A brimming biscuit tin and a warm welcome – this is how an Englishman found his home in Wales | Will Hayward

I’d moved around many places but never found the place that spoke to my heart. In Wales, I felt I’d met a friend

In our end of year series, writers and public figures remember the place or time when they felt most at home

I remember pushing open the wooden doors of Dyffryn chapel feeling a little apprehensive. I had driven up to the village of Caerau as a trainee journalist to conduct some interviews for a feature on the Llynfi valley. Maesteg and the nearby villages had received some negative publicity because of high rates of poverty and reported antisocial behaviour.

“Be careful, it’s really rough up there,” responded several people (not from the area). While I tried not to judge, I won’t pretend I wasn’t nervous. My accent is English, though since arriving in Wales it is more often described as “posh”. Was I about to get eaten alive in these former pit villages?

Will Hayward is a Guardian columnist. He publishes a regular newsletter on Welsh politics and is the author of Independent Nation: Should Wales Leave the UK?

Topics

Suspected Chinese underwater spy drone found by fishermen

Officials said the drone was not armed, but the police report listed "potential national security implications" as one significance of its recovery.
CBS News - 2h
How an FBI Sting Stopped a Russian Smuggler but Not His Hong Kong Supply Route

The case showed how difficult it is to stanch the flow of equipment to Russia through China, which the U.S. accuses of helping Moscow sustain the military production it needs to continue the war.
The Wall Street Journal - 4h
WATCH: Las Vegas welcomes 2025

Watch the spectacular fireworks display in Las Vegas!
ABC News - 1d
A European region has no heating after Russian gas stops flowing via Ukraine. An energy supplier told families to gather in one room to stay warm.

Yahoo News - 6h
We don't really know how many homes we're building

Even holiday caravans have been known to skew England’s housebuilding data
Financial Times - 10h
Taiwan president welcomes exchanges with China as Xi says no one can stop 'reunification'

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said he welcomed exchanges with China, but wondered whether there was goodwill from Beijing given what he said was their blocking of simple things like tourism.
NBC News - 1d
Ambulance pressures remain as critical incident in Wales ends

Bosses urge people to be mindful of calling 999 unnecessarily amid "significant pressures".
BBC News - 1d
How Jimmy Carter remained 'Mr. Jimmy' to the people of his hometown

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Ernie Suggs talks about the life and work of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100.
ABC News - 1d
Watch: London welcomes 2025 with fireworks display and Paddington Bear

Onlookers line the Embankment in central London for a fireworks spectacular.
BBC News - 1d
Georgia judge is found dead in courtroom on his final day on the bench

A judge was found dead in a Georgia courtroom on what was to have been his last day on the job, authorities said Tuesday.
NBC News - 1d

More from The Guardian

Authorities believe ‘multiple people are involved’ in New Orleans truck attack that killed 15 – latest updates

House fire in New Orleans home also believed to be ‘connected to this event’, says Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill. New Orleans truck attack that killed 15 being investigated as ‘act of ...
The Guardian - 25m
Driver of Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas blast identified as US army veteran

Man who died in explosion that injured seven outside Trump hotel served over 19 years in military. The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that caught fire and exploded in Las Vegas outside one of the ...
The Guardian - 35m
South Korea plane crash: police raid Muan airport and Jeju Air office

Pressure builds on authorities to establish cause of crash which killed 179 people. Police in South Korea have raided Muan international airport, the scene of Sunday’s plane crash , in which 179 ...
The Guardian - 5h
Middle East crisis live: at least 37 killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza including in al-Mawasi ‘safe zone’

Airstrike hit tent encampment sheltering displaced families and also killed director-general of Gaza’s police department. Lebanon ’s National News Agency reports that Israeli forces fired two ...
The Guardian - 35m
Removal of waste from site of 1984 Bhopal disaster dismissed as ‘farce’

Indian government accused of PR stunt after moving 337 tonnes of toxic waste that had been held in containers. Forty years after one of world’s deadliest industrial disasters struck the Indian city ...
The Guardian - 1h

More in World

Drunken officer freed suspects to celebrate New Year, Zambian police say

Yahoo News - 17m
Rangers v Celtic: Scottish Premiership – live

Scottish Premiership updates from the 3pm GMT kick-off Live scores | Latest table | And mail Michael any thoughts Peeeeeeeeeep! We’re underway in Glasgow.. There is a minute’s silence ...
The Guardian - 17m
What to Know About ISIS Terror Attacks

The group whose flag was found after a New Orleans truck-ramming attack has never stopped orchestrating and inspiring acts of terror.
The New York Times - 19m
Authorities believe ‘multiple people are involved’ in New Orleans truck attack that killed 15 – latest updates

House fire in New Orleans home also believed to be ‘connected to this event’, says Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill. New Orleans truck attack that killed 15 being investigated as ‘act of ...
The Guardian - 25m
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: ‘I couldn’t understand why Tom Ford wanted me to play a serial-killer rapist’

The actor answers your questions on his exercise regime, what he thinks of the AI John Lennon and which roles have changed him. How do you keep yourself so springy? I’d love to know more about ...
The Guardian - 26m

}