The birthplace of thousands of Rhondda children, the hospital at Llwynypia was originally a workhouse. Its history spans the decades before and after the birth of the NHS. John Geraint Roberts is proud to have entered this world there - and his Mam was very relieved: he was nearly born on a geriatric ward!

A David-against-Goliath victory for a Rhondda campaign seeking to safeguard a much-loved green space for community use... it may seem a small thing in the grand scheme of global affairs, but in dark and desperate days, it's an inspiration, says John Geraint Roberts.

Money... and how it's earned. It's a strange thing. Fortunes were accumulated from Rhondda coal - but not by those who dug it out. John Geraint Roberts weighs up the idea of a 'self-made billionaire' - and finds it lacks all substance, certainly when compared with the tonnage shifted by his grandfather and his butties.  

B. L. Coombes' classic 'Miner's Day' has been re-issued by Parthian Books in a beautiful new format, edited by Peter Wakelin, illustrated by many more of Isabel Alexander's drawings and paintings of 1940s Rhondda. To John Geraint Roberts, it's a treasure.

Bizarre, absurd, joyful... Rhondda life has always sparkled with oddball characters and crazy happenings. One news story that recently came to light is pretty hard to swallow - but it's perfectly true! John Geraint Roberts has been talking about it. Talking to himself, naturally...

2024. Fifty years on from the original 'Year Of The Valleys', it's high time we had another celebration of Valleys life - and a chance to plan a brighter future for this wonderful part of the world.

Flying high in the Swiss Alps. The fun and games of a Rhondda childhood. There's a connection between the two - in John Geraint's mind anyway. And it leads him to consider how those who live beneath mountains despoiled by coal waste deserve better. It's shameful for them to be left worrying daily about whether they and their loved ones are in mortal danger. Coal made Britain rich. For the Valleys that produced it, it's payback time!

Do you have a dream? The New Year is the perfect time to resolve to make that dream a reality! That's what John Geraint Roberts is determined to do, with... The Year Of The Valleys 2024. 

Yes, it's that time of year when we all love to puzzle over some fiendishly difficult questions, testing our memories about the events of the last twelvemonth. Have you been paying attention... to John Geraint Roberts? 

Introducing two Rhondda hedgehogs who're quite well-known in John Geraint Roberts' family but are making their broadcast debuts in this special Christmas story, suitable for children aged 0-99.