Lost Communities - I Remember When...

Sandra Jenkins and Mavis Smith of the Lost Communities of Bwlch-y-gwynt and Machynys group have happy memories of growing up in their home communities of Bwlch-y-gwynt and Machynys and the surrounding areas of Morfa and Bwlch, in Llanelli.

The villages of Bwlch-y-gwynt and Machynys were demolished in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The new Pentre Nicklaus Village and Machynys golf course now sit on the land where they were. Some 30 years on, former residents still remember the extraordinary community spirit that existed in these villages. This sense of unity lives on today in the form of the Lost Communities of Bwlch-y-gwynt and Machynys community group.

Today, we have the first in a series of videos that Sandra and Mavis recorded of each other sharing their memories of growing up in the areas that are known today as Morfa, Bwlch and Machynys. The videos are recorded at sites where Sandra and Mavis have particular memories.

Mavis records Sandra sharing her memories using a Busbi digital camcorder

All the videos were recorded using one of Carmarthenshire Connect's small point and shoot 'Busbi' digital camcorders. They run on 2 AA batteries and will record up to 60 minutes of video. With no settings to adjust and just a stop/start button, a Busbi is great for recording videos quickly and easily. These camcorders record in a quality setting that renders small file sizes, which makes them good for uploading to the web.

We start this series with video number 1...

I remember when Morfa Social Club was the ‘Tin Hut’

by Sandra Jenkins

We'll be posting further Lost Communities - I remember when... videos on Mondays