I, Rhodri Morgan am delighted to send greetings from Wales on the occasion of St David's Day - the National Day of Wales. The Welsh are a proud and passionate nation and no more so than on 1 March, our National Day, when we delight in seeing the Welsh flag flying across the world. This year, Wales again has much to be proud of. Two Nobel Prize winners - Sir Martin Evans, joint winner of the Medicine Prize for his work in Stem Cell research and Sir John Houghton, joint winner of the Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Welsh-born Julia Gillard was elected Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. In sport, Joe Calzaghe became the undisputed Super Middleweight World Boxing Champion. Tori James became the first Welsh woman to climb Everest. Jody Cundy and Ellen Hunter both took world titles in disability cycling and we have had a record number of touring Welsh golfers - all ambassadors for the quality of golf in Wales as we move ever closer to hosting the 2010 Ryder Cup. Those looking towards the 2012 Olympics would also be well advised to consider using the training facilities available in Wales to acclimatise for London. The Australian Paralympic Team have already committed to do just that. Both the National Library of Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, celebrated their centenaries.

I'm delighted to see both these institutions continue to develop, evolve and share their unique collections with visitors from across the world. In January this year, in what we believe to be a world first, Wales has appointed an Older Persons Commissioner. Independent of Government, the Commissioner will be an ambassador for older people, in the same way that the Children's Commissioner, itself a first for Wales, has been a champion for children and young people in Wales. I'm also delighted that we now have 31 Welsh communities linking with partners in Sub Saharan Africa, through the Gold Star Communities Scheme. Wales is leading the world in this collaboration with the UN - and with renewing energy Wales continues to be a world leader with the world's biggest wood-chip fuelled biomass plant being built in Port Talbot. In environment, energy, the economy and education, Wales is striding ahead. In addition, the Government of Wales Act 2006 provided for new powers for the National Assembly for Wales to make its own Assembly Measures in a series of devolved fields from May 2007. It's no wonder we're proud to be Welsh! I wish you all a very happy St David's Day. Signed, First Minister for Wales, Rt Hon Rhodri Morgan AM.