Episode 2 Glamorgan Coastal Lives

The Glamorgan coast, a natural treasure.

A stone's throw from the urban sprawl of the Welsh capital.

Just on your doorstep, this is, like,

five minutes down the road from where we live.

A diverse coastline of dramatic cliffs...

sandy beaches...

and unique geological features.

I couldn't think of any better place to be.

Throughout the summer, we followed the lives of people who live,

work and play here.

The Heritage Coastline is probably the best coastline in all of Wales

-to fish on.

-Fish of the day.

-From Penarth...

-Probably the only place in the world where you can go

to the cinema on the beach.

-..to Ogmore.

-The Vale has the coast, it has the country,

it's got a bit of everything, really.

You know, where else are you going to get that?

This is their summer.

These are their Coastal Lives.

The rocky shores of the Glamorgan coast reel in

fishing fanatics from all over the UK.

The conditions look ideal today.

It looks perfect.

The beauty about the Glamorgan coast, fishing,

because it's so varied from one end to the other.

-Cuttlefish.

-Very unusual.

Related to the squid.

We have good summer fishing and in the winter we have some

really good cod fishing as well.

But lurking beneath these waters are some surprising predators and it's

-feeding time.

-This is what we use for bait - red crab, it is.

LINE SPOOLS

Nigel scores quickly.

There he is, see him?

He's reeled in one of Wales' very own sharks.

It's a smooth hound, member of the shark family.

We catch a lot of these, especially at this time of the year.

This is the main species, right up until August, September.

They're absolutely brilliant fish to catch because they're a good sport,

so we'll put this one back now, I think. All right?

With sport angling, the catch is quickly released.

Up the beach, Chris Reid and his son Jack...

It's a smooth on, Jack.

..have also got a bite.

Just watch the gullies.

It's coming in now, look.

Quick, get his tail. Got him?

Good boy.

LAUGHTER

-All right?

-Stop wiggling!

He's about six or seven pounds, I should imagine.

You can't beat spending time with the kids on the beach, it's brilliant.

It's better than being stuck in a cinema, anyway!

-Yep.

-Isn't it?

-You going to put him back for me?

-Yeah.

Go on, then.

You just forget all your problems, all your worries, all the stress.

You just chill out.

I did it with my father and he's doing it with me.

And my children will do it with me.

With fishing in the Reid family's blood,

Jack is hoping to follow in his dad's footsteps.

I want to be a fisherman when I grow up,

and maybe a bit better than my dad.

No chance!

Before Chris worries about his son stealing his thunder,

he's focused on beating his long-time rival, Steve Smith.

Although we are good friends, we are very competitive amongst ourselves.

I think that's just the nature of

match fishing, really.

The two arch-rivals are going head-to-head

in the Llantwit Major Charity Fishing Open.

Here he is, number two.

We've had this thing going on for years, number one and number two.

Because we've done a lot of fishing together and we're always competing

against each other. We're very competitive, the two of us.

-Don't be daft!

-Oh, that's me, sorry!

My rod is over!

And that's why he's number two.

Charlotte Baldwin is busy at her day job.

Tea's just come in now, he makes a nicer cup of tea than me, does Craig.

-Don't you, Craig?

-She's on tour with the Welsh Blood Service.

Do you have a young family?

Two children? I've got two, Barney and Rosie, mine are.

And her own babies hold a special place in Charlotte's heart.

They're waiting for me at home with their dad now.

I've bored everybody with my babies, Craig, so it's your turn, I'm sorry.

Ruined, they are. Absolutely loved to bits.

SHE CHUCKLES

Come on, good.

When she isn't taking blood,

you can find Charlotte on the Glamorgan coast,

walking her babies with her friend, Bev.

This is Rosie.

BARKS

This is Barney Rubble.

BARKS

But Charlotte isn't content with simply walking her own dogs.

She recently organised an event in Barry that saw hundreds of people

and their dachshunds turn up for walkies.

And has a Facebook group with almost 3,000 members.

I really wanted Bernie and Rosie socialised and being confident around

other dogs and we used to go on another dog walk with other breeds of dogs

and I found they weren't really enjoying it as much as I was enjoying the walks,

so my husband suggested that I start up my own sausage dog walks

and that's where South Wales Sausage Dog Walks were born.

And it's just grown from there, really,

it's turning into a bit of a monster.

The walks have been so popular,

Charlotte is now planning a charity fundraiser with a doggie fun day at

-Ogmore beach.

-I don't think the work has really started yet,

until I actually announce a date.

That's when the work starts, I think.

I've got about 12 weeks to get it all sorted.

This way!

This way, good boy.

Come on, Morty! Come on!

Oh, he's lovely, isn't he?

Up the coast from Barry, is the booming seaside town of Penarth.

-It's really cold today.

-It is cold today.

-Come on, George.

-Married couple Andy Bradshaw and Peter Knowles received

the town's first Outstanding Citizens award for their community spirit.

They run a cafe and two gift shops.

-I suppose we always say it's a...

-Celebration of coastal living.

How are you, John? Nice to see you.

We've met so many amazing people who come in as customers and who've

become friends and who, we almost feel, are now part of our family.

There is wife, wife, beautiful wife, amazing wife.

Any of these...fitting the category?

Today, Andy and Peter are meeting the council to discuss their entry

for Penarth's very own wacky races.

Just to let you know, then, there are obstacles there, so...

Oh, yeah, yeah, we know.

So it starts off with the chicane, then...

We go over that with ours.

We don't need that for ours.

Have you seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

LAUGHTER

Having formed a plan for their go-kart,

they're trying to recruit Andy's 89-year-old mum.

We're entering the downhill derby this year.

Oh, it's my forte!

We're looking for a driver.

Can I think?

But whoever is driving, they need to get the wheels in motion.

We'll be judged on speed and also on look.

I've got a glue gun.

I've got a staple gun.

What else do you need?

They need a secret weapon.

GRINDING

And they've got one!

Colin can make anything.

Colin - I call Doctor Death simply because he is the man that makes

everything that maims or kills people on Casualty.

And for the past week,

Colin has been busy making the chassis for the cart.

Good morning. Oh, my God.

God, Colin, that's incredible.

I didn't expect it to be as impressive as this.

If you sort of slide in from the back and maybe turn the steering,

-look...

-But at six foot, four.

Will Andy fit?

There you go, that's it.

The legs, they're so long.

It's absolutely spectacular.

It's not what I was expecting at all.

I mean, it's... I should've known, from Colin, to be honest,

that it was going to be hugely sophisticated.

It wasn't just going to be a couple of old tyres and a bungee cord.

None of this is welded yet.

Keep my elbows in on this, I reckon.

Time for a test drive.

That's really good.

That's fantastic.

Really good. Here we come. Whoa!

SCRAPING

What was that?

That was that bit of wood, I think.

-Oh, yeah.

-It's quite sensitive, isn't it?

-Yes.

In a good way, in a good way.

Down at the seafront are local YouTube stars Craig and Aimee.

We are in Penarth today. Absolutely love Penarth, it's like the posh bit.

We're running, we're running!

The couple have travelled the world filming their experiences and have

made a big name for themselves online.

And there's no signs of stopping!

-Hello, Japan!

-Welcome to LA.

Welcome to San Francisco.

They are back for summer, creating videos of their home county.

I've been getting up with the sunrises.

The last one, I got up here, for four o'clock in the morning.

And it was a beauty. It's just a wicked way to start the day.

But this morning, Aimee is working on a different kind of image.

So I know what I want.

-Fantastic.

-This little guy.

-OK.

-But I'd like him in red.

She's decided to follow Craig with a

new tattoo featuring their online logo.

So now I've got it, it's time for Aimee to get hers, isn't it?

-You got to get branded.

-The crown logo is much more than just a

-pretty picture.

-So kinging it is like our philosophy on life,

it's the way we kind of live our lives.

We're kind of, like, be your own boss, do what you want to do,

let nobody dictate you, you know, just go for it.

-Morning!

-What's going to be the pain threshold from 1-10, do you reckon?

I'm going to say 9.5.

-Really?

-The couple have an infectious love of life.

But it's a wonder either of them are here at all.

I kind of met Craig at his leaving do,

because he was leaving to travel the world and I was actually going

through treatment, chemotherapy, because I had cancer at the time,

which was called Hodgkin's lymphoma.

And he said to me, whenever you get the all clear,

come out and meet me wherever I am in the world,

which happened to be Australia.

At the time, I was just, like, "Am I going to die?"

I was, like, 18, and I was just, like,

how on earth is this happening to me?

I got the all-clear after about eight months treatment and then me

and my friend flew out to meet Craig and his friend and we travelled the east coast together

for four weeks, which was amazing, wasn't it?

It came at the best time,

because I put Craig first and love first and then cancer came behind.

It was just sort of...

an annoyance.

Love has definitely pulled me through the bad times, 100%.

Yeah, it wasn't even a bad time to me because I was super-happy and in love!

But Aimee's cancer wasn't the only medical setback during their

blossoming romance.

Just a week after Aimee returned home,

Craig had a serious accident in New Zealand.

I was doing back flips and then I mistimed one,

landed on the top of my head,

my face touched my chest and when I came round, I was, like...

knocked myself out for a split second and I couldn't move my right arm.

So when I came round, I was, like, "I've broken my arm."

And everyone was, like, "You didn't land on your arm."

So the ambulance came, rushed me the hospital and doctor came out and

he was, like, "You've broken your neck."

One millimetre either way and I could have either died instantly or been in wheelchair,

like, a paraplegic from the neck down.

So she literally left me for a week and then I broke my neck.

I know, can't leave him nowhere.

Having survived so much at such a young age, Craig and Aimee's mantra,

kinging it, really is one they are living to the full.

And now she has a permanent reminder of their philosophy.

I got the tattoo!

I've got it, it's done, I love it.

She's done such a good job!

Back in Colin's workshop, and the cart is really taking shape.

It'll be a lot more yellows and oranges,

and the feet will get repainted, so they're a bit more flesh-coloured,

but I want the toes to look like they are a bit burnt, sunburnt.

Andy's ambitious design has him up to his neck in sand.

Somebody was in the cafe and they came up and said,

"Oh, you have got life insurance, haven't you?"

That's fine.

But Colin has faith.

I think it'll make it absolutely no problem at all.

I've every confidence.

That's what I'm delighted to hear!

When the court case comes along...

You'll use that as evidence!

That's quite comfy, isn't it?

Yeah, I can see between the feet, so that's perfect.

-OK, good.

-Hard lock now.

There we go.

-Brakes!

-Look at those feet.

I'm quite impressed, actually, you're keeping pretty straight.

That's because I've got wing mirrors on the backs of these feet, Colin.

Ramming speed now, Colin.

That is so good!

Oh, steering is really good, isn't it?

Good grief, there is a crab in the lane.

I've had hedgehogs before now, but never crabs.

It's exceptional, I would say.

Beep, beep, beep, vehicle reversing.

With the fishing competition looming,

serious match angler Steve is preparing his weapon for battle.

-All right, Steve?

-How are you?

-Yeah, not too bad, yourself?

-Yeah.

-And Steve knows the importance of good equipment to get ahead.

I've had them serviced, but they're getting old now and it's always nice

to have new tackle.

LAUGHTER

As he gets to grips with his new kit, Steve's main opponent, Chris,

is stockpiling.

All the various baits I've got.

Basically, the fishing has taken over the house.

Fridges, freezers.

We've even got rods in the bedroom, because there is no room.

Swivels can move, yeah?

Chris is one of the world's best anglers and he's recently won the

UK's biggest fishing competition for the second year in a row.

I do say to my friends that he is a famous fisherman.

The competition Chris has won is quite a prestigious competition, it's...

Other than winning

the World Championships, I suppose, it's as big as it gets really.

It's quite frustrating. See if I was a footballer,

I'd be a multimillionaire, but...

Or a rugby player.

He used to be a rugby player, but then he stopped and became a fisherman.

-I did.

-Why did you stop being a rugby player?

Cos fishing doesn't hurt as much as playing rugby.

I think he's the first guy ever to win it two consecutive years.

Good going, isn't it? So he's the man to beat at Llantwit.

He is the man to beat at Llantwit.

If he does win, he'll rub it in my dad's face and he won't forget.

And then he'll go, "I'm number one and you're number two for once."

It's a big moment for Charlotte.

Are we ready to do this walk today?

She's announcing the date of her sausage dog walk to 3,000 friends

on Facebook.

Ready, Barn? Ready, Rosie?

Go. "Charlotte Baldwin created a private event for

"Sausage Dog Walk South Wales UK."

This is so exciting.

Frank and Ralph from Barry will be there.

They've got their raincoats on.

Somebody's coming from Kent with their two.

Joy and owner will be going - from Scotland.

His little tartan dickie bow on!

I thought I'd made all my friends in life,

but this is just going to show me that you're making friends all the

time and these people that I meet are really, really special.

They've got the same interests as me.

They rush home for the same reason that I rush home every day.

Really nice.

Oh!

It's the day of the Llantwit Major fishing competition.

And it's finally time to find out who is number one and who is number two.

They can compete anywhere within a five-mile stretch,

but Chris and Steve have opted to fish on the rocky beach near Aberthaw Power Station.

I'm expecting a few smooth hounds today, possibly a tidy conger eel.

This part of the coast promises a great catch.

Where the power station throws the warm water out,

it encourages all the small prawns et cetera.

And that's just basically the start of the food chain.

And then the bigger fish, like the smooth hounds,

they all come into the area to feed.

They can go to about five foot in length,

if we can get three or four of them today, you'll be doing really well,

I think.

The sea temperature might encourage big fish,

but the weather on the land is hardly summery.

As you can see, it's raining today,

and of all the days to leave my coat home,

it's today.

So I think I'm going to get wet.

Puts people off, but not the fish.

And it's first blood...

That's a pouting.

-..to Chris.

-It was...

Oh, are you having a laugh?

It's gone now.

Oh, never! Ain't getting that out of there.

While Chris scrabbles amongst the rocks...

-I caught a fish.

-..Steve is on the scorecard.

Just caught a small pouting.

The minimum size for a pouting is 20cm.

And we've got...22cm.

It beats a blank, as they say.

This is better. Smooth hound, I think.

Unfortunately for Chris...

That's a little bit better.

..it's not a five-foot smooth hound, but a big catch all the same.

That's a conger eel, that is.

Before they release them, they weigh and measure their catch.

230. These grow in excess of 100lbs out on the wrecks.

-Another pouting.

-There are monsters out there,

but the boys aren't finding them.

Normal people are down at the pub on a Sunday afternoon.

And just when Chris couldn't get any wetter.

I am not enjoying this.

Heading West to Ogmore...

it's finally the day of Charlotte's sausage dog walk and the area is

engulfed with the pitter-patter of tiny paws.

Very busy here today.

I didn't expect this many people here.

And they've come from far and wide.

We came down yesterday from Cheshire, so...

I'm from Canada, I've come here especially for this walk.

We've all come down from Scotland.

We took about six hours to get here yesterday

and about four hours to get here today.

SHE CHUCKLES

This is my little dog, Schnitzel von Krum, with the very low tum.

Jackie and Schnitzel have come all the way from...Abertillery.

Sausage dog owners are very nutty, I would say.

We are obsessed by them.

If we see another one in the street,

we must run up and touch them and pet them.

It's like an illness. I mean, you get the bags, the outfits,

the dogs and you get everything and you can tell us apart from anybody else.

Time for Charlotte to get the show on the road with the doggy fancy dress.

Anybody who is entering the fancy dress competition,

it's £1 per dog to enter.

Husband John is dressing Barney and Rosie.

I'm just getting ready for this competition now.

He's going to be

a Welsh dragon.

She's going to be a little daffodil.

BARKS

They've made a lot of effort, haven't they?

They really have made a lot of effort,

-haven't they?

-Yeah.

-Every owner thinks their dog is the best,

but the winners this time are dressed as Olympic Team GB.

Second is apparently a better-dressed dragon than Barney,

and proving it was worth the journey...

The Scottish in their kilts!

It's all fun and games until...

THUNDER RUMBLES

..the heavens open...

..and the walk could be over before it's begun.

It's just coming down terrible now and this makes it virtually

impossible to do anything.

Everyone's running for cover now.

All the work she has put into this now, washed away.

Back down the coast and the fishing competition is over.

This is horrible.

And the weather is not the only let-down.

A little bit disappointed the way today went, but then,

you know, conditions weren't good.

-What can you do?

-It's not been a good day and even the combined

weight of Steve's catch can't keep him in the running.

Should have had three, but I had two.

LAUGHTER

The next would be superstar Chris Reid...

But Chris's conger eel helps push him into sixth place.

Pouting, conger and two codling.

APPLAUSE

More importantly,

he retains his number-one title against his biggest rival.

I need to step up a gear, I think!

No, he's doing really well at the moment, in all fairness,

and anyone will tell you that. He's on fire.

He seems to be, I don't know,

-doing really well.

-Say that again.

No.

LAUGHTER

Back in Ogmore,

the skies have cleared and it's time to get the walk under way.

Sausage Dog Walk South Wales UK, let's do one of our best walks yet.

Go! Yay!

Come on, Barney. Seeing them all out now is incredible.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are 500 dogs here, maybe.

I'm just thrilled to bits to see these dogs all together and they've

been waiting for this all day.

As well as organising the event,

Charlotte has been busy fundraising for some special dog buggies.

One in five dachshunds end up with intervertebral disease,

which is a bit like in humans where you get a bulging disc,

and it presses on the spinal cord and they end up paralysed.

So there's a few here today and we've managed, so far, to raise

enough money for six of these.

They donated the buggy to Darcy, who's got a bad back, and we just

wanted to come and say thank you in person.

'It's amazing. People are coming up and wrapping their arms around me

'and kissing me and telling me how wonderful I am.

'And to me, I'm just me.'

I'm just taking this opportunity to be able to raise money to help

families who are unfortunate enough for their dogs to have suffered this

horrendous illness.

We're definitely coming again.

She's loved it and she's loved it and we've loved it.

Hundreds of sausage dogs on a wet, Welsh beach,

but Charlotte's now got even bigger plans.

Onward and upwards for next year and I'm sure we'll break the world record,

with as many dachshunds as we can get on that beach.

BARKS

Do you know what you're doing, before you do it?

-I'm gluing this in.

-I've done that.

-Oh, OK.

-It's the day before the downhill derby and Peter and Andy are hard

-at work.

-As part of the safety regulations,

we have to wear cycle helmets, so Andy has designed this alternative,

which is the cycle helmet,

which is basically going to be a knotted handkerchief.

The thing with the seagull is, of course,

once it starts flapping the wings, it gives a bit of speed.

-Absolutely.

-Another secret weapon.

But they have to put their plans for the derby to one side.

It's a very important night for Hamptons.

It's our 11th birthday party, so we always host a birthday event.

Star of the show is Samantha Link.

I thought it was me!

-Oh, you're the star, are you?

-Well, that's what you told me!

You said I was...

You are A star, not THE star.

-There is a difference.

-Tonight, Andy is reconnecting with the past.

This is part of my old life, I suppose you'd say.

Don't get scared, because that looks very worrying when you say that.

"What the hell did he used to do?"

I used to work as a puppeteer.

After 40 years in theatre and telly, it's time to resurrect his alter ego.

This is Dolores.

# La-la-la-la-la-la-laaaa... #

She sings, basically, so she lip syncs to various things.

# La-la-la-la-la-la-laaa... #

Her voice is better than that.

Mine is rubbish!

In order to keep their travel dreams alive,

online vloggers Craig and Aimee need hits.

So to get their views up,

they've come down to the beach for some quick turnaround filming.

So today we are in our home town of Barry,

and it's the Isle of Fire Festival.

-Yeah.

-So the plan is to shoot this thing,

edit this thing and then put it up online tonight,

so that it gets loads of shares.

Video blogging is big business and the pair are already becoming

-celebrities.

-Do you want a picture?

-Do you mind?

-No!

-Thank you.

-Do you want me in it?

-Yes, please.

The world's top vloggers can become multimillionaires, so a manic few

hours filming is well worth the effort.

Aimee and I just film our lives and then we fill the drone shots in and

people are, like, "Whoa, that's amazing!"

And I've pressed record, yes!

The clips are uploaded and, within a day,

reach 30,000 hits for Glamorgan's wonderful coastline.

Back at Hamptons,

Penarth's Outstanding Citizens Peter and Andy are getting the show on the road.

Tonight is slightly different from our normal music and dinner

because it's our birthday, so there will be a few surprises.

The biggest of which is Andy.

Time to reveal tonight's star, Deloris Van Cartier.

# Built to be dressed to the 99s

# And ready to sing and say

# Hey, look at me

# Can't you see?

# I'm fabulous, baby... #

Andy is fab when he does Dolores.

It was really good.

I've always been proud of him.

I was proud at the moment he was born.

And I would say that, wouldn't I, cos I'm a mother?

After a busy day in the office,

frenzied downhill derby preparations, and an evening of celebration,

Penarth's fabulous duo have put on a night to remember.

They do so much work for the whole of Penarth.

They weren't the first Outstanding Citizens of Penarth for nothing.

CONTINUES SINGING

CHEERING

Next time, the wacky races get serious.

I'm going for the jump.

We meet The Vale's very own brewery boys.

Nice and biscuity.

This is alchemy. Just magic.

And Sir Brooke gets frisky.

I am the licence holder of this place

and we do not hold a licence

for sexual entertainment!

LAUGHTER