14/10/2013 BBC Wales Today


14/10/2013

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Good evening. I'm live in Senghenydd where one hundred years ago today an

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accident changed the lives of people here forever.

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I could see the flame in my lab getting dimmer. He could see a boy

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shouting for his father. They went to work but never came home. A

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series of explosions at the colliery took the lives of 440 men in what

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still is Britain's worst ever mining disaster.

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Today, on the anniversary, a new national mining memorial has been

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unveiled. Every man who died that day remembered with their names

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placed on tiles. For a community that has been

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scarred by such an experience and the scars have come down through the

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generations, a place to remember helps that healing process.

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Also tonight. Budget cuts at one of our largest councils could see more

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than half its libraries close and ten day centres shut too. Its leader

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calls it an armageddon scenario. Board members leave after talks

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round the table but Cardiff City still have their manager. Malky

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Mackay's agent says his man won't be resigning.

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Good evening and welcome to Senghenydd where I'm standing in the

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new national mining memorial which was built to remember the 440 men

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who lost their lives in Britain's worst ever pit explosion. At ten

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past eight on 14 October 1913, there was a series of underground

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explosions at Universal Colliery. The statue here depicts a miner

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helping another. The anniversary has brought everyone together in this

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village. They've been working hard to raise money for the memorial and

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many have been involved in the service here this evening. In a

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moment, school pupils will be taking part in a lantern parade. They will

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walk from their school which was built on the site of the mine. But

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first Nick Palit reports on the memorial which will remember those

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miners who sacrificed their lives for coal.

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The pit head hooter sounds a century on from Britain's worst mining

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disaster. At ten past eight on October 14 1913, 439 men were killed

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in an underground explosion at the Universal Colliery. The death of any

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minor was and is a tragedy for their family and friends. And so the

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National mining memorial commemorates all those killed over

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the years. The years that the lack God has been dead out of the land.

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Today on the site of that pit, a new sculpture is unveiled in a ceremony

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to officially open the Wales National Mining Memorial. This is

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important for the nation. We must remember what we have achieved as a

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peep will, as a nation. We changed the world. Around the special

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memorial garden, tiles etched with the names of every single miner who

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perished here. A hundred years on, many relatives still live in the

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same community. They really are thinking of them. They gave their

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lives. For a community which has been scarred by such an experience,

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those scars have come down through the generations. A place to remember

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helps that healing process. Two miners, one being helped to safety,

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a lamp lighting a path to the future, is how scultptor Les Johnson

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has described his ?120,000-statue. It is a commission he's immensely

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proud of. I have tried to represent the mining community of Wales and

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the village community here and how they have always altogether --

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pulled together in adversity. Aaron and Katie, two pupils from the

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primary school which now stands on the site of the colliery helped

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officially unveil the statue. In the classroom, the story of the

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children's great grandfathers has brought history to life. Many people

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have died and they were not much older than is. We have a feud

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children whose great grandfathers died in the disaster. They talked a

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lot about it and they brought their lamps in and they brought different

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things their grandfathers had passed down. The Aber Valley Male Voice

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Choir is just one of many local groups who've been raising money

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towards this centenary event. Now in a time where pits no longer dominate

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our industrial landscape, there's a place ancestors of fallen Welsh

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miners can come and reflect on the sacrifices made for coal.

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The womenfolk from the village looking for their men. 439 men were

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last in the disaster 100 years ago this morning. Coal was big business

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a hundred years ago and the lives of the pit ponies were considered to be

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more valuable than those of the miners. Almost every home here lost

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someone in the accident a century ago. A reporter that came out here

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100 years ago said you could walk up the streets in this village and see

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a Coffin in every other house in the front room. 950 miners went down

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that bit on that Monday morning. But 439 men and boys never return. The

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accident was the worst ever in Britain. Almost every home in the

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village last somebody will stop the explosion was heard in 11 miles away

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in Cardiff. The pit is to attract a lot of miners because it paid a

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little bit more than elsewhere. People put up with the conditions.

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Hilary Barbrook last of her grandfathers in the explosion. The

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families were left wondering how they would survive. How does a

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mother look after eight children? She would clean houses, do the

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washing, anything to get the money envelope when somebody loses someone

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in the family, you always have people rally around to help. But

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they were all in the same boat. Everybody had somebody last. They

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could not have won another, they stood together and held an. Her

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paternal grandfather was never found. Like many whose bodies were

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never discovered. There were a couple of shaft at the mine. It was

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thought the first exploded when a spark ignited methane gas. That

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caused a chain reaction. Those who did not die in the explosion killed

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by a lack of oxygen. The lucky ones managed to escape through the second

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shaft. They were trapped and they died. The waiting began. Rescuers

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battled for days to recover the dead and the wounded. One man died during

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the rescue. The day after the explosion, 18 men were found alive

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and they were to be the last. Horace knows of the dangers of working

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underground. He lost his grandfather and a couple of uncles on that day.

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My grandfather was the head of the rescue. He was up and down the pit

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all the time rescuing men and then he heard that his son was still down

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the pit. He said I am going down and he went down to rescue him. The gas

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hit both of them. This is not the first time there was an accident at

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this pit. In 1901, 81 minus died -- men died. After the accident, the

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manager was fined ?24 and the following year, the owner was fined

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?10 foot up in today's money, that means each life was worth five and a

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half p. They came from all over the country to work here. Many of the

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men who died were bedded in this cemetery. This is the grave of three

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brothers. The sense of John and Jane Evans from North Wales. Three sons

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who died on one day in October. The first funeral was held three days

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after the accident. This footage shows how the whole community was

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affected more than 1500 dependents were left without a breadwinner. The

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tragedy 100 years ago today will never be forgotten in this

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community. This memorial is a poignant reminder and a fitting

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tribute to the men and boys who lost their lives to coal. That is a

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re-enactment of perhaps what may have happened 100 years ago with the

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help of music and theatre and children playing here a little

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later. Virtual everybody you talk to hear was touched in some way by the

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tragedy that happened here 100 years ago. Lindsay Whittle is with me. You

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last great grandfathers. Yes, he was just 42 years of age. He left a wife

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and a number of children behind. Does your family now how they coped

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question might? They took in seven lodgers to a small terraced house.

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What effect does it have on the following generation? It must have

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touched them as well? We will never forget this explosion in this

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valuable to the community have worked hard to put on this wonderful

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day. Out of tragedy, there has to be some good and today has been

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magnificent. We will never forget all those young men and boys who

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lost their lives. What do you think is the legacy of what happened here

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Cuesta Mike? The National union was strong but those days are now gone.

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We will still be campaigning for justice in modern society as well.

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We owe it to the memory of those men and boys. Thank you very much for

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joining us. We will have more later in the programme. The rest of the

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day's news now and the second biggest local council in Wales is

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proposing to close more than half its libraries because of budget

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cuts. It's one of a range of services that

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Rhondda Cynon Taf is looking at scaling back as it tries to save ?56

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million over the next four years. Our political reporter Daniel Davies

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joins me now. Dan, the leader of the council says it's armageddon for

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local government It's stark language from the Labour leadership of the

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council which blames the UK government's austerity cuts. But

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that?56 million you mention works out at a little over three per cent

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of the council's annual budget. The biggest savings would come from

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nurseries, raising the age at which children can go full time and

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changes to youth services. Councils say they have very limited room to

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manoeuvre because most of their money pays for statutory services,

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education, social services. So things like libraries take the

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biggest blow. 14 out of 26 would shut under these proposals,

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including the library in Pontyclun. We spoke to people there this

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evening. Here's what they had to say. Most of us have paid all our

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lives for services. It is just a matter of time before we fall in

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line with everybody else. Disgusted. There are other things that could be

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cut back on. These will affect the children and schools. Some things

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they spend money on needlessly and other things which are essential at

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totally ignored. Meanwhile in the Assembly, the Conservatives say

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council tax should be capped? Yes, although the Welsh Government says

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that's hypocritical, because how would you pay for it? It also says

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that local councils haven't felt the full force of austerity yet. They've

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been shielded from it. But that's changing. All 22 will find out how

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much they're getting from the Welsh Government next year on Wednesday.

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They know already that the funding is being cut. Welsh Government is

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putting more into the NHS and local councils will pay the price. So you

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can see why council's like Rhondda Cynon Taf are saying that the cuts

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they're setting out here may not be enough.

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The sister of a schoolboy from Caersws, killed when a football

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goal-post fell on him, has died in a car crash. 18-year-old Kelly Marie

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Breese, was killed when her car crashed into a tree on Sunday. Two

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years ago, a metal goalpost fell on her 12-year-old brother Casey,

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killing him while he played with friends.

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The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales has been cleared of

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any wrongdoing during his election campaign. Winston Roddick had been

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accused of lying about his home address to make him eligible for the

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post. The police watchdog, the IPCC, says there's no evidence to support

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the claim. Public Health Wales says it's been

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notified of a further four cases of measles associated with a cluster in

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South West Wales. It brings the total number of cases to nine. Seven

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of those are associated with Cwmtawe School in Neath Port Talbot.

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A woman has been taken to hospital after reports of an explosion at a

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house in Pembrokeshire. Several homes were also evacuated in Hakin

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near Milford Haven. The fire is thought to have been caused by gas.

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The former leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Nick Bourne, has been

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officially welcomed into the House of Lords today. He'll be known as

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Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth in the Upper House.

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Miners at Wales' largest mine have met with union officials after the

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announcement from the owners they were filing for administration.

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Unity Mine near Glynneath employs 220 people. The company says the

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falling price of coal means they have to make cutbacks. And as Cemlyn

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Davies now reports, local businesses are worried about the impact job

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losses could have on the wider community.

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Four days after their employers announced they were filing for

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administration, these miners gathered for today's union meeting

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in Cwmgwrach with more questions than answers. Desmond Ganderton has

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spent four years at Unity. His son Luke joined him there two years ago.

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It is very hard to pay our way with heating bills, food and mortgages.

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It is very hard. Me and my girlfriend are struggling and tables

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of lending money of parents and her parents. Basically, looking at the

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situation. We are looking at places like Australia and moving away

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because that is nothing else about. Michael Thomas knows just how hard

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it is to find a new job in this area. He was an electrician at the

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TRW car parts factory in Resolven which closed in February 2011. I

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have had one job performance. I am actively looking for employment.

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That is not a lot around here. A lot of firms are shifting. The

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collieries have gone. In nearby Glynneath, there are concerns about

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the knock on effect further job losses would have. This cafe has

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already suffered after Aberpergwm colliery closed earlier this year.

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Every Friday we would get the egg order from them. That was 50 or ?60.

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Now, that is gone. It is something every week. It gets quieter every

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week. Glynneath rugby club is at the heart of the community but here too

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they've felt the impact of recent redundancies. Fewer people are

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visiting the club for a pint and turning up on a Saturday to support

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the local side. People is to go out a lot more. It was more of a

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community then than it is now put up shops shutting down and the pubs are

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shutting down. That is nothing, nothing at all. There is still hope

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Unity Mine can stay open and jobs can be saved. But having lost so

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much in recent years, this community is bracing itself for the worst.

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The future looked uncertain for the workers at the Remploy factory at

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Fforestfach in Swansea when it closed last year. Now, seven of the

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workers have come together to form a co-operative on the site of the old

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factory. They've invested their redundancy payments into the new

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business, which will assemble and manufacture furniture. Back in work

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after over a year. Ray Donovan was one of 15 workers in Swansea who

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lost his job last year when the factory closed. He and six other ex

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employees have invested their redundancy packages in this scheme.

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It is a job. It is an enterprise we have all put money into. That is a

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business here and it is a market here. It means everything to

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everybody. The factory closed last year after the UK government said

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the jet for disabled employment services could be spent more

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effectively. Deciding to reinvest the money into other schemes. The

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closure of the last factory in Wales marked the end of an era which began

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in 1946 when the company opened its first factory in Bridgend and

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playing ex-servicemen to make loans. Kevin Edwards is managing director

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and is now focusing on the future after a tough few years. It was a

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huge blow. They were 52 people here originally. They lost their jobs and

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it was very upsetting. This scheme has had a wide range of backing. We

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will be here to support them every step of the way. Their business plan

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shows they can employ about 25 people. We will help them get to

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that size of business. This cooperative has made sure as one

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door closes, another one of them. Football. Malky Mackay's agent has

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told BBC Wales that the Cardiff City manager won't be resigning. Mackay

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met the club's board today after the removal of his head of recruitment

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Iain Moody last week. Here's our sports reporter Ashleigh Crowter. It

:21:45.:21:51.

had been in the diary for weeks. As directors left their scheduled board

:21:52.:21:56.

meeting this afternoon, he must have realised discussions were of vital

:21:57.:21:58.

importance to the future of the dreadful sop high on the agenda,

:21:59.:22:06.

managing the fallout of the decision to replace one member of staff

:22:07.:22:14.

within and known from Kazakhstan. The manager was invited to the

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meeting to seek clarification of his own future. What has been revealed

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today is the clash of cultures. The manager is concerned that his values

:22:27.:22:30.

may be at odds with those of the Malaysia and businessman and he will

:22:31.:22:35.

be seeking reassurances that he would be able to run the football

:22:36.:22:40.

part of the club without an deal interference from above. He is said

:22:41.:22:46.

to be concerned about the lack of information passing on to the fans.

:22:47.:22:51.

He sought to reassure supporters that he would not be resigning as

:22:52.:22:57.

manager. That is no prospect that he will be resigning from a job that he

:22:58.:23:08.

loves and he is ensconced in. His decision to stay might not there

:23:09.:23:14.

after the match and the powers that be deciding that he should stay.

:23:15.:23:22.

There has been no official word from the club they are expected to

:23:23.:23:28.

comment soon. Time for the weather forecast. Behnaz is here. What's in

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store for us? We are more likely to the drier and

:23:31.:23:41.

brighter conditions tomorrow. A foggy start first thing. If you show

:23:42.:23:47.

was lingering in few parts of the North and East. A quiet night. We

:23:48.:23:51.

will see clear spells and some mist and fog forming. In the

:23:52.:23:56.

countryside, it could get a little bit lower than that. A dry night.

:23:57.:24:01.

The editor of low pressure will move to the North Sea. A little bit of a

:24:02.:24:05.

break but we have another area of low pressure waiting out in the

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Atlantic and that will unsettle things through Wednesday. Tuesday is

:24:09.:24:15.

looking fairly decent. Once the mist and fog lifts, it will be a right

:24:16.:24:23.

and dry day. It is a fine day at the odd isolated shower. We have got

:24:24.:24:28.

like twins as well. It is looking quiet at first tomorrow night. Some

:24:29.:24:32.

clear skies but overnight we will see a weather front bringing with it

:24:33.:24:37.

some clout from the south-west. The wind is picking up and the rain

:24:38.:24:43.

coming into Pembrokeshire by dawn. Overnight temperatures a little bit

:24:44.:24:50.

milder. We are going into Wednesday morning with a wet and windy start.

:24:51.:24:56.

It is looking drier and brighter by the afternoon. We will see a few

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showers which could be heavy at times. That is above the average

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temperature for this time of year. For the rest of the week, we have

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showers to come on Thursday. On Friday, more wet and windy

:25:10.:25:15.

conditions heading our way. It beautiful picture of a sunset in

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temperature. -- in Pembrokeshire. That's it from us here. For the

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final word tonight, let's return to Jamie in Senghenydd.

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Thank you very much and welcome back. It has been a most

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extraordinary day here, one of high emotion and also one of

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commendation. Also, one of celebration, of life going on after

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the terrible accident and hundred years ago. The worst ever mining

:25:50.:25:54.

accident in the UK for the bigger the children in the local school

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parading a torchlight to round off the ceremony at the end of this

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extraordinary day. Roy Noble is with me now will lead the commemoration

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earlier on today. He taught here at the school that now occupies the

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site of the old colliery and played rugby here for. It is with making

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the point that this is a national memorial, not just about the story

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of this quality. The men on the plinth behind me signify that. This

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is the national memorial. There are plaques denoting all the disasters

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in Wales. When we were here earlier on today, there were thousands of

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people lining the top of the valley. In the high street, they last 35 men

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there, there were people lining up there in their hundreds and on the

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slopes and on the roads appear. It is quite extraordinary the number of

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people who turned up. It still strikes a chord and the village has

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rediscovered it. It was only mentioned in projects in schools.

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But now they have rediscovered their heritage. That is much more on this

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tonight at 10:35pm. We leave you tonight with scenes from the

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children celebrating this centenary of the worst ever UK mining

:27:29.:27:30.

disaster.

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