John On The Rhondda

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From the Valley that fuelled the world with its coal, and a community with a thirst for fair play and fair shares – John Geraint Roberts brings us places, people and ideas that lit up a famous past and can help shape a better future.

John Geraint Roberts


    • Jan 25, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 10m AVG DURATION
    • 101 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from John On The Rhondda

    Tonypandy Ton Up

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2023 19:00


    It's finally arrived - the 100th episode! But John Geraint Roberts' plans for it have been disrupted by a disturbing dream...

    Centenary Quiz - part three

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2023 14:13


    With the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' coming up next time, the final round of our quiz is all about Rhondda values, and why John Geraint Roberts believes we should continue to cherish them.

    Centenary Quiz - part two

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2023 18:30


    With the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' fast approaching, round two of the quiz tests your knowledge of Rhondda music - and gives you the chance to listen again some of the Valley's greatest hits.

    Centenary Quiz - part one

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2023 14:29


    With the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' fast approaching, John Geraint Roberts presents highlights of the back-catalogue, and tests your knowledge of Rhondda schools and cinemas, in the first round of a three-part quiz.

    Dad

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2022 10:24


    John Geraint is the son of a preacher man. Here's the story of his late father, David James Roberts: fisherman, teacher, lifelong teetotaller and Baptist deacon with enormous reserves of patience - and a wicked sense of humour!

    Dad Dancing

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 10:44


    An unforgettable night out in Treorchy... in aid of the Rhian Griffiths Forget Me Not Fund, a charitable cause that's well worth supporting.

    Valleys Kids

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2022 10:15


    One Rhondda charity has inspired and supported young people for forty years - but it had never seen anything like the pandemic before. It rose to the challenge magnificently.

    Christmas Present

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 15:44


    If you're anything like John Geraint, the frantic search for gifts has only just begun, if it's begun at all. But don't panic, this Christmas he's here to help, with a wonderful suggestion for you...

    Buried Treasure

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 10:02


    The most fantastic discovery ever made within reach of the Rhondda - and it all came about because John Geraint Roberts' grandfather needed a glass of drinking water.

    The Choir

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2022 10:03


    'Choral bull-fights', betting, missile throwing, assaults on adjudicators... You can't beat a good Welsh male voice choir. Even if you've beaten them. John Geraint Roberts delves into the backstory of Rhondda's fiercest musical rivalry.

    World Cup Heroes

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 9:45


    Only two managers have ever taken Wales to soccer's World Cup Finals. And they were both born in the same Valley. A coincidence? John Geraint Roberts doesn't think so!

    Ponty

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 10:26


    What's in a name? In Pontypridd, it seems, quite a lot. That's not the reason, though, that John Geraint Roberts is heading there this week.

    ponty
    Fair Play

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2022 10:45


    It's the biggest female sports initiative in Wales. It's having a huge impact. And it all happens right here in the Rhondda, where it began...

    Belonging

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 10:25


    'Where do you come from?' It's something Rhondda people often ask. It's not until we go away from home, or meet people from elsewhere, that we begin to realise that not everyone approaches the question in the same way.

    Gateway To The Stars

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2022 10:44


    Did you know that there's a place on Mars named after a town in the Rhondda? There is. Honest, now! And it's quite some town...

    A Peculiar Sort Of Hiraeth

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 9:37


    A Saturday afternoon stroll through Penygraig, where the past hangs heavy in the air... but the future beckons too.

    The Rhondda Star From Sunderland

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2022 10:15


    A new book about one of the heroes of 'the Mid' - the Mid-Rhondda Athletic Ground - 'Jimmy Seed: Rhondda's Adopted Son' by Phil Rowlands, makes us think about second chances, outsiders... and our aspirations for the place we live in.

    A Journey Around My Readers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2022 9:47


    A big thank you to those who've read and responded to 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' by John Geraint published by Cambria Books

    Rhondda and Royalty

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2022 9:37


    Street parties and royal visits, celebrations and now mourning. Rhondda's relationship with royalty in the light of events of recent days. Some respectful thoughts from a republican, John Geraint Roberts.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part ten

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2022 12:06


    John Geraint reads the tenth and last extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. The whole novel is available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part nine

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 13:07


    John Geraint reads the ninth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part eight

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2022 9:53


    John Geraint reads the eighth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part seven

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2022 13:18


    John Geraint reads the seventh extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part six

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2022 11:50


    John Geraint reads the sixth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part five

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 11:24


    John Geraint reads the fifth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part four

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2022 15:06


    John Geraint reads the fourth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part three

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 13:29


    John Geraint reads the third part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part two

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2022 13:36


    John Geraint reads the second part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part one

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2022 12:58


    John Geraint reads the first part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

    My Rhondda Novel - part two

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2022 15:56


    Writing a book is a challenge - even if it's about the Rhondda! John Geraint reflects on some of the demons he wrestled with in creating 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'.

    My Rhondda Novel

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 11:25


    It wasn't just a dream! John Geraint really has written a book - 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. And it'll be published by Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) at the beginning of July 2022. Here's John talking about what his 'love letter to the Rhondda' aims to celebrate.

    He Writes Like A Dream...

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 9:15


    There's a rumour around the valley that a new novel about the Rhondda will be out soon. It's all about someone who sounds very like John Geraint Roberts. It's causing him a bit of anxiety. No wonder he's been talking to himself again!

    Treorchy - Higher and Higher

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2022 10:29


    A new video celebrating the continuing successes of Treorchy's fabulous High Street brings back memories for John Geraint Roberts of childhood bus rides to the town - and prompts him to commend those who've led Treorchy to new heights as an inspiration which the whole Rhondda could take to heart.

    Rhondda Fach

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2022 11:13


    'The Other Valley' - from Maerdy down to Porth: so much rich history, and a little bit of friendly rivalry with the Rhondda Fawr! Join John Geraint Roberts on a jaunt through the villages of the Fach, ending up at the wonderful Workers Gallery in Ynyshir.

    The Record Shop

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2022 14:52


    Do you remember the very first LP you bought? And where you bought it? John Geraint Roberts owes his musical education to a very special retail outlet in a very special place: Tonypandy Square.

    Cambrian Voices

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2022 9:16


    Fifty-seven years ago, thirty-one Rhondda men died in an underground explosion in the Cambrian Colliery, Clydach Vale. As the anniversary of the Disaster approaches, John Geraint Roberts honours those who died, and those who worked there and survived the Disaster, by sharing some of their memories of what the pit was like as a workplace: the tough times and backbreaking work, the camaraderie too, the jokes and the pranks.

    Libraries Gave Us Power...

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2022 11:17


    … but it was Rhondda people themselves who powered up those libraries. In the 1930s, an astonishing 40,000 books were in circulation in mid-Rhondda alone. Across both valleys, twenty-one Miners' Libraries, established and paid for by the workers themselves, fed Rhondda's voracious appetite for reading. Because learning was the path to a better future…

    Dim Problem

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2022 7:38


    If you've spent some time in Wales, you probably speak a bit of Welsh, even if you don't speak Welsh, if you see what John Geraint Roberts means. And if you've spent any time at all in the Rhondda, you've almost certainly got a lot more Welsh than you realise...

    Porth County Teachers and Pupils

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 10:16


    Some stars of schooldays sat at desks; some stood in front of the blackboard. A school magazine from the 1960s takes John Geraint Roberts much further back in time, to days when classroom conditions were scarcely tolerable. And prompts him top reveal the secret that every teacher knows...

    Rhondda Weddings

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 9:30


    If you were the marrying kind, where did you tie the knot? Church, chapel or registry office? For better or worse, John Geraint Roberts recalls some memorable matrimonial occasions from his past, even though he never had a Rhondda Wedding himself.

    Shop At The Kwop?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2022 10:53


    The Co-operative Stores. What do you call them? 'The Coe-Op'? Or the 'Kwop'? Or the 'Kop' even. John Geraint Roberts' family were stalwart members of the Penygraig Industrial Co-operative Society, and they knew what to call it - and what kind of service they expected when they shopped there. After all, the shop belonged to them (and to all the 6,000 other members).

    The Power House

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2022 9:59


    This Grade II listed building provided the power which drove the fans and pumps that kept the Glamorgan Collieries in Llwynypia functioning. It was at the centre of one of the most momentous episodes in our history - the Cambrian Combine Dispute which led to the Tonypandy Riots in 1910. Now it's up for auction. John Geraint Roberts believes it's a place that can play a part in our future too - but it needs saving and restoring in order to do that.

    Llwynypia Hospital

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 10:36


    The birthplace of thousands of Rhondda children, the hospital at Llwynypia was originally a workhouse. Its history spans the decades before and after the birth of the NHS. John Geraint Roberts is proud to have entered this world there - and his Mam was very relieved: he was nearly born on a geriatric ward!

    'Mid-Rhondda': Back On Track

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 10:12


    A David-against-Goliath victory for a Rhondda campaign seeking to safeguard a much-loved green space for community use... it may seem a small thing in the grand scheme of global affairs, but in dark and desperate days, it's an inspiration, says John Geraint Roberts.

    Rhondda Billionaires

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 9:50


    Money... and how it's earned. It's a strange thing. Fortunes were accumulated from Rhondda coal - but not by those who dug it out. John Geraint Roberts weighs up the idea of a 'self-made billionaire' - and finds it lacks all substance, certainly when compared with the tonnage shifted by his grandfather and his butties.

    Miner's Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2022 10:37


    B. L. Coombes's classic 'Miner's Day' has been re-issued by Parthian Books in a beautiful new format, edited by Peter Wakelin, illustrated by many more of Isabel Alexander's drawings and paintings of 1940s Rhondda. To John Geraint Roberts, it's a treasure.

    The Ystrad Crocodile's Tale

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2022 9:18


    Bizarre, absurd, joyful... Rhondda life has always sparkled with oddball characters and crazy happenings. One news story that recently came to light is pretty hard to swallow - but it's perfectly true! John Geraint Roberts has been talking about it. Talking to himself, naturally...

    The Year Of The Valleys

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2022 10:18


    2024. Fifty years on from the original 'Year Of The Valleys', it's high time we had another celebration of Valleys life - and a chance to plan a brighter future for this wonderful part of the world.

    Black Tips and Pyramids

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2022 10:26


    Flying high in the Swiss Alps. The fun and games of a Rhondda childhood. There's a connection between the two - in John Geraint's mind anyway. And it leads him to consider how those who live beneath mountains despoiled by coal waste deserve better. It's shameful for them to be left worrying daily about whether they and their loved ones are in mortal danger. Coal made Britain rich. For the Valleys that produced it, it's payback time!

    Rhondda Resolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2022 8:20


    Do you have a dream? The New Year is the perfect time to resolve to make that dream a reality! That's what John Geraint Roberts is determined to do, with... The Year Of The Valleys 2024.

    Quiz Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2021 17:01


    Yes, it's that time of year when we all love to puzzle over some fiendishly difficult questions, testing our memories about the events of the last twelvemonth. Have you been paying attention... to John Geraint Roberts?

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