03 November 2014

"There are villages like ours dying in Wales every year…"

New comedy drama on S4C reflects worry about the future of rural Welsh communities

The concern about the future of rural communities will be reflected in a new series on S4C this November.

Although Cara Fi is a comedy drama there are some very serious issues at its heart according to the series commissioner.

Cara Fi (Love Me) follows the trials and tribulations of locals in Tretarw, a fictional town in West Wales, where women are scarce and the men are looking for love.

In an effort to save the village, the local landlady decides to advertise Tretarw's single men on milk cartons, and every week a new woman visits the village looking for love.

"The content is romantic and it's a real heart-warmer," says Gwawr Martha Lloyd, Drama Commissioner at S4C, "But the context is quite serious. Unfortunately Tretarw's situation is overly familiar in towns and villages across Wales."

Leading the crusade to save the village is local landlady Nancy, played by Christine Pritchard.

"We need radical ideas to save this place!" Shouts Nancy as she addresses a pub full of single men in the series' first episode.

"You should be angry," she goes on, "We lost the village hall, the butchers, the post office, and we're about to lose the school because there aren't enough children to fill the classes.

"Get on with it! This isn't a bloody funeral; it's a call for arms! There are villages like this one dying across Wales every day, but we are not about to go the same way."

The series doesn't want to dishearten anyone, but rather hopes to inspire and give hope.

"Yes, it's a sad state of affairs and it's true for a number of other places across Wales, but Nancy and the people of Tretarw have decided to do something about the situation, to try and save the village. In turn we'll get to enjoy some touching, funny and heart-warming stories.

"It's a lively and likable series, and isn't afraid to confront this reality either, a reality which is true of many places in Wales. But like Nancy said, this isn't a funeral; it's a call to arms!"

Cara Fi starts on S4C on Sunday 9 November at 9.00pm – English subtitles available.