Here is part one of our look back over the highs and lows of 2021, specifically taking a peak into some of the top stories from January to March.
January
The very first B&R front page of the year celebrated ‘Brecon’s best’, as two of the town’s most well known residents were named in the New Year’s Honours list.
Butch and Lorna Keylock, revived the British Empire Medal (BEM) for voluntary and charitable services, after dedicating the last two decades of their lives to raising money for Cancer Research Wales.
The couple have committed each rugby weekend for the past 40 years to selling raffle tickets in order to raise money for the Brecon and Sennybridge bench of the charity, raising an estimated half a million pounds during their lifetime.
January also marked some more negative news, as beauty spots in Powys were swamped with visitors - despite Wales at the time being at Alert Level 4. Dyfed-Powys Police called for people to stay at home, as the Brecon Beacons became inundated with visitors, including from across the border in England.
Also in January, the B&R celebrated as 86-yearold care home resident Mary Willis because one of the first in Wales to be given her Covid vaccination.
Crossfield House, in Rhayader, was the first home in Powys to receive the Oxford-AstroZeneca vaccine. After Mary was admitted to Crossfield following a fall, her son, Matthew, said “She’s almost back to her old self and we’re just so relived she’s been vaccinated.”
Towards the end of the month, a top police dog was honoured with a national award for finding a missing woman and her baby on his very first shift.
Two-year-old German Shepherd Max won the Hero category at the Daily Mirror Animal Hero Awards for his tracking skills, which led Dyfed-Powys police officers to finding the missing pair.
After 90 minutes of searching, Max led his handler PC Lloyd over to the edge of a steep ravine, where the woman was waving a calling for help. Mother and baby were cold and tired, but otherwise unharmed.
Also in January, local DJ Max Walker announced he was holding a 24-hour disco in a big to raise as much money as possible for a charity which supports homeless people.
Max, known as DJ Max Galactic, broadcast his live set from The Globe in Hay-on-Wye to raise money to buy Helping our Homeless Wales a new van.
Big news from around the UK in January included the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announcing on January 6 that GCSE and A-Level exams in England would be replaced by teacher assessments in the summer, and online retailer Boohoo acquiring the Debenhams brand and website for £55 million on January 25.
February
February began on a sombre note, as it was announced that the Royal Welsh Show would be cancelled for the second consecutive summer. Staff said it was with ‘deep regret’ that they had to cancel the show, but Covid restrictions meant that it was ‘impossible’ to hold large events over the summer.
However, a hugely successful and popular virtual event was held in July - and an excellent in-person Winter Fair returned at the end of November.
Also in February, a man from Llanwrytd Wells was sentenced to 10 months in prison for crashing a car he stole from his grandmother into a shop. Leejay Richards seriously injured his cousin in the crash in January 2020, causing between £300,000 and £400,000 worth of damage to the Premier store at Llanwrtyd Wells.
Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones told the House of Commons in February that some residents were facing a 50-mile trip to get a coronavirus vaccine.
Llangynidr school pupils got their groove on in February when they took part in free online Laughtercise sessions. The activities were all about getting primary school children moving, wiggling and giggling to enhance their wellbeing and mental health. Headteacher Sian Shepherdson said: “Laughtercise has provided a little bit of fun and happiness in our pupils’ week.
"It is something that had brought a smile to everyone’s faces since we have joined the sessions this term.”
Popular and much-loved Talgarth resident John Hugo Gwynn celebrate his 100th birthday in February. The B&R ran a full-page story on Mr Gwynne, who celebrated with a socially-distanced walk around town as he was clapped and cheered on by residents.
Mr Gwynn was born and bred in the town, before joining the RAF at 21 and serving his country for four years. Once back in Talgarth, he took over the family business and was head of Gwynne’s General Stores for more than 50 years.
A major clear-up also went underway in February, as heavy rain and flooding wreaked havoc in Powys. Only a year after the severe flooding caused by Storm Dennis, rivers burst their banks and caused flooding in areas including those around Brecon and Crickhowell.
Some of the biggest national stories in February included the sad death of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who had raised more than £32 million for NHS Charities Together, on February 2 after contracting Covid-19 and Pneumonia at the age of 100. The Met Office made headlines after it reported an overnight temperature of -22.9°C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on February 11 which is the coldest weather in the UK since 1995.
March
March began with Team Bear, from The Bear Hotel, raising over £1,500 for a local charity.
Some 15 members of staff from the Crickhowell team supported Brecon Mountain rescue by walking 1576 miles over a four-week period. Sam Jones, one of the hotel and bar managers, said: “We have a fantastic team here at The Bear and we are incredibly proud of what they have achieved.
“It was great to see them working together, enjoying themselves and keeping morale high 0 even when isolated from each other.”
Another fundraiser in March was 18-month old Alys from Brecon, who undertook a three-week challenge in order to raise positive awareness and celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.
Alys walked a lap of her garden everyday for 21 days, with her family’s support, in aid of Positive About Down Syndrome.”
Through her efforts, the determined toddler raised over £1,000 for the cause.
The B&R also spoke to ITV Wales producer Nicola Hendy this month, for a special feature on the television series A Year in the Beacons.
The documentary series chronicles life over the changing seasons and celebrates the breathtaking landscapes of the area and the people who call the Brecon Beacons home.
Nicola said: “In the series we see the energy and strength of the people who live and breathe the Beacons. The landscape is just so beautiful too.”
A Year in the Beacons follow three groups, whose lives are inherently linked to the Brecon Bracing and the landscape.
The groups followed by the show were Harry Legge-Bourke and the staff of the Glanusk Estate, the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and the Phillips family, which has farmed in the foothills of Pen y Fan for more than 100 years.
Theatre Brycheiniog lit up in March, uniting with theatres and entertainment venues across Wales, to mark 12 months since the curtains came down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 16, the Brecon theatre took part in the #WeMissYou campaign organised by Creu Cymru.
Buildings across the country were lit up in different colours of the rainbow as a sign of hope for the future.
The B&R marked the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini in March by revisiting his visit to Brecon in 2019.
On the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Rourke’s Drift, the then monarch visited Brecon with 27 Zulu regiments, as well as members of his family and entourage.
One of the most talked about events globally in March was when Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7, meanwhile March 2021 saw the census take place across the UK.
For Part 2 of our 2021 Review of the Year looking at April to June, visit our website again tomorrow at 5pm.