National Library of Wales takes local history on tour across the country

Nation.Cymru Staff

Welsh communities will be given the chance to explore their local history through archive footage, personal memories and cultural events as the National Library of Wales takes its collections on tour.

Your Library will visit four locations — Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Wrexham and Conwy — between 21 and 25 September, with each event shaped by local people, local history and local heritage.

Through archive collections, creative activity and local partnerships, the tour aims to connect communities with local stories, memories and collections preserved by the National Library of Wales.

Merthyr Tydfil: Boxing

The tour opens in Merthyr Tydfil on 21 September, where the town’s boxing heritage will take centre stage in the event The Golden Era of Merthyr Boxing.

The programme will bring together archive footage of local legends, personal memories and a boxing exhibition, with Geraint Thomas and Wynford Jones – two local Boxing historians – discussing Merthyr’s contribution to the boxing world.

Rob Phillips of the National Library of Wales will lead Myth vs Reality, exploring the history of Merthyr Tydfil through historical objects, images and broadcast archive material.

There will also be a performance by local community choir, Merthyr Aloud.

Swansea: Bonnie Tyler and local theatre

In Swansea on 23 September, broadcaster and musician Mal Pope will be joined by Roger Bell to explore how Swansea helped shape global star Bonnie Tyler, using archive film and audio material to chart her formative years and career.

The event will also showcase new performances, created by local people through the Snippets of Swansea project, inspired by Swansea’s mining and industrial heritage.

Wrexham: Football and the mining disaster

Football and the Gresford mining disaster will be the subject of events in Wrexham on 24 September.

Wrexham AFC commentator Mark Griffiths will host a discussion exploring the town’s place in the story of Welsh football, drawing on archive footage of players, supporters and life around the club.

To commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the Gresford disaster, there will be a showing of The Terrible Price documentary alongside poetry readings from the Wrexham Year of Wonder 1876.

Conwy: Maxine Hughes and the town’s history

The tour concludes in Conwy on 25 September, where local history, creativity and digital technology will spotlight the area’s heritage.

Journalist Maxine Hughes will join Dafydd Tudur, Head of Engagement at the National Library of Wales, to explore some of the people, places and memories captured within the collection.

The People’s Collection Wales team will showcase more than 1,500 items relating to Conwy and demonstrate how local knowledge, personal collections and public archives can be used to tell the story of a community.

The event will also feature a performance by Maelgwn Male Voice Choir and contributions from creative partners, including TAPE Community Music and Film, who will showcase Below the Waves, a stop-motion feature.

Details

Each free Your Library event will run from 1pm to 7pm and will bring together schools, community groups, local partners and performers.

Free drop-in activities will take place throughout the day, including opportunities to explore Watch and Listen, the Wales Broadcast Archive, meet the People’s Collection Wales team, search the Women’s Peace Petition and experience Ôl | Haunts.

National Library staff and partners will be on hand throughout to answer questions and help visitors get the most from the collections, digital resources, and services available through the Library.

The tour is part of the Library’s Engagement Strategy’s commitment to engage with every town in Wales, and a wider programme encouraging people to explore the National Library’s collections through local Clip Corners, the Wales Broadcast Archive and the Library’s digital resources.

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