Ysbryd y Môr – ‘Spirit of the Sea’ – is a housing community overlooking Aberavon Beach in Port Talbot. To mark its 20th anniversary, residents and staff worked with photographer Rhys Webber and Peter Jones to capture some of the people and stories that make it home.

Rhys photographed each person while talking with them about their lives, allowing their personalities to come through in the portraits. Alongside the photographs, people shared memories of childhood, family, work, friendship and the places and experiences that have shaped them.

From wartime memories and Coronation street parties to first jobs, beloved pets and chance encounters with famous faces, the stories capture both extraordinary moments and everyday life.

Together, the portraits and memories became Atgofion: Portraits of Belonging – a celebration of lives lived, stories shared and the connections that create a sense of home.

As Rosa May-Harris, Ysbryd y Môr’s manager, puts it:

“Belonging is built one conversation at a time.”

Click the portraits to meet the people behind the stories.