Celebrate Women’s History Month with Cardiff University and Cardiff Students’ Union at an inspiring lunchtime event packed with stories, ideas and opportunities to connect.

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Cardiff University and Cardiff Students’ Union at an inspiring lunchtime event packed with stories, ideas and opportunities to connect.

Drop into Y Plas between 12:00 and 14:30 to explore stalls from across the University, the Students’ Union and local organisations. Our lightning talks kick off at 13:00 with speakers sharing their experiences, achievements and reflections. Lunch will be provided!

We’re excited to welcome our speakers:

• Bethany Handley - award-winning writer, poet and disability activist. Named one of the UK’s ten most influential disabled people in politics, law, and media by the Shaw Trust 2024, she campaigns for access to nature. Her work has been featured by BBC One, BBC Radio 4, Country Living, The Guardian, the Forward Book of Poetry 2026, and more. Bethany is an alumni of Cardiff University, and one of our 30(ish) winners.
• Professor Meena Upadhyaya, OBE – Professor Emerita at Cardiff University, Honorary Professor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and a visiting Professor at the Gangaram Medical School in Delhi. She is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists. As the founder and Chair of the Ethnic Minority Welsh Women Achievement Association and the Ethnic Minority Women in Welsh Healthcare, she has been a leading advocate for highlighting and advancing the contributions of ethnic minority women in Wales.
• Maria Pollard – current Students’ Union President at Cardiff. She graduated in the summer of 2025 with an undergraduate degree in Politics. During her degree she was the chair of Student Senate and President of the Comedy Society. She was previously SU President at Gower College Swansea, a Union Organiser and a Youth Worker. In her spare time she loves to cook and does freelance comedy writing for BBC Radio Wales.

Feel free to bring a friend along – the more the merrier! Sharing the event helps us build a stronger sense of community.