Vale of Glamorgan Liberal Democrats have selected Sally Stephenson to contest the Vale of Glamorgan constituency at the Senedd election next year.

Sally Stephenson has been selected as the Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate to contest the Vale of Glamorgan constituency at the 2021 Senedd election.

From living in Cowbridge and owning stationery and local school uniform shop The Pencil Case on Cowbridge high street, Sally says owning her own shop has given her first-hand experience of the pressures of running a small business in Wales; from the day-to-day operations to the impact of business rates, Covid and Brexit.

"I am honoured to have been selected to stand for the Vale of Glamorgan next year. I am relatively new to politics - I only became actively involved in 2016, so I am definitely from the 'real world' and not a stereotypical career politician," said Sally.

"I am standing for election in the Vale of Glamorgan because I bring a wealth of relevant skills, real-life experience and a much-needed fresh approach to Welsh politics. I want to help make my local community, and Wales as a whole, an even better place to live, study and work.

"I am proud to be part of a strong team of Welsh Liberal Democrat candidates, all standing up to demand better for our communities and for our vision of a fairer Wales," she said.

When the government announced the potentially devastating increases to business rates in October 2016, Sally instigated and led the campaign to persuade the Welsh Government to implement a multi-million-pound package of financial support to protect high streets and small businesses across Wales.

Sally also co-founded Vale for Europe, a Pro-EU grassroots campaign group based in Vale of Glamorgan. She said Leading those campaigns sparked her interested in local and national politics.

Since then she stood for Change UK in the European Elections and in last year's General Election, but she stood down as part of the Unite to Remain agreement.

"With the experience of standing twice before, I feel I am in a position to listen to what people want and take that forward on their behalf," said Sally.

"I've got the shop in the middle of Cowbridge, so I'm in the heart of the community here and through that I've got to know hundreds of families from having the shop and having kids myself.

"I talk to people everyday and understand what's important and what they care about," she said.

Sally lives in the Vale of Glamorgan with her husband and two teenage daughters, and said she understands first-hand the concerns of both parents and teachers, especially around the impact of Covid on our children's education.

"As a mum, I have always been actively involved in my children's education and their outside activities. For many years I was a volunteer, parent governor and then Vice Chair of Governors at their primary school," she said.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said she was "proud" to have Sally join the ranks of Welsh Liberal Democrat candidates for the election.

"Sally is a passionate campaigner and an outstanding champion for her community," she said.

"This election comes at a pivotal time for Wales. The outcome will decide how we reshape our society and what direction we take our country as we enter this brave new post-Covid world.

"We are committed to fighting for a fairer and more just Wales, one where everyone has both the opportunity to succeed and the support they need to do so.

"If that is what you want too, then join the Welsh Liberal Democrats and help us turn that vision into reality."