A reflection of the Rhondda heritage project: The radio project that united my community

Katie Bardsley

What happens when a community is given the chance to tell its own story? For Rhondda radio, it became a way to connect older and younger generations, share local stories and find enjoyment in collaborative storytelling.

The Rhondda Heritage Project was a year-long project developed in 2024 by Presenter David Arthur and Executive Producer John Geraint, with the goal of celebrating the history, culture and local stories in the Rhondda Valley.

Delivered through a series of storytelling workshops and recordings, the project created a space where contributors could share personal memories rooted in place and identity. The project focused on lived experiences and prioritised everyday voices, allowing listeners to connect with the Rhondda through stories shaped by personal memories.

John Geraint, Executive Producer, explains what the vision was for the project: “More than thirty years after the last of its coal mines closed, Rhondda’s proud industrial history was in danger of falling into forgetfulness. Recognising that, Rhondda Radio was awarded a grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop and deliver the project.

“We wanted to remind people in the Rhondda and further afield of the significant part the valley played in forging and fuelling the world we live in, and of the communitarian values that inspired and informed Rhondda life.

“And we did that through stories and memories recorded by Rhondda people and broadcast on the valley’s community radio station, and by constructing a physical Heritage Trail with twelve ‘stations’ at iconic sites through the Rhondda Fawr and the Rhondda Fach.”

David Arthur, who presented the project, says its purpose was driven by local pride: ‘The aim was to fly the flag for the Rhondda and tell the story about the history and heritage of the valley and its people.”

The pride ran through every stage of the project, and contributors were encouraged to speak in their own voices to ensure that the Rhondda was being represented by the people who knew it best. Many older contributors shared memories that might otherwise have been lost, creating a meaningful and valuable archive of local Rhondda history for future generations.

Beyond storytelling, the project was also an opportunity for Rhondda Radio to strengthen its role in our community. Alongside sharing and celebrating our heritage, we had a clear ambition to engage listeners and encourage more people to get involved in the station. By inviting locals to contribute their own stories and memories on a completely voluntary basis, the project helped break down barriers between the station and its audience, and highlighted Rhondda Radio as a station for inclusion and a community hub where local voices are heard and valued.

John explains how the project strengthened Rhondda Radio’s relationship with the community: “Our storytelling workshops drew people of all ages and all walks of life into contact with Rhondda Radio, creating well over a hundred broadcast stories which people could take a pride in listening to.

“There was a great sense of pride too when Rhondda Radio won the Gold Award for the Best Community Radio Show in the whole of the UK, in competition with hundreds of other stations. Siting the twelve Heritage Stations at prominent locations promotes Rhondda Radio to people who might not otherwise come across it, linking it to a renewed sense of the significance of the Rhondda and its place in the broader history of Wales.

“The Heritage Stations enable Rhondda people and visitors to ‘read’ what they see around them more intelligently, giving them a coherent and insightful ‘story’ about why the Rhondda developed as it did.”

One of the most meaningful aspects of the project for me came through my own involvement. As one of the only young contributors, I recorded a piece about my favourite place in the Rhondda, the Bwlch mountain. I shared a childhood memory of eating ice cream with my grandparents there, rooted in a location that many listeners know well.

The response to my piece was extremely positive, with listeners enjoying hearing a personal story rooted in a familiar Rhondda place. Many were able to relate it to their own personal experiences, highlighting one of the key successes of the project, which was its ability to connect people of all generations through storytelling.

David notes: “The feedback from the project was extremely positive, and we gained new listeners as a result. They loved the stories and the individuals that told them.

“In fact, listeners from time to time still comment on how much they enjoyed the programmes and miss them! And we’ve recruited more volunteers too! We had enthusiastic engagement by the contributors beforehand, to join the workshops and to make a contribution to the project.”

Reflecting on feedback from listeners, John adds: “It was great when listeners said ‘I never knew that!’ or were reminded of Rhondda achievements and heritage which perhaps they’d forgotten.

“Rhondda Radio imagined that the Project would generate positive feedback once the programmes were on air by buttressing the residents’ pride in the role that their valley has played throughout its history, celebrating the outstanding individuals it has produced, as well as its collective action, and its world-renowned heritage.

“In fact, this sense of community pride became evident much earlier, amongst the cohort of workshop trainees and was often highlighted by them in informal feedback.

“Once the Rhondda Heritage Hour began to be broadcast, listeners’ responses – in their hundreds and thousands – to the programmes and associated social media posts were truly gratifying. And the Rhondda Heritage Hour rapidly established itself as the most downloaded show on Rhondda Radio’s ‘listen-back’ facility.”

Another important aspect of the heritage project was the way it encouraged confidence among its contributors. Many had never spoken on the radio before, and the supportive workshop environment helped us feel comfortable in sharing our stories. For younger contributors like me, it was a chance to learn about radio and I think this exchange of skills and experiences really strengthened the collaborative nature of the project.

Ultimately the Rhondda heritage project highlighted the unique power of community media. Radio can preserve memory, build confidence, and bring people together by highlighting often overlooked stories and giving people a voice to be heard.

John notes that a story or moment that stood out to him during the project was “the video to promote the brand-new Rhondda Heritage Trail, with glorious landscape footage of all twelve ‘Stations’ on the Trail, was set to a soundtrack featuring an ‘anthem’ specially composed for the project by The Unknown, a group of students from Coleg y Cymoedd.

This was an unexpected bonus of the Storytelling Workshops held at the Further Education college. When the world-famous Treorchy Male Choir heard the song, they were keen to get involved too.

The Choir invited the young students to record a version of ‘Heart of the Valleys’ with the choir in their rehearsal space at Bethlehem Chapel in Treorchy.” The resulting video went ‘viral’. It’s one of the most popular features of the Project website: www.rctourheritage.com/station-header