Here are some excerpts from the New Year message of the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones:

“Looking back, 2015 has been another great year for Wales. For a country of just over three million people, we continue year on year to do outstanding things that draw the attention of the world.

 “For me, one of our greatest achievements of the year was Wales becoming the first country in the UK to introduce a new system for organ donation.

 “Our revolutionary, soft opt out system will save lives; it’s really as simple as that. I’m proud that after so much hard work and effort we’ve been able to achieve this in 2015.

 “Growth in our economy continues to outperform the UK as a whole, while increases in employment and decreases in unemployment rates in Wales are among the fastest in the UK. Inward investment is the highest it’s been for 30 years and we have seen major successes in our financial and creative industries sectors this year. Despite this growth, we’re acutely aware of ongoing severe pressures our energy intensive industries are facing and we continue to use all the levers at our disposal to support these important industries.

 “Of course you can’t look back at 2015 without mentioning Wales’ sporting achievements. We’ve hosted another Ashes Test, a Rugby World Cup and our national stadium has been announced as the host of the Champions League final in 2017.

 “The biggest sporting achievement of the year was the Wales football team reaching their first major finals since 1958.

 “So looking forward to 2016, the Welsh Government will continue to work tirelessly for Wales. We’ll support our valuable public services, continue to build a health system; education system and economy the people of Wales can be proud of.

 “We’ll never take out foot off the pedal, we’ll always fight Wales’ corner, striving for the best. The people of Wales deserve nothing less.”

 Happy New Year from all at the Welsh Government’s North American team

 Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Catrin Brace