A new permanent memorial will be unveiled at the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway in Cynheidre on Sunday 23rd August, commemorating the 37 miners who lost their lives while working at Cynheidre Colliery.
The railway is situated on part of the former colliery site, and the new memorial will ensure that the names of those 37 men are permanently remembered at Cynheidre.
The memorial also commemorates the many miners whose lives were cut short by illnesses suffered as a result of their years working underground. The memorial will be unveiled during a commemorative ceremony in the morning. Relatives of any of the 37 men named on the memorial who would like to attend the unveiling are being asked to contact the railway so that arrangements can be made.
From 12pm, members of the public are invited to join the railway for a special open day at Cynheidre, with the newly unveiled memorial open for everyone to visit.
Alongside the unveiling, the railway will officially open its new heritage woodland project, which will help tell the story of the colliery and the generations of people who worked there. This includes information boards detailing the mining and industrial heritage of the site.
At the heart of the project are the voices of Cynheidre’s former workers themselves. Around 20 former colliery employees were interviewed about their lives and experiences at Cynheidre. These recordings – their own voices, memories and words – will form part of the permanent experience of the site, allowing visitors to hear first-hand from former Cynheidre Colliery workers as they explore the woodland and discover Cynheidre’s mining and industrial heritage.
The woodland project was made possible by a grant of £85,000 from the Welsh Government and the Heritage Lottery through the Woodland Investment Grant.
Mark Thomas, Chair of Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway, said:
“We are incredibly proud to finally be unveiling this permanent memorial.
“Cynheidre has a proud mining history and, as a charity located on part of the former colliery site, we feel a real responsibility to make sure that history and the stories of the people who worked here are preserved for future generations.
“The new memorial, together with our heritage woodland and the memories recorded by former colliery workers in their own voices, will help us to do exactly that.
“We hope that as many people as possible will join us from 12pm on Sunday 23rd August to see the memorial, explore the woodland and help us mark what will be a very special day for Cynheidre.”
Throughout the afternoon, visitors will be able to see the new memorial, experience the heritage woodland and oral histories, explore the railway and visit the café.
Entry to the site will be free, with train rides also free throughout the open day (12pm until 3pm).
The public open day will run from 12pm until 4pm on Sunday 23 August at the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway, Cynheidre.
Further details will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
