Tom Jones International

Like much of the US lately, Pontypridd was lashed by a fierce storm on April 20. Among the debris found in the aftermath was the roof of Tom’s Bar (which is alternately known as Tom’s “Pub”). Its significance to fans (if any) lies in the fact that it is the site of the old Wood Road Non-Political Club where Tom used to play early on. We know it’s not much in the way of a TJ news story, but it did give us an excuse to post this circa-1957-or-so photo of Sir Tom when he began to sing there. If you’re interested, you might want to check out Pontypridd’s official website. The folks who run it are not fans but, we assume, there are different sides to this story, too. Tall poppies, perhaps? And what exactly do people expect from a native of their town who becomes wealthy and/or famous?

*Hope we got the correct Welsh word for “news.” If not, please correct us (as we’re sure you’ll do). Thanks.

Storm rips off bar roof


Apr 30 2008 by Ian Caleb, South Wales Echo

TOM “The Voice” Jones may have been credited with metaphorically raising plenty of roofs around the world with his energetic stage act.

But it seems the elements have gone one better, with high winds literally raising the roof of a South Wales bar named after the Pontypridd superstar.

Tom’s Pub, in Wood Road, Treforest, was closed after its metal clad roof was torn off. The first pictures of the incident, released yesterday, show the full extent of the damage. Police and Rhondda Cynon Taf council workers spent six hours cleaning up following the roof’s collapse, which happened during the early hours of April 20.





A car belonging to Mark Trueman, a student who lives in Wood Road, was written off when a large part of the roof fell on it.

He said: “I was woken up at five in the morning with a crash, and I wondered what was going on until I looked out of the window.

“From my bedroom you could see the exposed planking on the roof and all the corrugated roofing was everywhere.

“It’s lucky that it happened very early in the morning – if someone had been out under that, they would have been dead.”

A concerned neighbour thought the initial crash was thunder. He said: “We are lucky it didn’t go through someone’s house. It knocked down some flagstones and went into the garden of a neighbour.

“The funny thing is that there was not that strong a wind that morning, maybe it got under a gap. If they just put the roof back up, and don’t secure it any further, it might come off again.”

An RCT council spokesperson said they were on hand to ensure no further health risks were going to happen with the collapsed roof.

She said: “When the time comes to replace the roof, building control staff will be working with the owners of Tom’s Bar to ensure the new structure is constructed and fitted safely.”