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An opera telling the story of one of Wales’ worst mining disasters is coming to Blackwood.

Gresford – Up From Underground, which recounts the 1934 tragedy that killed 266 men and boys, will be staged at Blackwood Miners’ Institute at 7.30pm on February 26 as part of a Wales-wide tour of former mining communities.

Among those connected to the production is 72-year-old Gillian Davies, whose father narrowly escaped death in the disaster, at Gresford Colliery near Wrexham, after being kept off work by an injury.

The opera will be performed by NEW Sinfonia orchestra, along with six professional singers and a cast of emerging professional singers.

Gillian’s father Ivor Owen Bellis had injured his hand the night before the mining tragedy.

His mother had refused to let the 18-year-old go to work on the fateful shift because of the hand injury – but his best friend was among those killed in the disaster.

According to Gillian, the tour would allow more people to learn about the tragedy, helping to ensure the disaster would not be forgotten.

She said: “I’m very excited to take part in the tour because I am a Wrexham girl, born and bred.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful that we can go round Wales with the tour to actually remember what happened, because it’s over 90 years since the disaster.

“I couldn’t wait to sing it at the very beginning when we went to St Asaph Cathedral, I have always been singing since I can remember.

“I remember quite a lot of people were crying on the night we performed the opera at St Asaph Cathedral, you could see their hankies coming out, because something like that is a big thing for a community.”

Gillian said the disaster had a deep impact on hundreds of families: “The miners never had much money and those lads took their wage packets and put them in their pockets and went down there.

“They never came back and the families never got paid for the shift that they did, and I think that was dreadful.”

The production is directed by Ruth Evans, who said: “This is very much a story about Gresford but it is a universal story about adversity in mining communities where there was oppression with people being taken for granted.

“Connecting around Wales at those venues is about us bringing this story to other mining communities because the themes run through all of them.

“The text and the music that Jonathan Guy and Grahame Davies created is beautiful and I brought it to life through the dramatic movement and the ideas for the costume.

Visit Newsinfonia to buy tickets or for more information.