Award for Aberfan radio programme 

A programme presented by Baptist minister and broadcaster Roy Jenkins about the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster has won a Sandford St Martin award

 
All Things Considered – Aberfan 50 Year Anniversary saw Roy examine how the disaster affected the lives and faith of the people in the small mining community of Aberfan. It was made by the BBC Wales, Religious Programmes Team.

On Wednesday night (7 June) it won the radio category in the 2017 Sandford St Martin Awards, which celebrate excellence in religious programmes.

On the morning of 21 October 1966, in the small mining village of Aberfan, an avalanche of colliery waste slipped down the mountainside, swept through houses, and overwhelmed Pantglas Junior School. It killed 144 people, 116 of them children.
 
The programme reflected on what the event did to the faith of people caught up in it. Some who found their beliefs shaken to the roots became atheists. For others, faith became more firmly rooted and it’s shaped their lives ever since.
 
Journalist and editor Nicola Meyrick, a member of the radio jury, said, 'In the midst of so much coverage of the fiftieth anniversary, this beautifully-constructed, moving programme was all the more powerful for its thoughtful, quiet approach.'

At the time of writing, the programme was still available on the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07zdlgn
 
Elsewhere, Actress Sally Phillips’ moving BBC Two documentary about Down’s Syndrome, A World Without Down’s Syndrome? won not only the award for best TV but also beat an eclectic list of nominations to snap up the Radio Times Readers' Award, voted for by readers of the magazine.
 
The only non-BBC winner on the night was in the Children’s category, where CCTV Limited’s documentary for TrueTube.co.uk Refugee took the honours. 
 
Chair of the Children’s jury, David Almond said, 'Amongst all the delights on offer within the shortlist, the judges felt that one entry - a drama - stood out for its insightful storytelling.

'It showed a family escaping from a war zone, becoming refugees. Along with an ambitious, action-packed script and clever use of flashbacks, it really does show how it would be if it happened to us and not to a ‘stranger’, not to another from another place. It brings the world into our own home.'

For more on this year's winners, visit: http://sandfordawards.org.uk/2017-award-winners/