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Recordiwyd fel rhan o Clywed y Cyn-guddiedig (Hidden Now Heard) – project tair blynedd (2014-17) dan arweiniad Mencap Cymru. Diben y project oedd casglu hanesion bywyd cyn-breswylwyr, eu teuluoedd ac aelodau staff a oedd yn gysylltiedig ag ysbytai arhosiad hir yng Nghymru: Ysbyty Bryn y Neuadd, Llanfairfechan; Ysbyty Trelái, Caerdydd; Ysbyty Hensol, Pont-y-clun; Ysbyty Dewi Sant, Caerfyrddin; Ysbyty Gogledd Cymru, Dinbych; Ysbyty Llanfrechfa Grange, Cwmbrân.

Oral history recording with Heather Thomas, a former staff member at Hensol Hospital, 1980-97/8.

Hensol Hospital opened in 1930 to provide a home for people with a learning disability under the provisions of the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act. Patients were housed in one of 12 wards, and at its busiest was home to over 800 patients with a range of support needs. The hospital closed in 2003.

Recorded as part of the Hidden Now Heard oral history project, a three-year project (2014-2017) led by Mencap Cymru and funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund. The project documented the experiences of former residents, their families, and staff associated with six long-stay hospitals in Wales for people with learning disabilities. These were Bryn y Neuadd Hospital, Llanfairfechan; Ely Hospital, Cardiff; Hensol Castle Hospital, Pontyclun; St David’s Hospital, Carmarthen; the North Wales Hospital, Denbigh; and Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital, Cwmbran.