Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams has welcomed the latest step in holding a full inquest into the deaths of four men who tragically lost their lives in a colliery disaster in Cilybebyll in 2011.
Sioned Williams MS, representatives from Cilybebyll Community Council and Mavis Breslin (widow of Charles Breslin) and Lynette Powell (widow of David Powell).
Today, the process for formally agreeing the terms of the inquest was commenced and the Coroner is set to announce the date of the inquest following this process.
To mark the occasion, and as part of National Trust Cymru’s Blossom Watch Campaign to celebrate the arrival of spring, Sioned Williams today planted a cherry blossom in Rhos Park to commemorate those who tragically lost their lives in the Gleision Colliery Disaster.
Sioned Williams MS said:
“This morning, together with the National Trust, local community representatives, and some of the victims’ families, I planted a cherry tree in commemoration of Charles Breslin, David Powell, Philip Hill, and Garry Jenkins. The National Trust is working with Members of the Senedd to plant trees in locations of their choice in the regions they represent, and I thought it would be fitting to bring the community together to plant a tree next to the memorial dram in Rhos Park. The tree will serve as a reminder of the Disaster and of those who lost their lives.
“However, as important as it is that we commemorate the lives of the four men who were so tragically lost that day, what’s even more crucial is that that the victims’ families get answers.
“I have been backing the families’ call for a full inquest since being elected and have been urging the Coroner to respond to those calls. I was delighted when, last December, the campaign was successful and the Coroner ordered a full inquest be held.
“It has taken far too long amount of time to get to this point, but I am glad that the families will finally have the chance to get answers to the questions they have been asking for the past eleven years and more. While we can't bring back those who tragically lost their lives, I hope that this full inquest will provide some closure for the families.
“The families and the wider community deserve to know what happened and whether these deaths could have been prevented and they are now one step closer to those answers.”