YesCymru Chair Siôn Jobbins announces that he is stepping down

Siôn Jobbins, the Chair of Yes Cymru, has announced that he is stepping down for personal reasons, saying that as the organisation has grown quickly someone with the “organisational skills” to move the movement forward will now be needed.

Vice Chair Sarah Rees will be taking over his duties as Chair of YesCymru for an interim period.

Siôn Jobbins was one of the three founders of YesCymru and took over as Chair in 2018.

He said that he was not stepping down “to make a political point or under pressure from others,” a reference to some disagreement about the current political direction of the movement which has expanded to over 18,000 members in the last year.

“I’m stepping down purely for personal reasons – because of my health,” he said. “A role like this is life changing.

“I’ve been Chair for over two and a half years, and I’ve recently been unable to cope with the pressures of the role, which is voluntary and extra to my paid work.”

He added that “with this kind of growth, expectations, responsibility, demands for results and the need for structural changes within our organisation have become apparent”.

“This is, I’m sure, a very normal process for all fast growing organisations, and it weighs heavily on me. YesCymru now needs a Chair who has those organisational skills,” he said.

“YesCymru has grown from a core group to a mass movement. With that comes many different views and ideas of why an independent Wales is needed and what it may look like.”

Siôn Jobbins’ full statement

I have decided to step down as Chair of YesCymru.

I am stepping down to make sure YesCymru has the chair it needs for this moment. I am not stepping down in protest or to make a political point or under pressure from others. I’m stepping down purely for personal reasons – because of my health. A role like this is life changing. I’ve been Chair for over two and a half years, and I’ve recently been unable to cope with the pressures of the role, which is voluntary and extra to my paid work.

During that timer, YesCymru has gone from 750 to 18,000 members – this has been beyond anything we imagined possible and totally unexpected. At the same time, the political landscape has significantly changed and support for independence has never been stronger right across the political spectrum. Yet with this kind of growth, expectations, responsibility, demands for results and the need for structural changes within our organisation have become apparent. This is, I’m sure, a very normal process for all fast growing organisations, and it weighs heavily on me. YesCymru now needs a Chair who has those organisational skills.

YesCymru has grown from a core group to a mass movement. With that comes many different views and ideas of why an independent Wales is needed and what it may look like. It’s important that through this all we stay strong as we can already see how Westminster is grabbing powers away from Wales. YesCymru needs to remain a mass movement. It has given hope to thousands, it has made independence a normal part of political talk in Wales, it has inspired an explosion of community activity, music, and social media activity.

Being Chair of YesCymru has been the biggest privilege and thrill of my life. Growing up in Cardiff in the 1970s and 80s I could never imagine a movement like YesCymru could exist – but it does, and it will – until we win Wales’s rightful place as an independent nation state.

I will continue to be a very proud member of YesCymru and support the new Chair, whoever they may be, fully. However, for the time being, I need to put the wellbeing of myself and family first.

In the interim period, Sarah Rees will be taking over my duties as Chair of YesCymru.