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Aberystwyth

Claire McCollum is in Aberystwyth, home to the largest Lampedusa cross in the country, a symbol of hope forged in the wake of a tragedy which shook the world.

Claire McCollum hears the story of the largest Lampedusa cross in the UK, and how it has become a symbol of hope for thousands of asylum seekers. She meets the woman whose vision of a drop in centre for the homeless and the lonely has become a reality.

JB Gill is on the university campus talking to students about the role of faith in their lives and he pays a visit to the National Library to learn about the Welshman who wrote the much loved hymn Guide me o Thou Great Redeemer.

Music:
Here I Am to Worship – Aberystwyth Arts Centre
When I Needed a Neighbour – Christ Church, Port Sunlight
Jesu Lover of My Soul – Aberystwyth Arts Centre
The Church’s One Foundation – St. Asaph Cathedral
Beauty for Brokenness – St Elisabeth’s Church, Reddish
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer - Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Church
Praise Is Rising – Aberystwyth Arts Centre

34 minutes

Last on

Sun 24 Mar 2019 13:15

Stories

Lampedusa Cross 
Claire McCollum meets Father Paul Joseph at the Welsh Martyr’s Church to see the Lampedusa Cross which hangs there. The cross is made from the wreckage of a fishing boat which attempted to make the perilous journey from Libya to Italy, and sank off the coast of Lampedusa resulting in loss of 366 men, women and children. A local carpenter, Francesco Tuccio, collected the driftwood that washed up on the beach of Lampedusa and made them into crosses. The largest one in the UK is in in Aberystwyth, a symbol of perseverance in suffering through faith and hope. Claire meets a couple who has recently made a similar journey across the sea from Turkey to Greece and managed to survive, just!  Now residing in Wales awaiting asylum, Minaz shares her story of how she was forced to flee Iran in fear of her life after converting to Christianity, and the role of her faith in Jesus Christ which kept her strong throughout the journey. 

Student Faith 
Aberystwyth is famous for being a university town, with the establishment of the university college there in 1872. JB Gill goes to find out about a recent addition to campus life, the ‘Faith Space’. Meeting the needs for the multicultural and diverse student base at Aberystwyth, this dedicated space is for students to group worship, hold spiritual events and for solitary reflection. JB finds out from the students about the challenges of having a faith at university and exactly how this space help them. He then goes on to meet Edore, a mature student from Nigeria who knows himself how maintaining faith far away from home is not easy.  Edore also explains the interesting and surprising link between this small seaside town and Africa! 

The Well
Claire visits a drop in centre called ‘The Well’ to meet Lindy Morgan, a Christian motivated by her faith to address the needs of the lonely and homeless in the community. Having received funding last year from the Church in Wales, Lindy saw her vision come alive.  The Well has now become a life line for many people. Claire takes a seat round the table at their daily lunch service to hear some of the personal stories from those who work at, or depend on The Well and what it means to them.  

Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer / William Williams Pantycelyn 
Aberystwyth is famously home to the National Library of Wales, a repository of the greatest works of literature and art in the country’s history. JB Gill goes to the library to find out more about the Welshman who wrote the timeless classic Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer. He meets rare books librarian Tim Cutts, who shows him the first printed edition of the hymn as well as a handwritten book of Williams’ hymn scribblings. Also locked away in the vaults of the National Library is a unique piece of art. A painting of the hymn writer by the artist Ivor Davies, which was based on the classic and iconic portrait of William Williams hung in homes all around Wales.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Claire McCollum
Executive Producer Cat Lewis
Presenter JB Gill
Executive Producer Emyr Afan
Producer Jonathan Davies
Series Producer Matthew Napier

Broadcast