A BARRY woman has set out to make Barry proud following her election as chairwoman of Pride In Barry (PIB).

Rhian Lees, of Barry, recently succeeded previous chairman Paul Haley, who first asked her to join the group in November 2015.

PIB, established in 1994, is an association of voluntary organisations, both the Vale council and Barry Town Council and residents who combine to improve the local environment.

Ms Lees, 36, is a chartered town planner, who attended Romilly Infants and Junior School, and Bryn Hafren Comprehensive.

She said: “After 20 years sterling service, Paul was looking to step down to concentrate on other projects and knowing my professional background, he thought I might be a good fit to take over.

“It's a great honour to be asked to take over from Paul. I absolutely love Barry and feel it has so much going for it, including a great community spirit, beautiful and plentiful open spaces and an amazing location - how many coastal towns in the world are 20 minutes from a capital city and 10 minutes from an international airport?

"I appreciate not everyone in the town will share my optimistic view, so one of my main jobs will be to try and convince those people that don't feel the same, there is definitely lots in Barry to be proud of.”

Ms Lees has since set up a Facebook page and canvassed opinion from attendees of GlastonBARRY.

She said: The same things came up over and over again - the beaches and parks are loved, the dog mess and litter not so much.

"I find it really encouraging that the things people don't like are things that can be fixed with a little collective effort and people taking more responsibility and pride in their surroundings.”

She added that she was looking to grow the membership of PIB and wanted people of all ages to get involved, including those connected to residents’ associations.

“My main message for my time as chairwoman is going to be 'let's all take pride in Barry', "she added.

"There is already a lot to be proud of, but there's a lot more we can do.”

The next meeting of PIB is scheduled for Thursday September 29. The venue is yet to be confirmed.

For details, visit www.facebook.com/prideinbarry, Twitter @prideinbarry, or email chairman@prideinbarry.co.uk