Family relishes role in BBC's mining drama (From South Wales Guardian)

Family relishes role in BBC's mining drama

10:14am Wednesday 24th September 2008

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THE Griffiths family from Gwaun Cae Gurwen are counting the days until they go back to wartime Britain.

They are among three Welsh families taking part in BBC Wales’ hugely successful Coal House programme, set during the closing days of the Second World War.

With victory on the horizon, the families will live life as it was in a mining community for Coal House At War, which will be broadcast from October 13.

The families will leave behind the modern comforts of 2008 when they enter the tiny miners’ cottages in Stack Square, Blaenavon, next month.

A BBC Wales spokesman said: “Living under blackout regulations by night, and managing their rations and war work by day, ‘Digging for Victory’ in the vegetable plots will be as essential as digging at the coalface this series, as the families learn to become self-sufficient.”

Former miner Howell Griffiths, 56, and his 55-year-old wife Rose – manager of Tegfan residential care home in Ammanford – will be accompanied by daughter-in-law Mandy Griffiths, 34, and grandsons Kieran and Callum on their great adventure.

Mandy’s husband cannot take part as he is a soldier currently engaged on active service.

“It’s got to the point now where we all cannot wait,” Rose told the Guardian this week. “Everything is so manic at the moment that I feel getting into the Coal House will be like a holiday!

“Whether I’ll still be saying that after a couple of weeks in there remains to be seen!”

She added that Howell, who formerly worked underground at Ammanford, Abernant and Betws collieries, was looking forward to going back underground.

“He loves his current job as a driver with the county council,” she said. “It’s a good job and he loves being out in the fresh air.

Howell was made redundant as a miner back in 1989, but still misses the type of comradeship that existed underground. You cannot find that anywhere else.”

Rose recalled how the family put their names forward after Kieran had been working on a wartime project at school.

“Eight hundred families applied, so we didn’t think we had a chance,” she said.

“Then the number was whittled down to 400, then 200. We were among 15 families invited to the selection day at Cwrt-y-Gollen Army camp near Abergavenny and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.”

The aim of the was to find out how the families would cope with the stresses of life in the Coal House At War.

Each applicant was tested on initiative, stamina and team-working throughout the day, as well as undergoing psychological tests.

“When the phone call came through that we had been chosen I just went into total shock,” laughed Rose. “Mandy was running about screaming like a banshee and Howell was wandering round asking: ‘What have we done?’ “But now we’re all very excited and counting the days we can go back to the 1940s!”

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