Our once-thriving mining village is now a ‘wasteland’ – it’s a hellhole & everyone’s on benefits

RESIDENTS have been left “heartbroken” after their once thriving mining village turned into a “barren” “wasteland”.

Locals have blamed the closure of the pit for the loss of community spirit and lack of amenities.

Rhondda Valley, South Wales, used to be a bustling area which saw generations of miners pass through the “Home of Coal”.

Many joined the colliery as teenagers, hoping to continue their work until retirement.

But when both Maerdy Colliery and Tower Colliery closed some 17 years ago, the area took a shocking turn for the worst.

Locals have now spoken out about how the very end of the Rhondda Fach valley has been left “neglected” with little future for the children growing up there.

As Maerdy Mountain overlooks the former mining village some have described a place which has lost its purpose.

Whilst a few have described the hardy remainers, others have painted a picture of a community that no longer feels as safe as it once was.

Pensioner Tony Evans told WalesOnline how life has shifted immensely after the closure of high-street stores .

These include the Chubb factory, Ferndale Book Company, Porter's Paint, the local bank and the miners' colliery.

The retired printer described how life there has changed “immeasurably”.

He has also been left worried for his grandchildren, adding: “When I was growing up we’d walk the mountain and we’d be happy. Now it’s a harsher world for kids. It doesn’t seem as safe.

“There are a lot of people struggling around here – a lot of people with depression too. Unemployed people and people struggling health-wise.”

A 63-year-old also told the local media how the colliery acted as the heart of the area when it was open.

They spoke of how it meant everyone knew everyone with the area feeling so safe people could leave their doors unlocked without fear.

But with a number of store closures, many are having to drive further afield to access pubs, clubs and shops.

Others have taken to social media, with a number of local community groups set up to help residents communicate with one another.

Many of the posts shared include pictures of the stunning scenery located nearby.

Some have shared the achievements of locals, including a nearby primary school which helped clean-up some of the area.

Parents have also boasted about the area's lovely parks and good schools.

Despite the benefits to some, the borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf has seen former coalfield communities disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis.

Across Wales, more than 700,000 live in relative poverty.

In Rhondda Cynon Taf, the unemployment rate was last noted as being over 30 per cent, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

Over three per cent in the area were claiming unemployment-related benefits at the time of the census.

Dion Thompson, 25, who grew up in Maerdy where his grandfathers also worked down the pit, says all his friends have left the village.

He said: “Maerdy actually hasn’t changed from when I was a kid. There’s nothing around here except for an Avon (Engineered Rubber) factory up the road. There’s no work.

“Everyone around here that I know moved away when they were old enough. It was a really tight-knit community.

“When I was a kid it was like that. Now it’s barren. Nothing ever gets done around here to change things. There’s no investment.”;

Dion works in demolition and as soon as he reached working age was told by his parents he had to look outside Maerdy for work.

“It’s the same for my boy,”; says 53-year-old Beverley Viscount, who works in the Spar.

“My son went off to university at Aberystwyth and he’s come back and he couldn’t find a job around here. He worked hard at uni, but he ended up having to work for Amazon.”;

Beverley, who has lived in the village all her life, says she wouldn’t leave even if she won the lottery, but adds there is nothing keeping young people here.

She remembers a childhood where she had “lots of aunties and uncles”; and could turn to anyone for help: “You get children hanging around here now in gangs and terrorising people.”;

More than 19 per cent of the county falls within 10 per cent of Wales’ most deprived areas and Maerdy comes out right at the top in the deprivation figures.

The ward which covers the south of Maerdy ranks in the bottom two per cent for employment in the whole of Wales.

It’s also in the bottom 2.5 per cent in Wales for income and health and is in the top three per cent most deprived places in the country.

It ranks as third lowest in the borough out of 154 areas for employment, fifth lowest for income and sixth lowest for health.

It is a picture mirrored across the region, while in Wales as a whole 31 per cent of children are now living in poverty as well as 16 per cent of pensioners according to the Bevan Foundation.

Amy Adamiec is making the 22-mile trip south to Cardiff which she routinely makes at the weekends.

“When it comes to things to do, there’s nothing,”; she explains.

“That’s why I’m heading to Cardiff now. If you want to do something, especially at the weekend, you have to leave.”;

Amy, 24, who works in investments in Pontypridd a short drive away, adds: “It’s still a proud community. There are lots of very kind people here. But it’s been let down.”;

Landlady of 22 years Adele Wilk insists the pub does get busier on an evening.

“We used to be really busy with the miners,”; Adele, 54, explains.

“A lot of them have passed away now though of course. 22 years ago you’d have had the Maerdy Hall and the social clubs were running a lot more hours. That’s not the case anymore. I’m the only pub this side of the Rhondda open seven days a week in the day now.”;

It wasn’t just the miners who lost work when the colliery closed at Maerdy.

So did Adele’s father, who was an electrician who worked at the colliery.

“He lost a lot of work when the pits went, definitely,”; she says.

“But the community pulled together and it still pulls together. It is a very good community here. People do care for each other an awful lot.”;