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On October 14, 1913, 439 miners and one rescuer were killed at Senghenydd’s Universal Colliery in what remains Britain’s worst-ever mining disaster.

An iconic photograph from the time, which showed a girl holding a young child wrapped in a shawl, has gone on to symbolise the disaster.

That image has now been immortalised at the site of the disaster, where the National Mining Disaster Memorial Garden of Wales now sits.

A deteriorating wooden statue at the memorial depicting the image has recently been replaced by a new, more durable structure, after the Aber Valley Heritage Group received funding from Caerphilly Council’s Community Empowerment Fund.

Andrea Davies, a member of the Aber Valley Heritage Group’s committee, said: “We are so happy with the detailed work that the render mason has provided. It’s a beautiful memorial piece which will be seen by thousands of visitors in future years. Thank you Dan.”

Daniel Ayres, the render mason, said: “We were approached by Aber Valley Heritage Group committee and asked if we could construct a feature piece depicting a famous photo of a girl and baby looking over the scene of the 1913 Universal Colliery disaster.

“Myself and colleague Daniel Smith, both originally from Senghenydd, were more than happy for the opportunity to add something to the garden with this project and hope visitors will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed building it.

“Once we had laid the foundation, we built a block structure and reinforced it with steel mesh. A thick layer of concrete was applied which covered the entire structure.

“After leaving for a few hours to set, we were able to carve it into shape, adding texture to replicate stone. We then carved in the frame and the feature using the photo for reference. Once fully set we were able to add the colours and seal it.”

For more information about the Aber Valley Heritage Group, visit its website.