DESPITE being the youngest political party leader in the UK at just 31 years old, the Wales Green Party’s new chief from Machynlleth has an extensive and diverse CV.

After studying physics and earth system science at undergraduate and masters level respectively, Alice Hooker-Stroud, who started as leader on 1 January, went on to work as a scientific technician at Catalan Institute of Climate Sciences in Spain, where she developed her fluency in Spanish.

Afterwards, Ms Hooker-Stroud worked as a research coordinator and communications officer at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, where she managed the research phase of the Zero Carbon Britain project among other freelance research roles.

Despite her scientific background, Ms Hooker-Stroud has always had a passion for politics, being involved voluntarily with several organisations campaigning on economic empowerment, human rights, civil rights, social action, and arts and culture.

“I’m really excited although slightly nervous because there is quite a lot of responsibility,” Ms Hooker-Stroud told the Cambrian News in her first interview as leader.

“I am looking forward to going into the Welsh Assembly election this year because we have great people working with us, and it is nice to have the opportunity to speak out on a lot of things which are important for Wales.”

But what are the issues Ms Hooker-Stroud will be campaigning on ahead of May’s Welsh Assembly Elections?

“We have got a few key areas we will be looking to fight on,” she said. “The first one is health, which is very important for local communities. For example, the threats to services at Bronglais Hospital for people across mid Wales, including Machynlleth, is a very important issue, and we believe access to health should be equal across Wales.