenny Randerson’s passing.

Jenny dedicated her life to serving the people of Cardiff and Wales. From free entry to Wales’s national museums to the decision to build Wales Millennium Centre, her work as a minister left an indelible mark on our politics and society.

She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, colleagues, and the many individuals whose lives she touched through her public service.

The Lib Dem Lords tweeted:

Our hearts are full of grief and sadness today at the passing of our own Jenny Randerson. Jenny was a great friend and colleague to us all, and worked so hard for the Lib Dem group in the Lords, as she’d done for the Party the whole of her life. She was one of the very best.

Jenny was kind, wise and had immense judgement – which she used for good throughout her life. We were so lucky to have her as part of the Lib Dem family – in Wales, in the Lords, and nationally. Salutes and love, Jenny. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

We send our love and sympathy to Jenny’s husband Peter, their children and grandchildren and wider family and all who were close to her.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats’ press release summarised her immense contribution to public life in Wales.

After studying for a BA in History at Bedford College, University of London, and a PGCE at the Institute of Education, Jenny’s professional career began in education as a secondary school teacher and later as a lecturer at Coleg Glan Hafren in Cardiff. She also served as a Cardiff councillor from 1983 to 2000, helping to grow the Welsh Liberal Democrat party’s presence in the capital and leading the council’s official opposition for four years. At this time also served as a Justice of the Peace on the Cardiff Bench from 1982 to 1999.

In 1999, she was elected as the first Assembly Member for Cardiff Central in the newly established National Assembly for Wales. She became the first female Liberal Democrat minister anywhere in the UK as Minister for Culture, Sport, and the Welsh Language from 2000 to 2003, and was acting Deputy First Minister from July 2001 to June 2002. She was instrumental in introducing “Creative Future,” a cultural strategy for Wales, and “Iaith Pawb,” a strategy aimed at promoting the Welsh language.

After stepping down from the Assembly in 2011, she was appointed a life peer as Baroness Randerson of Roath Park on January 27, 2011. In the House of Lords, she continued her commitment to public service, notably serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales from September 2012 to May 2015. She was the first ever female Welsh Liberal Democrat to hold ministerial office at Westminster, and the first Welsh Liberal to hold a UK ministerial post since Gwilym Lloyd-George in 1945.

Beyond politics, Baroness Randerson had an enduring commitment to education and the Welsh community, having served as Chancellor of Cardiff University since 2019. She was also a patron of various charities including Wales Council for Deaf People, the Cardiff and Vale Youth Wind Band and the African Mothers’ Foundation.

Please feel free to share your own memories of Jenny in the comments.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings