Sixty years ago, a catastrophic event in Aberfan claimed the lives of 116 children and 28 adults, becoming one of the most serious tragedies in Welsh history.
A special S4C programme presented by television broadcaster Alex Jones examined the community’s continuing relationship with the disaster and the legacy it left behind.
Broadcast on Sunday, October 18, Alex Jones: Un diwrnod yn Aberfan marked Jones’s first visit to Aberfan.
She met people who survived the disaster, individuals who went to the scene to assist with the rescue effort, and younger residents committed to preserving the memory of those who died.
During a visit to Aberfan Cemetery, Jones walked among the graves of the children who were killed.
The experience brought her to the realisation that many of the victims had been the same age as her own children.
She said that the inscriptions on the headstones showed how young the children had been, describing the scale of the loss as terrible and deeply sad.
The disaster occurred on October 21, 1966, when a colliery waste tip collapsed and slid down the hillside, covering Pantglas Junior School and other areas of the village.
Gaynor Madgwick, who was eight years old at the time, was injured in the collapse and lost her brother Carl and sister Marilyn.
The programme included her account of the psychological consequences of the tragedy and the shortage of mental health assistance available to survivors.
She recalled that people were often left to cope in silence because discussing mental health carried a powerful stigma and could lead to admission to a local mental institution.
The resulting lack of discussion added to the difficulties experienced by those affected.
Madgwick now works with healthcare professionals to create support for children who have experienced trauma.
The documentary also featured Jeff Edwards, who was one of four pupils in his class at Pantglas School to survive the disaster.
Edwards returned to Aberfan during the 1990s and became involved in efforts to regenerate the community and in projects supporting young people.
Dewi Meirion Lewis also shared his experience.
He had been one of 30 volunteers from Swansea University selected to assist with rescue operations and was a young rugby player when the disaster happened.
Lewis was chosen because the rescue work required people capable of undertaking physically demanding tasks.
His recollections remained vivid six decades after the event.
A special edition of Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol – Remembering Aberfan was broadcast on Sunday, October 18.
Jones was also due to present a further children’s documentary, Aberfan: Arwyr ein Cwm, on Wednesday, October 21.