0:00:00 > 0:00:01- Subtitles
0:00:01 > 0:00:06- In 1989, a series of films - were shown on S4C...
0:00:07 > 0:00:10- ..portraying Wales - through the eyes of five children.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- We had so many opportunities - as children.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18- We enjoyed socializing. - I'm still the same!
0:00:20 > 0:00:23- The children - have now flown the nest.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28- For the first time in many years, - they get to watch their film again.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31- The village looks the same.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34- The old factories have gone, - the people are different.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38- The houses and streets are still - here. The atmosphere's the same.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44- Have the dreams faded - now they're 40-year-old adults?
0:00:45 > 0:00:49- It hasn't turned out the way - I thought. That's what life is like.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55- This is the story of the children - of Fy Nghymru I. Where did they go?
0:01:16 > 0:01:21- The '80s. A decade of change - in Wales and across the world.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25- But what was it like to be a child - in the '80s?
0:01:31 > 0:01:33- My name's Ben Evans.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- I'm 12 years old and I live - in Pontygwaith in South Wales.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- In 1989, - one of the Fy Nghymru I films...
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- ..came from the industrial community - of the Rhondda.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- While Welsh - was the language spoken...
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- ..in the homes of the other children - in the series...
0:01:50 > 0:01:52- ..this wasn't the case - in Ben's house.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55- When I was 12, - I wanted to be a doctor.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- I'd grown out - of wanting to be an astronaut.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01- I moved on - to wanting to be a doctor.
0:02:01 > 0:02:07- But what happened to Ben, his little - brother Chris and the family home?
0:02:08 > 0:02:10- Which member of the family...
0:02:11 > 0:02:14- ..led the historic march - during the miners' strike?
0:02:14 > 0:02:17- Pontygwaith - is a small village in the Rhondda.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20- The Rhondda is a famous place.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24- There are two narrow valleys here - - Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- I've lived in Pontygwaith - since I was five.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30- I wasn't born here.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- I was born in London.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37- My brother and I were born there - while my parents worked there.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- Both my parents were Welsh.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42- We moved back in 1980.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- It has changed - over the last 30 years.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- On the surface, it's changed a lot.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53- The old factories have gone, - the people are different.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- But the village looks the same. The - houses and streets are still here.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- So much has changed - yet so much has stayed the same.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- When I first came to Pontygwaith, I - was sent to the local Welsh school.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09- That was quite a shock for me.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12- You see, Mam and Dad - can't speak Welsh.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- It was important to Mam and Dad...
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- ..that my brother and I - were educated in Welsh...
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- ..and to be bilingual.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- Dad came from a Welsh-speaking area - near Llanelli.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29- He could speak a little Welsh - but Mam couldn't.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35- But they both strongly believed that - we should be educated in Welsh...
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- ..and that we use the language - after that.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- Today, Ben works - for the Welsh Government.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- He lives with his family - on the outskirts of Cardiff.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49- Hello! OK?
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- Yeah? Have you had a good day?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- Yeah? Have you had a good day?- - Yeah.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- I think I have a greater desire - to speak Welsh.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- One major reason why is Bethan.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04- Bethan goes to a Welsh medium - school. That's helped me too.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- After leaving school, - I went to university.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- I didn't use much Welsh - for many years...
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- ..certainly not in - my first few jobs after university.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- It's only fairly recently I've - started speaking Welsh regularly...
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- ..especially in work.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- Since I now work - for the Welsh Government...
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- ..I speak a lot more Welsh.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- So it's gradually returned.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34- I think I'm more or less back to - my level of fluency at school.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40- Hello!
0:04:40 > 0:04:42- Hello!- - Hi! How are you?
0:04:42 > 0:04:43- Good.
0:04:44 > 0:04:45- We're a bilingual family.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- The language Bethan and I speak, - when it's just us two, is Welsh.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- Sarah doesn't speak Welsh - but she does understand a bit.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59- So she understands what Bethan says - when she comes back from school...
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- ..and when Bethan and I - are chatting.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- Here you are. Cheese.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08- Here you are. Cheese.- - Thank you.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09- Who did you play with today?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- Who did you play with today?- - Eloise, Melanie and Chloe.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- We decided that - however many children we'd have...
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- ..we'd insist they'd speak Welsh.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- I've benefited from being bilingual.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- I've had many jobs where - not only has Welsh been useful...
0:05:25 > 0:05:29- ..it's been essential, - including my current job.
0:05:29 > 0:05:35- So, after discussing it for a while, - we decided that our children...
0:05:35 > 0:05:39- ..would be taught - through the medium of Welsh.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- My brother Chris - is two years younger than me.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- He still goes to my old school.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51- Today, Chris is a set designer - for films and television series.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- He's lived in London for many years.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- I was encouraged by my parents - to look beyond the Severn Bridge.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- "There's a big world out there, - go and see it."
0:06:02 > 0:06:07- So I never subscribed to keeping - my interests politically...
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- ..or culturally within Wales.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- It's not something - I think is completely healthy.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22- I didn't necessarily agree - with what was being encouraged...
0:06:23 > 0:06:27- ..in the way - we were taught to think.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31- As an 18-year-old, - I couldn't wait to leave...
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- ..because I wanted to see - a different way of life.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41- I wanted to put myself in a position - that wasn't in my comfort zone.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46- It would be very easy to stay here. - I had a very happy existence.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- But I wouldn't have been happy.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- I needed to put myself into an - environment where I'm with people...
0:06:53 > 0:06:58- ..who didn't speak the same way, - weren't from the same country...
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- ..and didn't have the same - cultural interests.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- One times seven.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04- Seven.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10- I do admire the fact that Ben's - been able to maintain his fluency...
0:07:11 > 0:07:16- ..whereas I'm below a Welsh learner, - in terms of how I can speak Welsh.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- It's important. He lives here.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24- My niece, who's nine, speaks - far better Welsh than I do now.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29- While I can't converse on an equal - level, it's reassuring to know...
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- ..that another generation is going - to be able to speak the language.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- The boys were raised - in a home full of music.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Their late parents, - Jeff and Rosalie...
0:07:50 > 0:07:52- ..were professional musicians.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57- They were musicians - who moved to an industrial area.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- I think things were hard at times...
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- ..especially after leaving London - where there was a lot of work.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- They both worked in schools.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14- Dad taught brass instruments - and Mam played at dance schools.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- That was the nature - of the work available in London.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25- Having said that, they both found - something to do musically.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- It's almost two years - since Ben lost his mother.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- He and his family are going to see - the choir that was so dear to her.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- Rosalie - accompanied Cor Meibion Morlais...
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- ..when the original programme - was filmed.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45- She was a member until she lost - her battle against cancer in 2015.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52- # It is the blood of thy cross - which lifts me up
0:08:52 > 0:08:57- # The feeble into a great conqueror
0:08:58 > 0:09:02- # The blood of thy cross does subdue
0:09:02 > 0:09:07- # A myriad strong giants down
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- # Let me feel
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- # Let me feel
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- # Let me feel
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- # The breeze - from the hill of Calvary
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- # The breeze - from the hill of Calvary #
0:09:24 > 0:09:28- Some of the original faces - are still singing today.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- Some old friends - have cherished memories of Rosalie.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- She was special.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40- You don't realize how special - she was until she wasn't with us.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- There was a terrible void. - Terrible. But we're getting there.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46- I'm sure her spirit lives on.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47- I'm sure her spirit lives on.- - Yes.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- I'm sure it does. The choir - was a huge part of Mum's life.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- # Hill of Calvary
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- # Hill of Calvary
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- # Hill of Calvary
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- # It will never leave my mind
0:10:06 > 0:10:13- # It will never leave my mind
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- # It will never leave
0:10:18 > 0:10:25- # My mind #
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Why did Ben's parents - return to Pontygwaith...
0:10:34 > 0:10:38- ..and turn their back on being - professional musicians in London?
0:10:38 > 0:10:44- Who's reminiscing about a historic - day during the miners' strike?
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- And what is it like - watching his childhood on film...
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- ..as Ben bids farewell - to Pontygwaith for the last time?
0:10:53 > 0:10:53- .
0:10:58 > 0:10:58- Subtitles
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- Ben Evans was 12 years old - when he was portrayed on film.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- Thirty years later, he'll return - to his family home in the Valleys...
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- ..to watch that film once more.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- When the original programme - was filmed...
0:11:22 > 0:11:27- ..Valley communities had been - shattered after the miners' strike.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- But the coal mines had had an effect - on Ben and his family before then.
0:11:34 > 0:11:40- Tad-cu was a miner all his life. - He went down the pit when he was 16.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- Now, like many ex-miners - in the Rhondda...
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- ..he suffers from pneumoconiosis.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- You get it - from inhaling coal dust.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51- It leaves you crippled.
0:11:51 > 0:11:57- My grandfather fell ill some time - in the '70s, when I was a young boy.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- Mam and Dad decided to move back - to look after him.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- We moved back in 1980.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11- We moved next door so Mam - could be close to my grandparents...
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- ..so she could look after them.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- That was the main reason - why we moved back.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23- By 1985, Valley miners - had lost their battle.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26- The community - had started to lose hope.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- Ben still remembers its effect - today.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- The miners - had been on strike for a year.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38- As a result, - communities like Pontygwaith...
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- ..started to feel - that people had let them down.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- Communities all over the Valleys had - suffered under the same policies.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- I still remember things like - fundraising events.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58- People collecting food for families - who had a striking miner.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- The father or grandfather - or another family member.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08- At the time, Dad played in the - Pendyrus and Maerdy brass band...
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- ..Tylorstown and Mardy Silver Band.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16- An old bandmate of Ben's father - is Ivor England.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22- The band was financed by the - local colliery - Maerdy Colliery.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- It was a happy band.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31- It was a band of characters - and Jeff and I gelled very well.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- That's how I met him.
0:13:33 > 0:13:39- That was just 1982, maybe 1983.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- Jeff was a hell of a guy. - I played trombone next to him.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48- Sometimes he'd say something - and it could be difficult for me...
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- ..to hold it together - playing my part...
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- ..because that recurring humour - was in him.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- He was a very proficient - trombone player.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- Ivor remembers being with Jeff - in the band...
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- ..on a historic morning - during the miners' strike.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11- The Miners' Union in Maerdy were - doing this historic back to work...
0:14:11 > 0:14:15- ..because this was the end - of coal mining in the Rhondda.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- The band turned up - on the morning of that day.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24- It was decided that the band - would march from Maerdy Square...
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- ..up to Maerdy Colliery, - which is a fair walk.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- Jeff, myself, the front rank, - and the band got behind us...
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- ..and the church bells were ringing.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- Everybody got into the procession...
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- ..and we started marching up - North Terrace.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48- As we were going along, people - were clapping and responding.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- There was media everywhere.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55- There were photographers on the hill - and history shows us...
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- ..many photographs were taken.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03- This is the photograph - of the men going back to Maerdy.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04- Of the procession.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- There's Jeff in the middle, - and this is me.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13- I've got a Dai cap on, and I'm going - to put my trombone away shortly...
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- ..when we get to the pit, because - I'm going to the pit to work.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- The picture not only made the news - in this country...
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- ..but it appeared in the Washington - Post and the New York Times.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- It became a famous picture - in our house.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- Any time there was a programme...
0:15:32 > 0:15:36- ..about the strike - or coal mining in the Valleys...
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- ..the same picture came up.
0:15:39 > 0:15:45- On the whole, I think Dad - was proud of being a part of it.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51- Eventually, we went up to the pit - and that was a very sad occasion...
0:15:51 > 0:15:56- ..because that was the last time - that any demonstration...
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- ..was going to be held - through Maerdy Road to the colliery.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- But it wasn't the last time - that Ivor and Jeff worked together.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- Ironically, - the act of closing the coal mines...
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- ..gave both of them new jobs.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- They decided something - should be kept to tell the story.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23- There was a government scheme. - Jeff and I worked down there.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- We had documents researching - coal mining in the Rhondda.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32- Dad was out of work when - the original programme was filmed.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37- He worked as a historian in - what is now Rhondda Heritage Park.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40- He interviewed people...
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- ..who had experience - of the coal industry...
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- ..ex-miners, their wives, - people who'd worked in the mines...
0:16:49 > 0:16:54- ..to try to sum up that period - to create some sort of museum...
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- ..which is now located in Trehafod.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01- Dad and a couple of his colleagues - were there...
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- ..not only interviewing people - and collecting memories...
0:17:05 > 0:17:10- ..but also gathering memorabilia - they'd collected from the mines.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19- Back in Pontygwaith, - Ben is clearing his parents' home...
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- ..ready to put the house - on the market.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- Before they bid farewell to - the family home for the last time...
0:17:26 > 0:17:31- ..he and his brother have returned - there to watch the film once more.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- Shwmae? I'm here for the matinee!
0:17:40 > 0:17:41- You alright?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- You alright?- - Yes, thank you.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47- God, I remember that music.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- Rest Assured, that's gone.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- The rubber factory, that's gone. - The train line, that's gone.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58- All change.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02- Gee!
0:18:08 > 0:18:10- Good, good!
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- Oh, my God! Who ate all the pies?!
0:18:16 > 0:18:17- Primary school.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31- You had lots of hand movement, - can you try it again?
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- Are you ready to go?
0:18:33 > 0:18:34- Are you ready to go?- - I'm coming.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36- Great.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- Oh, the Allegro!
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- Gran, hiya.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- Seeing my grandparents - on the programme was very strange.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53- It was strange to see the condition - my grandfather was in too.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59- I didn't appreciate his condition - at the time.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04- Looking back, it was very emotional.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- I would like to see both Ben - and Chris hopefully go on...
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- ..and continue higher education - at university.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18- I hope that they'll be - a little bit broader than I was.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22- I think they will be because - already we've tried to ensure...
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- ..that they know that life - goes on outside the Rhondda...
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- ..and there's a big world out there - that I hope they'll discover.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31- I'd like them to travel.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- I just hope - they'll be very happy people.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- It's been strange - watching the film after so long...
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- ..and in the house too, especially - because both of us watched it.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- It's been a very therapeutic - process, for me personally...
0:19:47 > 0:19:49- ..to see Mam and Dad on the screen.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- Not only because we've lost them...
0:19:52 > 0:19:57- ..but also because so much time has - passed since we last saw the film.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- I think my top lip is the same.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Yeah - Bethan's got your top lip.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06- Wow.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- Gee.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Not everyone has the opportunity - to do something like this.
0:20:17 > 0:20:22- There's a permanent record now, even - though it's such a long time ago...
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- ..of our life at that time.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31- It's fascinating seeing that, - having lived away.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- I've lived in quite a few places.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- I still come back here.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41- Obviously for us, personally...
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- ..circumstances change and we go off - in our various directions.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51- For me, I don't know about you, - but there's always something...
0:20:52 > 0:20:53- ..that draws me back.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56- Yeah?
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- I don't know if it's sentimentality.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04- I can't see myself moving back here - to live, if I'm honest.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- Living in the Valleys, - the atmosphere is very special.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- We've been fortunate.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- We've been in a TV programme.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- We gave a snapshot - of what it was like...
0:21:17 > 0:21:21- ..growing up in the area - after all the mines were shut...
0:21:21 > 0:21:25- ..and what life was like - in the Valleys at that time.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- This period has been quite difficult - for us as a family.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52- We lost Mam 18 months ago...
0:21:52 > 0:21:56- ..so Chris and I are in the process - of clearing the house.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- Though we have - so many memories here...
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- ..both of us - have no desire to come back.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- So we're not looking forward - necessarily...
0:22:06 > 0:22:11- ..but we're looking towards the end - of this chapter in Pontygwaith.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- So, it is strange...
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- ..because we have - so many incredible memories here.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- Mam and Dad have both passed away.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27- So, the house is only a building.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- It's time for us - to step away from the house.
0:22:31 > 0:22:37- It's hard in some ways, but - it's also a step we have to take.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- What would Mam and Dad say now?
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- I'd like to think they'd say...
0:22:45 > 0:22:50- .."It's the end of one chapter. - Go and enjoy the next chapter."
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- That was their attitude - when they were here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- Make your own mistakes...
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- ..and make the most - of every opportunity.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- That's what I think - Chris and I have done.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08- I think I'm very fortunate...
0:23:08 > 0:23:12- ..to live in a friendly place - like Pontygwaith.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- I'm glad Mam and Dad - decided to come back here to live.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- I wouldn't want to live - anywhere else.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.
0:23:58 > 0:23:58- .