Divers from the Swansea Valley are putting their best fins forward to raise money in memory of the victims of the Gleision Mine disaster.
Members of Cwmtawe branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club were so moved by the tragedy that they decided to try and support the local community by holding a sponsored walk and dive.
Three members of the club have signed up to take part in the event next Spring but they need more volunteers to join them.
They will walk a mile and a half up to Llyn Cwm Llwch in the Breacon Beacons, a small lake just below the summit of Pen y Fan, before diving into the six-metre deep waters.
Four men were killed at Gleision Colliery in Cilybebyll, Pontardawe. David Powell, Charles Breslin, Philip Hill and Garry Jenkins died after the mine was engulfed by water on September 15.
One of the organisers of the fund-raising event is Mark Rayner, from Ammanford, who said all money raised will go to projects affiliated to the mining tragedy.
He added: “It’s very local to us, the mine is next door to the kennels where I take the dogs when I go away.
“We want to raise as much money as possible. The charity is ongoing and it’ll go towards the cave and mining rescue.”
Mark, a mechanic who builds rally cars said organisers originally thought just members of the dive club would take part in the sponsored event but they’ve decided to look for other volunteers.
He said: “We’re going to approach local rugby clubs and maybe we’ll do it as a race or a relay and get trained divers to do the dive.
“If we could get 12 divers and six lots of kit we could go in two dives – six at a time. We’re trying to encourage people to come into the club and train to do the dive.”
Mark said it won’t be easy getting the diving kit to the reservoir, which is over a mile away from their planned meeting point.
“You’ve got your exposure suit, there’ll be a buoyancy jacket, masks, fins, cylinders, lead weights and breathing regulators,” he said.
“It’ll be about a mile and a half walk up to the lake which is just below Pen Y Fan. You can see the lake from the mountain’s summit. The lake is about six metres deep. There won’t be much to see – just some newts apparently.”
The event was originally planned for November but the weather has made them reconsider and it’ll go ahead next Spring.
More than 20 regulars train with the Cwmtawe Club every week, the branch was formed in 1973 and has trained hundreds of divers.
Mary Tetley, the Chief Executive of the British Sub-Aqua Club, said: “This tragedy has obviously hit hard in the area where so many people have their own close links to the mining industry.
“Our hearts really go out to the families affected and it’s good that the Cwmtawe branch is helping to raise money for this important fund.”
Anybody interested in taking part should send an email to: [email protected]
