These are the display panels created for the Community Showcase at Holy Trinity Church in Sandfields, Port Talbot, on 22nd May 2026, with Codi. Participants from Sandfields celebrated together, with speeches, a buffet, activities and ambient music. It was a wonderful day.

The Sandfields Crafters group has been meeting for around 5 years. Its members are local, with a shared memory and history of growing up on the vast, sprawling housing estate that is Sandfields. Coming together, they continue a long tradition of social crafting in South Wales, where women work with their hands as they chat, reminisce and support each other. With the support of local artist Alison Moger and Tanio, the group decided to create a banner celebrating their memories of Sandfields, through textile printing, embroidery, applique and hand written quotes from the makers.

‘Memories By The Sea’ reflects the way in which ‘the beach’ (Aberavon seafront) dominates many of those memories. From spending all day there in the summer, to Uncle Bryn’s entertaining, deckchairs, donkey rides, and jam sandwiches, all portray many a happy day for this community. They have included memories too of a workforce and industry that has long gone, but where many women learned skills and a trade in the lingerie and cigar factories. Sandfields was their workplace too, and back in the day provided plentiful employment for local residents. The mixture of fabrics and techniques invites slow contemplation, with close attention paid to the details of the old photos and newspaper articles.

‘Memories By The Sea’ captures something of the former prosperity of Sandfields when it was a thriving economic hub, with job and leisure opportunities lost with the decline of the steelworks. It is a story familiar to many post-industrial communities in Wales, and the loss of shared experience lurks behind the memories, with nothing more recent than the 1990s celebrated in the main body of the piece. Landmarks long gone like the now-dismantled cranes, the old boating lake and ferris wheel are featured prominently, alongside nostalgic seaside favourites like chips in a cone, hot tea, cheeky seagulls and pop and sandwiches. 

While the importance of the industrial heritage and past glories of Sandfields are placed front and centre, some of the modern elements of Aberavon beach form the border at the bottom of the piece, with revitalised nature, wild swimmers and dog walkers offering a suggestion of a hopeful future for residents and visitors. The pieces’ creation, by a group thriving creatively and building a new community of shared interests and experiences, likewise reminds us that there is pride and pleasure to be found in the beauty of Aberavon Beach – and with a cup of tea with friendsClick the thumbnails to view larger images.