When Hoover Sneezed...

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BBC Radio Wales - When Hoover Sneezed...

David Hughes tells the social history of how Hoover shaped postwar Merthyr.

David Hughes hears stories of dramas, laughs, romance, community and conflict from former workers at the Hoover factory in Merthyr Tydfil, to mark 75 years since its opening.

After coal and iron came Hoover. On the 75th anniversary of the  Art Deco-inspired factory, former Merthyr journalist David Hughes hears the stories of how Hoover shaped post-war Merthyr for generations. Former workers at the Pentrebach plant tell of laughs and dramas, romance and a community spirit - and of conflict. In it's pomp Hoover employed 5,000 people in Merthyr - whole families worked there. But did Merthyr come to rely on it? There was a saying - when Hoover sneezed, Merthyr caught a cold. What happened after production stopped in 2009?

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