This International Women’s Day, Rydal Penrhos celebrates Ethel May Hovey, a pioneering figure in education and civic leadership in Colwyn Bay.
Happy International Women’s Day!
As Rydal Penrhos School joins the global community in celebrating this important occasion, it is an opportunity to reflect not just on the women and girls in our lives today, but those who have made a lasting difference to our community in the past.
While many of us in the Rydal Penrhos family are familiar with the name of Rosa Hovey, the influential Headmistress of Penrhos College, far fewer know of her sister, Ethel May Hovey; an extraordinary woman whose impact on education, civic leadership, and social reform in North Wales deserves greater recognition.
Ethel May Hovey was a true pioneer. She was the first woman councillor in Colwyn Bay, the first female Mayor of both the Colwyn Bay Urban District Council and the Borough Council, the first woman Justice of the Peace in the town, and the first female Alderman. She fought for maternity rights, helped establish Colwyn Bay’s first playground, and championed opportunities for women in education, music, and politics, all at a time when women did not even have the right to vote.
Her connection to education was deep-rooted. As the Lady Matron and first Bursar of Penrhos College, she worked alongside Rosa Hovey to ensure the school’s financial stability, allowing it to expand and provide high-quality education for girls in North Wales, and ultimately become Rydal Penrhos School as we know today.
Later, Ethel helped establish scholarships in her sister’s name at institutions such as Bangor University and Somerville College, Oxford, ensuring future generations of young women had access to the academic opportunities they deserved.
Ethel’s commitment to social welfare extended beyond education. She was instrumental in founding Colwyn Bay’s first elderly rest home for women and played a key role in securing maternity and welfare services for the town. Her unwavering dedication to the betterment of her community led to her receiving the Freedom of the Borough in 1951, an honour that recognised her lifetime of service.
At Rydal Penrhos, we take pride in our long-held vision of inspiring and educating young people to reach their full potential; something that pioneers like Ethel Hovey worked tirelessly to achieve. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we honour her extraordinary contributions and reflect on the importance of continuing her legacy.
𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑤𝑦𝑛 𝐵𝑎𝑦 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐺𝑒𝑚𝑚𝑎 𝐶𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙. 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑙 𝘏𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘺, 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑤𝑦𝑛 𝐵𝑎𝑦 𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐺𝑒𝑚𝑚𝑎 𝐶𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑥ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑐𝑦. 𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑦 17 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑡 𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑠 𝐶𝑎𝑓𝑒́ 𝐵𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑤𝑦𝑛 𝐵𝑎𝑦, 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑙’𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑊𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠.
