The unveiling ceremony for a permanent memorial to 37 miners will take place on the morning of Sunday, 23 August, at the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway in Cynheidre. The railway operates on part of the former site of Cynheidre Colliery, and the memorial is designed to honour the men who died while working at the local pit. Family members of the 37 named workers who wish to attend the ceremony have been asked to contact the organisers at llanellirailway@gmail.com.
The memorial will also pay tribute to the many miners whose lives were cut short by illnesses resulting from years spent underground. Organisers said the permanent installation is intended to ensure that the sacrifices of these men are not forgotten and that their stories remain part of the landscape they once worked in.
A lasting tribute on colliery ground
The Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway, a charity, now runs through land that was once the heart of Cynheidre Colliery. Mark Thomas, Chair of the railway, spoke of the responsibility the organisation feels towards preserving that history. "We are incredibly proud to finally be unveiling this permanent memorial," he said. "Cynheidre has a proud mining history and, as a charity located on part of the former colliery site, we feel a real responsibility to make sure that history and the stories of the people who worked here are preserved for future generations."
The unveiling will be a significant moment for the local community, many of whom have direct connections to the colliery and its workers. The memorial itself will stand as a permanent focal point, ensuring the 37 names remain visible and remembered.
Heritage woodland project opens to the public
Alongside the memorial, the railway will officially open its new heritage woodland project on the same day. The project has been developed to tell the story of the colliery and the generations of people who worked there. It includes a series of information boards detailing the mining and industrial heritage of the site, giving visitors a self-guided way to understand the area's past.
At the heart of the woodland project are the voices of former Cynheidre workers themselves. Around 20 former colliery employees were interviewed about their lives and experiences at Cynheidre. These recordings — their own voices, memories and words — will form part of the permanent experience of the site, allowing visitors to hear first-hand accounts of what it was like to work at the colliery. The oral histories add a deeply personal dimension to the heritage project, ensuring that the human stories behind the industrial history are preserved.
Grant funding made the project possible
The heritage woodland project was made possible by a grant of £85,000 from the Welsh Government and the Heritage Lottery through the Woodland Investment Grant. This funding has enabled the railway charity to develop the former colliery site into a space that is both educational and reflective, blending natural woodland with the industrial heritage of the area.
For a charity based on part of the former colliery site, the project represents an important step in its mission to preserve and share the local mining legacy. The combination of physical memorial, interpretive boards, and recorded oral histories creates a multi-layered experience for visitors.
Free open day and train rides
From noon, members of the public are invited to join the railway for a special open day at Cynheidre. The afternoon will give visitors the chance to see the new memorial, explore the heritage woodland and listen to the oral histories, as well as take a look around the railway and visit the café. Entry to the site will be free, and train rides will also be free throughout the open day, which runs from noon to 3pm.
The open day is expected to draw both local residents and visitors from further afield, offering an opportunity to engage with the site's history in a meaningful way. The railway team hopes the day will mark the beginning of a new chapter for the heritage site, one in which the memory of the miners and the voices of former workers remain central.
