19/10/2026
🕯️ Remembering Aberfan — 60 Years On 🕯️
This week, Chepstow Taekwon-Do will be changing our logo as a mark of remembrance for the 144 lives lost at Aberfan 60 years ago.
I have to admit, this was something I had to think carefully about.
I asked myself whether changing our logo and marking Aberfan in this way was the right thing to do, particularly because many of the younger generation today may not know what happened, or may never have heard the story of Aberfan.
But ultimately, I believe it is the right thing to do.
On 21 October 1966, tragedy struck the small Welsh village of Aberfan. A catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip engulfed Pantglas Junior School and surrounding homes.
116 children and 28 adults lost their lives.
For many in Wales, Aberfan is more than a date in a history book. It is a tragedy woven into the fabric of the nation's history and collective memory.
It is something that has been remembered by parents and grandparents, spoken about in our communities, and passed from one generation to the next.
But memories can fade.
As time passes, fewer people who remember that day are with us to tell the story themselves.
That makes it even more important that we continue to remember and teach future generations about what happened at Aberfan.
The 144 people who lost their lives were not simply a number.
They were children, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends and members of a community. They had names, families, hopes and futures ahead of them.
So this week, we will take a small moment as a club to remember them.
This evening, our students, instructors and families will come together for a two-minute silence. We will stop what we are doing, put everything else aside, and simply pause.
To reflect.
To remember.
And to ensure that those lives are not forgotten.
Perhaps some of our younger students will ask why we have changed our logo. Perhaps they will ask what happened at Aberfan. And perhaps that conversation will help ensure that the story continues to be passed on.
Because remembering isn't about living in the past.
It's about making sure we never forget the people who were part of it.
🕯️ 60 years on. 144 lives remembered. 🕯️
Aberfan 1966–2026
We will remember them.
