tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52414813800922277122024-03-05T20:12:52.456-08:00Llechwedd Slate CavernsHaydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-83563864386250372952013-10-03T03:30:00.002-07:002013-10-03T03:30:37.254-07:00Santa is Coming
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>A Festive Adventure<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Excitement is mounting as Santa and
his elves start preparations to take the train into the world famous Llechwedd
Slate Caverns to take up residence in his underground grotto. <o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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Each year Santa’ elves visit North Wales and deck the
subterranean world of Llechwedd with glittering lights. On the 30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
November Santa’s sleigh will land in Snowdonia before the train takes <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>him into the heart of the mountain to meet
children from all over Britain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year the elve’s are planning a special party night in
the Caverns Café with on 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> December with magic, kiddies disco and
special treats FREE to anyone taking the Santa Train that night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Santa Train takes children and adults alike into the
magical underground world of Llechwedd where each child meet Santa in his cave and
receives a gift. The adults are rewarded with a mince pie and a glass of fruit
punch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As the train travels into the mountain there are festive
surprises in the tunnel on what is perhaps the most unusual grotto in Britain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Santa Trains will run from 10am-4.15pm: Nov 30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>,
Dec 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>, 7<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> & 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, 14<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> &
15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> & 22<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>, 23<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup>, 24<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
Special Festive Night for the Kids 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> December from 5.00pm<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://sales.webticketmanager.com/(S(mamhttq041zfvdm3czsbynvw))/default.aspx?companyid=16"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #cc6600;">Book tickets online:</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br />
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Adults £4.95 <br />
Children £8.95 <br />
Babies (under 3) £6.50<br />
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To arrange a special train – on any date - for your group or school and to get
a discount for 15+ just call Sharon on 01766 830306<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05405310512968292558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-24821659737879971712013-08-07T00:46:00.001-07:002013-08-07T00:46:16.763-07:00Arts and Crafts at Llechwedd this Summer
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This summer<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we’ve got a real treat going on for art
lovers and kids alike here at Llechwedd. A lovely lady called Carol who makes
patchwork and quilts has set up her studio next to the Victorian Sweetshop for
the duration of the summer holidays.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Carol – who incidentally is
Mum to Cariad who runs our shop – is in her Studio Monday to Friday each week
and is happy to chat or work with kids on a little project. Carol came to us
because she was inspired by a visit to Llechwedd some months ago. Since then
she has been busy creating cushions, ipad covers and even quilts based on her
love of the amazing landscape around us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Come over and have a chat or
better still come and have a go … chatting is free and a workshop is only
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05405310512968292558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-9287868326065520852012-05-16T12:55:00.000-07:002012-05-16T12:55:11.100-07:00Meet the guides: Terry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Terry is one of our new guides here at Llechwedd and he's a big </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">hit with our visitors so we thought we'd tell you m</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">ore about him.... </span></div>
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Terry joined us in March this year and he is born and bred in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Terry loves working on the Tramway tour as there is more opportunity for interaction with visitors. Being local many visitors have asked Terry if his family have worked at the mine in days gone by and as a result Terry has started to look into his family history.</div>
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Outside of work Terry is a proud dad and looks forward to seeing his daughter Cara when he finishes work. Terry enjoys sport and plays in midfield for the Blaenau Amateurs football team which he currently captains.</div>
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Look out for Terry when you visit the caverns! </div>
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</span>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-28948551512594767162012-04-30T11:59:00.000-07:002012-04-30T11:59:51.210-07:00Press Release - Best Easter Day Since 2006The Llechwedd Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog celebrate
their 40th anniversary this year. They are also celebrating a great start to
the season with Easter Monday marking the busiest April day since 2006.<br />
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General Manager Michael Bewick says that "despite the
doom and gloom we have been working hard over the last two years to refurbish
the site and this is really starting to pay off"<o:p></o:p></div>
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The site has received funding from CADW which will enable
them to modernise the iconic deep mine and tramway tours over the next two
years. This year will also see the launch of Antur Stiniog's downhill mountain
bike trails and working with Zip Land the longest series of zip wires in the
world will be at Llechwedd in late 2012/early 2013.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downhill biking trails under construction.</td></tr>
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This season also sees the launch of new family friendly
initiatives including an adventure playground which is being completed this
week as well as a craft room where kids can enjoy painting their own slate
coaster and a chance to win one of the unique Llechwedd old coins by taking
part in a free Mini Miners Trail around the site.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A preview of how the downhill biking trails were looking this February can be found below:</div>
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<br /></div>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-49851033717711626242012-04-26T10:18:00.000-07:002012-04-26T10:18:14.804-07:00Blaenau 30 Celebrations: May 5th - 7th<br />
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<span style="color: black;">We are joining Ffestiniog Railway in celebrating 30 years since services returned to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The services between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Porthmadog were crucial to us at Llechwedd as the route for our slate to reach the coast and we are looking forward to being part of the celebrations.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">'Early Bird' services will be running on the railway all weekend which will allow ample time for you to hop on a minibus and come and take a tour at Llechwedd Slate Caverns.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">As well as special services and the opportunity to see some of Ffestiniog Railway's historic engines there will also be many other events during the weekend including guided walks around the area.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">On Saturday and Sunday we will be demonstrating the traditional art of slate splitting on the platform at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Come along and see our slate splitter at work and learn about the Llechwedd mines.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">In Blaenau Ffestiniog you can find out more about the town's regeneration plans including a poetry band trail around the town, a velorail on disused rail tracks and the proposed cycle and walking track around Llyn Ystradau at Tanygrisiau.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Ceri Cunnington from Antur Stiniog will be on hand on Sunday and is offering to take a minibus up to show people the downhill cycle trails at Llechwedd which are nearing completion. This exciting development is creating a huge amount of interest in the mountain biking world and is due to open later this year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Full details of the Blaenau 30 event can be found on Ffestiniog Railway's website <a href="http://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/specialevents/Blaenau_30.shtml" rel="nofollow" style="color: purple; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/specialevents/Blaenau_30.shtml</a></span></div>
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</div>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-76673762940173329682011-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:53:14.146-07:00Half Term Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaW3Q7QjQdYWGdKlLohs7iYFkBwWRCFX-J9VIKmlW2tY6jRPXuvIU566pIJ0573mu3YNwLLGMqPP8i2ScZ5Z1OhoxwerC-hFBtDXVjrdWuQ0qL8nxShaXu-fQgnh_taaGLFFSLheaVDGx/s1600/011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaW3Q7QjQdYWGdKlLohs7iYFkBwWRCFX-J9VIKmlW2tY6jRPXuvIU566pIJ0573mu3YNwLLGMqPP8i2ScZ5Z1OhoxwerC-hFBtDXVjrdWuQ0qL8nxShaXu-fQgnh_taaGLFFSLheaVDGx/s320/011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Local environmental artist Stacey Cohen joins Llechwedd Slate Caverns this half term to lead some fun childrens’ activities using slate. Stacey – who has worked everywhere including Australia and Uruguay and is a musician, naturalist and artist – has spent time at Llechwedd over the last couple of weeks and is looking forward to working with children here in Blaenau.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">With its operational quarry and world famous tours Llechwedd offers a unique experience for local children to experience a living part of their own heritage.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Acitivies will include:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"></div><ul><li><span lang="EN-GB"><span>-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Making slate mountain art using crushed up slate and paint to create a picture of the landscape</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB"><span>-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Painting a slate coaster with a unique design</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB"><span>-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Watching one of the quarrymen from Llechwedd splitting slate in the traditional manner</span></li>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Stacey will be at the Llechwedd Slate Caverns on Tuesday 25<sup>th</sup> and Wednesday 26<sup>th</sup> October between 10.00am and 5.00pm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The activities are free to anyone who has purchased a ticket for one of the tours or £2.00 on their own to cover the cost of the slate coasters.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-92226222878498704852011-08-17T00:53:00.000-07:002011-08-17T00:53:33.556-07:00Llechwedd - Prince ValiantAnother film that Llechwedd has been used as a set for is Prince Valiant, it was made in 1954. The underground lake at Llechwedd was the section of the caverns that featured in this film. It is a colour film and was made using Cinemascope, which is described in the trailer as a 'modern miracle'.<br />
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</div><div><b><u>Outline of the plot:</u></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Young Prince Valiant, son of the exiled King of Scandia, journeys to Camelot to become a knight at King Arthur's Round Table. He hopes to help his father reclaim his throne from the pagan usurper Sligon and restore the Christian faith to their homeland. On his journey he stumbles on the mysterious Black Knight plotting with the Viking pretender to overthrow Arthur. Barely escaping with his life, Valiant encounters Sir Gawaine, a friend of his father's who tutors the young Viking in the skills needed to be a knight. Valiant and Gawaine's pupil/mentor relationship is complicated by their romantic involvement with Princess Aleta and her sister Ilene, daughters of a British nobleman. If Valiant is to restore his father's throne and prevent the coup d'etat against Arthur, he must uncover the true identity of the Black Knight.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>The Trailer:</u></b></span></span><br />
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<b><u>Outline of the plot:</u></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A young boy and a bunch of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">before a diabolical tyrant can.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><b><u>The Trailer</u></b></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3T0kdRj-WRQ" width="500"></iframe>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-55986009549642824562011-08-14T03:44:00.000-07:002011-08-14T03:44:06.920-07:00Llechwedd - The KeepMany people are completely unaware that Llechwedd Slate Caverns has been used as a movie set for many films. One of these films is 'The Keep'. This film was released in 1983 and is marketed as an action, drama, and horror movie, it includes stars such as Ian Mckellen and Scott Glenn. <br />
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</div><div><u><b>Outline of the plot:</b></u></div><div>Nazis guard a citadel that harbours a dangerous force that starts wreaking havoc and death upon them, forcing an uneasy alliance with a Jewish professional who can stop it.<br />
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</div><div><u><b>The Trailer</b></u><br />
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</span></span></div>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-89224613154540333082011-04-24T11:50:00.000-07:002011-04-24T11:50:39.201-07:00Splitting Slate on the Ffestiniog Railway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rjk578bl9LkqbFgIVEi9S-0JHq292A_bbi9zJiIQwQrAX0FLg4lavV49yQhUo7FJXVtmlueQdAQkHaEJ8JenSZ-jgoI811nKQlnk9Z2XNodwPVWsRoiE9v1Y3tzZf956U8t5wI3NS3c_/s1600/P1050515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rjk578bl9LkqbFgIVEi9S-0JHq292A_bbi9zJiIQwQrAX0FLg4lavV49yQhUo7FJXVtmlueQdAQkHaEJ8JenSZ-jgoI811nKQlnk9Z2XNodwPVWsRoiE9v1Y3tzZf956U8t5wI3NS3c_/s320/P1050515.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Over the Easter weekend, there were Llechwedd representatives present on Blaenau Ffestiniog station showing off their skill at the traditional art of slate splitting.<br />
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Next time you look up at your Llechwedd made slate roof (if you're lucky enough to have one) remember that every individual slate, has been born from just chisel and hammer. I'm sure after watching the following video you will appreciate each roofing slate as more than just a rock but as a piece of art. Despite the difficulty of the process in 1862 the founder of Llechwedd John Greaves won a medal for a slate 10ft long 1ft wide and a minuscule 1/16 of an inch thick!<br />
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Take a look at the video below!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5241481380092227712.post-87824131880561574122011-04-23T03:47:00.000-07:002011-04-23T04:04:50.079-07:00Llechwedd Slate celebrates Welsh Highland Railway opening and Ffestiniog Railway's 175th anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3T4JOI_sV-8sCTUTQmACtWzeL9U0L7BWEu5tpcVVT4mJzfzLVL7NQagrFLWHtI5MYhqcv1D84S7pmOP53ZPoVkwt57T-bIhr6q2ZSxsQZOhtQyruuqILk7thOwRT90VkqVxxDzLSMr249/s1600/P1070534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3T4JOI_sV-8sCTUTQmACtWzeL9U0L7BWEu5tpcVVT4mJzfzLVL7NQagrFLWHtI5MYhqcv1D84S7pmOP53ZPoVkwt57T-bIhr6q2ZSxsQZOhtQyruuqILk7thOwRT90VkqVxxDzLSMr249/s320/P1070534.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
On Wednesday the 20th April 2011, it was the official opening of the merged Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog Railway. It was also the 175th anniversary of the Ffestiniog Railway. In those days the Railway was not burdened with ardent railway enthusiasts and thousands of tourists, but groaning with a heavy load of fresh slate excavated from mines like Llechwedd. The slate would storm down the mountainside propelled by gravity. Then once unloaded the empty wagons would be hauled back up to Blaenau Ffestiniog by horses.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHDDTogHHwyprMeOUIz56gnnMuJSATIWSJChN1fUkuF-gz5sUJLmhwRbabC3Q_2g6WUB1GokE4VfQJWGL63nm2b4vfQzxwywF59iKAWP3EL7zMlbJIA4dcn22OjTjpnQYxNF0Gp_fX-7g/s1600/P1070536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHDDTogHHwyprMeOUIz56gnnMuJSATIWSJChN1fUkuF-gz5sUJLmhwRbabC3Q_2g6WUB1GokE4VfQJWGL63nm2b4vfQzxwywF59iKAWP3EL7zMlbJIA4dcn22OjTjpnQYxNF0Gp_fX-7g/s320/P1070536.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Considering this history it seems only fitting that the industry that gave birth to the railway stands by it on its special day. Llechwedd Slate Caverns provided the slate that was created to celebrate this anniversary. Pete Waterman was the man who had the honour of unveiling this slate.<br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="500" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hI2VZQJagIw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16858390766302253920noreply@blogger.com0