Ponty Is It?

With the National Eisteddfod heading to Rhondda Cynon Taf in August a leading Welsh writer and historian has announced a new book which takes an unconventional look at the town of Pontypridd.

Daryl Leeworthy, whose books include Labour Country, A Little Gay History of Wales, and Fields of Play, as well as critically acclaimed biographies of writers Elaine Morgan and Gwyn Thomas, is taking readers on an irreverent but deeply personal tour of Pontypridd and its valleys hinterland.

Gossip

Daryl commented “Let’s face it, there is only one Ponty. Pontypridd: birthplace of Tom Jones and the Welsh National Anthem, and home to what was once the most famous bridge in the world.

“Here they love to gossip, drink frothy coffee, and eat chips and custard slices. Ponty people have acted, played, swum, worked, and written their way into the history books, and always with a unique brand of humour.

“I’m trying to capture some of this distinction in my own way with a walking and bus tour of town and environs, which is convenient as I don’t drive.”

In Ponty is it? Daryl Leeworthy journeys from the isolation of Llanwonno to the unmarked border between the true metropolis of Wales and that southern pretender, Cardiff, and on the way learns what brings him back to his hometown every time he tries to leave and what now really keeps him there.

Locals

“I hope this will be a book for locals to enjoy, even when they stop me to tell me I’ve got it all wrong or missed out something important, and, with so many visitors set to enjoy Ponty this year for the first time, that it will be a fun introduction for those who do not yet know the true delights of this universal town.”