Tonypandy Riots Centenary Launches Website - 12 May 2010

Tonypandy Riots Centenary Launches Website

Funded by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, www.tonypandy2010.com is a state-of-the-art site which not only includes pages of fascinating historical facts and images about the violent strike of 1910, but the way in which a community will remember it this year.

The Council and its community partners are planning a series of activities throughout the coming year to mark Tonypandy 2010 and the new website will allow visitors the opportunity to find out more about what is being planned.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Recreation Cllr Robert Bevan explained: "The Tonypandy Riots were a series of violent confrontations between coal miners and police that took place at various locations in and around the mines of the Cambrian Combine, a business network of mining companies formed to regulate prices and wages in south Wales.

"The most brutal took place in November 1910 when the rioting was concentrated on the Glamorganshire Colliery’s Powerhouse building and throughout the main Dunraven Street of the town itself.

"Although initially the miners were forced to return to work with little success in improving their wages, the Tonypandy Riots were undoubtedly instrumental in establishing the minimum wage in Great Britain two years later.

"By commemorating the centenary of the Riots this year, we are remembering not only a fascinating and emotional period in the history of the Rhondda, but the dramatic effect it had on the entire country."

The Tonypandy Riots were the culmination of an industrial dispute between workers and the mine owners who went on strike for a year in an effort to fight for a living wage. As the days grew into weeks, the long period of striking culminated in a bitter struggle to halt the operation at Llwynypia's iconic Powerhouse - a centre of activity that ensured work could continue in the nearby Glamorganshire Colliery.

In November 1910 strikers, impassioned by extended hand-to-hand fighting with the Glamorgan Constabulary smashed windows of mining officials' homes and many of the shops in the town. Today it is recognised as one of the most fierce encounters in the coal mining history of Wales.

Through the new website, visitors can find out more about the background, the events and the aftermath of the Tonypandy Riots.

A section is introduced by Tonypandy-born actor Glyn Houston and there are regular updates to the news items – including the more recent presentation of a Blue Plaque to the Powerhouse building itself in memory of the Riots.

There are also sections on the history of the town itself, including its cultural heritage, memories of famous sons and daughters and the industrialization of this part of Mid Rhondda.

A full-scale events section can be updated by groups and individuals and there is information for tourists as well as the many organizations who are taking part in the commemoration events.

To find out more about the history of the Riots, the impact it had on the Rhondda, Wales and indeed the world at large and how the centenary will be commemorated, visit www.tonypandy2010.com

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