I'd like to pay tribute to one of the Rhondda's most famous sons, the actor Glyn Houston, who was born and raised just behind my grandmother's house in Tonypandy. When he was a child, his parents moved to London to find work and escape the crushing poverty and unemployment of the Rhondda. His parents couldn't afford to take all three children, and Glyn was left behind to be raised by his grandmother, Gwenllian. The children were reunited in Gwenllian's care just three years later in tragic circumstances due to the untimely death of their mother.

From this adversity, the family produced not one but two famous actors, for Glyn's older brother Donald also found worldwide stardom. Glyn served in the second world war in the military police, and, after making his film debut in The Blue Lamp in 1950, he went on to star in films such as The Cruel Sea, Turn the Key Softly, Private's Progress and Tiger Bay. He also had an illustrious career on the small screen. In 2009, he was the recipient of a British Academy of Film and Television Arts lifetime achievement award from BAFTA Cymru, which was a richly deserved accolade for an actor whose work touched the lives of many generations of film fans across the world.

Now, I realise that many of today's young people in the Rhondda may not have seen any of Glyn's films or tv shows, but I'd like to think that they would like to know about him. His career teaches us that you can deal with adversity at a young age, you can come from a tough-going background, and you can go on to achieve anything you put your mind to if you put in the work and you are determined.