# Welsh valleys discover their stories through song

> A folk music project is turning local heritage into original compositions, reconnecting communities with their past.
- Title: Welsh valleys discover their stories through song | Shortify
- Summary: A folk music project is turning local heritage into original compositions, reconnecting communities with their past. Community songwriting projects can…
- Keywords: wales, port talbot, rhondda cynon taf, folk music, trac cymru, community songwriting, cultural heritage, local history, primary schools, cân y cymoedd, news, world
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/17/songwriting-project-inspires-port-talbot-heritage-folk
- Published: 2026-09-17T13:46:11+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: wales, port talbot, rhondda cynon taf, folk music, trac cymru, community songwriting, cultural heritage, local history, primary schools, cân y cymoedd, news, world
## Welsh valleys rediscover their roots
Cân y Cymoedd, a project by Wales's national folk arts organisation Trac Cymru, is turning local stories into original songs across Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf.
## One girl's story becomes a song
Participant Liz Puleston-Jones discovered Isabel Thomas, a 14-year-old who lied about her age in the 1940s to work in a tin plate factory and support her family. Her story inspired a new composition.

> Her story really spoke to me.
## Musicians and historians uncover local tales
Community workshops brought together musicians, historians and volunteers to explore heritage sites and museums, creating two dozen new songs about life in the valleys.
## Songwriting replaces doomscrolling
Puleston-Jones said the project drew her away from passive screen time toward creative pursuits like violin playing. Participants report rekindled cultural pride and a sense of belonging.

> Now instead of watching rubbish TV or doomscrolling I'm being drawn to songwriting and playing my violin.
## Primary school children learn their village's song
Year 6 students at Llwyncelyn primary school in Porth learned a composition about their village created by the previous year's class, then recorded a music video at Rhondda Heritage Park, a former colliery.
## Song references mountains, mines and chapels
Ein Cân Fach Ni (Our Little Song) weaves together the Rhondda valley's industrial past and natural landscape with modern elements like the recycling centre and playground.
## Album will preserve songs for future generations
The original compositions are being professionally recorded for an album that Trac Cymru hopes will reach wider audiences and serve as a resource for future generations.

> If you've got a story, you can write a song, and we help you do this.
## Key takeaway

Community songwriting projects can revive cultural pride and give people a creative alternative to passive consumption.