0:00:05 > 0:00:07The Gower Peninsula.
0:00:08 > 0:00:1270 square miles of raw natural beauty.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Only minutes from the industry and commerce of Swansea and Port Talbot.
0:00:17 > 0:00:18The wild beaches
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and country lanes are a magnet
0:00:21 > 0:00:24for over three million visitors a year.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27There is an island mentality here.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Gower people don't like to be told what to do or what not to do.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Traditional farming is dying out,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and landowners have to adapt to survive.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40I do miss the flocks of sheep and the sheepdog and all that,
0:00:40 > 0:00:41but times are changing
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and you have to go and seize the opportunity, really.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47The Gower Society is dead set on conservation.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50If we don't respect it we may as well kick it into touch,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54totally, and turn the whole of Gower over to some sort of theme park.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59But locals say Gower shouldn't become a museum, either.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We're not slagging anyone off on here, we're just promoting...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Well, you're not, but at the end of the day,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08local people have to have local work and money.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10And people here can be fiercely private,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12but as a year on the peninsula unfolds,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15we are witness to events both everyday...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18When does it have to be made, is it the same morning,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20because cucumber gets soggy?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23And highly personal.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Because it was Dad, I really panicked.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28I thought he was dying.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31This land inspires conflict in those who want to make
0:01:31 > 0:01:35a living here, and those who want to conserve it.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38But everyone agrees, Gower is both extraordinary
0:01:40 > 0:01:41and unique.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54It's early spring
0:01:54 > 0:01:59and Gower's landscape is like an ever-evolving painting.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02And the people who live here need to evolve, too.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Ian Williams runs the Oxwich Bay Hotel, like his father
0:02:14 > 0:02:18before him, but unlike his father, he has broken with tradition
0:02:18 > 0:02:22and added a controversial element to his expanding wedding trade.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25This is 70% of us.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28This is what drives the business,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30maintains the business,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32helps us re-invest in the business,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36but you can see why so many people come here, you've got a wonderful
0:02:36 > 0:02:39finish here, and then you've got that wonderful view, right across there.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Even in the rain, middle of winter,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44it's absolutely fantastic.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48But the marquee isn't to everyone's liking, and Ian has been
0:02:48 > 0:02:52battling for four years to keep the structure up year-round.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59The Gower Society, self-appointed custodians of the peninsula,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and Swansea planners, consider it a blot on the landscape,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06contravening Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty regulations.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10For Gordon Howe, the society's planning monitor,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12those rules are there for a reason,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and his chairman, Malcolm Ridge, agrees.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20For the locals, a pub that has got a marquee,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22I am very unhappy, because
0:03:22 > 0:03:26once things are going on inside a marquee,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29if there is noise, if there is music, singing or whatever,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31then all the noise comes out.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It is not restricted to inside it.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Anyone in Gower can put up a temporary marquee for 28 days,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40and many do.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44At Oxwich Bay, it has been there for over four years.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49Some of them really seem to be using it as a way of getting
0:03:49 > 0:03:52around building a new structure altogether.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54But, at the end of the day,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- the security of the land estate must prevail, mustn't it?- Yes.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00It's got to, otherwise, again,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02the AONB is meaningless.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06But Ian claims that if the marquee isn't standing year-round,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and people can't see it,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10they simply won't book it.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13If they take this marquee away,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16they'll take the business away,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20and they'll take 30 years of my life away.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Paul Tucker is a butcher in Penclawdd,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and also its local independent councillor.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Tuckers is a well-known family business,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36but there is tension between Paul and his son Philip.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42I want to stay old-fashioned, Philip wants to go modern,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44but there has got to be a compromise.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47The future of the business now depends on the results
0:04:47 > 0:04:49of the upcoming election.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52If Paul wins, and regains his seat,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55he says he will hand over the shop to his son.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00But Paul is already having a hard time with some of his constituents.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Whether the other councillors are better councillors than you,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Paul, I don't know.
0:05:04 > 0:05:05Well, the only thing I can say,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Swansea Council has been Labour for the last 30-odd years.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10We've been in power for eight years...
0:05:10 > 0:05:12And what have you done?
0:05:12 > 0:05:14More than what Labour councillors have done.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16What have you done, tell me, what have you done?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The roads in Penclawdd...
0:05:18 > 0:05:22It is important then, for both of them, that Paul is out campaigning.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23But even when he is away,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25his presence is felt.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It's sometimes a pain answering the phone.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33I think there should be
0:05:33 > 0:05:34two separate lines.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36"Press one for meat sales"
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and, "Press two for council issues."
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Me and Dan are like secretaries sometimes,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46but he hasn't got a mobile phone,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49so that's why we get lumbered with it, then.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52If elected, it is
0:05:52 > 0:05:54time now for Philip to take over
0:05:57 > 0:05:59and for me to go into the background.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Time to give him his reign.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10People say you have to be third-generation Gower to be
0:06:10 > 0:06:11called local.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Gower Society planning monitor, Gordon Howe, has only been
0:06:14 > 0:06:16here for 42 years,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19but he has found some hidden gems in that time.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22There's lots of spots like this, I think,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26where people who love Gower will hibernate to,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29they will always find out places
0:06:29 > 0:06:31which are quiet and secluded.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35They keep away from the busy places, the honey pots.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37They come to places like this.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41It is also a favourite spot for Gordon's son, Jem,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and his granddaughter, Millie.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Most people don't even know it's here.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48So don't tell them.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51He has had an electrocardiogram yesterday
0:06:51 > 0:06:53because his heart was fluttering,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55right, so here he is now.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Is this what the doctor said? Surf three times a day?!
0:06:57 > 0:07:01He said, "Get a bit of excitement and you might slow it down a bit."
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Oh, right.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05My son and my granddaughter
0:07:05 > 0:07:08are going to join us in the water
0:07:08 > 0:07:12so there will be three generations of us in the water together.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Now, that is something special, I think.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Millie has grown up by the sea,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21and surfing comes naturally to her.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25She has just started competing,
0:07:25 > 0:07:27and she's hoping to make
0:07:27 > 0:07:30the Welsh team this summer.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32But it is hard to judge your progress
0:07:32 > 0:07:34when you are always in the surf with your family.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Because I don't surf with many girls my age,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43but then if you enter a competition you, kind of, can see how
0:07:43 > 0:07:46you are doing, so, I think,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and just satisfaction if you win, I suppose.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Millie won her first competition, and under the watchful eye of her
0:07:54 > 0:07:57dad, she is gearing up for her next big one,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59in a week's time.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02If I ever do an MX meet just to only surf to win
0:08:02 > 0:08:04competitions, and just to train,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06then I'm just going to stop doing competitions
0:08:06 > 0:08:09because I only want to do it for fun.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Maybe because it is so beautiful, families stay in Gower for ever,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and pass on their businesses and traditions
0:08:24 > 0:08:26through the generations.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It has been unbelievable weather the last two weeks, really,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32so we're just getting them in,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35taking them round, off these cliffs here, by Worm's Head
0:08:35 > 0:08:39round above Fall Bay, and they will be lambing in the fields
0:08:39 > 0:08:41across by Fall Bay and Lewes Castle.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Nicky Beynon, like his fathers before him,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47is lambing in the traditional way,
0:08:47 > 0:08:49out in the fields.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53One of the main difficulties working in an area like this, is it is
0:08:53 > 0:08:54such a vast area to walk,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57the labour isn't on the farms any more,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01either, so it involves quite a lot of walking for myself, and Dad is
0:09:01 > 0:09:04still pretty fit at 82, but there is only so much you can do,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07but then we try and get them in now for lambing,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09before the holidaymakers come.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13But for Nicky's dad, Ernie, every day feels like a holiday
0:09:13 > 0:09:16when he is out and about on the cliff-tops of Gower.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Very privileged,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21to have had the health I have had
0:09:21 > 0:09:23and have lived this length of time, because in my time,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26I have seen a lot of young men, a lot of boys who were in school
0:09:26 > 0:09:28with me have been dead many, many years.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I don't pamper myself in any shape or form,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35but I do have a few rules that I stick to.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I have got a good a good appetite,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39and I don't allow myself to sit around
0:09:39 > 0:09:41in wet clothes if I do get wet on a wet day
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and so far it's worked, but there we are,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46who's to know when it will be...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50We get on pretty good,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53as good as father and sons can, I think.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55He likes to do some things his way, and I like to do them
0:09:55 > 0:09:59a different way, but we agree to disagree, sometimes.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Most of the ewes give birth naturally in the open fields,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but some may need a little help.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09This one here has been trying to lamb for a while,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13he is still alive,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15and there is only one foot showing,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17so he doesn't look too big a lamb,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19he should come out with just one foot.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Nicky has helped birth more lambs like this then he cares to remember.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28There we are.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33But the next big challenge is keeping them alive,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36predators are watching and waiting.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41But at least they have been lucky with the weather.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43The sunshine doesn't last long,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and over at Hillend caravan park there is yet more rain.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51They have had a washout early spring,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55and owner Gareth Howells can do without mistakes in the park itself.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- We've got a problem. - What's the matter, mate?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- That caravan you have plumbed up for Mr Ellis.- Mr Ellis?
0:11:01 > 0:11:04It's the wrong caravan.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Mr Ellis? Where is it?
0:11:07 > 0:11:08What do you mean it's the wrong caravan?
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It's the wrong caravan.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13He came to see me now, he said, "Any problems, come back and see me,"
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I'll be expecting, you know, a loose tap,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18or a door that doesn't quite shut.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20It's only got two bedrooms.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21He ordered three.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27No, are you serious?
0:11:27 > 0:11:28No, I'm serious.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32It's not funny.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I don't know why you're laughing.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The problem has to be resolved or the customer will be paying
0:11:37 > 0:11:40ground rent for an empty plot.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I'd have been tamping if I were him but he's all right.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45But, he's got have a three-bed,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47he's got four kids,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and he is going to go and see what they've got there,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54and if they haven't got anything, he'll have to wait
0:11:54 > 0:11:58for another one to come from Swift, which could be June or July,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01which means he has virtually lost the whole of his season.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Yes, a good half a season.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08There's been a catalogue of these this year, to be honest.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12You get years when nothing goes wrong,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15but this year has been a disaster.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I don't know.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21These things are sent to try us, aren't they?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23It is certainly trying me at the moment.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Gareth can resolve the caravan problems,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32but he can do nothing about the weather.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37It is the first week of May, and it is still bitterly cold.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41All right, gents? Can I help you?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- Yes, can we just pay for camping? - Yes.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46We have got a bit of a problem with the fields, in that they are
0:12:46 > 0:12:50soaking wet, so, depending on where you want to go, erm...
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Is the second field open?
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It's open, but not for vehicles.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56OK, so you can camp on there but not...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58You can but you'll have to park off-site.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And you'll have to collect your stuff in.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It has been the quietest start to a season I can ever remember,
0:13:04 > 0:13:05to be honest.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I think it is the same everywhere.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I'm hearing stories that the restaurants in Mumbles are quiet,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14the pubs are quiet,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16the campsites are quiet.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20I can only put it down to the weather, really.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22People talk about the recession,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27but I don't think that is affecting us to be honest,
0:13:27 > 0:13:28it's the weather.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31If the sun comes out, we are full.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34If it doesn't, if it's cold, we're not.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Nothing we can do about it.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Take it on the chin, and get on with it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It is competition day, and Millie is at Rest Bay, Porthcawl,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51up against some of the best surfers from Wales and Cornwall.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Best two waves.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57So, it is only two good waves you need, really.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Millie, is being coached by her dad,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Jem, who is trying his best to build her confidence.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04She's a little bit psyched out by anyone who
0:14:04 > 0:14:06isn't from Wales that she knows,
0:14:06 > 0:14:07that's the problem.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10And I told her, well they're probably thinking, "Oh my God,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12"that Millie Zoeftig's here.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14"She wins everything," or something,
0:14:14 > 0:14:19so they're probably more worried about her then she is about them.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22This as a warm-up to the Welsh Nationals, and she's eager to
0:14:22 > 0:14:23make an impression,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but it is not a great start.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28I don't think I've surfed well for what I've surfed,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31compared to when I just go in by myself,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33but you're always going to surf different in a competition,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35cos you can have all the time in the world,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39but in 20 minutes you have got to cram your whole surf into it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43So, I don't know what to think, it was a bit rubbish.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Millie's worried, but she did in fact win her first heat.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Now the next one is looming, and the weather is against her.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54There is an onshore wind, bringing conditions that make it
0:14:54 > 0:14:58hard for any of the competitors to show off their potential.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Millie is waiting, hoping for the surf to improve.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15There's rarely surfable waves at Oxwich Bay, but that is not
0:15:15 > 0:15:21what attracts customers to Ian Williams' hotel and marquee.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23You've got wonderful shots here of Oxwich Bay,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and you have Three Cliffs Bay in the backdrop there.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Generally, in the winter, we do drinks outside here,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32but generally, in winter, the welcome area for your drinks on arrival...
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Ian is convinced that without actually seeing the marquee in place,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39people just wouldn't book their wedding reception
0:15:39 > 0:15:41from a brochure or a DVD.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The Gower Society want him to take it down in the winter months,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48exactly when Ian says he gets most of his bookings.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Considering this is such an awful day,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55it shows how much is being created by the fact that it is there.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56If it wasn't there,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59you wouldn't have the interest there is at this time of the year, and
0:15:59 > 0:16:03certainly, on a day like today, there will be no reason to come down here.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06It is beautiful, it really is.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10I'm from Birmingham, and I've only been for a while, and when
0:16:10 > 0:16:14I came down here with my partner I just fell in love with it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17As soon as we saw the marquee I wanted it and it has got to
0:16:17 > 0:16:20the point where we love it that much that we're actually bringing
0:16:20 > 0:16:22it forward by six months just so that we can have it.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Great?!
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Couples may fall in love with the location,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33but if the food is not up to scratch, they won't book.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40The hotel's tasting day is a key factor in clinching the deal.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44The tasters that we're doing today, we have 35 different dishes.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46We're doing starters, mains and desserts,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50and it gives them an idea of what we can do for their wedding day.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Wedding chef, Neil, has been at the hotel for 26 years.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59Very good.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Very yummy.
0:17:02 > 0:17:03Hello, there, how are you both?
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- My name is Neil.- Martin, nice to meet you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- Nice to meet you.- I'll be the chef on your day as well.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Is everything all right?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- It's absolutely beautiful. - Great.- Yeah?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13We really like the little blueberries.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It gives it a bit of sweetness, because it's got the cracked pepper
0:17:16 > 0:17:17which has got a bit of bite.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22Weddings now make up almost 80% of the business.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24It's been the perfect day so far.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Everything is going very well, nice and smooth,
0:17:26 > 0:17:27the restaurant's nice and busy,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29it gives the kitchen a buzz,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and it is very hard to describe to anybody
0:17:31 > 0:17:32who doesn't work in a kitchen
0:17:32 > 0:17:34what that buzz is like on a busy day.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The Gower Society say they have local backing for dismantling
0:17:39 > 0:17:41the marquee but Ian maintains
0:17:41 > 0:17:45if he has to take it down, his business will be destroyed.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48We have booked five weddings today.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50The tastings we've had for all the weddings coming
0:17:50 > 0:17:54up for the first half of this year have gone so well, with Neil
0:17:54 > 0:17:56and Hannah, and the team down there.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59It has been an excellent day, a real excellent day.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18It may be spring, but it is a cold and misty morning in Penclawdd.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21But it is the day that butcher and local independent councillor,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Paul Tucker, has been waiting for.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27It is the day of the Welsh local elections.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Paul is fighting hard to retain his seat,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32but he is worried that the weather is keeping the voters away.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35There is a tremendous amount of postal votes,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39so that is drying up now, and I'm sure that people, after tea,
0:18:39 > 0:18:44they will come out and put a cross in the right place, hopefully.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Hopefully.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51Paul's son will have a double celebration if his father wins.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Philip desperately wants to take over management of the shop.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59It's not for me to say, to tell them what to do,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02but at the end of the day it is his business
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and he has got to make
0:19:04 > 0:19:06the decision himself what he wants to do,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09so we'll see what happens.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Back at Rhossili, the problems for another father
0:19:16 > 0:19:19and son are just beginning.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Sheep farmers, Ernie and Nicky Beynon, do their lambing in open
0:19:22 > 0:19:25fields and there are threats from above,
0:19:25 > 0:19:26as well as on the ground.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The great black-backed gulls, the big ones, they kill lambs quite
0:19:30 > 0:19:33badly, sometimes they will pull their intestines out,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35through their navel cord,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38but they've attacked that one quite badly there.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42But that is part of it,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44there's nothing you can do.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48But the Beynons have started losing four of five lambs a night,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and they urgently need to find the culprit.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Could well be a fox,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56having eaten most of its head.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It is a problem. If he knows this is his supply of food
0:19:59 > 0:20:02he will come here every night, sometime in the night and if you do
0:20:02 > 0:20:04get one, he can be a pain,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07because he can kill three or four lambs the same
0:20:07 > 0:20:12night, and he doesn't eat a third of one lamb, but he's just mischievous.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15I like to see a fox, but then if they are taking the lambs,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and doing a lot of damage, well,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19you like to see them dead, perhaps.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22If the Beynons are to earn their living this spring,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26they need to find the fox - and fast.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Jump in.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Oh, bloody here, dog.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Jay, jump in.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's the final of the surfing competition,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44and Welsh team hopeful, Millie, is getting vital,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49last-minute advice from Welsh champion, Lloyd Cole.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51What you have to do, is let them go down,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54they'll paddle out, then you go down and then paddle off.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55I go that way.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Cos they'll start the heat, and they will say,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59"Where is Millie?"
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And then they'll just see you on a bottom right, over there.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04As Millie runs towards the final,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07her dad is still worrying about the weather conditions.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10As a father, all I want to do, is see her surf well.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It doesn't matter if she doesn't win, I really just hate it
0:21:13 > 0:21:15when you have a surf like that last heat,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18when she didn't really have proper waves.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22She won it, but I want to see her surfing properly, surfing
0:21:22 > 0:21:25a couple of tidy waves that run all the way through,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27where she does a turn.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Competition is tough,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and Millie just can't find the right, clean waves.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33She can't show off her turns.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36But as all good dads do,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Jem looks on the bright side.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42She was always slightly in the wrong place,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44but not because of her, just bad luck.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47You just have those surfs where you're just always in the wrong spot,
0:21:47 > 0:21:48and that's what happened,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and then when she did have a good one she's probably, towards the end
0:21:51 > 0:21:55of the last 5 minutes, she was so tight and, "Oh, God, I need a wave,"
0:21:55 > 0:21:56that she was nervous and fell off,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59so she hasn't done very well, I'm afraid.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It's just really annoying surf,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I suppose it's just unlucky, really.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I don't know, I will probably be lucky to come fourth.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13It's just stupid.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18In fact, Millie was right, she did come fourth,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21a big disappointment for her.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23But she will have a chance to turn it around in a few weeks time,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27when she surfs in the Welsh National Championships.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Spring brings many changes to the Gower landscape.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44And at the Oxwich Bay Hotel,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46it's the start of the wedding season.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50There is a buzz in the air, both outside and inside the marquee,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54as the team get ready for the next bride and groom.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58We'll aim to finish about an hour before,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01so that we can just go over that all the little bits,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and to make sure it's all done,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and just wait for the wedding party to arrive then.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11It's started now, we are on the 12 o'clock mark,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14this is the time we start getting prepared to have everything
0:23:14 > 0:23:17ready. The canapes are the first thing that go out,
0:23:17 > 0:23:18a lot of the lads do the canapes,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20so I shall carry on with the dinner
0:23:20 > 0:23:22because you have more things to cook
0:23:22 > 0:23:23to have it ready by the 3.30 service.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30This wedding party is local, and the guests know Gower well.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32The spring sunshine is a welcome bonus.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36It is, in fact, the most beautiful place in Britain, isn't it?
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Hello!
0:23:43 > 0:23:46CHEERING
0:23:46 > 0:23:47Are you going to carry me?
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Yeah, of course.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52There is a fine line between conserving Gower
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and stopping the locals making a living.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And people like Ian, at the Oxwich Bay, believe the Gower Society are
0:23:59 > 0:24:04in danger of crossing it if he ends up having to take down the marquee.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07An event like this, he says, helps the local economy.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I am employing 50 people this week.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14In about two months time I'll employ 80 people.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19That is nearly 10% of all the people employed in tourism in Gower.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I think that's something to be very proud of -
0:24:22 > 0:24:23I am.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28The marquee is safe for now.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32But the uncertainty surrounding its future continues.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Over at Fall Bay, farmers Ernie and Nicky,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40have seen off a more immediate threat to their business.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45He was up in the fields there where the twins are lambing.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48We put the light on him first, and we couldn't get a shot at him,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- because he was in amongst all the ewes and lambs.- Yeah.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Every time we tried to get a shot at him,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56he was trying to divide the ewes and lambs off.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I've never seen one working like it.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Shooting a rogue fox is just one of the harsh realities of country life.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Nicky and Ernie breed sheep for a living,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08and every lamb counts.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11You know how much pressure is on, because you know, that fox was
0:25:11 > 0:25:14killing four or five lambs a night, some nights.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16He has taken a lot of money's worth of sheep,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18he has just eaten the forehead
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and the brains out of them.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21And the tongue, very often.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23He was causing a lot of damage, really,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25so it did feel good to get him, actually.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32As night falls on Swansea, it is
0:25:32 > 0:25:34an anxious time for Paul at County Hall.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36The voting has closed,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and the count begins, as the ballot boxes are brought in.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44The postal votes have gone in there as well,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46so I was relying quite a bit on the postal vote,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49but it's his job now to say what is happening.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Whatever, I'll be butchering in the morning,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56in any case, whatever happens.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01For the first time in his campaign, Paul sounds doubtful.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04More butchering rather than council work is not something
0:26:04 > 0:26:07his son Philip will be happy with.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Well, it looks quite tight.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12But there is another table there as well,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14so what is happening over there, I don't know.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Stay cool.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Stay cool.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23Easier said than done for Paul,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27who has been through the process twice before, and knows
0:26:27 > 0:26:31that this time he's facing a stiff Labour opposition.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34After hours of waiting and speculating, it's
0:26:34 > 0:26:35time for the official results.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Rhanbarth etholiadol Penclawdd - Penclawdd electoral division.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Thomas Mark, Welsh Labour,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Llafur Cymru,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52890.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57David Hall,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02493.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09And I hereby declare that Mark Thomas has been duly elected.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11CHEERING
0:27:14 > 0:27:16It is devastating for Paul.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The Labour candidate got twice as many votes,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and Paul has lost his seat.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- I've gone.- You've gone, have you?
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Definitely, gone.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- What, lost?- Yeah.
0:27:26 > 0:27:27No. Good gosh.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30It was the Labour machine.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Never, a surprise, that.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Magnanimous in victory, magnanimous in defeat.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Every time, every time.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Five years?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Five years, it's slipped by, hasn't it?
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Yes. Hey you, we'll get back in.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44We'll get back in there.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48I just shook Mark's hand,
0:27:48 > 0:27:53and I conceded that I've got to give it to a younger man,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56only a year younger, but still, I've done the best I could,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I gave it all the time that I possibly could
0:27:59 > 0:28:01and I can't do any more than that.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07The question is, will Paul still want to hand over the business
0:28:07 > 0:28:11to his son, Philip, now that he has been ousted from the council.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15It has been a long night, and Paul heads home to Penclawdd.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Next time, some rare sunshine at Hillend caravan park,
0:28:24 > 0:28:25but there's a problem.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28I wasn't expecting this, to be honest.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It wasn't on my list of things to do, I must admit.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34It is the build-up to the Gower Show, and for the WI, it is
0:28:34 > 0:28:36decision time.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Why don't you have a purple-leaf lettuce, as well?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Oh, yes.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42ALL: Ooh!
0:28:42 > 0:28:47And will the continuing bad weather spoil Gower's big day out?
0:28:47 > 0:28:48You don't want this on a Saturday.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50That's when things get messed up.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Subtitles by Red Bee Media