THE teenage sister of former Gwent AM Steffan Lewis, who died in January, has been named among the most inspirational women in Wales for her work fundraising in her brother's honour.
Nia Davies has been nominated for the Rising Star award in this year's Womenspire Awards organised by gender equality charity Chwarae Teg after a sponsored walk she organised last year raised a massive £28,000 for a cancer charity.
The 18-year-old, of Tredegar, organised the event in aid of Velindre Cancer Care in July last year - which was followed by another in Llandudno - as a way of giving back for the care and support her brother received during his illness.
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South Wales East AM Mr Lewis was diagnosed with bowel cancer late in 2017 and died in January this year. He was 34.
Ms Davies organised the event despite the pressures of studying for her A-levels, as well as her brother's illness.
She said: “It was such a terrible time that I had to make something positive come from it so that people diagnosed with cancer in future might be able to benefit.
"Cancer can be a lonely journey but I wanted to make sure Steffan didn’t feel alone and that he was very much supported.
“It was important to have a sense of togetherness to the fundraising so a walk seemed to work as it could bring people together across the political divide and enabled people to join in at different stages depending on their fitness or abilities.
"The walk also went through Steffan’s constituency, and, although very poorly, he was able to take part for the final three miles."
Velindre was so impressed by Ms Davies' fundraising that they have asked her to become a young ambassador - a role she has said she is excited to take up once she has completed her A-levels.
Steffan Lewis and his sister Nia Davies at the sponsored walk she arranged for him last year
Ms Davies added she is hoping to get a place at Cardiff University to study medicine later this year so she can help others affected by cancer.
“Organising and taking part in the walk helped me too," she said.
"I have definitely become more resilient as a person and the last couple of years have reaffirmed my desire to become a doctor and help others.
"I think it will have given me a greater empathy with patients and their families.”
Louise David of Chwarae Teg said: “Nia is an inspiration to young women, demonstrating tremendous strength in adversity, and that’s what Womenspire is all about – recognising incredible achievements.
"Her selection as a finalist in the Rising Star category is testament to all she has accomplished at such a young age. Organising the walk was no simple task and so it is impossible to overstate the barriers that Nia overcame to raise so much money for Velindre and to get her place at university.”
The Womenspire awards, now in their fourth year, celebrate the achievements of women across Wales. The awards ceremony will be held at the St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff on Thursday, July 4. For more information visit
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