Next year sees a significant anniversary: it is the centenary of the Tonypandy Riots, part of the campaign for an 8 hour day and fairer wages. A wide range of organisations across the Rhondda are planning activities. Spectacle Theatre is planning a community play; there are plans for a children’s musical; street advertising; walking tours; exhibitions; a dedicated website; lectures; and TV programmes. RCT Council hosted a meeting the other day to review what was being planned and it was good to hear the wide range of initiatives on the go. Since the Welsh Assembly Government is also planning for 2010 to be the year of Valleys Homecoming – Hiraeth Cymoedd – the plans to promote Tonypandy’s centenary should attract attention in a wider context. I see family history as a potentially important way of boosting tourist interest in the Valleys. We know 500,000 people left the South Wales Valleys between the wars. This is the chance to get them to come back and visit the places their families grew up in.
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