We were brought up to get involved, says Splott candidate
THE daughter of Cardiff’s Lord Mayor, who died in September, is building on her legacy by standing for election herself.
Anny Anderson is running as a Labour candidate in the Splott ward held by her mother Jane Henshaw in a by-election on December 5.
She had been supporting Councillor Henshaw as Lady Mayoress since May.
“There has been so much love for my mum on the doorstep and so many people have passed their condolences on to me and my family. They know that like my mum, I’m involved in a lot of community events, so they know that I will carry on her work,” said Ms Anderson.
“I can’t deny that my mum’s passing wasn’t a huge reason (for standing), but you have to have more than sentimentality to run,” she added.
“It has been a really difficult period, but I have actually found a huge amount of comfort in doing what my mum would do,” she added.
The main priority for the mother of two is the children in Splott. She believes the area needs parks and wants to introduce facilities for older children when Splott Park is remodelled.
“My mum was always talking about having more benches in parks because if the parents have somewhere to sit down, the children will be able to play for longer,” she said.
Investment into Baden Powell Primary School is also important to Ms Anderson to ensure it is of the same standard as Willows High School and others in the area. She is also looking to talk to Cardiff Bus to improve the frequency and reliability of public transport.
Ms Anderson believes that Splott is a proud community of people who help each other, despite issues with food and fuel poverty.
When Councillor Henshaw became Lord Mayor in May, it was a difficult time as she was unwell but she was determined to keep going with her duties, said Ms Anderson.
“My mum really wanted to do it, to be the Mayor from Splott and wanted children to have pride in that,” she said.
Volunteering has been a big part of Ms Anderson’s 11 years living in Splott. Before moving to the area she volunteered with Milk Splott Breastfeeding. She is a regular Parkrun director and gives her time to the Keep Splott Tidy litter-picking group.
She brings her children along. “Being my mother’s daughter, my whole family is involved. We were just brought up that way,” she said.
