Diolch, Llywydd. On Friday last week, I attended the annual service at the Welsh national mining memorial in Senghennydd, which is in the Aber Valley ward of my constituency, and I had the honour of laying a wreath at the memorial. The service is held every year on or near the anniversary of the Universal Colliery disaster of 1913—a tragic incident that claimed the lives of 440 men and boys. It was, in terms of the sheer numbers lost—and remains—the worst disaster in Welsh and British history. The Welsh national mining memorial, which stands at the site, was officially opened on the centenary of the disaster, in October 2013. Indeed, the First Minister himself attended that event to unveil the bronze sculpture of a rescue worker coming to the aid of a miner.

The idea of a Welsh national mining memorial was realised thanks, in no small part, to the tremendous efforts of the Aber Valley Heritage Group, a small band of volunteers who gave up their own time to go about collecting donations to bring this idea to fruition. The fundraising appeal received welcome match funding from the Welsh Government, as well as contributions from other sources, including the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The patron of the Aber Valley Heritage Group is well-known Welsh broadcaster Roy Noble. Roy did a lot of good work during the fundraising appeal himself, and as always he was present and spoke at the annual service last Friday. Many local schoolchildren from the Aber valley were also present at Friday’s service, and it struck me how important it is that our younger generation learn about the industrial heritage of their area, and the ultimate price paid by those who ventured out one day just to do their job.