Boom listener Don Medway messaged us from Llanbedr, Gwynedd. His mother hailed from Merthyr Vale in South Wales and several of her childhood friends were parents of children who died on the morning of 21st October 1966 at Pantglas junior school.

144 people lost their lives when shortly after 9am on that final day before half term, a mass of colliery waste moved down the hillside into the village engulfing the school a farmhouse and several other houses.

Almost 2,000 people rushed to help with the rescue. Miners dug with their shovels alongside desperate parents digging with their bare hands. After 11.00 no-one was brought out alive.

The disaster hit the headlines locally, nationally and around the world. The name of the small village instantly becoming known. The press headlining stories of human bravery, alongside accounts of unimaginable suffering as the shock and sorrow began to fuse with anger.

Whilst that small village may have been miles away from many of us hearing the news - that morning all our hearts were in Aberfan. Every parent hugged their child close.

You’ll remember exactly where you were when you heard the news, and the atmosphere in the days that followed. The quiet conversations as your own community responded.

Boom listener Cecile from Bolton was 15 and told us she remembers coming home to find her mum crying and Cliff Michelmore weeping openly as he reported.

Terri from New Tredegar was 10yrs old and living in the next valley over from Aberfan. Her older and younger brothers working for a heavy duty haulage company and work tirelessly on clearing away the slurry. As a coal miner’s daughter, Elizabeth in Barnsley, says the day is seared in my memory, especially seeing the blackened faces of those miners who had just come off shift and started digging straight away.

Our own David Hamilton still has in his scrapbook the press cutting for the event in Manchester he compered in his ABC TV days to raise money for the disaster fund. 

Today, the site of Pantglas Junior School is a peaceful memorial garden - a place of remembrance for those who lost their lives, their families and the community of Aberfan. On the 60th anniversary, we'll be sure to set aside time to remember them within our programmes and all those who helped.

Events around the UK to mark the anniversary

Merthyr Tydfil Aberfan 60 – The Days After A major new exhibition featuring a remarkable collection of photographs documenting the resilience and recovery of the Aberfan community in the months following the tragedy. Runs until 1 November 2026.

Notts - Remembering Aberfan 60 years on - Saturday 24th October. St.Paul's Church, Daybrook. Bestwood Male Voice Choir, Eastwood Collieries MVC, Pye Hill & District MVC and Hucknall and Linby Mining Community Brass Band.

The memorial garden to the victims of the Aberfan disaster that was built on the site of Pantglass Junior School