This film is part of Free

Clatter Village

A harsh choice for a small village: embrace holiday homes and dormitory life or wither away to nothing.

Magazine and Review show 1984 9 mins

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Overview

In 1984 the village of Clatter in mid Wales had lost its railway station (the infamous Dr Beeching saw to that in the 1960s ), the village shop had closed and the local school was on its way out. How could this ever be considered progress? The local Liberal MP Alex Carlile turns reporter for this film made for the ITV current affairs programme Central Lobby. Was it possible to stem the decline of this once bustling farming community?

Local councillor Frank Thomas looks back at the days when small farms ruled the valley and former railway worker Emrys Wilson remembers the trains that ran through the harsh winter of 1947. Dr Gail Wallbank, the local GP, provides hope for the future.

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