At 79 years old, Anthony Morris is the last trustee of the Jewish cemetery in Brynmawr. Originally there were three men on the burial board, the retired solicitor explains, but, in what is sadly a growing occurrence in the ageing Jewish community in Wales, one has died, and the other has moved to Israel. Now, living 150 miles away in London, he is the only one left. But for him, keeping a connection to the place which holds so much of his ancestry remains an important part of his life today. “It’s sentimental,” the retired solicitor answers thoughtfully, when asked why he keeps his role going. “I’m looking for someone to take it over from me as I’m approaching 80 and as much as I want to go on forever I don’t know if I can. “I have asked my son if he would take it over but he also lives in London and I don’t know anyone locally.” Perched on top of a hill overlooking the Blaenau Gwent town, the cemetery is now … [Read more...] about The forgotten stories of the Jews leaving Wales after a century
Swansea prayer times
Caravan and other rubbish suddenly vanishes from old shop front
An ugly mess in front of an old shop has all just vanished, in the space of a day. The abandoned shop in Tanycoed Road, Clydach , had become a dumping ground for all manner of rubbish. There was an old chair, mattress, and even a rotting old caravan . Residents who live nearby were fed up with it. One, Barbara Atkins, who had lived on the estate for around 50 years, said at the time the issue was highlighted, in April this year: "It's disgusting. "At first when the caravan showed up a couple years ago things were still tidy, but now it's getting ridiculous. "The windows have been smashed, the door ripped off, rubbish dumped and there's a mattress and an armchair now. It needs to be taken care of." It seems her prayers have now been answered. Everything has been cleared from the shop front, but even residents don't know who took it all away. Barbara added: "I went out shopping this morning, everything was still there. "But when I was walking back I realized that it was all cleared. … [Read more...] about Caravan and other rubbish suddenly vanishes from old shop front
‘I thought he loved me like a dad but he was just abusing me’
Kevin O'Connell was just six years old on a family holiday when he met the man who would haunt the rest of his life. At first he just thought Caldey Island monk Thaddeus Kotik was kind and caring. He loved the small island off the Pembrokeshire coast near Tenby and thought Kotik loved him like a father. “Caldey Island was a paradise. It was beautiful. I played with other children, the beach, volleyball and football, it was special. Father Thaddeus became very special to me, and he gave me the love I didn’t get at home from my dad," said Kevin. Nearly 50 years later, Kevin returned to the island with S4C’s current affairs programme, Y Byd ar Bedwar in a bid to get answers from Church authorities who turned a blind eye to Kotik’s crimes. Caldey Island off the coast of Tenby in Pembrokeshire is renowned as an idyllic tourist attraction, popular among day-trippers. But others view the place as hell on earth due to the dark secrets hidden there for decades. It is … [Read more...] about ‘I thought he loved me like a dad but he was just abusing me’
The converted chapel that is home to a mosque in the Valleys
The old Berea Congregational Chapel was built as a place of worship nearly 170 years ago. Made from stone, with tall, arched windows at the front and surrounded by graves, it is a timeless place of sanctuary surrounded by the beauty of the Valley hillsides around it. When it fell into disrepair, there were no big money bids to take on a crumbling building in one of Wales' most deprived regions. Yet of the groups interested, one seemed to the owners as the right people to take it on. They were the only ones proposing to keep it as a place of worship: a small group of Muslims scattered across the south Wales Valleys. Today, the old Berea Chapel still stands surrounded by trees, graves and green hillsides. A small row of stone cottages are its only neighbours on this quiet side street off the main Blaina to Brynmawr road. Yet the sign above the door tells you it is now the Berea Mosque, home to the Imaan Islamic Society, and the only place of worship for Muslims in the Valleys - with the … [Read more...] about The converted chapel that is home to a mosque in the Valleys