Episode 4 Gower

The Gower Peninsula. 70 square miles of raw, natural beauty.

Only minutes from the industry and commerce of Swansea

and Port Talbot, the wild beaches and country lanes

are a magnet for over three million visitors per year.

There's an island mentality here.

Gower people don't like to be told what to do or what not to do.

Traditional farming is dying out and landowners have to adapt to survive.

I have the sheepdog and all that,

but times are changing and you have to go

and seize the opportunity, really.

The Gower Society is dead set on conservation.

If we don't respect it, we may as well kick it into touch totally

and turn the whole of Gower over to some sort of scene park.

But locals say Gower shouldn't become a museum either.

We're not slating anybody off here.

But at the end of the day,

local people have to have local work and money.

And people here can be fiercely private, but as a year

on the peninsula unfolds we are witness to events both everyday...

When does it have to be made? Is it the same morning?

Cos cucumber gets soggy.

..and highly personal.

Because it was Dad, I really panicked.

I really thought he was dying.

This land inspires conflict in those who want to make a living here

and those who want to conserve it.

But everyone agrees Gower is both extraordinary and unique.

The Gower Peninsula juts 22 miles into the Bristol Channel.

It has its own mild microclimate,

but the weather can change like the direction of the sea breeze.

The water can become treacherous.

It's this constant dance of the elements

that draws many of the people who choose to live here.

It's a beautiful part of the world. Life is pretty good.

We live by the sea, we are lucky enough to have a nice view,

go in the water for a swim or go boating whenever we want.

The Gower Peninsula is a wonderful place to live.

Lawrie Grove and his family have always been involved with the sea.

They've been in Horton for generations.

Gower has a way of calling to its own.

The place is so nice that a lot of us do come back.

My brother was in the Merchant Navy, I was in the Royal Navy,

my father was in the Merchant Navy during the war,

but Gower has that draw on people.

Lawrie, like many local people, not only takes

the benefits of what Gower has to offer but also gives something back.

Like his family before him, he's a volunteer with the RNLI.

It cost over £140 million last year to run the institution.

When you think this is all done on donations,

it's quite an amazing charity that we are part of.

And there are over 230 lifeboat stations around the country

and we're one of the smaller ones.

So it's up to volunteers like these to drum up their own support

and plans are already afoot for Horton

and Port Eynon's next big fundraiser.

It's late autumn

and over at Hillend Caravan Park in Llangennith, Gareth Howells

is busy siting a new van for one of Gower's surfing legends

and his wife.

This is PJ's. PJ and Carol.

She's been looking forward to this for some time.

So hopefully we can, as I say, in the next fortnight,

get it on, get all the ancillary work done as well.

She's been quite specific about what she wants.

So hopefully we can get it all done for her.

This caravan will be Pete's escape from the busy shop.

He was almost killed when he was hit on the head by a stray surfboard.

His daughter Lucy and the rest of the family

try to keep an eye on him.

I worry about him sometimes now

because you can see he just gets a little bit more tired

and I suppose...

just getting older, I suppose, really.

Pete had seven shards of bone removed from his brain

after his accident last year.

Although he's made a remarkable recovery,

a recent seizure was a shock for the family.

I think if it was anybody else, I would have been a lot calmer,

because I'm quite calm in tricky situations but because

it was dad, I really panicked and I really thought he was dying.

But now PJ and Carol have a new bolthole

in which to get away from it all.

Look at the view. It's fabulous.

Gareth's finished siting the caravan

and they're here with their grandson Jake.

It's a chance for Pete to slow down.

The memory of his accident is still raw.

I sort of had a little bit of a flashback,

I went sort of like, "Oh, it's coming here," you know.

Probably like being... Fighting Mike Tyson or something.

Something hit me so hard, so quick, I didn't feel anything

and didn't feel any pain.

And then I remember being face down in the water. And I wasn't scared.

It has taken me to a more spiritual place cos

we are all going to go one day.

The accident is something I wouldn't choose to have,

but now it has sort of taught me other things about myself.

PJ has, if possible, developed an even deeper appreciation of Gower.

If this was Hollywood,

it would have cost millions of pounds to live here.

With that view. Where are we?

We're by one of the most beautiful beaches in Britain

-and the wife can walk about...

-The wife's got a name, you know!

The lovely wife, yeah.

SHE LAUGHS

Pete's son James has been training to raise money for the

air ambulance, as they probably saved his father's life.

Now he's entered the Ironman competition in Tenby.

I have raised over £8,000 now.

My main goal is to finish it, but I'd like to finish it well.

If I can finish before it gets dark, I will be more than happy.

If I don't, so be it.

I'm just going to take it all in and enjoy it and try

and make sure I do enjoy the whole experience cos I don't think

I'll be doing another one.

The RNLI volunteers are also responsible for saving

lives in Gower and they don't need to be reminded of the dangers.

Traditionally,

Gower families throughout the generations man the lifeboats

and all remember the story of the raging storm of 1916.

The crew launched in the morning, in awful conditions,

the winds were reported as being the strongest in living memory.

And they went down to Pwll Du, to the aid of the SS Dunvegan

and stood by while the crew were rescued by the local rocket crew.

And it was when they turned to come back home that the boat

capsized twice, although the boat righted each time.

Three of the crew members drowned.

For the three members of two small villages to drown

in the way that they did, it must have been an awful thing for them.

They actually didn't know until the following day

when the surviving crew members were bought back to Port Eynon

actually what had happened on New Year's Day.

The loss of life certainly drew the community closer.

The statue in Port Eynon churchyard ensures that

no-one will forget the sacrifice that those men made.

In North Gower, overlooking Weobley Castle

and the tranquil Loughor estuary, there's a perfect

location for a Gower wedding of a very different kind.

He'll walk to the centre. He'll wait for me. I'll walk after him.

We'll both walk to the altar.

-During which time we will actually get bound together.

-Right.

At the end of that, we will be untied, we'll jump the broom,

we will then give wine and cake to each other.

And then we give it to everybody else

because it's welcoming them into our circle.

Luke and Emma are having a pagan wedding

and are sorting out the final details with the wedding planner.

But as with any family event, there are always going to be problems.

A handful of people are going to be leaving after the ceremony.

-No, they're not.

-My dad has said that one or two people have said that they

-will watch the wedding but then they have to go.

-But we're paying for them to eat food.

-Yeah, but then other people are going to turn up after.

-No, they're not.

-OK, I'll find out the numbers. Chill.

-Honestly!

-I've had to organise his stag do!

-Yes, cos my best man is useless.

Luke and Emma chose Windmill Farm at Llanrhidian because the

owners are willing to accommodate their unusual wedding choice.

How could you want anything more than this? This is exactly what we want.

But a lot of other venues, they weren't interested.

They wouldn't let us get married outside. And if they would be OK with getting married outside,

certain bits of the ceremony they weren't OK with. You think, Jesus Christ, this is a wedding!

I'm paying you a phenomenal amount of money and you're going to

turn around and give me excuses and reasons why I can't do what I want!

Let's go and find someone who will let us do what we want!

With all the arrangements finalised, Luke and Emma just need their gods to be with them on the day

to bless them with good weather for their open-air ceremony.

In the fields above the south coast of Gower,

between Horton and Port Eynon,

preparations are under way for the next big RNLI fundraiser.

Stuart and Will, an accountant and a doctor,

have taken up hog farming part-time.

Went to the auction a few days ago and we've bought ourselves two

new females that are going to become our breeding stock.

There's one just over there and one here,

we've named in honour of the Olympic gold athletes.

We've got Jessica and Jade.

But it's only the breeding sows the boys have named.

Unfortunately, one of the other pigs is destined to be the star

attraction at the fundraiser and there's no chance of a reprieve.

People are expecting a hog roast.

It is on the posters now, it's too late.

But first, the boys have to choose which pig is for the chop.

I think this one is probably the favourite. Aren't you?

It's easy to tell because he's got a black spot on him.

Last year we made nearly £400 for the RNLI, which is a pretty good result from a single pig.

These pigs, I think, are slightly bigger than the one

we roasted last year, so hopefully we will do even better again.

I'm kind of happy that they had a nice time here, so it makes it slightly easier, I guess.

But a whole hog takes a long time to roast,

which means an all-nighter for the boys.

We're going to start cooking probably around two o'clock

in the morning, maybe three, which is a bit of a stretch

and we will do it in shifts overnight, trying to make

sure it is ready for our customers at about midday the following day.

Gordon Howe, Gower Society planning monitor,

spends as much time in the surf with his family as he does getting

involved in controversial planning issues.

His granddaughter Milly has entered the

Welsh National Surf Championships, hoping to win a place in the

Welsh team, but on the first day, she doesn't even get in the water.

You get all worked up and you're like getting ready for it all day,

and then I didn't even go in.

I worked myself up yesterday for nothing.

So now I just know there's no point thinking about it.

But now the wait is over, there are other problems for Milly.

The surf is relentless, pounding and hard to paddle out through.

Her dad's advice to select only a couple of waves

hasn't gone down well.

I did what I wanted to do,

I didn't do what everybody else wanted me to do.

-Do it.

-I just don't want to like, "Right, this surf,

"I'm going to go in here for 20 minutes,

"and I'm going to catch two good waves, and not going to paddle..."

-You can't go in there and not paddle!

-It was my fault.

-Everything that happened.

-I'm not having a tantrum over what happened.

I'm having a tantrum over how you always think,

"It would have been easier if you just caught two little waves."

-You go in there and try and stand up on a wave!

-I couldn't. I couldn't.

Do as I say, not as I do.

-Definitely.

-Right, well. There we go then. Point proven.

-Come on.

You don't mean it really.

Despite Milly's frustration,

the judges have given her first place and in a few hours' time,

she will be in the final, fighting for a spot on the Welsh team.

Back in North Gower at Windmill Farm,

Emma and Luke are gearing up for their pagan wedding.

Emma is trying to regain some calm before the storm.

I think when you get to this point, things that go wrong,

you can't do anything about it.

If you let it bother you, it's just going to ruin the day.

It's a case of, you have got to have a kind of "whatever"

kind of attitude towards it.

The high priestess, Buffy, is a friend of the couple.

It's all about spreading love.

It's all about the vows that they exchange with each other.

It's all about their freedom of expression.

It's all about the fact that they want to encompass

everybody in their circle of love and it really is

all about the love that they have for each other and want to share.

Poor Luke, he's had to go away and write his vows.

We haven't had any time at all. He's gone somewhere.

I don't know where he's gone.

If he doesn't come back, we'll be in trouble. He will be in trouble.

And there'll also be trouble if the open-air circle and altar

aren't finished in time,

as they are a crucial part of a pagan ceremony.

Luke's dad and friends have all taken part in the building.

I think when you're first told that it's going to be a pagan wedding,

you have all sorts of ideas.

I didn't know what it was in the beginning, to be honest.

But it's been good. I've really enjoyed helping him to do it.

I think it has brought us closer together.

I've just been down to will be Weobley Castle now to write out all

the reasons why I love the woman I'm marrying today.

Which sounds like a very easy thing to do because there's lots

of reasons, but to articulate them into a way which sounds coherent and

not me standing there going, "I love you, babe, because...you know...

"Yeah, and that stuff."

So it's been quite difficult

and quite touching to actually write them down.

I've been thinking of them for months but to finally get them

on paper, it feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

And as the morning wears on, all semblance of calm

and tranquillity slowly fades away.

I've lost my two ushers now and I need to explain to them

-what they need to do.

-Chris is there.

-Chris.

Simon! The goblets need to have wine in them!

Simon! Si!

We've given up on the plan,

so everything is going and that's all that really matters.

Behind the scenes, the venue's owners, Viv and Lynne,

have their own problems to deal with.

Can I just have a word?

I've been to see your bride, she is a little bit stressed.

-We've had a call from a children's entertainer?

-Right.

-Are we expecting a children's entertainer?

-I'm not sure.

I might be a bit nervous now.

Especially as I've heard the other half's vows are wonderful

-and I hope mine are up to scratch.

-They are. I promise they are.

We're going to have to find a glass to put it in, otherwise it's going to go out.

-But that represents fire.

-OK. Not a problem.

-You'll sort that out.

-Sort what out? What am I doing?

-I don't know, but can I go to the loo now?

-Yes.

As the high priestess is given permission to leave the altar,

there is just time to sort out the last-minute glitches,

as the guests arrive.

For the majority, it will be their first pagan wedding.

It's also a new experience for James, who's attempting

the world-famous Ironman competition in Tenby.

Over 1,700 international athletes have come to compete.

The first leg of the race is a 2.4 mile free for all in open water.

The swim is James's strongest point after years of surfing

and paddling in Gower's seas.

James completes the swim in a magnificent 54 minutes

and is among the front-runners as he arrives at the transition tent.

Every second counts.

A bit tired. But that's to be expected.

But he's been in too much of a hurry.

Hang on, I got the wrong bag.

With so many coming through the transition area, it is easily done.

But James is losing valuable time.

And there is a daunting bike ride coming up.

This is the tricky bit now.

It's starting to rain, making the roads more difficult to

negotiate and it is a gruelling hilly course.

But after 112 miles and just over four hours later,

James comes in unscathed.

The last few hills were horrendous though.

Now it's a quick change of kit before James heads out

into the hills around Tenby for a 26 mile marathon.

He'll have two draw on a year's training

and the thoughts of why he is fundraising for the air ambulance

that saved his dad's life to get him to the finish line.

It's the day of the RNLI hog roast.

Everything runs on donations, so at this annual open day,

every penny they bring in counts.

And Will and Stuart's pig is sacrificed to a good cause.

Well, we got down here at two o'clock this morning and lit the fire,

got the pig on the spit and starting cooking at about three.

-We've been sitting here ever since.

-The secret of it is that everyone over there thinks

it's really hard work and we're getting more credit for coming down in the middle of the night to put

the pig on and we've been left alone from all of the heavy lifting.

But the reality is we just sat there drinking beer for most of the night.

-Don't say that, we won't get away with it next year.

-That's true.

Roll up, roll up. RNLI open day now officially open. Roll up, roll up.

Will and Stuart now have to make sure that the roast is done,

carved and ready to serve as soon as possible.

But what good's a slice of pork and crackling without the stuffing?

They've assigned the station's vegetarian, Lizzie, to make it.

-Do you want it all, by the way?

-It was the smallest packet they had unfortunately.

-So make all that and we'll have enough stuffing for the whole pig.

-I can do that.

As the morning unfolds and local start arriving,

everyone is getting hungry and the hog roast is eagerly anticipated.

Right then, the pig is pretty much cooked now. It is 11:30.

We're aiming to start serving at around 12.

The only drawback at the moment is Lizzie,

who we sent for stuffing some hours ago, hasn't appeared with it yet. I don't know what's happened.

We might have to send someone out on a reconnaissance mission soon.

Will has drawn the short straw

and the pressure is on to bring back the stuffing ASAP.

It said on the packet, cook for half an hour.

We've been two hours now and there's no sign of it yet.

There is a ray of light at the end of the lane.

-We've found the stuffing.

-Well, I rang to come and get them.

-Is it hot?

-Yeah. It's just come out of the oven.

I dunno if it's edible.

It looks like stuffing, smells like stuffing.

But there's a problem.

Despite Lizzie's lengthy spell in the kitchen,

head chef Stuart is not satisfied.

I haven't made enough.

Delegate it to the girls and we still can't do it. Bad instructions. But...

She'll have to turn this around faster than the first batch,

as hog roast sales are key to the success of the event.

At the Welsh National Surf Competition at Freshwater East

in Pembrokeshire, Milly has reached the final of the women's under 18 section.

If she wins this, she'll be in line for a place in the national team.

But the conditions are tough and Milly is tired after a long day.

She's got two OK waves and I'm not quite sure,

all of the girls seem to have one good wave.

But then a couple of them had a good take-off. Big take-off.

They didn't do anything with it. I don't know.

It's been two hard days of competition

and as the sun sets over the bay, the final results are in.

In first place, please excuse my pronunciation of the surname,

Milly Zoestig?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Success for Milly will mean a Welsh team place and unusually,

she's quite overcome with emotion. Her dad, Jem, is very proud of her.

But she hasn't quite forgotten their differences earlier in the day.

You just shouldn't try and tell me what to do because... I don't know.

He's just a bit annoying sometimes, isn't he?

Doing a little dance. Unlock the doors. Dad, I'm in the front.

Oh, my God!

But it's soon all smiles, as they pack the van

and head off back to Gower.

She's the best daughter in the world, look. She's got a cup saying "Best Daughter In The World".

You would get one saying "Best Dad".

But unfortunately you didn't enter the competition.

That was close. Nearly went in.

Punters are gathering and the money

is rolling in at the RNLI fundraiser.

And community teamwork has resolved the stuffing shortage.

The stuffing is in the oven, serving dishes stolen from the village hall.

We're nearly there, hopefully.

-Just falling off the bone, like butter.

-Beautifully cooked, as we knew it would be.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the Horton and Port Eynon RNLI Hog Roast is now open.

As the hordes descend, Will and Stuart's offering looks set

to become the main money-spinner once again.

Absolutely fantastic. I came down this morning to walk my dog at seven o'clock and there

was a lot of cider bottles, empty cider bottles, by the hog roast.

But the hog looked fantastic and it looks even better now.

-Lush!

-It's good.

The customers must be happy, judging by what is left on the spit.

We did sell out, I didn't think we would at one point.

It was very quiet. We've sold at least 150 rolls.

We should have raised in the region of £500, which is more than last year.

We will have to tot it up and check, of course. I'm very happy with that.

As the day draws to a close and the takings are counted,

it seems that everyone is pretty satisfied.

A lot better than we could have hoped for because the forecast was for rain early morning.

It has cleared up. It is fantastic now.

We've had a steady stream of people coming through.

It has been as busy as we could have hoped for really.

And the event eventually raised well over £1,000 to help the RNLI

to keep watch over Gower's shores night and day.

Back at Windmill Farm, the pagans are going head-to-head with the elements.

Bride and groom are delivering their home-made vows

and have to fight against the wind to make themselves heard.

Today I am joined with you, my best friend, my lover, and my soul mate.

I give myself to you completely, with a promise to love,

cherish and support you for the rest of our lives and beyond.

Emma, from the first time I saw you, I knew that I loved you.

You're the woman that I want to spend my life with.

You're the reason for getting out of bed in the morning and going to bed at night.

So Luke gets through his vows and despite the high winds,

the tension drops.

It's celebration time.

OK, ladies and gentlemen, Mr and Mrs Newton will now jump the broom

to signify the start of their new life together.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Although the wind almost took the bride's veil into the estuary,

and blew all the candles out, Emma and Luke are happy.

As with everything else it didn't go to plan,

but it was still lovely and we're married and we're happy.

That's all that matters. The wind has had the veil.

We certainly did play with the elements, we did.

It was challenging. It was very challenging.

I'm now going to get very, very, very drunk.

-I thought it was really good.

-Different.

-Yeah, I wasn't expecting any of this. It's really nice.

It's nice to be outside as well.

-It was beautiful.

-Amazing.

-Really beautiful.

It was so much more tender

and meaningful than your normal scripted Christian wedding.

It was... Honestly, I can't describe it. I was just in tears.

-It's been flipping crazy!

-Yes.

-But, do you know what, we're married.

Yes, and I wouldn't change a second of it for the world.

It's been fun. It's been interesting.

-It's just typical of us really, isn't it?

-Yes.

Luke and Emma's pagan ritual appears to have pleasantly surprised

the guests, but the evening's entertainment looks set to play out

in a more traditional style.

In Tenby, at the finish of the 2012 Ironman Wales, four hours

and three minutes after James Jones set off for his 26 mile

last leg run, he crosses the line well ahead of his own target.

Under 12 hours! Amazing!

It's a good hour and a half quicker than I was expecting.

James's Gower fan club and family are elated

and overcome by his achievements.

Amazing, brilliant! Really chuffed for him!

He has done so amazingly well. My mum is chuffed.

And he still looks like he could do another one!

James's best friend Huw has been with him all the way.

Four o'clock this morning, we were sitting there contemplating, 14 hours is a good result.

I said, "James, finishing is a good result." 11,54. Magnificent.

Done Gower proud. Fantastic.

There's a quick call to his mum and dad back at the shop in Llangennith.

With over £8,000 raised for the air ambulance,

it's a big thank you in return for saving his dad's life.

A whole year in Gower has passed.

People's lives are, as ever, full of surprises.

Yes!

Sadnesses, moments of joy, disputes.

And you're knocking it.

How to maintain Gower is subject to fierce debate.

40 years ago, Gower was designated the UK's first

area of outstanding natural beauty.

And writer Wynford Vaughan Thomas called it a secret

people hug to themselves.

Nothing much has really changed since then.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd