Dinas Powys’ own Rio Olympics gold medal winner, Hannah Mills, could be honoured with part of the village named for her following a suggestion from local MP Alun Cairns and community councillor Vince Driscoll.
Mills, who won gold in the women’s 470 sailing race, is the ‘pride of Dinas Powys’ according to the local MP who wants to see ‘at least’ part of a new development in the village bear her name.
The former Bryneithin care home in the north of the village, famous for staying open with only one resident for contractual reasons, has now been demolished with a new development underway. The new age-exclusive housing under construction, currently marketed as Arbor Vale, is the site that could incorporate Hannah’s name.
The MP explained, “A line of the new terraced houses could be ‘Hannah Mills Row’ or the road that leads to the development could be named ‘Hannah Mills Lane’.”
Mr Cairns said that preliminary meetings with the developers have been ‘very positive’ and that he would expect the local authority to follow suit because of popular support for honouring the local athlete.
He said, “Hannah Mills’ feat at the Rio Olympics made Dinas Powys and the whole of the Vale of Glamorgan very proud. I feel that we should take this opportunity to honour her by making sure that her name is forever part of the village.”
Cllr Driscoll added, “The village is hugely proud of Hannah, and rightly so. After the 2012 London Olympics post boxes in winning athletes’ home towns were painted gold as a permanent tribute. We think it’s only right that Dinas Powys’ very own Olympic hero gets such a permanent tribute locally.”