WALES’ first black headteacher has been announced winner of the Hidden Heroines vote and will be immortalised in a public statue.

The statue, the first of a named woman in an outdoor public space in Wales, will be placed in the plaza of Cardiff's Central Square.

Newport suffragette Lady Rhondda was also in the running, but the winner of the public vote was Betty Campbell, Wales' first black female headteacher and a champion of multiculturalism.

Thousands of votes were cast by members of the public, with the winner announced live on BBC Wales Today on Friday, January 18.

A picture of the winner was projected on to BBC Wales’ new headquarters at Central Square.

Who was Wales' new Hidden Heroine?

Betty Campbell (1934-2017) was a working-class black girl from Butetown who proved her early doubters wrong in the most inspirational way.

Told by her teacher at an early age that someone of her standing in society could never aspire to any great academic heights, Betty Campbell went on to become the first non-white female headteacher in Wales, and championed her nation’s multicultural heritage throughout her life.

Her school became a template throughout the UK for good practice in multicultural education, and she also helped create Black History Month.

She continued to influence Welsh life through a series of public appointments, serving as an independent councillor for Butetown, a board member for BBC Wales, a member of the Home Office’s race advisory committee, and a member of the Commission for Racial Equality.

The vote

The Hidden Heroines shortlist was drawn up by a panel of experts from a list of 50 historical Welsh women put together by the Monumental Welsh Women group and the Wales Women’s Equality Network.

The women on the list epitomised and illustrated the achievements, talents and successes of Welsh women over the years.

The five shortlisted women – Elizabeth Andrews, Betty Campbell, Sarah Jane Rees (Cranogwen), Elaine Morgan, and Margaret Haig Thomas (Lady Rhondda) – were considered by the panel to be great examples of the impact and contribution made by Welsh women across a number of different fields.

Helen Molyneux, from the Monumental Welsh Women group, said: "We are delighted that so many people took part in the vote and that it has generated so much interest.

"The reaction to the project has been fantastic.

"We will now get on with commissioning the artist who will design and create the statute, and look forward to seeing it unveiled in 2020.

"We will also be challenging other towns and cities in Wales to follow Cardiff’s example and honour their hidden heroines.’’

A Newport icon

Shortlisted for the prize was Lady Rhondda, real name Margaret Mackworth, who famously was jailed for attempting to blow up a post box in Risca Road, Newport, as part of the campaign to give women the vote in the early 20th century.

Today the site is marked with a blue plaque.

Jessica Morden MP described the suffragette as "a constant thorn in the side of establishment, a patriotic Welsh woman and a determined feminist ahead of her time."

“It would be great to see her work and legacy celebrated with a statute.”

And Jayne Bryant AM described Lady Rhondda as “a true pioneer”.