Carmarthenshire’s rich mining heritage has been recognised in a striking new mural recently unveiled on the exterior wall of the Cefneithin Welfare Hall.

The mural, which depicts a miner covered in coal dust who has reached the end of his shift, is the work of popular street artist Steve ‘Jenks’ Jenkins.

“The original idea was to have a rugby theme as Barry John is from the village of Cefneithin, but after chatting with the rest of the committee, the mining theme came out quite strongly," said Steve.

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The miner is displayed looking back towards the colliery holding a Welsh mining lamp whilst other miners stand in line, waiting to start work.

The mural bears an inscription from a miners’ song: ‘I am a miner hoping for a better time. Under the big mountain (Mynydd Mawr), no one saw the dawn. I’ll never go underground again.’

"I dug out some images, put them together and over the course of three days I painted the mural without anyone really seeing a design or really knowing what I was going to get put on there", explains Steve. “It’s great to have trust like that in a painting.

"And the reception of the locals passing while I was painting it was great.

“I also heard some sad stories from people who'd lost relatives to the mining industry and it seemed that as time went on it triggered both positive and heartfelt emotions. It really feels as if the mural has fitted into the village".

As an extra addition, the mural contains the gorse plant from which part of the village’s name 'neithin' is derived.