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One producer, one randomly generated postcode, and the search for an unheard story.

One producer, one randomly generated postcode, and an unheard story unfolding in a corner of Britain we wouldn't otherwise know about.

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The Patch: Anglesey

Anglesey

BBC Radio 4 - The Patch, Anglesey

Surprisingly timely beliefs of the Latter-day Saints and their missionaries in North Wales

The postcode generator takes us to North Wales where we discover a Latter-day Saints chapel, the timely beliefs of their members, and the work of two missionaries in lockdown.

From lockdown, the random postcode generator throws up two villages on Anglesey – Gaerwen and Pentre Berw. Gaerwen is most famous for a 1960s Welsh Language folk hit called Caffi Gaerwen, about the staff at the former Little Chef in the middle of the village. This is an area with a high number of Welsh first language speakers, and - before the new dual carriageway was built -  the road through the village was the main route to Holyhead.

Unable to travel to the village at first because of lockdown, producer Polly Weston uses streetview to click her way around the villages online. The Little Chef is no more – just an overgrown car park. But just down the road, she spots a big brick building – a plaque says "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". Polly is intrigued to find a chapel here, knowing next to nothing about the faith, other than their old Mormon nickname. 

It turns out two missionaries were recently sent to serve on Anglesey. It is common for members of the church to spend two years on a mission away from home after 18. But when it's lockdown, what does it mean when you can’t meet anyone?  

As Polly gets to know the young missionaries, she discovers that the church has long instructed its members to be 'prepared'. The members here have food stores with a three to six month supply of everything they need, including wheat and grinders. And in 2018, the church even instructed its members to prepare to worship at home.  They have felt well equipped to deal with the uncertainty brought by 2020 – even when a nearby chicken factory makes national news for a mass outbreak of COVID, and threatens a more serious local lockdown.

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