Gelligaer Young Farmers Club clinched top spot at an annual drama competition, gaining a place in the All Wales Final in Wrexham on March 5.
Performing at the Glamorgan Federation of Young Farmers Clubs’ yearly stage competition held at Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion on February 5 and 6, Gelligaer YFC finished with an impressive points total of 85/100, beating off competition from Young Farmers Clubs in Maendy, Wick, Bridgend, Llantrisant, Neath and Gower.
Points were awarded for acting, production, stage presentation, and dramatic achievement.
Their winning play, A Universal Sorrow, focused on the 1913 Senghenydd Colliery disaster, Britain’s worst mining accident.
Written by Graham Evans, it is based on the letters of Will Fisher, a miner at the Universal Colliery who had just finished his shift when the mine exploded, and became a rescue worker and key eye-witness to the unfolding events.
Among the winning club, personal accolades were given to Gelligaer YFC members Carwyn Roberts (Blackwood) for Best Actor, Rhys Hill (Nelson) for Best Actor Under 13, Mavis Gibbs (Gelligaer) for Best Director, and the club also scooped Best Technical Effects.
They now go on to represent the County of Glamorgan in the All Wales Final, to be held at Y Stiwt, Wrexham on Saturday, March 5.