In 1951, the Llwyngwern slate quarry in central North Wales closed down, causing many redundancies.
In 1973, on the same site, something new, something very new, opened. It is now the area's largest employer.
So what happened? Well, back in the '60s and '70s, alternative lifestyles were the "in thing" among people who'd decided to opt out. Hippies and others turned their hairy heads away from the environmentally destructive lifestyle of mass production/consumption and explored more earth-friendly ideas. These included wind power, solar power and organic gardening -- along with more usual activities such as strumming guitars, wearing hemp caftans and getting stoned.
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