For Guest, Curious: I came across this BBC News Report of 2001, describing the vandalism taking place on the memorial site, with residents calling for CCTV cameras to monitor it. This may well be what the comment "restoring it to its former glory" is referring to.

Like you, Gervase, the Aberfan disaster is a landmark event in my memory, too. We had a power cut at home, and I remember sitting in candlelight listening to reports of the rescue on the radio, and the shock of thinking of all those children so suddenly engulfed, children only a few years younger than I was. My cousin was working for the police in Merthyr at the time, and was involved in the digging out operations.

Certainly there needs to be a lasting and purposeful memorial for those lost lives. The memorial is, I understand, on the site of the school that was engulfed. If building *has* to go on around it, then surely the profits made from the housebuilding can be used to keep that area set apart for children and young people: a restored playground AND a staffed drop-in centre for the youngsters who had been vandalising the site.

For anyone who wants to find out more about what happened on 21st October 1966, here is information and archive material Aberfan Disaster

Once again, Folkien, thanks again for drawing attention to this petition.

- jeanie