Statue of Wales' first black headteacher Betty Campbell voted best in the UK

The statue was unveiled in Cardiff last year

A statue of Wales' first black headteacher Betty Campnell has been voted the best in the UK.

The monument, which was unveiled in the centre of Cardiff last year to honour the community activist, was announced as the winner of the public vote at the Public Statues and Sculpture Association (PSSA).

It was created following a campaign to recognise the contribution of women to the history and life of Wales.

Mrs Campbell worked as a teacher in diverse areas of the city

As the subject of the four-metre high sculpture, which stands in front of the HMRC building in Central Square, Mrs Campbell was known for paving the way to equality and diversity in the capital and beyond.

She was born Rachel Elizabeth Campbell in 1934 in Cardiff's docklands area to a Jamaican father and Welsh Barbadian mother and grew up in Tiger Bay.

During her teaching career, she became inspired by the US Civil Rights movement and taught her students about slavery and Black history. Later on, she was among those who created Black History Month in the UK.

She died in 2017, at the age of 82 where she was born, in Butetown.

Remarkably, her monument was the first statue of a real, named Welsh woman in Wales. It is the first of five statues of named Welsh women being erected by Monumental Welsh Women in five different locations around Wales in five years. Internationally renowned figurative sculptor Eve Shepherd was given the task of depicting her.

The statue features young schoolchildren and quotes by Campbell

Following the award, Eve said: "I am truly honoured that The Betty Campbell Monument has won the public vote. Who, in my opinion, is better qualified to judge sculptures made for public spaces, than the public themselves!""A public sculpture depicting not only women, but the Black community has been long overdue and I'm proud of the Monumental Welsh Women's Committee, Betty Campbell's family, the people of Cardiff and the Black community for entrusting me to represent this sculpture and an incredible woman. Thank you to all who took the time out of their busylives to vote for The Betty Campbell Monument."

Betty Campbell was awarded an MBE for her services to education

During the unveiling of the statue last year, Elaine Clarke, Betty Campbell's daughter, said she was proud that her mother was being remembered in such an iconic way.

"The monument is a powerful piece that maps out in sculpture not just a likeness of Betty Campbell, but also the community she lived in and championed as well as the people and things that she drew inspiration from throughout her extraordinary life."