A moving memorial to the victims of the Aberfan disaster has been held in Senghenydd.
The service was held at the Welsh National Mining Memorial, Senghenydd, on Thursday October 20 to pay tribute to the 144 adults and children who tragically lost their lives on October 21 1966, after coal waste from a colliery tip slid down the mountainside onto the village.
Led by Reverend Sue Pratten and Welsh broadcaster Roy Noble OBE, wreaths were laid on the Walk of Memory paver, where the names of the victims were displayed in alphabetical order.
Schoolchildren from Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni and St Cenydd Comprehensive were in attendance, as well as Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cllr Dianne Price, and Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Cllr Margaret Davies.
Gill Jones, Secretary of the Aber Valley Heritage Group – which organised the memorial – spoke of the importance of the service.
She said: “The Aberfan disaster is different to other disasters, it’s within living memory, and everyone remembers where they were on that day.
“To have children killed as a result of neglect is terrible.
“It was a good service, lovely to have children there who would have been of a similar age, paying their respects. It was excellent weather too, we couldn’t have asked for better.”
