From Steel to Rust
Editorial for CNN about the declining British mining and steel industries and the looming presence of Brexit. These images were made just before the June 8th election and capture the people and places who will be most affected by economic turmoil of a hard Brexit.
Steel Port Close, Port Talbot. The furnaces of the TATA Steel burn endlessly in the distance.
Port Talbot's TATA steel plant.
Big Pit Colliery was active for 100 years before being turned into the Big Pit National Coal Museum in 1983.
Old poster, Big Pit Coal Museum, Pontypool
Wayne Cole, 51, Catering assistant - Blaenau Gwent “I’m going to vote labour, I always have. This is a socialist area, but saying that people are demoralised by the promises by Labour in the past".
Glyn Mawr Hotel, Blaenau Gwent.
High Street, Blaenau Gwent.
Coach and Horses pub, Blaenau Gwent.
Cliff Lapping, 72, Retired - Blaenau Gwent: “I used to vote Labour but this fella now, this Corbyn, is a waste of time. I’m not going to bother voting at all. If they got someone else to run labour I’d vote".
Mark, Blaenau Gwent: "I don’t know why people in this area chose to vote out anyway. Immigration doesn’t effect us too much, yet it was a very high percentage who voted for Brexit here; so I don’t know why they done that for, but for me personally let's get on with it".
Personal Security on the Gurnos estate.
Suzanne Jenkins, left, and her father, William John Jenkins, live in the Gurnos housing estate. Suzanne lost her leg in an accident 15 years ago after being struck by a drunk driver age 21.
Gurnos housing estate, Merthyr Tydfil - a town dubbed 'sick note city' in the press.
Suzanne's Mother on politicians: “They promise they’re going to do this and do that, but when the time comes, half the stuff they promised doesn’t happen.”
Children outside the Gurnos chippy.
Gurnos Estate Fish and Chip shop, Merthyr Tydfil.
Welsh Dragon tattoo.
Karl, Ex-TATA Steel employee. He was let go after 25 years in the plant.
Merthyr Tydfil tin mine.
Merthyr Tydfil tin mine.
A view from the road of Port Talbot steel plant.