Zulu joy at Welsh sports pitch

The pitch has been thousands of miles to KwaZulu-Natal

An all-weather sports pitch once used by students in Swansea is getting a new lease of life in South Africa.

The artificial turf was taken up by soldiers based in the city, transported to KwaZulu-Natal, and then carefully re-laid in the village of Isandlwana.

Now it is being used by primary school children, some who walk up to two hours a day to attend the village school.

The project was organised by former Swansea student Anna Lane who got the idea on a visit to the Zulu village.

The pitch was no longer needed by the university as it was building a new sports complex on the site at Sketty Lane.

After Anna was told she could have it, she put out an appeal for help in moving it thousands of miles.

"Rather thank chucking it away I wanted to reuse it and give it to a school and the community," she said.

The Royal Monmouthshire Engineers helped with the job

The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, based in Swansea, answered the call.

It had strong links with the Isandlwana - where in 1879 1,300 British soldiers and South African volunteers were defeated by a Zulu army just before the heroic stand-off at Rorke's Drift.

Not everything ran smoothly as was shown in a BBC Wales documentary following Anna and the soldiers.

Some of the rolls of turf - which weighed over two tonnes each - were late in arriving while the soldiers had to contend with machinery breaking down in South Africa.

They also had trouble raising enough manpower as they were working to a very tight deadline.

But for Staff Sergeant Richie Davies it was all worth it in the end.

"At first we did not think we would make it, but we dug deep and succeeded," he said.

The pitch was officially opened by his Royal Highness Prince Buthelezi, a member of the South African Parliament whose grandfather fought in the battle of Isandlwana.

The pitch is now being used for sport by schoolchildren in the village

Quoting from president Nelson Mandela he said: "Sport has power to change the world, the power to inspire and to unite people in a way that little else can.

"What has happened here is proof to the wisdom captured in these words of Mandela."

Ms Lane said: "There were so many people supporting me, it was such a nice feeling having them behind me, because quite frankly without them, I wouldn't have been able to do it.

"The Army have been legends. They worked so hard.

"They had one day off to do their Rorke's Drift tour, rightly so (with the history of the regiment) but other than that they were there every day.

"All I ask is that the community looks after it well and enjoys it, I hope it's everything they wanted it to be."