'It was heartbreaking. Things were breaking down. The pressures we were under were immense'

FROM his home overlooking the beach in Aberavon, Graham “Wasp” Rowland speaks with unwavering clarity about the Port Talbot steelworks, the decisions made decades ago which began its decline and the final inevitability of its closure.

- LOIS MCCARTHY

A third-generation steelworker, Graham dedicated more than 45 years to the site which shaped not just his career, but his identity. Despite the dangers, the relentless pressure, and the slow erosion of the British steel industry, pride radiates from him like heat off molten metal.

Covering his arm is a detailed tattoo of the steelworks, etched into his skin 13 years ago.

"I had it because it is a part of me," he says. "It will always be with me, no matter how much time passes."

Graham is one of many former steelworkers who see the Port Talbot works not just as a job, but as a legacy. A way of life. Even as Britain's steel industry contracted, shuttered, and fractured, that pride never wavered.

"It was dangerous, it was pressured," he admits. "But we were proud to be a part of it."

For more than a century, Port Talbot's steelworks has been the beating heart of the town. Graham is part of that legacy, having followed in the footsteps of his father, Ron, and his grandfather, both steelmen.

He joined the plant in 1979, becoming one of the many thousands of people who once worked at the site.

The towering blast furnaces have been a constant in the town's skyline for decades, instantly recognisable to anyone passing by on the M4. For many, the plant wasn't just a job but a family tradition, a livelihood, and a cornerstone of Port Talbot's identity.

In those early years, the plant was vast, vibrant, and constantly expanding. At its peak, 13 open hearth furnaces roared with life, and the sounds of steelmaking echoed throughout the town. Although the number of furnaces gradually declined, the site continued to operate as a bustling industrial powerhouse. The workforce reached its height in 1979 with 18,000 employees.