0:00:02 > 0:00:06Ynys Mon, the island of Anglesey.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10For tourists, this is a holiday hotspot
0:00:10 > 0:00:14but for 70,000 people, this place is home.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Don't wear a watch, it's Anglesey time.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20With a mystical past and a breathtaking coastline,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23these islanders all share one thing -
0:00:23 > 0:00:25a special place...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Happiest place on Earth.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28..and a sense of tradition.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30250 years of history.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Who wouldn't be trying to be part of that?
0:00:33 > 0:00:35We follow the lives of these islanders
0:00:35 > 0:00:37as they revisit the past...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Do you remember Bertie the barnacle goose?
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Oh, yes! I'd forgotten about him.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44..and face up to the future...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46We'll have to carry on. We have to carry on,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48my father would expect me to carry on.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50..to discover why they're proud...
0:00:50 > 0:00:51That's the big word, though.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's like "Anglesey", like, you know.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56..to call Wales's largest island home.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13This is an ancient landscape.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18Relics of Anglesey's bygone past are dotted all over the island.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Anglesey was the very last stronghold of the Druids
0:01:21 > 0:01:23in the whole of Britain.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27This was their last bastion.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Let's go!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32And they're still here.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36- Hello! Are you all right?- Good, yeah.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Jolly good.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Kristoffer Hughes works as a technician in a mortuary in Bangor.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45But aside from the day job, he's also head
0:01:45 > 0:01:47of the Anglesey Druid Order.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Today, four days before Christmas at the prehistoric burial site
0:01:51 > 0:01:58of Bryn Celli Ddu, he's celebrating an ancient Druid festival.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02We're celebrating the Midwinter Solstice today.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Hiya! Happy Solstice!
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Normally I would be in something that looks slightly more elegant
0:02:07 > 0:02:11but because the wind is roaring at 45mph and it's imminently
0:02:11 > 0:02:13going to pour down with rain,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I'm wearing a waterproof cloak and a cream robe.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20The Midwinter Solstice was one of the ancient Druids' main celebrations.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Today, Kris is following in their footsteps.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26But perhaps in more soggy conditions.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29You weren't joking when you said there was water!
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Shocking!
0:02:31 > 0:02:33'My job is MC, if you like, or master of ceremonies,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36'in the true sense of the word, to lead the ceremony.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39'But then, I'm not the only participant.'
0:02:39 > 0:02:42There is a television crew directly opposite to me.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Fear not, they're here to film me!
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Feel the ground beneath your feet.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54The dampness of the soil
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and take one deep breath with the land beneath your feet.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04The Winter Solstice is one of the eight big festivals in the
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Druid calendar, and these Anglesey Druids are celebrating,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09as their island forefathers did,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11the strengthening of the sun
0:03:11 > 0:03:15with the passing of the year's shortest day.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Now tilt your chin skyward,
0:03:18 > 0:03:23and take one deep, great breath, with the skies above your head.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29This is the time of hope and light, love, glad tidings to the world.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31'All of the things that you may associate
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'with secular Christmas are imbued into this ceremony.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:39So people are joyful that the winter will come to an end,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42the sun will become stronger, and spring will come.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Over 100 people have come to this year's ceremony.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50May it bring you light.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54'It never ceases to amaze me that so many people want to come here,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56'for the love of a place.'
0:03:56 > 0:03:58It's not just for the love of what we do.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It's also for the love of this place, of this island.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06There's a magic here, a tangible magic here,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and a history that they can...they can see.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Happy Solstice!
0:04:10 > 0:04:12CHEERING
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Anglesey was so important.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17It was such a threat to the Empire of Rome that Suetonius Paulinus
0:04:17 > 0:04:21was sent here by Julius Caesar to take care of the Druids.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24We know that Tacitus recorded what happened on the banks
0:04:24 > 0:04:27of the Menai Straits when the Druids were slaughtered.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31So the Romans may think that they have won, but we're still here.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38And those still here get to live, work and play
0:04:38 > 0:04:43in 270 square miles of stunning scenery.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53The Romans may have had to cross its dangerous tides but now,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57since the first of the Menai Bridges was built in 1826,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Anglesey, the Island of Mon, is connected to the mainland.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- RADIO:- MonFM...
0:05:03 > 0:05:06RADIO PRESENTER SPEAKS IN WELSH
0:05:06 > 0:05:10'MonFM. Your voice, your island.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15'Coming up to ten minutes past five here on MonFM.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18'Just looking at the cameras. The Antelope looks quite clear,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22'but traffic is heavy there crossing Menai Bridge.'
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Though work often takes him onto the mainland,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Mike Williams lives on Anglesey,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and knows its highways and byways better than most.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34He's been running his furniture business for all his working life.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40When I cross the bridge I feel...
0:05:40 > 0:05:43I feel safe coming onto the island.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47I'm home, relaxed, don't wear a watch - it's Anglesey time.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51With a population of just under 70,000,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55traditionally people on Anglesey have found work in the family trade.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Mike's no different.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01His furniture business was founded by his father nearly 60 years ago.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07People do tend to say I'm a bit of a chip off the old block.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09So I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, really.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11But there we are, I can't get away from it.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15So whatever I do, it's in my genes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17But with his late father no longer here,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Mike's now the sole man in charge,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22and the only one left to battle a disaster
0:06:22 > 0:06:25that nearly destroyed the business.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30He had a saying in Welsh...
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Don't worry... "Paid a poeni. Dy dad sydd wrth y llyw."
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Which means, "Don't worry, your dad's at the helm."
0:06:37 > 0:06:41I wish he was at the helm when I had the fire, but there we are.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The catastrophe nearly wrecked his livelihood.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Now, Mike's got to get his business back on its feet.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Oh, bit of progress today, boys.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56'I was at the Anglesey Show and I'd been there since seven o'clock in
0:06:56 > 0:06:59'the morning setting up the stand, and then at half past nine,'
0:06:59 > 0:07:04I had a phone call from my manager to say that next door was on fire.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Ten minutes later he phoned me up to say that flames
0:07:08 > 0:07:12were shooting out the building, glass was popping.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I said to him to evacuate the building but lock the shop,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17make sure there's nobody in the shop...
0:07:18 > 0:07:20..which he did.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22The whole shop was smoke damaged.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28This has never happened to us in 59 years of trading.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30We decided to rebuild.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- You've taken the ceilings down from over there.- Yup.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Good.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44The chip shop fire next door caused over £750,000 worth of stock damage.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Mike's now got to get selling new stock,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50to get this father-and-son business back in business.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I've been here since I was in a pram.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55I know nothing else.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57There was no school holidays,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00my father expected me to be here, brushing the floors,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03painting, washing vans.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07That was it. My father started this business in 1956,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12as he reminded me every day, with £52, 1 shilling and 6p.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16So, you know, it's...
0:08:16 > 0:08:18We have to carry on. We have to carry on.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20My father would expect me to carry on.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32Mike's shop is in Llangefni, the second largest town on the island,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35home to around 5,000 people.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39It's also home to 21-year-old Khethiwe Ncube.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42She came here at the age of six from Zimbabwe,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45when her father started work with the RAF.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47The island is now her home,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50so much so that she's set her heart on a title -
0:08:50 > 0:08:55that of Miss Anglesey & Gwynedd in the Miss Wales beauty pageant.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58This one is my best, to be honest.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- I love this one. - Yeah, it's the best of them all.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- This one. - Yeah, this one is the best.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Initially I just thought, you know,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10it would be something fun to have a look at beauty pageants.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13But the reason I picked Miss Wales specifically...
0:09:13 > 0:09:16The reason I took an interest in that one
0:09:16 > 0:09:18was because of all the charity work that they do.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21I think it's a really proper, proper community here.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I think if you were to describe the meaning of a community,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I think Anglesey would be a great example
0:09:27 > 0:09:30because everyone is all together, we're all friends.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32The move from Africa has been a happy one.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Except perhaps for Anglesey weather.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38The weather's a nightmare, to be honest. Yeah, it is.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42We were used to maybe one jumper all your life!
0:09:43 > 0:09:46But today you have to have a jumper every day.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Yeah.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50For Khethiwe, the Miss Anglesey title
0:09:50 > 0:09:53is up for grabs, and reality's setting in.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I'm getting... I'm getting really nervous.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Like, I didn't think I was going to get nervous,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03but I know for a fact that when I go out on stage I'll be fine.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Let me get my heels and give it a try.- Yeah?- You never know.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15Let's do it!
0:10:15 > 0:10:18My mum is going to get her heels on
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and she's going to try the walk!
0:10:21 > 0:10:23See how it goes.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26I don't know if I've ever seen her do the walk!
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I think I'll do your version of the walk.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40You'll lose definitely!
0:10:46 > 0:10:48Perched on the far north-west of Wales,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51separated from the mainland for centuries,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Anglesey has long had a remote quality.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58For some, this rugged wilderness is a solace.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00For others, an inspiration.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06For Druid and mortuary technician Kristoffer Hughes,
0:11:06 > 0:11:11the island and its spiritual history are both.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14These are all the people that I've loved and that I've lost.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So this is my little sister Rachel.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21She died when she was 22 years old, seven years ago.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25My dad's here, various friends and other people.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27My nain, my grandmother, she's there.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30And as far as I'm concerned,
0:11:30 > 0:11:34they're a part of my story as much as I was a part of their story.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38The memory of all these people who have lived and loved and fallen,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40and grazed their knees and cried,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and had fabulous Christmases and summer holidays,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45they inspire me as well.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Without them, I'm almost nothing, I suppose.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Kris's day job as a mortuary technician
0:11:51 > 0:11:55makes death part of daily life.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57I work for Her Majesty's Coroner.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00So I care for the deceased of whichever area
0:12:00 > 0:12:02I'm called to work in,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04whichever part of the country I'm called to work in.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08But I also care for the bereaved as well, who are acutely bereaved.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10And that's a very fickle,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13highly emotional state that people find themselves within,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16without any warning whatsoever.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19So generally when they receive that news that somebody has died,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23either tragically, by accident or by any other means,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I'm almost the next person that they see.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30I consider that my professional life inspires
0:12:30 > 0:12:34and informs my spiritual life.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38The bottom of my world fell out when Rachel died.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Your heart explodes into a red mist,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and you just hope that one day when it falls
0:12:45 > 0:12:47that something will be there to catch it.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49And, of course, it is eventually.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Grief, it settles.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It finds a home within you somewhere
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and then it becomes assimilated into the process of living.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03We live, and by living, we honour those who've gone before.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10And I always try and consider that what is remembered, lives.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Like the ancestors before them,
0:13:20 > 0:13:26those who live on Anglesey have all shared one thing in common.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32These islanders live and work in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Mary will usually say to me when I get up in the morning about 6:20am,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40"How are you getting to work today?
0:13:40 > 0:13:42"Are you going in the car, are you going on the bike?"
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I say, "Well, I'll just open the curtains.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46"Oh, I'm going to fly into work."
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Paul Cox is an overseer for the Royal Navy in Holyhead Boatyard,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10ten miles away from his home.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Now spring is here, when the weather's right,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16this is his commute to work.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18My wife sometimes says, "You know, it takes you quite a while sometimes
0:14:18 > 0:14:21"to set yourself up. Is it really worth it?"
0:14:21 > 0:14:23And every time I'm up there I say, "Oh, yes, it is."
0:14:23 > 0:14:25It certainly is.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It's something you're not expecting to be doing on a Monday morning
0:14:37 > 0:14:39going off to work.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45In a way it is like surfing,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47you're there and you're riding the wave to a point.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Obviously I'm not in it, but you're just riding on the wave,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52and you just go with it.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I sometimes have a bit of a play at a couple of thousand feet above the boatyard.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08As long as I look at my watch and it's not eight o'clock, I'm fine.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09But as soon as eight o'clock comes,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I've got to have my feet on the ground.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Once I land, I usually just fold up the wing, walk into the yard,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25go to my office, unhook myself from the para-motor,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28put that into the side of the office,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31get my shirt and my trousers on, put my shoes on
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and power up my computer and I'm ready for work.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38That's my usual start to the day.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40There's definitely no better way to go to work.
0:15:45 > 0:15:4815 miles away in Llangefni,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52another islander is also aware of what the place has to offer.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56For Khethiwe, it's an affinity with her native country
0:15:56 > 0:15:59that makes it so important to represent her island.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03Sort of like in Africa, you know,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05people see each other as family members.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07People that they don't even know,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09if you walk past them on the street,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11you always speak to them like you've known them for ages.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Like, "How are you? How is your family?" Everything like that.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17So I think it's really nice that I've moved to a place like Anglesey
0:16:17 > 0:16:21which is just like that and I want to be able to
0:16:21 > 0:16:24keep doing community work to help people,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27to encourage people to just carry on taking care of each other,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30like they did in Zimbabwe, like they do here in Anglesey, you know?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Like, when you walk past on the street,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34someone's always going to smile at you, no matter
0:16:34 > 0:16:38what kind of day they're having.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42In Zimbabwe I used to just talk to random strangers
0:16:42 > 0:16:45when I was a little kid and I've come here,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49everybody is talking to me and asking me about myself,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52and I ask them about themselves.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53It's quite nice like that,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56just to treat people how you want to be treated, really.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03This community spirit has helped Mike Williams fight to keep the
0:17:03 > 0:17:05family business going.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07And it's moving onto the next generation,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11as 18-year-old son Daniel starts to learn the ropes.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It's nice to see father and son working together.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26It is, yes.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- To be honest... - The staff are wonderful.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32..his father was a gentleman.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37I'll be honest with you, Michael is the same.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Through the aftermath of the fire,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42the people of Anglesey have carried on buying.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49He's fighting back,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and he owes it to his island customers.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56The people of Anglesey have rallied round,
0:17:56 > 0:18:01they've helped me and they've kept my business going.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05And they didn't want me to fail.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12With its 130 miles of coastline,
0:18:12 > 0:18:18it's no surprise that Anglesey people have often had a close affinity with the sea.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22For centuries, ships have passed close to its northern shores
0:18:22 > 0:18:24en route to Liverpool.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26The journey from Anglesey to the Mersey
0:18:26 > 0:18:29has always been one of fast tides and shifting sandbanks.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Since the 18th century,
0:18:32 > 0:18:37Anglesey sailors have helped pilots board ships at Lynas Point to guide
0:18:37 > 0:18:41them on this last part of the journey to Liverpool Docks.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Pilots still board at Amlwch Port today,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47but where there were pilot boats aplenty, now things are different.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51But one man is striving to keep things afloat,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54in more ways than one.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55Rob Holloway does two jobs
0:18:55 > 0:18:58to try and carry on this old island tradition.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Still having to do another job to help things out, but, yeah,
0:19:03 > 0:19:04we're getting there.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Apart from running his framing business,
0:19:06 > 0:19:08he's one of the last two left on
0:19:08 > 0:19:12the island who ferry pilots onto waiting tankers.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15So the pilots will come down here. It's always been known as...
0:19:15 > 0:19:20We've just got that little bit of shelter in the horseshoe.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Let me show you on the map, there.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28You can see how dangerous it is for shipwrecks in North Wales,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30look how many there are!
0:19:30 > 0:19:33OK, so there, that's Point Lynas.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37There's Amlwch, and this is usually the area we operate.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41So if you think now you've got strong south-westerly gales,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44obviously coming from the south, even due west.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48This area here, if you get the ships close enough in,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50you've got plenty of shelter.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54So that the waves obviously won't be as big as further out to sea,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58so that we can safely get a pilot on board and then he can get that ship
0:19:58 > 0:20:01into Liverpool and discharge its cargo.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04It's an unpredictable job, with unpredictable hours.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And today's no exception.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09So we've definitely got the Aberdeen.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13She's an oil tanker, a fairly regular one.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15What time will you be back, do you know?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- Eh, don't know, love.- One of them?
0:20:17 > 0:20:18Yeah.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- There might be fog, there might not be.- OK.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24We've got the one, as far as we know, but there might be more,
0:20:24 > 0:20:25- so you know the score.- OK.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I'll... The usual - put your tea on a plate.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Yes, stick it on a plate,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- or give it to the dog when it gets frisky.- OK.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33SHE LAUGHS
0:20:33 > 0:20:36The dogs are better fed than you, aren't they, sometimes?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41At the Miss Wales competition in Port Talbot,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43rehearsals are underway,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and Khethiwe's feeling the pressure.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Khethiwe Ncube, 21, Anglesey!
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I'm not really tired, just sort of like,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I feel like a lot has been happening.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57When I say my name and my age, and I say "Anglesey",
0:20:57 > 0:21:00because we've got to shout it, and
0:21:00 > 0:21:02when I'm saying the word "Anglesey",
0:21:02 > 0:21:04it sounds like...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07my voice goes a bit high and a bit...
0:21:07 > 0:21:10like it's getting strained at the end.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13But I want it to be like... That's the big word, though,
0:21:13 > 0:21:14it's like, "Anglesey!"
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Like, you know, that's where I'm from,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and I'm happy to be here representing it.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21So I don't want to... Do you know what, I'll just say it,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23it doesn't matter. If my voice sounds bad, then, oh, well.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- At Amlwch Port...- Morning.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37..two pilots have just arrived from Liverpool, ready to board.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43There's a tanker ready and waiting for them two miles offshore.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- ON RADIO:- Control. Morning, Graham.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Yeah, good morning to you. That's us outbound towards the tanker.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50We've got to get them out to the ship,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52and that ship has got to get the tide.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56If it misses the tide, you're looking at humongous costs,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58sometimes like £15,000 an hour.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00It's going to cost. So if it, you know...
0:22:00 > 0:22:05Times 12, that's a lot of bucks, until it gets in at the next tide.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07The Liverpool Pilotage Service on Anglesey
0:22:07 > 0:22:10has been running since 1766,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14but now with far fewer crew than before.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Only two. Me and Graham are the last ones.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Me and Graham, I suppose, are the two ancient mariners.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22250 years of history.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Who wouldn't be glad and proud to be part of that, you know?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31We've obviously got to do it as quick as we possibly can.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Tankers and cargo ships pass through
0:22:45 > 0:22:47this busy shipping lane to Liverpool
0:22:47 > 0:22:48from all over the world.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Today's tanker, the Aberdeen,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55has travelled from the North Sea
0:22:55 > 0:22:58carrying 80,000 tonnes of crude oil.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02It is quite a tricky thing.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05You're deliberately crashing a small, fast vessel
0:23:05 > 0:23:07alongside a large ship.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14We are responsible for them until they get on the deck of that ship.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17By matching the tanker's exact speed,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20all they have to do now is board.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Sometimes you can see how difficult it is, when they...
0:23:26 > 0:23:30A little bit of a heart-stopping moment, a little bit of a situation,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33a slip, or the ladder's not quite right.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41I think the limit is nine metres,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43but the guys have to go up a rope ladder,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46certainly on the big tanks and some of the box boats.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48If that ship is rolling as well,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and it's freezing cold, pouring rain,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54you know, your hands are numb, you could quite easily...
0:23:56 > 0:23:57..end up in a mishap.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Now, with the pilot safe onboard,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07for Rob it's back to the day job.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16In Port Talbot, for Khethiwe,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19the moment of reckoning is nearly here.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I just need to wash my hands...
0:24:22 > 0:24:23SHE LAUGHS
0:24:23 > 0:24:25..because I've been trying make-up, and I don't want to, like,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27you know, put my hands on my dress.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29But that's just about it. I'm...
0:24:29 > 0:24:31A quick brush of the hair and
0:24:31 > 0:24:34bit of Vaseline on the lips, I'm ready to go.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- Which way are we going?- Girls, girls. We're this way.- Laura.- Laura!
0:24:44 > 0:24:45- We're this way.- This way.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Well, we're having a pep talk!- Oh.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50We're having a pep talk.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56CROWD CHEER
0:25:01 > 0:25:03And as Khethiwe gets her words out...
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Khethiwe Ncube, 21, Anglesey!
0:25:08 > 0:25:11..she wins the title of Miss Anglesey & Gwynedd.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12- HOST:- Khethiwe Ncube!
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Now, there's a new job on the horizon.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30That was... It was, like, really nice.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34It was just like, "Aw, lovely," and the cheers and everything.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37I feel great, and I think it's time to start
0:25:37 > 0:25:40doing some work on Anglesey now, see what we can do.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Back in Africa, everybody was always taking care of each other,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50so I want to take that with me
0:25:50 > 0:25:53whether I'm in Africa or I'm in Anglesey.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I want to make a difference, because this is where I live.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05On the shores of the River Braint on Anglesey's south coast,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Kris the Druid takes time out.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Life and death live side-by-side in his daily job.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Here, he gets to celebrate a Druid's connection with the cycle of life.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19These offerings have come from my garden.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22One of them is my most favourite flower,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25which some people would argue is a weed, which is the red campion.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29But I find it very hard to see anything
0:26:29 > 0:26:32as beautiful as a red campion.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35And the wine is made from elderberries
0:26:35 > 0:26:37that have come from this land.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44I practice personal rituals that I do every day, just as Kristoffer.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47And for that, I don't need an outfit.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51These are the rituals that I find personally the most fulfilling.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54They are the ones that nobody sees, that nobody witnesses.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57And it's that transformative quality
0:26:57 > 0:27:01that brings to my life so much joy.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06And it's locked in with this place,
0:27:06 > 0:27:07with this island.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10I think sometimes we can become so
0:27:10 > 0:27:15caught up in how busy everyday life can be,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18that we sometimes forget to take time out for ourselves.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23But even this chilled-out Druid has big plans ahead.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I am a man on a mission. I am a very ambitious man, as well.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29But also I have missions and visions for the Druid Order
0:27:29 > 0:27:31as a seat of learning,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35and to rekindle the ancient seat of learning that Anglesey was.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37And that's been recognised, which is lovely,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40but there's still lots of stuff and work to be done.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43And the other one is to draw people to this place,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46so that they can share, just,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49if it's an iota of the love that we share for this place,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51because how can you not share this?
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Next time, two descendants of the first Marquess of Anglesey
0:28:00 > 0:28:02revisit their former home.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04You know, it wasn't called the back passage.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06It was called the blind passage.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07Oh, this is the blind passage!
0:28:07 > 0:28:08HE LAUGHS
0:28:08 > 0:28:11In Holyhead, one woman's determined
0:28:11 > 0:28:13to get her first proper job.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17I'll do anything, even if it's start off scrubbing toilets, I will.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20And Kris celebrates the Summer Solstice...
0:28:20 > 0:28:21whatever the weather.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24We had heard that this year summer was going to be on a Tuesday.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26So it looks as if we've missed it!