Gabalfa & Llandaff North Focus Teams

The Gabalfa & Llanaff North Focus Teams cover the Gabalfa and Llandaff North wards, including the areas of Mynachdy, Gabalfa Estate, the roads off Whitchurch Road, Llys Talybont and Llandaff North.

The team is made up of Cllr. Ed Bridges & Cllr. Cathy Pearcy (Gabalfa ward) and Cllr. Ann Rowland-James and Jacqui Hooper (Llandaff North ward). They are also assisted by John Dixon, Parliamentary spokesman for the Lib Dems in Cardiff North. You can find out a bit about us below, or you can visit our own website:

Cardiff North Liberal Democrats

Cllr. Ed Bridges

Ed was born in 1982 in rural Oxfordshire. He attended Abingdon School before leaving home in 2001 to study Social Policy as an undergraduate at Cardiff University.

Ed graduated with a first-class degree in 2004, barely a month after being elected to represent Gabalfa ward on Cardiff Council with Cllr. Cathy Pearcy (winning over 50% of the vote between them). Since then, the pair have worked hard to make Gabalfa one of the safest Lib Dem wards in Cardiff.

Ed's main political interests include civil liberties, the environment and citizenship. He is particularly concerned about the impact that ID cards could have and has been extremely active in campaigning against them.

Academically, Ed is still a student at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences. He has since earned a Master's degree in Social Science Research Methods and is now writing a PhD thesis on the social role of public libraries, funded by the Economic & Social Research Council. He also does some teaching in the department for Sociology and Social Policy modules.

Outside of work, Ed is a keen football fan (dividing his time roughly equally between his boyhood team of Oxford United and his adopted second team, Newport County). He plays football (both 5-a-side and 11-a-side) and squash most weeks, and has also recently joined a mixed netball team (much to the amusement of his colleagues). He is also a massive music fan, regularly attending gigs and festivals (his tastes are wide and varied, but he is especially fond of indie, blues and some hip-hop).

Ed is married to Sarah, an NHS administrator, and lives in Gabalfa. He hates writing about himself in the third person.

Cllr. Ann Rowland-James

Ann was born in 1948 on the Wirrall and moved to Cardiff in 1972 to study Music as a mature student at the Welsh College of Music & Drama. After graduating, Ann became a professional soloist and music teacher.

Ann first got involved in politics in the mid-90s and first stood as a local election candidate in 1999. As a long-term resident of Llandaff North ward, she campaigned hard for the 2004 local elections on the slogan of "service not self" and was duly elected in a very tight contest. Since then, she has shown dedicated service to the people of Llandaff North ward and won a deserved reputation as a hard-working local councillor who fights hard for the people she represents.

Her political interests are widespread, but she is particularly concerned about equal rights and equal opportunities and has also been instrumental in fighting for greener and more ethical procurement within Cardiff Council. She is also extremely committed to improving facilities for young people, particularly in Mynachdy and Gabalfa Estate.

Outside of politics, "Councillor Ann" (as she is known to all) enjoys music, but is also a keen sports fan (her ping-pong skills are legendary). She lives locally with her husband, Maurice, and has a daughter, Hannah, who also lives in Llandaff North.

Cllr. Cathy Pearcy

(biography to follow)