A special service of remembrance was held yesterday at Senghenydd to commemorate the 1913 mining disaster.
The service, attended by council leader Lindsay Whittle and Caerphilly AM Jeff Cuthbert, was held near Nant Y Park primary School on the site of the former colliery.
On October 14, 1913, 439 miners were killed in a massive explosion which thundered around the valley.
A full feature about the Senghenydd disaster can be found on the BBC News website.
I was privilaged to be present at the ceremony for the miners that died almost 100 years ago and their families. The explosion at the Universal Colliery at Sengenydd remains the worst mining disaster in the country. As we rightly celebrate the tremendous rescue of the miners in Chile let's not forget the tragic past that hit our communities so hard.