The Living Death of the South Wales Valleys

modern girl
Aug 8, 2017 · 3 min read

The South Wales Valleys are a concern. After being used and abandoned by industry, the Valleys suffer. They (and we, the inhabitants) are creeping towards death, much like the American logging towns slowly shifting into ghost towns. What caused this, and what is the nature of our affliction?

The main interest when we’re discussing our downfall is the industrial revolution, and the mining of coal. We were rich with it, and the mountains were plundered for this black gold. Our main source of employment shifted from agriculture to mining and things bloomed. There were problems, of course, the workers were exploited, and the wealthy bourgeoisie were largely English, but small towns still became publishing centres and held Eisteddfodau. The Valleys were an area on the rise, with people flocking in for employment. But, industry must end. And the coal industry died slowly, with strikes, nationalisation, and eventually, under a Tory government, the closing of the mines in the 1980’s. One did remain open, Tower Colliery, which was bought out by the workers, but apart from that the coal industry in Wales was dead. And, so far, nothing has rushed to fill its place.

So, where has that left us? Well, unemployment in the South Wales Valleys is higher than UK average. Towns have high rates of poverty, depression, and drug usage. Regeneration didn’t work. And the worst thing is, many of these stories trail off. In 2001, there were a spate of articles discussing the heroin problems of the South Wales Valleys. What happened to those problems? There’s the occasional article about arrests, and recently claims of a heroin epidemic in one town, but that’s about it. 16 years on, and we have no idea what’s happening. What’s our news? Usually, when looking for what’s happening in Wales, Wales Online pops up. Wales Online, your number one source of all Welsh clickbait, like Buzzfeed but without the budget. Outside of that, we have to hope that the bigger news outlets show some interest. That doesn’t happen often.

It’s hard to find out what’s happening in the Valleys. Most of what I know is what I’ve seen, and what I’ve seen is ultimately depressing. I know that kids keep on setting grass fires on the mountains, despite all the lectures in school about how our families will die if we experiment with arson. Shops and cafes open briefly, and then often close again. And the young people I know who aren’t in education are desperately searching for jobs, jobs which don’t usually exist. I’ve known teenagers still in school who bought cocaine from pub landlords. In 20 years, what I’ve picked up from the South Wales Valleys is a mood of hopelessness. There’s attempts at undoing it, and every so often there’s good news about our revitalisation, but it always sinks into the wave of stillness. We still have no industry to replace coal, and with the closing of Tower Colliery in 2008, my valley lost its biggest employer.

When I was younger I saw all of these as a reason to leave, to go somewhere prosperous, somewhere English, but I don’t think I can now. That’s the thing, despite all the issues, the Valleys remain extraordinary. The mountains feel like home. Every small snippet of Welsh I hear makes me happy, even if I rarely get to speak Welsh. I love the rain, and the nearby beaches, and the accent, and the people, and everything about here. Which is why I feel like it’s so important to talk about our problems. The first step to fixing something is noticing it, and the Valleys need noticing, otherwise we’ll just languish in this state of perpetual death until everyone moves elsewhere.

modern girl

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