0:00:02 > 0:00:05# We'll keep a welcome in the hillside... #
0:00:05 > 0:00:07'Singing is in the blood of the Welsh
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'and I began here at an early age, before taking to the West End stage.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13'My singing career started in church
0:00:13 > 0:00:16'in the Good News choir, in Pembrokeshire,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20'and this quaint chapel in my home village of Hayscastle
0:00:20 > 0:00:22'is one of my favourites.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24There's something about Pembrokeshire
0:00:24 > 0:00:25that draws people back.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Today, for Songs of Praise, I've come to revisit
0:00:28 > 0:00:31the places of my childhood and meet people who have also returned
0:00:31 > 0:00:35to the land of their fathers and resettled back in Wales.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38I meet a singing star
0:00:38 > 0:00:40who rediscovered her faith on her return to Wales,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44catch up with a man who literally has a cross to bear,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47fellow West End star John Owen Jones performs for us,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and we have a wealth of wonderful Welsh hymns.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'I moved to Pembrokeshire when I was four.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08'For me, growing up here,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'the beaches, coves and fields were my playground.'
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Wales is, of course, the land of song
0:01:14 > 0:01:18so today, all our music comes from Welsh artists both old and new.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Let's start with a Welsh classic,
0:01:20 > 0:01:24sung in Pembrokeshire's own cathedral at St David's,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27'Saundersfoot has been home to a Beach Mission
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'since 1956, when it was started by a local vicar,
0:04:30 > 0:04:31'Reverend Norman Ellison.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36'A young John Welsby and his future wife Cherry joined Norman
0:04:36 > 0:04:38'and took it over in 1978.'
0:04:38 > 0:04:42I think I'm going to come and see if you want some gold!
0:04:42 > 0:04:46'Now it's the turn of daughter Robyn and her generation to teach
0:04:46 > 0:04:50'holidaymakers and their children about the Bible and its message.'
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Robyn, tell me, what does a giant tarantula have to do
0:04:55 > 0:04:57with telling stories of the Bible?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Yes, well, this is Boris the spider, and he...
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- He's not in the Bible, right? - He's not in the Bible.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05But we do use him as part of our props for dramas
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and telling different stories and quizzes and all the fun things
0:05:08 > 0:05:11that we do on the beach with the kids and families in the summer,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15so sometimes we don't use Boris because he's a little bit scary
0:05:15 > 0:05:18for the younger ones, but we do have a lot of fun with using props.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21He's scary for me. So tell me more about the beach missions.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24How long have you been involved with the beach missions in Saundersfoot?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Oh, well, I suppose I've grown up with it, really, so even
0:05:27 > 0:05:29when I was a baby, I was brought down to the beach
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- to see my dad doing that. - Did you wear one of these?
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- Well, I'm sure...- Quite fetching.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36I'm sure I was given equally embarrassing things
0:05:36 > 0:05:41to be involved with, but, no, I started being involved with them
0:05:41 > 0:05:44when I was 16, when I was old enough, so, yeah,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46it was very influential in my growing-up years
0:05:46 > 0:05:49because every summer, we would have an influx of people who'd...
0:05:49 > 0:05:51you know, whose lives had been changed by the love of God
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and who wanted to share it, so it was exciting.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- We were in school at the same time, weren't we?- I believe we were.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59And I remember your face from around town
0:05:59 > 0:06:03because we had a Christian bookshop in Haverfordwest,
0:06:03 > 0:06:05which I believe is still there.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It is, yes, that was started way back with Reverend Ellison in his house
0:06:09 > 0:06:13and then it developed into a stall in the market and, from there,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15a shop in town.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'Robyn trained to be a music teacher
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'and taught at a school in India for three years,
0:06:19 > 0:06:24'but she realised she also wanted to teach children about God.'
0:06:24 > 0:06:25The Lord opened the way for me
0:06:25 > 0:06:28to study Theology for two years in Hertfordshire
0:06:28 > 0:06:30at All Nations Christian College,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and I'm enjoying doing two things that
0:06:33 > 0:06:37I really love - one is music teaching in your old school...
0:06:37 > 0:06:38- Oh, really?!- Yes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41..and the other is doing a programme called
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Bible Explorer, which is going into primary schools
0:06:44 > 0:06:50and is telling Bible stories, and it's a real privilege to do it
0:06:50 > 0:06:53because those stories have been the foundations of my life
0:06:53 > 0:06:56and it's lovely to be able to pass them on.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06# Give us, O Lord, a sight
0:07:06 > 0:07:11# Of Calvary
0:07:11 > 0:07:16# Let this land be broken
0:07:16 > 0:07:20# And set free
0:07:20 > 0:07:25# Tear open our hearts
0:07:25 > 0:07:30# As we see the cross
0:07:30 > 0:07:35# I'm glad to know
0:07:35 > 0:07:43# The heart that bled for love
0:07:55 > 0:07:58# Then sings my soul
0:07:58 > 0:08:02# Then sings my soul
0:08:02 > 0:08:07# Then sings my soul
0:08:07 > 0:08:11# Then sings my soul
0:08:11 > 0:08:14# Then sings my soul
0:08:14 > 0:08:16# O, my Saviour gone
0:08:16 > 0:08:18# To Thee
0:08:18 > 0:08:24# How great Thou art
0:08:24 > 0:08:27# How great Thou art
0:08:27 > 0:08:30# Then sings my soul
0:08:30 > 0:08:33# My Saviour God
0:08:33 > 0:08:36# To Thee
0:08:36 > 0:08:39# How great Thou art
0:08:39 > 0:08:44# How great Thou art
0:08:46 > 0:08:48# Give us, O Lord, a sight
0:08:48 > 0:08:49# Of Calvary
0:08:49 > 0:08:52# Let this land be broken
0:08:52 > 0:08:54# And set free
0:08:54 > 0:08:56# Tear open our hearts
0:08:56 > 0:08:58# As we see the cross
0:08:58 > 0:09:00# I'm glad to know
0:09:00 > 0:09:02# The heart that bled for love
0:09:02 > 0:09:04# Give us, O Lord, a sight
0:09:04 > 0:09:07# Of Calvary
0:09:07 > 0:09:08# Let this land be broken
0:09:08 > 0:09:10# And set it free
0:09:10 > 0:09:12# Tear open our hearts
0:09:12 > 0:09:14# As we see the cross
0:09:14 > 0:09:16# I'm glad to know
0:09:16 > 0:09:21# The heart that bled for us
0:09:25 > 0:09:29# How great Thou art
0:09:29 > 0:09:34# How great Thou art
0:09:34 > 0:09:37# Then sings my soul
0:09:37 > 0:09:42# My Saviour God, to Thee
0:09:42 > 0:09:45# How great Thou art
0:09:45 > 0:09:52# How great Thou art. #
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Freshwater West is used to unusual sights.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11When I was 12, I made a music video here
0:10:11 > 0:10:13as part of the Good News Choir.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16It is also a popular location for Hollywood films.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's been featured in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
0:10:19 > 0:10:22and in Robin Hood, but at Eastertime,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25it witnessed a seasonal, but strange sight.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36For the past two Easters, Andy Garratt and Jonathan Beharral
0:10:36 > 0:10:38have walked along the coastal path here,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41carrying a seven-foot cross, made out of driftwood
0:10:41 > 0:10:45collected from the beach.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Last year, we did it as a prayer for witness to Open Doors
0:10:49 > 0:10:50and the Persecuted Church
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and this year, we did it for SASRA,
0:10:53 > 0:10:58the Soldiers' And Airmen's Scripture Reading Association, and prayerfully
0:10:58 > 0:11:03considering those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06How long did you walk for?
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Last year, we walked for 24 hours.- Wow!
0:11:09 > 0:11:13And this year, thankfully, we did it a bit shorter
0:11:13 > 0:11:18at about five-and-a-half hours, six hours, about 15 miles.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Jonathan, what was the reaction like from those that you met?
0:11:21 > 0:11:26For the majority of the time it was very positive.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30But we do remember, and the Scriptures tell us this,
0:11:30 > 0:11:36that the cross is a stumbling block for those who struggle to believe.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41And although we do not set out to provoke a reaction,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46we are aware that the cross will provoke a reaction.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- Are you encouraging others to walk with you?- We are indeed.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53And others who've joined us for a short time
0:11:53 > 0:11:55consent to know what it is all about.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59- Not 24 hours, though, right? - That's yet to happen.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Andy, you weren't always in Pembrokeshire, were you?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07No, I was brought up in Pembrokeshire and I went away
0:12:07 > 0:12:10when I was younger and joined the military
0:12:10 > 0:12:15and served in the armed forces for a number of years
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and then joined the police service.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23And 12 years ago, came back home to Powys Police
0:12:23 > 0:12:27and I have been living here ever since. So it is great to be back.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31- It is lovely.- Andy, it looks like it might be getting heavy now.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- Could I maybe have a go? - Yes, sure.- I'll bear the load.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42It's heavier than I thought. And you carried this for how long, you say?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45We did 24 hours and then five hours.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51But we were changing who was carrying it regularly as a team.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I would be changing very regularly. This is quite heavy.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57- Well, you are part of the team. - I am now.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Maureen Guy and myself have a lot in common.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50The mezzo soprano also grew up in Wales, she sang at the Eisteddfod
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and we both left as teenagers
0:15:52 > 0:15:54to pursue our singing careers in London.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- How old were you when you left Wales?- I was just 18.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04How did that feel, leaving your homeland?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I was burning with ambition.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Sounds like me.
0:16:10 > 0:16:16And I felt I wanted to go places, I wanted to meet people.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20I felt it was a phase of life I wanted to go for.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22I can see from the photos you have got here,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25your career took you all over the world.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28What would you say your highlights have been?
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Working with some very, very fine conductors.
0:16:33 > 0:16:40I did the concert that was given for Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41This has to be a highlight surely,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44the Investiture Of The Prince Of Wales.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Oh, yes.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Yes, I enjoyed that.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56It was wonderful being chosen as one of the Welsh soloists
0:16:56 > 0:16:57to sing at the investiture.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Somewhere along the way, you met your husband, John.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Well, I met John, you know,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07when I was in the early days of Sadler's Wells.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Was it love at first note?
0:17:09 > 0:17:12No, I just admired him as an artist.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- And we worked up from there. - He followed you back to Wales.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20And he followed me back to Wales, yes.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24'John was also an internationally-renowned singer
0:17:24 > 0:17:27'who was born in the Lancashire village of Blackrod.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30'But when it became time to retire 13 years ago,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33'they both agreed Pembrokeshire was the place.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34'Since being here,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37'they've rediscovered their all-important faith.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:40When you were growing up, were you always chapel-goers?
0:17:40 > 0:17:45Yes, yes, I was brought up in the chapel, christened there
0:17:45 > 0:17:49and made a member of Bethel chapel.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- And we got married there.- Yes.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Has moving back to Wales helped your faith?
0:17:55 > 0:18:01I feel I belong here. I'm Welsh. When we moved here, we bought a house.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And we met a gentleman taking a walk
0:18:04 > 0:18:07and we started talking about chapels
0:18:07 > 0:18:12and how we would like to settle down here and so forth and he said,
0:18:12 > 0:18:20"Why don't you come and see Carew?" So we did.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23We loved the people and they have been...
0:18:23 > 0:18:26It is an extension of the family.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30- And we have been happy here ever since, haven't we?- Yes.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Although Blackrod is still in me,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37it is not as much now as it was ever before.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42I feel far more Welsh than Blackrodian.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- Maybe that's because the Welsh are better singers.- I don't know.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I don't know. They're not bad in Blackrod.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56# Every morning when I wake
0:18:56 > 0:19:03# Dear Lord, a little prayer I make
0:19:03 > 0:19:09# O please to keep thy loving eye
0:19:09 > 0:19:16# On all poor creatures born to die
0:19:18 > 0:19:25# And every evening at sun-down
0:19:25 > 0:19:31# I ask a blessing on the town
0:19:31 > 0:19:38# For whether we last the night or no
0:19:38 > 0:19:46# I'm sure is always touch-and-go
0:19:48 > 0:19:54# We are not wholly bad or good
0:19:54 > 0:20:00# Who live our lives under Milk Wood
0:20:00 > 0:20:07# And thou, I know, wilt be the first
0:20:07 > 0:20:14# To see our best side, not our worst
0:20:16 > 0:20:22# O let us see another day
0:20:22 > 0:20:30# Bless us all this night, I pray
0:20:30 > 0:20:37# And to the sun we all will bow
0:20:37 > 0:20:39# And say goodbye
0:20:41 > 0:20:47# But just for now. #
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Pembrokeshire National Park stretches for 260 miles along
0:20:53 > 0:20:59the Welsh coast and receives over four million visitors every year.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02One of the best ways to see the coast is from the water,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05so today I'm off with three generations of the same family
0:21:05 > 0:21:08to explore the coastline by kayak.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20George Middleton, his daughter-in-law Sarah,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24and granddaughter Alice regularly take to the sea around St David's
0:21:24 > 0:21:26but they aren't just out for a day trip.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29They are water-bound Wombles, clearing the coastline
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and beaches of rubbish.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Alice, when you are kayaking you don't see the rubbish
0:21:38 > 0:21:40but it totally washes up.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Yes, not only does it look ugly on this beautiful beach
0:21:42 > 0:21:47but it is also causing huge amount of damage to the wildlife.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53Every year, 100,000 mammals and one million sea birds die from ingestion
0:21:53 > 0:21:57of plastic and also entanglement in things like these fishing lines.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59How often do you come out?
0:21:59 > 0:22:04Well, I live just a mile from here so I'm constantly on the beaches
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and I'll do a beach clean every day if I'm on the beach.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Alice was married in nearby St David's like her mother before her.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Mum Sarah and her father-in-law George are regulars
0:22:16 > 0:22:19at the cathedral but find the outdoors equally as spiritual.
0:22:21 > 0:22:26I have a passion for where I live and whether it is on the water
0:22:26 > 0:22:32or inland up on the hills, it is part of my soul, part of my lifeline.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36You've not always been based here, though.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39In my young twenties, I lived in London and worked as a nanny.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- CONNIE LAUGHS - Me too!
0:22:41 > 0:22:45- We have something in common.- Yes! - Did you wear a habit?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Yes, I just couldn't quite resist that Christian look, so...
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- Couldn't kick the habit!- Yes!
0:22:50 > 0:22:51So what brought you back?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Was it the countryside, was it that you feel...?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57There was always a calling for this area.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I used to find driving away from Pembrokeshire, going back -
0:23:00 > 0:23:04whether it was to school or to work in London - I'd have tears
0:23:04 > 0:23:09rolling down my face just thinking, "Why am I leaving this area?!"
0:23:09 > 0:23:14And other times, coming back, as you come over a brow of a hill,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17you just have this span of St Brides Bay opening up before you
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and it just opens your whole being. And again, just crying because of
0:23:21 > 0:23:23that sense of coming home to where I'm meant to be.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Heavenly Father, we thank you for your creation.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30We see you in the beauty that lies all around us.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33We thank you that we can
0:26:33 > 0:26:35take your love with us
0:26:35 > 0:26:39wherever in the world we find ourselves.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45And we thank you that we can teach others about you through play,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47prayer and preaching.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Amen.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Coming back to the place you grew up is full of potential pitfalls.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Will it have changed, will it be the same,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27will my memories be ruined?
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Well, from what I've experienced from those I've met,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33sometimes there's no place like home.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Our final piece of music today is a classic hymn of thanksgiving.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42Sung at eventides at churches all over the world, The Day Thou Gavest.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Next week, to celebrate Pentecost Sunday,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32David visits Brighton and looks at the alfresco art
0:33:32 > 0:33:35with a spiritual message,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37meets a prayerful community,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39chats with worship leader Stuart Townend,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41and Lou Fellingham and Phatfish lead hymns
0:33:41 > 0:33:43and songs to lift your spirits.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd