Watch: Woman breaks into song at Welsh council meeting

A women has given a fiery Welsh speech at a council meeting before breaking into song after becoming so passionate about a development in her area.

The Cardiff Council planning committee was discussing controversial plans to develop Whitchurch Hospital playing fields as part of a proposed Velindre cancer care unit.

Environmental campaigners, Save the Northern Meadows and tv presenter Iolo Williams have been arguing against the controversial development which they say is a “medically and economically unsound plan”.

Tamsin Graves has been campaigning with the group and was allotted three minutes to take the floor and give her argument against the plans following a petition set up by campaigners.

“No regard”

Tamsin began by highlighting Cardiff Council’s lack of a road safety audit and inadequate water drainage safety plans for the proposed site north-west of Whitchurch Hospital playing fields.

She said: “This report only cites the interests of the developer and Cardiff Council.

“The application is being brought to the planning committee prematurely as the legal confirmation has not yet been obtained.

“And the process seems to be being conducted in a non-transparent manner.”

Tamsin said the plans had “little or no regard for the safety of the community and the surrounding environment” which has already seen ancient trees felled and trimmed to make way for the new site.

As she became more impassioned by her argument, Tamsin’s voice grew louder and she slammed the council for “the constant reinvention of words to gloss over the intended decimation of this site of importance for nature conservation!”

Tamsin then gave a fiery speech in Welsh before breaking into the hymn, ‘the Lord is my Shepherd’ to which she received applause from members of the meeting.

She was then asked to return to the public gallery.

Nature emergency

Speaking after the meeting, she told Nation.Cymru: “I’m Welsh, worried about the nature emergency, and a follower of Jesus – these things made it very easy to want to express myself in song!

“I’ve led a few prayer walks on the Northern Meadows, and the focus last week was on how these fields used to be the pasture meadows of Ty Clyd Farm in 1840, and how in Psalm 23, the Good Shepherd leads his sheep to green pastures.

“We so need these natural, wild meadows, away from traffic noise and full of creation’s variety to see and hear, for our wellbeing – physically, mentally and spiritually.

“So I finished my petition at yesterday’s Planning Committee by singing some of Psalm 23 – in hope and in faith that ultimate good might come out of this environmental catastrophe in my community.”

A Velindre University NHS Trust spokesperson said: “We welcome the planning decision by Cardiff Council and look forward to continuing our work to develop the new Velindre Cancer Centre.

“The new Velindre Cancer Centre is vital in safeguarding the provision of crucial cancer treatment and care for the 1.5 million people of south Wales over the coming decades.

“It will support the region in improving the quality of care, patient experience and outcomes. The new Velindre Cancer Centre will ensure we keep pace with increasing demand as the number of people referred to us with cancer grows every year.”