Why a mural of Eastenders legend Dot Cotton has appeared in a Welsh village

A mural depicting life in a Welsh village has left some people scratching their heads, as it features the Eastenders legend Dot Cotton.

The soap character - formerly played by the late June Brown - appears next to a dragon, a miner and rugby player in Pontyates, Carmarthenshire.

The fictional Queen Vic where Dot once drank in Albert Square is seemingly a world away from the sleepy former mining village in the Gwendraeth Valley.

But Brown, who died in 2022 aged 95, was evacuated to Pontyates during World War Two and later spoke fondly of the place she found sanctuary in as a 12-year-old.

The idea behind the mural was to brighten up the village of around 1,500 people, so artist Steve Jenkins was enlisted.

It was during a brainstorming session with children from two local schools that the Eastenders icon's name was brought up alongside miners and local rugby players.

It came as a shock to some.

"Not knowing June Brown's history to Pontyates, [artist] Jenks was a bit gobsmacked," said chairwoman of the village's improvement group Rhian Cooper.

"[After] looking into the history then, he found out that she was a refugee, and at 12 years old was sent to Pontyates to live with a family and she was chosen to be on the mural then."

Brown was born in Suffolk, but when she appeared on the BBC's genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? in 2011 she explained that her grandfather was from Scotland, her mother from Italian stock, and her great-great-great grandfather was a famous Jewish bare-knuckle fighter in London's East End.

Her links to south-west Wales are not widely known, as she only made fleeting references to what she called a "safe haven" during the war.

It was when she was 12, in 1939, that Brown was sent to Pontyates.

Brown would later go on to star in the long-running BBC soap Eastenders from 1985 to 1993, before returning between 1997 and 2020.

"June Brown, as Dot Cotton, did mention it on an episode of Eastenders," said Rhian.

"In her personal life, she has said about her positive experiences in Cwm Gwendraeth in Pontyates, but I think fans of Eastenders, probably not everyone, does know the link with our little village."

The mural was paid for following a number of fundraisers, and Rhian said "the older generation" of local people seemed to know a bit more about Brown's links to the area.

Younger people, not so much.

Even so, she added: "It has definitely been a conversation starter among people.

"It's just something nice to look at when you're watching rugby in the village or down the park with your children."