Trustees

Rona Aldrich has been Vice-chair of the Books Council since 2021.

Originally from Anglesey, Rona has lived in the Vale of Clwyd for over 40 years. She has a Masters degree in Librarianship and Information Studies from Aberystwyth University. Prior to retiring she was Chief Officer with Conwy County Council. 

Since then, she has undertaken various self-employment contracts including for Welsh Government, Welsh Local Government Association and Wrexham County Borough Council. She has been Vice-chair of the Wales National Lottery Community Fund and is currently a member of the Welsh Language Commissioner’s Advisory Panel.

She is Business Manager and Vice-chair of Llandyrnog and Llangwyfan Local History Society and jointly edits its publications. 

Meinir Ebbsworth has worked in education as a secondary teacher, adviser and Director of Education. She is also an author of a number of books on Welsh Literacy for children and young people.

She is currently the Strategic Director for the National Centre for Learning Welsh.

Words are Bethan Mair’s bread and butter. After gaining a BA and MA in Welsh from Bangor University, and following six years on the staff at Trinity College, Carmarthen, she was then editor of Welsh books with Gomer Press for ten years. She guided over 300 books through the press and during this time several of her publications won prizes and accolades. She now works as a freelancer translating, editing and discussing literature.

Her portfolio of work has included being the Officer for the Welsh Publishers’ Association, Publishing Director for the monthly current affairs magazine Barn, and has written numerous volumes, articles and reviews for various publications. This included a monthly column in the denominational paper Seren Cymru. She has been an adjudicator for some of the main literary prizes at the National Eisteddfod and was a judge of the prestigious Prose Medal in 2025’s festival.

Bethan is also a familiar face and voice on S4C and Radio Cymru, where she frequently discusses books, current affairs and anything else topical. She is also a member of the Council of the National Eisteddfod.

Lord Jones of Penybont is a former First Minister of Wales (2009–2018) and was a Member of the Senedd for Bridgend from 1999–2021. After graduating in law from Aberystwyth University, he went on to train as a barrister in London before working in legal practice at Gower Chambers, Swansea, for 10 years. He was appointed part-time Professor in the Department of Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University in 2019.

Alwena Hughes Moakes is Communications and Engagement Director at Hywel Dda University Health Board. Prior to that, she was Global Head of Employee Engagement and Communications for an international agriculture company with its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.

Originally from Mold, Flintshire, Alwena is a seasoned communications professional with over 20 years’ experience across the public and private sectors.

Ruth Thomas is a senior news editor at BBC News, where she leads a team that helps journalists use data to grow audiences and deepen relationships with them – in the UK and across the world. She has worked in the news department of BBC Cymru in various positions including as editor of the S4C Newyddion programme, and one of the founders of Cymru Fyw. Ruth is a keen reader and a slow runner.

Dr Andrew Webb is a Senior Lecturer in Modern Literature at Bangor University, specialising in modern and contemporary English Literature, especially in relation to two areas: the English-language literature of Wales; and Ecocriticism, specifically the cultural representation of climate change and environmental crisis. He joined Bangor University in January 2012, having previously held positions at Swansea and Birmingham Universities. He was also an Early Career Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study at Warwick University in 2010, where he finished his PhD in the same year.