Episode 1 A Summer in Wales

-Summer in Wales is a time of celebration...

-Cheese!

-..holidays...

-I want to see a castle, pubs.

Keep rowing!

..and the great outdoors.

Whoo!

A time when many businesses must turn a profit...

We have put everything we've got into this.

..or face a struggle to survive the rest of the year.

You've just got to try and keep your head above water at the moment.

-A time when good weather can make all things possible...

-Raar!

..and bad can leave dreams in tatters.

The weather could be a little nicer, but that's not anybody's fault.

This summer was truly extraordinary.

Was that the cleverest idea, to try and take it down?

It's all laughter...

SHE LAUGHS

..heartache...

This can be a cruel game.

-..triumph...

-I came second.

..and despair.

-The weather's beaten us once again.

-These are our stories.

Nice bit of pavement pizza in this corner here.

Filmed in every corner of the nation,

across the summer of 2012.

You can't beat it, can you?

This is a story of a summer in Wales.

Let's get the show on the road!

It's early summer in Wales.

From the cities of the south to the high peaks of the north,

the nation is stirring.

On the tiny tidal island of Cribinau,

off the south-west coast of Anglesey

stands St Cwyfan's Church in the Sea.

Closed all winter, each year when summer begins

this mediaeval church is opened up for business.

Today at low tide, a team of volunteers are heading out on foot

to cross the causeway

to unlock and clean the church.

Ready for the wedding of local couple Gareth and Amy.

-If some of us gentlemen can carry some of the chairs out from here.

-OK.

This is the time when weddings come out quite here frequently,

because I think there are another three in the next few weeks.

It's so much nicer when you know that the people

are not going to end up with white stripes on their suits.

Prince William, he lives just over here.

We always thought he may get married here,

but no, he chose somewhere to go in London.

I don't what the attraction down there is,

but this would have been a lovely, ideal location,

but probably there wasn't enough time

to get all the guests on the island before the tide changed.

On Anglesey, husband-to-be Gareth and his groomsmen are getting ready.

Amy originally, when she was a little girl,

always said she'd like to get married there,

a sort of fairytale princess dream when you were a kid.

We're really happy that we can do it.

Basically we had two days in the year

that were compatible with the tides and the vicar being free

and the hotel being free.

So the day was pretty much chosen for us by the situation of the church.

The tide will be out though, we have sorted that one.

So we're not going to have to, erm, swim there.

In Church Bay,

Canon Madeleine Brady is making her way across the causeway.

I don't know if this church is unique,

but I can't imagine there's very many

where you have to walk across sand at low tide to get a wedding.

But that's all part of the charm.

So long as we got the tides right and we don't mess about,

it'll be kind to us.

In the end, the tide has the last say.

Whatever we do, it's in charge.

So this is the one drawback as far as I'm concerned!

And stones have a horrible habit of moving the minute you trust them.

I always ask couples - do tell your guests to wear wellies,

or sensible shoes,

because if anybody arrives on the beach,

looks at this, and is wearing stilettos, they're in trouble.

Fortunately, Gareth and Amy's guests arrive wearing suitable footwear.

Some need a little more help than others.

Make sure we have a pen.

Oh, wedding candle. Thank you, Betty.

I think that's about everything.

It's a bit blowy, so we're going to have to probably redo our hair.

I think the ladies' toilets at the reception

are just going to be full of people readjusting their hair

and putting their fascinators back on and stuff.

Don't pull too hard! Dennis, don't!

Blimey!

-It won't come off!

-I'm going to fall backwards in a minute.

The other little thing I usually say to the best man is

if anything at all goes wrong, it's your fault.

-Right.

-If it all goes beautifully, it's all down to me.

-Right.

-For my next trick...

The guests have arrived, the church is ready,

all they need now is the bride.

Fingers crossed she turns up now!

It has once happened that a bride was three-quarters of an hour late,

and the tide was rushing in.

300 miles to the south, another island is opening up for the summer.

On a little knuckle of rock in the chilly Bristol Channel,

lies the kiss-me-quick beach resort of Barry Island.

The resort's iconic fairground first arrived in 1910,

and since then has entertained generations

from South Wales and far beyond.

These days it's run by manager Vernon Studt.

Vernon is a fourth-generation showman,

part of the Studt family funfair dynasty.

The family has been in the fairground business since early 1800s.

When you're born as a showman, it's a way of life.

I couldn't sit in an office and sit behind a desk, it's not for me.

All right, Malcolm. OK?

The little one here will be in charge, won't he?

Barry's fairground community is close-knit.

You all right?

How's the goldfish looking?

Vernon's relationship with the team

is much more than a business arrangement.

We all know each other, we all get on well.

The fella that's got the waltzers

is a good colleague of mine from Stoke-on-Trent.

The guy with the jumping frogs is another colleague of mine, showman.

We all know each other.

Hello, Tommy!

Vernon believes the funfair still has a strong appeal today...

given the right weather.

It's a typical seaside place, with the funfair and candy floss

and rock and ice cream.

When the sun shines, Barry shines.

When the rides are full of people there's an atmosphere,

laughter and screaming from the kids.

Gives you a bit of a buzz.

Makes you think what you're doing is right, and it's worthwhile.

It's the first bank holiday weekend of the summer season

and Vernon's hoping to attract bumper crowds through the gates.

It's looking OK today, it's looking spic'n'span, we're ready.

-The only thing we need is customers.

-A few of.

That's what we need.

In its glory days

the fairground could attract nearly half a million visitors

in one August bank holiday week.

But the washout summers of recent years have put paid to all that.

If the weather isn't good we don't get no people.

We need good weather to get people out.

Although the sun might be shining,

there's still not going to be anybody here, because it's not beach weather

and people come to Barry Island for the beach.

There was a couple of occasions last year

when that beach was just packed with people.

It was a wonderful sight to see it.

It's deserted today.

PHONE RINGS

The fella that owns the waltzers is ringing me now to see how it is.

How are you, Henry?

I'm turning them away from the gates?! Yes!

I wish I had that problem.

It's diabolical, you know, there's just nobody here.

The only thing today it's not doing here is raining.

It might as well be, because there's nobody about,

it's very, very quiet, you know?

The fairground has fallen on hard times.

There's not even enough cash to maintain what were once

its most popular rides.

I remember coming here 25 years ago

and that log flume was very, very popular.

In its day it was one of the best,

it was talked about all over the country, that log flume,

when it originally went on.

It's looking a bit sad now, but there we are.

Things are so bad that the park's owner, Ian Rogers,

plans to demolish the fairground

to make way for an under-cover leisure complex.

Everybody realises that something has got to happen down here.

September, October time, we'll be starting to move.

We can't compete with the likes Oakwood and Alton Towers.

No, it's the end of an era,

but it's the start of a new one,

which is very exciting for everybody that's going to be involved.

Well, I've just lost.

Lost again.

No goldfish for me today, I'm afraid.

Vernon's not clear what will be happening to the fairground.

Oh! Second time.

It possibly could be the last summer,

but I'm optimistic that hopefully I will still be here next year.

A slow start to the summer season is the last thing Vernon needs.

I can see us being much later than about six o'clock, you know?

If we reach six o'clock.

It's now half past four, just gone half past four -

nobody here.

Keep it going for nothing and it's costing money,

just to keep it running out there.

-We're not even getting stragglers.

-No, there's hardly anybody about.

Not even getting stragglers.

Vernon decides to cut his losses and close the fairground early.

The park will be closing at 6.30pm tonight.

Barry Island Pleasure Park will close at 6.30pm tonight.

Thank you, all. Thank you.

Everybody's done bad.

At the moment, I'm just "chin up"

and I think we've got to go on and ride along with it,

and hopefully things will get better weather-wise for us.

It's no good worrying, because that's not good help you at all,

you've just got to take it day by day.

And, like I said, it's not over until the fat lady sings.

We're here till the end of September, so we've got plenty of time for that.

I just hope that my bank manager understands

and is as kind about this as I am.

A good summer will see over a million people

cross the Severn Bridge to spend time and money in Wales.

Many of them will visit Cardiff.

So it's important that the city looks its best -

no matter what.

-Morning everybody.

-Morning, David.

It's been a very pleasant evening in the city centre,

so I would imagine there's quite a bit of litter out there.

So let's go, as soon as you're ready.

5am, Sunday morning,

the Cleaner Cardiff specialist cleansing team head off

to clear the street of litter left by Saturday night revellers.

They have a tight five-hour window

to get the city centre ready for business.

Street wash operator Rose Joseph knows just what to expect.

It's not just the litter, you know, you got the grease,

the blood, the urine, the vomit.

The little cubby-hole's amazing.

It seems like most of the clubs come out -

straight in the corner, up the walls.

And when it's wet, with the heat, you'll smell it.

All jokes aside,

you can tell the difference between human poop and animal poop.

Really. Mostly in the phone boxes you'll find that.

Years of street cleaning

hasn't dulled Russell Davies's sensitivity to the pong.

You get the water on it. Woo-hoo, there we go!

People don't realise that until you walk past it,

and then you have the smell.

We've got to put up with it every day. It's part of the job.

Paul Johnson, team coordinator, takes a real pride in his work.

We call ourselves the fourth emergency service.

THEY SHOUT

You get a lot of drunks and that,

but they're pretty good to the street cleaners.

We don't get no problems from them.

We sort them out if we can, give them a hand.

As you can see, and a nice bit of pavement pizza in this corner here.

Lovely jubbly.

This summer, the team will be tested to their limits

as their manager Juliette Gamlin knows all too well.

We've got the torch relay,

we've got the Diamond Jubilee celebrations with The Big Lunch.

And we've actually got the very first event of the Olympics,

so it's going to be all eyes are on Cardiff.

There's an awful lot going on,

I've got a fantastic team out there, really dedicated,

and sometimes it's quite the unnoticed role.

People seem to take it for granted that the city looks great.

A lot of people say,

"How can you enjoy cleaning up other people's mess?"

I just love it... I couldn't sit in an office 9-5.

I couldn't do that, I'd go absolutely demented,

I'd be climbing the wall.

I love being outdoors. Love it.

As you can see,

there is perks of the job - 50p!

HE CHUCKLES

In this male-dominated industry, a female boss is a rarity.

She's not bad for a 50-year-old.

I know she's not 50.

You're unemployed as from Monday!

I would say that she's 48.

The joke is, "Better not let Jules out there,

"she might snap a nail or something drastic."

There are obviously more men than there are women.

So having a female boss does maybe belittle a lot of the boys,

because they don't like women in command.

You just play along with it, don't you, that's what happens.

I give as good as I get, mind.

If we think she's in the wrong, we'll tell her,

and she will listen, but it's always done her way...sometimes!

By 10am, Cardiff City Centre streets are as clean as a whistle.

It's stinking when we start, and it's immaculate when we finish.

You could eat your dinner off it, but it's not advisable - absolutely!

For Wales's 7,000-odd hotels and guest houses,

summer is their busiest season.

And this year a new establishment has joined their ranks.

On the border between Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion,

stands Hammet House.

Until recently, it was a failing country hotel.

But then Philippa and Owen Gale bought it,

and set about transforming it into a luxury retreat.

It's an ambitious project.

We have got plans to redevelop this into a hot spa pool, a second pool

with a swim jet, and then some spa treatment rooms on the inside here.

As you can see, we've got a lot of work to do

to get to that stage.

When you stepped through the door before, it was kind of like

an old people's home, sort of feel, there was swirly carpets,

just lots of stuff everywhere, ornaments, lots of old furniture.

We've completely changed it and now we've got a really funky,

contemporary vibe going on in the bar here, and throughout lots of the house.

Things like these ghost chairs, they're a classical chair shape,

but it's made out of single-injection moulded polycarbonate.

So, it's like a microcosm of the whole house.

It's something really old but it's been made really new.

Not ones to do things by halves,

Philippa and Owen have also changed the name of the hotel

from the Welsh, Castell Malgwyn to Hammet House.

The idea for renaming the house was to take it back to its roots.

This is Sir Benjamin Hammet,

he's the chap that had the house built in 1795,

and we do like to think

that he's got a little bit more of a smile on his face.

But in this corner of Welsh Wales,

the couple's changes haven't met with general approval.

We did have one lady who stomped in

and told me that I couldn't do this to this house,

didn't I know this was a much loved house.

And I was, sort of, felt like telling her,

well, actually it's my house!

People, I wouldn't say were stuck in their ways here,

but they get stuck in their ways here!

There are hotels similar to this in the UK, I think obviously London,

the Cotswolds, Brighton, just general areas

that are the Mecca of trendy-ness

and we're trying to bring a bit of that to the area

Owen and Philippa have invested their life savings

and all their energy into the business.

Guests expect a perfectly cooked breakfast, served swiftly,

with a smile.

But they're new to the hotel trade, and found that delivering

a luxury service means they have to be hands-on seven days a week.

There's an old shed in the garden here, it's a bit of an eyesore.

We've got a couple of housekeepers,

but obviously they need help when we've got loads of rooms to do,

and it's important for them to know

that A, that I'm there to help them,

and B, that I'm there to check on them as well,

which I'm sure annoys some of the staff sometimes.

It's putting up a bit more of a fight than expected.

Owen's very similar in that respect,

I'd say we're both pretty limited in our capacity to trust other people

to do things absolutely properly.

Pillows have a label on them,

and the label must always go

underneath the flap of the pillowcase,

to ensure that it does not show through.

I do get in a bit of a rage if I see one showing through,

and it gets made a note of, and someone gets talked to.

Ah, job done!

It definitely has been a very steep learning curve, hasn't it?

Yes. I was a forensic scientist,

so this is all quite different to my previous career.

It's certainly not a lifestyle that I'd recommend for anybody.

Don't say that, no.

Summer season is make or break in the hotel trade.

To succeed, Hammet House needs to be fully booked.

But because of the refurbishment work,

many of the rooms can't be used.

We're sort of 50% full.

When we're full, there'll be piles of towels here to get through,

constant laundry, constant cleaning, constant guests to serve.

The couple need to get the work finished quickly,

especially with 20 wedding bookings looming.

This room is for the mother of the bride.

Time's ticking now,

furniture's not here, the blinds aren't here,

the bed's not together, the mirror's not up,

the picture's not up.

So whether we're going to be able to use this room,

I don't know at the moment.

It's going to be touch and go.

It's a very, very big house, big project,

so it's sort of endless, really.

We've got this old-style wallpaper.

50% of people come through the door to the corridor, and say,

"Oh, what wonderful wallpaper, you're not getting rid of that, are you?"

And the other 50% of people come up here and go, "Oh!"

And we go, "Oh!"

because we hate this wallpaper and can't wait to get rid of it.

It's the old, we want it gone.

we want it stripped and painted in our palette of greys

to match the rest of the house.

When we were in the process of buying the hotel,

people were saying, "Oh, that's very brave"

and we thought, what are you on about?

It's not brave.

But I think actually now we're here, yeah, maybe we were a bit brave!

We've got a lot, well,

everything's riding on the success of this business.

We will make a success of this.

Because I don't know what we're going to do if we don't!

It's the final day of the bank holiday weekend.

And in Barry, the weather's gloomy.

There's nothing more miserable than a fairground

when the weather's bad.

But with so much at stake, Vernon takes a gamble

and opens the park gates.

All right, we'll get open now. Ashley, put some music on please.

Whether it's going to be financially viable or not, I don't know,

but I feel because it's the bank holiday Monday,

we've got to try, and try and get something in, you know.

Get your goldfish! Wet and orange!

Wet and orange goldfish!

Slowly but surely customers trickle in.

Any three card wins a fish in a bowl.

If you have another go I'll give you five darts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

You buying any food or are you starving her?

While Vernon and his fairground team worry about how soon the weather will break,

park owner Ian Rogers' mind is on his leisure complex.

The piazza is going to go right the way through to the beach.

Just by here, there's going to be a big, sort of,

multi-storey car park, and then down here we've got sort of a glass tunnel,

where the log flume is, there's going to be a big sort of glass dome,

and this will be where the cinema screen is going to go.

And it's going to be a shame for it to go,

but it's all got to be levelled off.

It's surprising how much room there's going to be when this comes down.

This is just an artist's impression of what it's going to look like.

The log flume at the moment is in this area here, quite a big chunk.

The multi-screen cinema/ten pin bowling alley

is going to be put into this area.

The multi-storey car park in the middle.

We've got cafe quarters, bars, restaurants underneath.

It's fantastic. I can't wait to get it underway,

yeah, it's a dream come true.

It looks like there's no place for Vernon

and the fairground in the complex.

Worse, the weather has broken, and the soggy crowd soon head for home.

It's not clearing up, there's no point in trying to kid yourself that it is.

We'll have to close the gates up, unfortunately.

When there's weather like this, he gets stressed out, he's not just thinking of himself,

he thinks of everyone he's brought in to this park.

He's a genuine guy, he's a nice fella, he's a likeable fella.

It's a disappointing start to the summer season.

Time's not on our side.

The summer is going quite quick,

and we ain't had one bit of good weather yet.

So now it's looking a bit scary.

I thought it was going to clear up earlier

and give us a little bit more chance, but unfortunately no,

the weather's beaten us once again.

The end of another glorious day(!)

On tiny Cribinau, in St Cwyfan's Church in the Sea,

they're awaiting the bride.

I believe the bride is on her way

and the sun's shining - what more can we want?

The tide's great, it's just about coming to the turn I think,

but it's behaving exceedingly well today, I'm happy to say.

CHURCH BELLS RING

I don't want to be like Mary Poppins and take off!

WEDDING MARCH PLAYS

So, Gareth, if you'll take Amy's ring.

Well, as Gareth and Amy have consented together in marriage,

and have made their pledge to one another and before God,

I declare that they are now husband and wife,

in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Gareth, you may kiss your wife.

APPLAUSE

I'm the happiest man in the world!

I've got myself a wife, so yeah, all good.

We moved to Anglesey when Amy was six, and she came here.

She said, "Mum, I'm going to get married here",

and she was six years old, and it's been a fairytale wedding.

CHEERING

We've actually had a wedding reception here, very small wedding,

and they spread out a blanket, and had a reception picnic.

It was brilliant, it was just lovely.

No toilets, no power, no water.

So you use your initiative around here.

Ceremony over, the wedding party heads back to the mainland

in search of creature comforts.

OK, well, there we are, wedding done, everything went beautifully,

and everybody is safely off the island before the tide comes in.

So I'm going to go,

because I'm not being stranded here till late tonight,

so, that's it, wrap it up for today, OK?

Next time...

This is Stacey's house.

..TV tourists descend on Barry.

If you stand by here and blur your eyes a bit,

it looks like the real thing.

Welsh swimmers go wild...

I'm very excited!

Ladies and gentlemen!

And Owen and Philippa are put to the test...

A lot of our business relies on our reputation.

I'm looking for the groom.

OK!

Grab your wife, get her in.

I don't like that, it was horrible.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd