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The people of Wales have their say on what makes our country unique

Is there any difference between a South, Mid, North or West Walian? And what are the most important aspects of heritage and identity to people living in Wales today?

Today (24 November 2006), on Wales Identity Day 2006, the Heritage Lottery Fund is answering these questions with the unveiling of a mural to depict the collective heritage of our country. Called ‘Our Wales, Our Heritage’, the mural is inspired by the thoughts of people across Wales on what makes their community and local heritage unique.

HLF held events at Wrexham, Aberystwyth, Neath, Ebbw Vale and Newport to find out what it means to come from a particular region of Wales. At the end of the tour it appeared that there was a common bond between all the areas, and HLF worked with social historian Catrin Stevens to decipher the results.

Catrin says: “If there’s one thing that came across strongly it was that people the length and breadth of Wales share a strong passion for their heritage, their roots and national identity and they want to share this passion with other people. Whilst we were interested in finding out what makes each region unique, we were also searching for those common bonds across the country.”

The results of the survey revealed the very clear identities in the four regions based on their local heritage:

- People from South East Wales thought their landscape and local heroes stood them apart from the rest of Wales, choosing a miners lamp and rugby ball as symbols of their heritage that should be preserved for the future. They thought the increase in diverse cultures had improved their area for the better over the last 10 years and would choose Aneurin Bevan as an ambassador. The Transporter Bridge and Millennium Stadium were the most popular heritage icons.

- People in Mid Wales also placed landscape as the most important element of their heritage but thought the Welsh language was the key to making their region unique. They chose Welsh lamb and the Welsh language as symbols of their heritage and thought better housing and less unemployment were the two things that have improved most over the last decade. Owain Glyndwr would be their ideal ambassador for the area and the National Library of Aberystwyth and metal mining were the most significant heritage icons.

- People in West Wales highlighted landscape and mining as the two most important elements of their heritage, choosing a piece of coal and rugby ball as objects to symbolize their heritage. They thought green areas were better maintained than 10 years ago and would choose Bryn Terfel as an ambassador for the area. The most iconic landmarks in their area are the Aberdulais Falls and Margam Park.

- People in North Wales agreed with West Wales in identifying landscape and mining as the most important elements of their heritage , andpicked a miner’s lamp and a beer barrel as objects that should be preserved for the future. They agreed that green areas were better maintained but also thought that the significant increase in diverse cultures had changed their area for the better. People in North Wales would choose Aneurin Bevan and Bryn Terfel as ambassadors for the area and see the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Llangollen Bridge as their heritage icons.

Dan Clayton Jones, Chair of HLF Committee for Wales, says: “Wales Identity Day is an annual celebration of heritage and identity organised by the Heritage Lottery Fund. This year we wanted to encourage communities to think about the past on their doorstep and the importance of safeguarding it for future generations.

“It was fascinating to see how people from across Wales use their local heritage to differentiate themselves from the rest of the country, and also how certain aspects unite us as one nation. This year Wales Identity Day showed us that it is our local patch or ‘Milltir Sgwar’ which is the overriding bond that connects us as a nation, and our sense of identity is very local and personal.

Our aim is to get people talking about their heritage and we think the mural is an excellent starting block.”

The mural was unveiled at the Newport Indoor Market by Rosemary Butler AM and Bethan Elfyn, Radio 1 DJ. It was created by the Mobile Arts Project community artists with the help of a group of young people from SOLAS who provide Newport’s homeless and socially excluded with a range of services and accommodation.