0:00:02 > 0:00:04I'm on a very personal journey across Wales
0:00:04 > 0:00:09in search of our most valuable resource - the people.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I've met an amazing range of individuals,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15from the men and women who save lives in their spare time,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17to the colourful,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and eccentric.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Hold tight and be prepared to be shocked...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26..surprised...
0:00:26 > 0:00:30or just plain grateful for their heroic effort.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34As I introduce you to Connie's People.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41'And today I'm knitting and wrapping to make hats for heroes.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Come on, ladies.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43In, around, off.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'And go dancing with Daleks in Prestatyn.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Swing!
0:00:50 > 0:00:52He exterminated my foot! Ow!
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Daleks cannot dance.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01But first I'm heading to the South Wales valleys to meet the men
0:01:01 > 0:01:05who are the current members of an emergency rescue service
0:01:05 > 0:01:08that has been saving lives for 100 years.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12The Mines Rescue Centre is based in Dinas near Tonypandy
0:01:12 > 0:01:14in the heart of the old South Wales mining industry.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17- Hello!- Hi.- Hiya.- Hello, Connie!
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'The service was founded in 1912 and volunteers have been involved
0:01:21 > 0:01:25'in some of the most tragic mining disasters throughout the past century.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:31In 1913, Mines Rescue was called to one of the worst disasters
0:01:31 > 0:01:34in British mining history.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39At the Senghenydd pit, 439 men and boys lost their lives.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Men from neighbouring mines have always come to the aid
0:01:42 > 0:01:44of their fellow miners when they're in trouble.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Their heroic efforts have saved countless lives.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51..Get the reviver on the casualty.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And that tradition of miners helping fellow miners
0:01:54 > 0:01:56is still the basis of the Mine Rescue Service,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59as brigadesman Tim Carey explains.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02All the people who come to us, the part-timers from the pits,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05we train them to the highest level to make sure that
0:02:05 > 0:02:08they can carry out a successful rescue in the mines.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11We are there, we're on call 24 hours a day.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15We've got a team of five men all the time, 24 hours a day,
0:02:15 > 0:02:16and we can be called out to anything.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20We all thought that these tragedies were part of history,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and thankfully not our present.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Then on 15th September last year, there was news that changed all that.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Breaking news this lunchtime -
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Four miners are trapped underground in the Swansea Valley.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Three others have escaped.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Emergency services are at the scene as a rescue mission gets underway.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47At the Gleision drift mine near Pontardawe,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50an explosion trapped seven miners working in a narrow coal seam.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57All the rescue men trained here at Dinas were there immediately.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Three of the miners had made it to safety,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and the information they could supply would help the rescue effort.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Les Jackson was part of the team.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12It seemed to me that the adrenaline took over.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Everything was happening in front of you.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17You just went through the routines we knew we had to do.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Checking for things while we were going down.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25When we first arrived, we come across a casualty that had just got out.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27There was one being taken to hospital
0:03:27 > 0:03:32so a chance to talk to someone who had been down there and just escaped.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37He told us that an area where the other person had got out of,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40which was old workings, so we made up two teams,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42one went straight down into the mine,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45the other went into the left-hand side into old workings
0:03:45 > 0:03:48and I was the ones who went into the old workings looking for the people.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Conditions were appalling.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Complete darkness, three-foot-high seams,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57potential danger from gas or flooding.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And the men didn't know what they would be facing.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04But Len and his team encountered the situation they'd been dreading.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09At one stage, we stopped and there was concern about our safety,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13but because there was life at risk, we pushed on, but when we came
0:04:13 > 0:04:15to no oxygen, we had to pull back.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19We put on our breathing apparatus and deployed again down into that area.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22We went about 60 metres more down round a corner
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and we just come to a reservoir of water,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28so the water just rushed down and filled up to that area.
0:04:30 > 0:04:36After a torturous wait through the night came the news that everybody had feared.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39A search team had found the body of one miner in a flooded tunnel,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41followed by another.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43After two days of searching,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47it was confirmed that all four had lost their lives.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49You must talk about it after,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53because the adrenaline will run inside you and it will bring you up,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56it's like a high and you don't realise what you're going through.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01After it's all over, then the adrenaline goes and it hits you hard.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06And if you don't talk about it, it can build up inside you
0:05:06 > 0:05:09and cause problems, but we was offered counselling,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12but on this occasion no-one took the counselling because the men
0:05:12 > 0:05:17around us were talking to each other, and we found that good enough...
0:05:18 > 0:05:23- Sorry. I got a bit emotional there thinking about it.- Aw, don't. OK.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26'One thing was already becoming clear to me -
0:05:26 > 0:05:30'these men support each other as much above ground as below.'
0:05:31 > 0:05:35The camaraderie within the mines was second to none in the beginning.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37Coming into the rescue service, it hasn't altered.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41The camaraderie is still second to none and at the end of the day,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44when we go out there, if you see us having a laugh and joke,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48it's how we deal with the actual incidents that are put in front of us.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Although on the actual turnout to the incident,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53it's a serious situation,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57we are serious, but once we stand down from that situation,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59we have the joviality and laughing and joking.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It's how we deal with the situations.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04And to get just a small sense of that camaraderie and heroism,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06the Mines Rescue Team are bending their rules
0:06:06 > 0:06:11to allow me to be a part of their training exercise.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12OK.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Ladies don't normally take part in this so it's quite unique.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Obviously, Connie, those clothes are not suitable.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19What, heels?
0:06:19 > 0:06:23No, all your attire. There's your protective equipment for the day.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Thank you very much.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27'I'm going to be joining the team to find out how they train,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29'and take part in a simulated rescue.'
0:06:29 > 0:06:32What we've got to help you see in the ground,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and help you breathe in the ground in the event of an emergency,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39we have a cap lamp and the self rescuer, which will protect you from the carbon monoxide.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41The belt has been slightly adapted.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Why's that then?
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Look at the shape of the lads up there.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Look, that's where they are!
0:06:46 > 0:06:48That's where I am.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50There we go. That's one part of you done.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Now we need to protect your knees.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Are you wearing these on your days off?
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I try not to!
0:06:56 > 0:06:59You can tell a miner when he's on holidays,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04he's got marks from the rubber bands on the backs of his legs forever.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08So now we'll take you through the breathing apparatus you'll be wearing today.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10There's a face mask available for you.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15If it gets steamed up, then we've got our own little personal windscreen wiper.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19And this is oxygen inside here, OK, cos it's an oxygen rebreather.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22These are heavy sets. 15.5 kilograms.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23It's very heavy.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It's all very comfortable on you, is it?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- It's not very comfortable, no, but I'm all right.- OK.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Again, Connie, if you think that's heavy,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33you haven't put the ice cube in yet.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35That's to cool your breathing down
0:07:35 > 0:07:37when you're working for a two-hour duration.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- You have to put this in the backpack?- Yes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42This is the set that you just had on your back
0:07:42 > 0:07:45with the full contents and the weight that you felt.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49If you open it up, we can see the oxygen cylinder in the bottom,
0:07:49 > 0:07:53the breathing bag, the springs operate the breathing bag,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57and you can see the crystals... absorbent granules inside there,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00which actually absorb the carbon dioxide.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03That's the weight, there and there.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Every exercise these teams undertake has to be for real.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Every piece of equipment is checked and double checked.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15In a real disaster, their lives will depend on it working effectively.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18We were preparing to be briefed by today's team leader.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22These scenarios are all based on real-life accidents,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and potential life and death situations.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27For today's exercise, the team and I
0:08:27 > 0:08:30are going down the centre's own underground training complex
0:08:30 > 0:08:34which replicates the actual conditions of a working mine.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Narrow, dark shafts, with many potential dangers.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42The exercise today is we have a report of a deputy mine
0:08:42 > 0:08:45supervisor that's collapsed.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48We believe there's low oxygen in that part of the mine,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52so we're going to take a team down and search down that leg.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55OK, then, lads, if you'd like to get your masks on.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Gary, if you'd give Connie a hand,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01make sure she's got everything that she should have.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Surely you have to do this in a certain time.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06As quick as you can, cos a life is at stake.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09We need to get under oxygen, we need to get our sets checked
0:09:09 > 0:09:11and we need to get in straightaway
0:09:11 > 0:09:14to give them the best chance we can of saving their lives.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16- OK.- OK?
0:09:16 > 0:09:19The last thing I need off you team is a grid reading!
0:09:19 > 0:09:20194.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Connie?- 192.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24193.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29It's really claustrophobic wearing one of these masks
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and I'm already feeling about two stone heavier with all this equipment on.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36This is tough. Tougher than I thought.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Later in the programme, I'll be a part of the team in an exercise,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50which for me was to prove incredibly real.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54I can't imagine it being smoky in here, it's a nightmare.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Needles clicking at world-record pace,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06a whirl of wool and seismic stitching,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10is this the very latest Welsh government grey enterprise zone?
0:10:10 > 0:10:12No, it's hats for heroes.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17If you want to get ahead, get a hat or so the saying goes,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20but what if you've got 400 hats in your living room?
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Then you must be streets ahead!
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I'm here in Penarth to meet a woman who is hat crazy.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- Nice to meet you.- Come on in.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Welcome to Hat Central.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Thank you. I love your hat!
0:10:31 > 0:10:34One of my many knitters has done this. Come on in!
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Tina, why have you got so many hats in your living room?
0:10:39 > 0:10:42We collect them and send them out to the troops in Afghanistan
0:10:42 > 0:10:45as a sign of support from all the British people.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- Have you knitted all of these hats yourself?- No.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50I've got knitters from all over the UK,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54from one end of Scotland right down to Penzance and all that lot.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56All over the country, people send me hats.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58From Land's End to John O'Groats,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and not forgetting the local line dancing club,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Tina's so committed to her knitting,
0:11:02 > 0:11:07she's even persuaded her fellow line-dancers to knit too.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09We've got over 900 at the moment,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and since September, we've sent out 3,800.
0:11:12 > 0:11:143,800 hats?
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Why do you do it?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17I like to show support. They're our boys.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19We might not agree why they're there,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21but they're our boys and girls so we need to support them.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23So send then each a hat.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24With a bar of chocolate, yes.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26If you're going to do it, do it properly.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28We've had a phenomenal response.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30We've got photos there.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33They're the Queen's Dragoon Guards. They've all got Welsh hats on.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Fantastic! Dragons on their hats. Wales written on it, that's lovely.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41We've had loads of letters saying how the hats have made such a difference,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43how warm they are.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45You wouldn't think a hat would make such a difference
0:11:45 > 0:11:47but they really appreciate it.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51It's incredible that they actually take the time to all stand together with their hats on.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- It's lovely.- It's lovely.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55And we've got a photo here.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Even Dusty the dog has a hat.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Oh! The dog's got a hat on! Fantastic!
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I think we should go and meet some of these amazing knitters.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04Follow me.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07'Tina's taking me to the knitting sweatshop,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10'and the word is, I can be allowed control of my own needles.'
0:12:10 > 0:12:12All I can hear is clacking from the needles.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16How many hours a week do you think you spend knitting hats for heroes?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19About ten, 12 hours.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Ten, 12 hours a week?
0:12:20 > 0:12:21A week.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25So why did you give so much time to donate these hats?
0:12:25 > 0:12:28It gives these soldiers a lot of pleasure, doesn't it,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30when they receive their hats,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and I just think we're doing good for them.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36So how long does it take you to make a hat?
0:12:36 > 0:12:37Two nights?
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Two nights. I think it would take me two years.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43No, I don't think so.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Come on, teach me, ladies.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Yes. What you've got to do,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49you hold your needle, you insert it into the stitch,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52pull your wool around, pull it through
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and push it off the other needle.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Go on, go on.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58In, around, off.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02In, around, off.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04It's like a song, isn't it?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05..around, off.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Five, six, seven, eight.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10ALL: In, around, off.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11Wooh!
0:13:11 > 0:13:13In, around, off.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15In, around, off.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Whoop, whoop!
0:13:16 > 0:13:17In, around, off.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Get down with 'em.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20In, around, off.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21Come on, ladies.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23In, around, off.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Yo, yo!
0:13:25 > 0:13:27In, around, off.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28I see you've got the hang of it now.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Come back in a year, you might have a hat.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34I think there'll be one special hat made by Connie... Fisher.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Don't say Connie Francis! She didn't knit it.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39LAUGHTER
0:13:41 > 0:13:44'I'll definitely finish my hat for a hero but the way I'm going,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46'it might have to be a Christmas present.'
0:13:58 > 0:14:02I'm off to the jewel of the North Wales coast - Prestatyn,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05to join people from every galaxy known to man and alien.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I've even been told there are people from Scunthorpe(!)
0:14:09 > 0:14:12This is one of the biggest sci-fi conventions in the UK
0:14:12 > 0:14:16but, for me, this could be a bit of a black hole.
0:14:16 > 0:14:22I'm going to be honest with you, teleportation, space guns and intergalactic space travel
0:14:22 > 0:14:24isn't really my forte.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I don't know my lightsabre from my sonic screwdriver
0:14:27 > 0:14:30but it's OK, help is at hand at Pontins in Prestatyn.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35I've come to the hottest event on the Welsh sci-fi calendar.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Fun, fun, fun!
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Dum-dum-dum, dum-du-dum...
0:14:40 > 0:14:46'My secret orders were to rendezvous at 1400 hours in chalet number 421.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48'Is that a significant number?'
0:14:50 > 0:14:53SHE SCREAMS
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Power Rangers!
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Hello. I'm Connie. Nice to meet you.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01OK, they're mute.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I come in peace and I bring biscuits.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Aha, they let me in. Is this your TARDIS?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10'My producer then made it clear to me that they weren't Power Rangers
0:15:10 > 0:15:12'or characters in Doctor Who.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'With those weapons, I don't want them taking offence.'
0:15:15 > 0:15:19I've established you're not Power Rangers. You are Stormtroopers, right?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21What planet do you really come from?
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- Planet Earth, and I'm James, by the way.- And I'm Graham.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- How many people will be at this convention? - Probably several thousand.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Several thousand people, all dressed like you are?
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Yep. Stormtroopers, Clone Troopers, a few Daleks,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Jabba the Hutt, Chewbacca, Darth Vader.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Who should I be? I haven't come prepared.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- As we're the bad guys, we need somebody good.- Princess Leia?
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Oh, I've heard of her. OK.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54My name's Connie Fisher and I think Princess Leia was played by Carrie Fisher.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- That works. - That's only three letters away.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02- That's the closest you'll ever come to Pricess Leia here. - That'll work.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Love it! Let's get into costume.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11The Stormtroopers took me to my dressing room...well, chalet 474.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14A picture of someone I'm supposed to be.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15Already, look at the likeness.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I could be on Stars in their Eyes as her...if she sang.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Ah...may the Force be with me.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26'I've got the wig, the white lycra robe and an hour to get ready.'
0:16:26 > 0:16:29I think I'm going as Cousin Itt!
0:16:29 > 0:16:30Ma-ma-ma-ma.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32He's sci-fi, isn't he?
0:16:32 > 0:16:37'But a few twists later, I think I might be getting close to the Princess.'
0:16:37 > 0:16:41We're going to get pulverised if we stay much longer. Worried look.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43'Or maybe not.' Next!
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- We're going to get pulverised is we stay... - SHE LAUGHS
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Sorry.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Right, next.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Oh...that is much better, isn't it?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57This is the one.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00I mean, originality, top marks.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Practicality, zero.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08'Pastries gone, it's back to Plan A.'
0:17:08 > 0:17:13If we stay out here much longer, we're going to get pulverised.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19My mission today, to boldly go where no woman has gone before.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Well, the Entertainment Centre, Prestatyn,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25to find out more about these alien creatures.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- Have you been dressing as a Dalek for long?- I am a Dalek!
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Of course you are. Stupid question(!)
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- Doctor Who, yes. Sorry. - "Doctor who" are you?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Just the Doctor. The one, the only, the best. That's me. Hello.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- Are you in character all day?- Yes.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46There's somebody behind you who's slightly upstaged you because he's cute and furry
0:17:46 > 0:17:51and he looks a bit like Julia Roberts on the catwalk. Do you remember that?
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Oh, that's normal.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Can I ask you... Aah, you're very cuddly.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- Who are you? - GROWLS
0:17:58 > 0:18:01He's a...grrrrgh.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- DALEK:- Chewbacca. - Yes, Chewbacca.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Helpful Daleks! They're not as bad as people say.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Thank you!
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Wow! Look at this.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17'Those boots are definitely not made for walking.'
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- Are you a good guy or a bad guy? - Good guy.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23I can be good sometimes.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27You can be good sometimes. I'm having to translate. He's from a different planet.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28I'm Scar.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Scar? You sound scary.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- How much did your costume cost you? - Erm, probably about £1,000.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38No way. Mine cost about all of ten quid.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Do you speak? You've got very big hands.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47'These space travellers have come from all over Wales and the UK.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'They spend a lot of their spare time and money being aliens and superheroes,
0:18:50 > 0:18:55'often raising money for charity at the same time.'
0:18:55 > 0:18:58What first got you into dressing up like this, as Spiderman?
0:18:58 > 0:19:02As soon as I found out you can get suits like these.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06When I was a child, I was always making stuff out of papier-mache and bits of paper and cardboard
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and I found out you could do it for real.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11- Have you always wanted to be a superhero?- Always, yeah.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Shall we dance with the Dalek?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18'I told you Daleks were gentlemen.'
0:19:18 > 0:19:22# Sway me now, sway me... #
0:19:22 > 0:19:23SHE LAUGHS
0:19:23 > 0:19:27He exterminated my foot. Ouch!
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Daleks cannot dance.
0:19:29 > 0:19:35It's been out of this world, but now the pressure is really on.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39I'm one of the judges in The Galaxy's Got Talent competition,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41choosing the best alien in Prestatyn.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46Taking it very seriously, I gave some advice to the hundreds of competitors.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Already I can see some brilliant costumes out there
0:19:49 > 0:19:52but if you can sell it as an actor, I think you're a winner.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56'Did I really just say that? Never mind. On with the judging.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01'First up, a mini Stormtrooper from my film, Star Wars.'
0:20:01 > 0:20:03APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Good effort!
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- Hello. What's your name? - I don't have a name. I'm a number.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Seven!
0:20:09 > 0:20:15'And this could be the Super Mario family, but isn't that a computer game?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'I must check the rule book.'
0:20:19 > 0:20:22And they kept coming and coming
0:20:22 > 0:20:24and coming.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28But then there was something really special.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31A family of aliens from the sci-fi cartoon, Futurama.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33That is cute.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Can I ask you, did you make these costumes?
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Yeah, my husband, he made all the costumes.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:20:40 > 0:20:45My winner so far has got to be the frog family.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I don't know how they're sci-fi, but I'm going to say
0:20:48 > 0:20:51they're futuristic frogs because I want them to win.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53And there's a baby. Could it be more cute?
0:20:53 > 0:20:58'I thought that it was all over, but no...oh, no.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00'There was going to be more competitions.'
0:21:02 > 0:21:10I've just spent an hour judging a competition and I've been told it's going to go on for three more hours.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15I just took a little phone call from the chief Jedi
0:21:15 > 0:21:20and he's asked me to go and save a galaxy far, far away from here
0:21:20 > 0:21:22so that's what I'm going to have to do.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24I'm out of here.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28SHE HUMS INDIANA JONES THEME
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Earlier in the programme, I met the brave men of the Mines Rescue Service
0:21:45 > 0:21:48who have been saving miners' lives for a century.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51These men respond to any mining emergency.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Most recently, last year's tragic accident at the Gleision Colliery in the Tawe Valley.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00And they made me a unique offer that I couldn't refuse.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Ladies don't normally take part, so it's quite unique for yourself.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09And I was kitted out so I could take part in a rescue training excercise.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Quick as we can, as a life is at stake.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13We need to get under oxygen, we need our kit checked
0:22:13 > 0:22:20and we need to get in straight away to give them the best chance we can and save their lives.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25We have to find a miner who has collapsed at the coal face,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29assess his condition, and get him out as quickly as we can.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31This is hard!
0:22:34 > 0:22:39What we've got here is two sets of tunnels. The bottom one is very tight.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43But the teams have to get used to crawling through these constricted spaces.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- OK.- I'll lead the way. You follow behind.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54'It's hot, clostrauphobic, and even though I know they're looking after me, I'm still frightened.'
0:22:54 > 0:22:59This is really heavy and it pusheS on your helmet.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- We have casualty. - Found the casualty here.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11At this point, we'd have people designated in the team.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Les is out first aider.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17There's no breathing, boys, at the moment.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Tilting the head back. Right, we've got some breathing.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23OK, Dai. Get the reviver on the casualty.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30We've got the oxygen cylinder turned on and the casualty is now in an oxygen environment.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Pulse is rapid and weak. He's unconscious.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40Connie, if you'd be part of the team getting the stretcher ready?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Mark on the plan where we found him and get in touch with the base and tell them what we've got.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46At this point we get him on the stretcher
0:23:46 > 0:23:51and start evacuation of the casualty from the tunnel system.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Turn it over?
0:23:53 > 0:23:58One, two, three. Woah! That's it.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02We're getting the casualty onto the stretcher now. If we connect the straps up.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06How do I thread it through there with these gloves on?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09This what we've got to endure.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The sooner we get him in the stretcher, the quicker we can get him out of here.
0:24:13 > 0:24:20It's like threading a needle. I can't imagine it being smoky in here. It's just a nightmare.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25If we were in fire environment, we'd have zero visibility, so we'd just have to feel our way.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29This is the point of knowing our equipment and how to use it correctly.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34He's still in shock. We need to get him out of here as soon as possible.
0:24:34 > 0:24:35- Wait a minute, Connie.- OK.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I can't see a thing.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53'We've had to manhandle the casualty onto the stretcher.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58'Even in this controlled training environment, it's awkward and exhausting.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- I can do it. I can do it.- Here it comes.- It's really heavy, isn't it?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04It's so slippy.
0:25:04 > 0:25:10'In this excercise, we only have to drag and carry the stretcher a few hundred metres
0:25:10 > 0:25:15'but I'm getting some idea of just how difficult and dangerous it could be.'
0:25:15 > 0:25:18This is going to be heavy now. Steady.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Steady. OK, down to the floor. Lower.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25OK, rest. Out of puff?
0:25:25 > 0:25:29I'm hanging in there. There's light at the end of the tunnel.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34OK, our exit point is through this tunnel section here, OK, team?
0:25:34 > 0:25:40Nearly there. All on your own now. You're dragging the stretcher on your own.
0:25:40 > 0:25:46For these guys it was a light training excercise, for me it was a revelation.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Well, it feels good to stand up straight.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52- OK?- Yeah.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57- Oh, and I'm out. - You OK?- Thanks, guys.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Wow, what an experience!
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I feel really privileged. Thank you so much.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04And it's really, really tough.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07And at the end of the day, it's not just a wacky obstacle course,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- is it?- No.- It's saving people's lives.- Yes, yes.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13And it really does bring it home that this is serious work
0:26:13 > 0:26:15and these are heroes in training.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18So, thank you so much for letting me be a part of it.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25And next time, I get cold on the outside, husky racing in West Wales.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30And cold on the inside, creating Wales' weirdest ice cream.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32The whole thing in one, that's not advisable.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36And I spend a moving day with a volunteer army,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38helping people across Wales.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41SHE PLAYS THE PIANO
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Bravo!
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd