Alex Jones visits Aberfan, reflects on tragedy in special S4C programme

SIXTY years after the Aberfan disaster, Alex Jones will present a special programme for S4C exploring how the community has lived with the legacy of one of Wales’s most devastating tragedies.

In Alex Jones: Un diwrnod yn Aberfan, which will be broadcast on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, October 18 at 8pm, the presenter visits Aberfan for the first time to meet survivors, those who rushed to help on the day of the disaster, and a new generation determined to keep the memory of Aberfan alive.

The programme will also be available to watch on demand, on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer, and English subtitles will be available.

Alex’s visit to Aberfan Cemetery is one of the programme’s most emotional moments. Walking among the graves of the children who were lost, she is struck by the realisation that many of them were the same age as her own children.

“I knew what I was going to see,” said Alex. “But I think once you start reading the inscriptions on the graves… the children were all the same age as my own. The loss is so terrible…it’s just so sad.”

On 21 October 1966, 116 children and 28 adults were killed when a colliery waste tip collapsed and slid down the hillside, burying Pantglas Junior School and other parts of Aberfan village.

Among those who share their stories with Alex is Gaynor Madgwick, who was eight years old when the avalanche struck. She was injured in the disaster and lost her brother, Carl, and her sister, Marilyn.

For years, she lived with the psychological impact of the tragedy without a diagnosis or support.

Today, Gaynor works alongside healthcare professionals to develop ways of supporting children who have experienced trauma.

Gaynor says: “You suffered in silence. You daren't mention you were struggling with your mental health for fear of being sent to the local mental institution, there was so much stigma around mental health, so nobody talked.”

Gaynor also shares treasured belongings that remain a tangible connection to her brother and sister, including Carl’s football and Marilyn’s dress, and recounts the remarkable story of how they were discovered decades later.

Jeff Edwards was one of only four pupils in his class at Pantglas School to survive the disaster. He lived with the psychological scars of the tragedy for many years, but after returning to Aberfan in the 1990s, he used his experiences to help a new generation, establishing initiatives to support local young people.

Jeff is widely recognised as one of the key figures in the area’s community regeneration, having been awarded both an MBE and an OBE for his work.

“It’s doing things that those youngsters who died in the disaster didn’t really have the opportunity to do, so it’s actually making it up for them," he said.

Dewi Meirion Lewis was a student at Swansea University when the disaster struck. Of the approximately 300 students who volunteered to help, Dewi was one of just 30 selected to travel to Aberfan as part of the University of Wales relief team. A young rugby player at the time, he was chosen because of the physically demanding work facing volunteers involved in the rescue effort.

Dewi went on to build a distinguished international career in nuclear physics, working at CERN before becoming a specialist in radiopharmaceuticals. Yet almost 60 years later, his memories of Aberfan remain vivid.

A special edition of Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol – Remembering Aberfan will broadcast at 7.30pm on Sunday evening, completing a night of programming on S4C commemorating one of the most tragic disasters in Welsh history.

Additionally, on Wednesday, October 21, Alex Jones will present a documentary for children about the disaster, Aberfan: Arwyr ein Cwm. With the help of pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Rhyd-y-Grug, Alex meets some of Aberfan’s unsung heroes and discovers their inspiring stories of courage and resilience.