Cars are an essential part of life in rural Wales - they are almost like a part of the family. We depend upon them to get us to work every morning and get us safely home again every night.
Without a car, how would we manage to do all the ordinary, everyday things such as food shopping or visiting the doctor especially when public transport in rural areas can be unreliable.
But where do the people of Wales buy their cars? Who do they turn to if their car breaks down?
All the answers can be found in a brand-new series on S4C - Garejis: Dan y Bonet - translation, ‘Garages: Under the bonnet’.
In this series, we visit three garages in rural west Wales - Derwen Garage in Harford, BV Rees in St Dogmaels and Gwili Jones in Lampeter - and meet the men and women who keep us, the drivers of Wales, on the road.
But this fascinating new series offers much more than a peep under a car bonnet - we get an in-depth look into the lives of the owners and come to understand how these family businesses succeed and excel in a very competitive world.
According to the producer and director Lynne Thomas-Davies from television company Tinopolis, programmes such as Loriau Mansel Davies a’i Fab have captured the imagination and Garejis: Dan y Bonet follows the same format.
“People like programmes about communities,” said Lynne. “They like to have a nose into people’s business and to get to know the characters – and we came across several characters during the filming!”
“We rigged the cars with cameras and filmed people in their new cars, so their reactions were completely natural. In one case we had a mother and son who were after the same car!”
Who eventually bought the car? All will be revealed in the series over the next few weeks. In the meantime - meet the owners of the garages who star in Garejis: Dan y Bonet .
Ann a Melvyn Evans - Garej Derwen, Harford
Ann Evans runs Derwen Garage in Harford with her husband Melvyn and her son Meirion - she is the only woman in a staff of nine - but she’s quite happy with the situation.
“It’s second nature to me now - I don’t get any bother at all - everybody knows what needs to be done,” said Ann.
Derwen Garage offers MOTs, car servicing and repairs and sells tyres and exhausts.
There is also the rallying side to the business, with Melvyn offering rally car hire and servicing while Meirion is a successful rally driver who competes internationally.
Ann and Melvyn have been running Derwen for 30 years, so the two are highly experienced - which is just as well for Ann considering Melvyn and Meirion are away with the rallying so often.
Ann enjoyed the experience of being filmed but she was surprised when she got the call from Tinopolis inviting her to be part of the programme. “ Ralio+ have filmed from here before because of Melvyn and Meirion’s links to rallying but I never thought the garage would be on television.”
Wyn Rees, BV Rees, St Dogmaels
“We are very lucky because we know our customers well. I see that things have changed, and customers don’t have the same loyalty they had towards local businesses years ago. But we are very lucky – people do tend to come back to us again and again,” explained Wyn Rees who owns BV Rees garage in St Dogmaels.
“There aren’t many Welsh speakers running garages any more - maybe one or two speak Welsh but not every single member of staff like we have.”
According to Wyn, it is this close relationship with customers which has ensured the success of the company which has just celebrated 70 years of selling cars.
Wyn has worked for BV Rees since 1976 and his wife, his son and his brother all now work for the company which sells and services Fiat and SsangYong.
Wyn enjoyed the experience of filming and is looking forward to seeing the finished series.
“A film crew came to our Christmas party and to the posh dinner we had to celebrate our 70th birthday - I think they enjoyed themselves,” he said.
Siân Davies, Gwili Jones, Lampeter and Peniel, Carmarthen
The name Gwili Jones is legendary in the world of tractor sales and agricultural machinery in Wales and beyond.
The company - which has garages in Lampeter and Peniel - celebrated its 70th birthday last year and it is now Gwili Jones’s daughter Siân Davies who runs the company.
“There is a strong family element to our business,” said Siân. “We are now into our third generation with my son Gruffydd just starting to work for the business.”
And according to Siân, it is the feeling of dealing with a family-owned business which has ensured their success over the years - this and the fact that customer care is so important to them.
“We are a family business - we have an excellent team of people working in the two branches – the staff have the same values as us and this is key to our success,” said Siân. “We have seen so many changes in tractor technology over the years but our care for our customers hasn’t changed a bit.”
Garejis: Dan y Bonet, Monday, November 5, 8.25pm, S4C English subtitles.
Available on demand on s4c.cymru, BBC iPlayer and other platforms.
Bywyd o dan y bonet
Mae ceir yn rhan annatod o fywyd yng nghefn gwlad Cymru - bron fel rhan o’r teulu. Rydym yn dibynnu arnynt i’n cludo i’r gwaith bob bore mewn da bryd a’n danfon adref yn ddiogel bob nos.
Heb gar sut byddem ni’n llwyddo gwneud y pethau ymarferol, o ddydd i ddydd fel siopa bwyd neu ymweld â’r doctor yn enwedig os ydych yn byw yng nghefn gwlad a thrafnidiaeth gyhoeddus mor anwadal.
Ond lle mae pobl Cymru yn dod o hyd i’w ceir? Os yw’r car yn torri lawr, teiar fflat neu’r biben yn cwympo ffwrdd at bwy maen nhw’n troi?
Gallwch ddod o hyd i’r atebion i gyd mewn cyfres newydd sbon ar S4C, Garejis: Dan y Bonet .
Yn y gyfres hon, rydym yn ymweld â thair garej yng nghefn gwlad gorllewin Cymru sef Garej Derwen yn Harford, BV Rees yn Llandudoch a Gwili Jones yn Llambed a chwrdd â’r gwŷr a’r gwragedd sydd yn cadw gyrwyr Cymru ar yr heol.
Ond mae’r gyfres ddifyr hon yn cynnig llawer mwy na phip o dan fonet car - rydym yn cael golwg go iawn ar fywydau’r perchnogion a’r cwsmeriaid ac yn dod i ddeall sut mae’r busnesau teuluol yn llwyddo a rhagori mewn maes cystadleuol.
Yn ôl y cynhyrchydd a chyfarwyddwr Lynne Thomas-Davies o gwmni teledu Tinopolis mae rhaglenni fel Loriau Mansel Davies a’i Fab wedi dal dychymyg gwylwyr ac mae cyfres newydd Garejis: Dan y Bonet yn debyg o ran fformat.
“Mae pobl yn lico rhaglenni teledu am gymunedau - maen nhw’n hoffi busnesan a dod i nabod y cymeriadau - a daethom ni o hyd i sawl cymeriad a straeon difyr iawn yn ystod y ffilmio,” meddai Lynne.
“Wnaethom ni rigio ceir gyda chamerâu ac yna ffilmio pobl yn eu ceir newydd - roedd yr ymateb yn un hollol naturiol. Mewn un achos roedd mam a mab o’r un teulu ar ôl yr un car.”
Pwy brynodd y car yn y diwedd? Bydd rhaid gwylio’r gyfres i ddod o hyd i’r ateb! Ond yn y cyfamser - dyma gyflwyniad i berchnogion y garejis yn Garejis: Dan y Bonet .
Ann a Melvyn Evans - Garej Derwen, Harford
Mae Ann Evans yn rhedeg garej Derwen yn Harford gyda'i gŵr Melvyn a’i mab Meirion - hi yw’r unig fenyw mewn staff o naw - ond dydy hi ddim yn gweld hyn yn beth rhyfedd.
“Mae’n ail natur i mi nawr - sai’n cael dim trafferth o gwbl - mae pawb yn gwybod beth sydd angen ei wneud,” meddai Ann.
Mae garej Derwen yn cynnig MOTs, gwasanaethu ceir a’u trwsio ac yn gwerthu teiars.
Yn ogystal â hyn, mae elfen ralio i Garej Derwen gyda Melvyn yn cynnig gwasanaeth hurio a gwasanaethu ceir ralio a Meirion yn yrrwr car rali ac yn cystadlu’n rhyngwladol.
Mae Ann a Melvyn wedi bod yn rhedeg garej Derwen ers tua 30 mlynedd, felly mae’r ddau yn brofiadol iawn - sy’n beth da i Ann yn enwedig gan ystyried bod Melvyn a Meirion i ffwrdd gyda’r ralio cymaint.
Wnaeth Ann fwynhau’r profiad o gael ei ffilmio’n fawr iawn ond roedd hi’n eitha’ syrpreis i dderbyn galwad ffôn oddi wrth Tinopolis. “Maen nhw wedi ffilmio’r rhaglen Ralio+ ‘ma o’r blaen oherwydd cysylltiadau Melvyn a Meirion ond buaswn i byth yn meddwl byddai’r garej ar raglen deledu!”
Watch: Pentraeth Garage opens again after fire
Wyn Rees, BV Rees, Llandudoch
“Ry’n ni’n lwcus iawn oherwydd rydym ni’n nabod ein cwsmeriaid. Rwy’n gweld bod pethau wedi newid a bod dim yr un teyrngarwch tuag at fusnesau a fu flynyddoedd yn ôl. Ond rydym ni’n lwcus iawn, mae pobl yn tueddu dod nôl atom ni," esboniodd Wyn Rees, sydd yn berchen garej BV Rees, Llandudoch.
“Does dim lot o Gymry Cymraeg yn rhedeg garejis bellach - efallai bod un neu ddau yn siarad Cymraeg ond dim y staff i gyd,” ychwanegodd.
Ac yn ôl Wyn, dyma beth sydd tu ôl i lwyddiant BV Rees sydd newydd ddathlu 70 mlynedd yn gwerthu ceir - y berthynas agos a phersonol gyda chwsmeriaid.
Mae Wyn wedi bod yn gweithio i’r cwmni ers 1976 ac mae ei wraig, ei fab a’i frawd yn gweithio i’r cwmni bellach. Mae’r cwmni yn gwerthu a gwasanaethu ceir Fiat a SsangYong.
Mwynhaodd Wyn y profiad o ffilmio ac mae’n edrych ymlaen at weld y rhaglen orffenedig.
“Daeth y criw ffilmio i’n parti Nadolig ac i’r cinio posh i ddathlu 70 mlynedd - rwy’n meddwl wnaethon nhw fwynhau,” meddai Wyn.
Siân Davies, Gwili Jones, Llanbed a Pheniel, Caerfyrddin
Mae’r enw Gwili Jones yn chwedlonol ymysg gwerthwyr tractorau a pheiriannau amaethyddol yng Nghymru a thu hwnt.
Dathlodd y cwmni, sydd â garejis yn Llanbed a Pheniel, ei ben-blwydd yn 70 mlwydd oed y llynedd a merch Gwili Jones sef Siân Davies sydd wrth y llyw bellach.
“Mae elfen deuluol gref i’r busnes - rydym ni mewn i’r drydedd gynhadledd nawr gyda fy mab Gruffydd yn dechrau gyda’r cwmni,” meddai Siân. Ac, yn ôl Siân, yr elfen deuluol yw’r rheswm dros lwyddiant cwmni Gwili Jones - hyn a’r ffaith bod gofal cwsmer yn hollbwysig i’r cwmni.
“Ry’n ni’n fusnes teuluol - mae criw da iawn yn y ddwy gangen ac mae gan y staff yr un gwerthoedd a ni ac mae hyn yn allweddol,” meddai Siân. “Mae cymaint o newidiadau wedi bod i dechnoleg y tractorau ond dyw ein gofal dros ein cwsmeriaid ddim yn newid.”
Garejis: Dan y Bonet, nos Lun, Tachwedd 5, 8.25pm, S4C isdeitlau Saesneg.
Ar gael ar alw ar s4c.cymru, BBC iPlayer a llwyfannau eraill.
