Welsh media company scoops awards for mountain challenge documentary

A Welsh language company has landed a hat-trick of awards for programmes in the Celtic Media Festival in each of the sports, children’s and entertainment categories.

North Wales television production company, Cwmni Da, based in Caernarfon produced the three winning entries, including a documentary about an attempt to conquer one of the world’s toughest mountain challenges.

Olympic Team GB triathlete Huw Jack Brassington was followed by camera crews through gruelling conditions as he undertook the Welsh Classical Round.

The Snowdonia endurance challenge, also known as the Paddy Buckley Round, requires runners to cover 100k distances, taking in 47 summits and scaling a total of 8000 metres – which is the equivalent of climbing Everest – in just 24 hours.

The route takes in the famous high mountain ranges of Snowdon, the Glyderau and the Carneddau as well as the less visited ranges of Moel Siabod, the Moelwynion, Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge.

The programme, entitled 47 Copa/47 Summits, was originally screened on Welsh language broadcaster S4C, and is now available to view on Amazon Prime.

Winners

The company picked up two other awards, one for its documentary Cor Digidol Rhys Meirion, in which an online choir was formed combining over 100 voices to perform a new four-part harmony arrangement of Calon Lan.

It also received an award for best children’s programme with its exciting children’s Christmas adventure Nadolig Deian a Loli,  in which children Deian and Loli must race to the North Pole to see Father Christmas, only to find that Christmas itself is in peril.

Three further Welsh programmes were also recognised in the awards ceremony.

The best current affairs programme gong went to BBC Wales Investigates: The Clydach Murders: Beyond Reasonable Doubt, produced by Andy Maguire for BBC Wales, which examined new evidence and raised questions surrounding the tragic and notorious case.

Rod Gilbert’s Work Experience gained an award for best factual entertainment, and the best live radio music programme was awarded to BBC Radio Cymru for Y Gerddorfa – Dathlu Sain yn 50, which celebrated the contribution of independent record label Sain on its 50th birthday with a concert by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with folk musician Gwilym Bowen Rhys, musical star Mared Williams and Band Pres Llareggub.