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Heritage DVD praised

An outstanding new DVD created by young filmmakers to commemorate the Tonypandy Riots and its iconic Powerhouse had the seal of approval from the First Minister this week.

Rhodri Morgan congratulated the young people of Tonypandy Community College, Llwynypia Communit First and Media4Schools for their work in creating the film Roots to Regeneration, which was made possible by almost £25,000 in Heritage Lottery Funds Young Roots project.

The First Minister told a packed audience at the College’s Main Hall that the 30-minute film was “far superior” than the greater majority of programmes often broadcast on mainstream television.

“I feel this is a truly stunning piece of film which encapsulates what you as young people are made of,” he said. “It is a film with a huge amount of integrity because you’ve taken interviews from both sides of what really happened in Tonypany ninety-eight years ago.

“On the one hand it reveals one of the most significant episodes in Welsh history which formed the type of Rhondda in which you live today. It showed the roots of development of the valleys from rural countryside to the boom area and the discovery of coal wanted by the world’s navies.

“But it was also a task which helped you realise exactly what you’re made of by working as a team and being committed to such a major project. This is a life-changing experience because you have found out what you’re capable of.”

The DVD revealed the extent of how significant a building the Powerhouse was in the uprising in Tonypandy in 1910. It also gave viewers an insight into the plans that the trustees of the Rhondda Powerhouse Trust have for the potential use of the building, in today’s changing community.

Also in attendance at the launch as the Assembly Member for Rhondda Leighton Andrews, Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf Cllr Margaret Davies and Cabinet Member for Culture and Recreation Cllr Robert Bevan who said: “This is an exceptional piece of work and everyone involved in its creation deserves the highest of praise. It will stand as testimony to the major historic events which have taken place in the county borough.”

The Tonypandy community project saw the sixth-formers interview former workers at the Glamorgan Colliery. Guest speakers on the DVD, which is called Roots to Regeneration, include former Labour Party leader Lord Kinnock, Rhondda MP Chris Bryant, Leighton Andrews AM and historians Professor Dai Smith and Professor Chris Williams.

With the support of Cardiff-based Media4Schools, the group of A-level students filmed on location at the Powerhouse building, re-enacted certain historic moments in full period costume and used BBC archive material of interviews made with men who were actually involved in the riot.

They also spent months researching the subject through Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Libraries and Museums Service while also visiting the Glamorgan Records Office, Rhondda Heritage Park and South Wales Police Museum.

They also sought the invaluable assistance of local historians David Maddox and Gwyn Evans who have long-since researched the topic of the Tonypandy Riots from its cause to eventual outcome.

Also addressing the crowd was Tonypandy Community College Headteacher Stephen Parry, who said: “I am very proud to be here this evening and see the emotional outcome for so much hard work and determination. The students must all be admired for their work and it amazes me that so much was achieved in that period of time.”