The small town of Ammanford is known for its coal mining history, proud Welsh speakers and for being the birth place of several people well-known in Welsh life.
But aside from Lord of the Rings star John-Rhys Davies, Alex Jones and Shane Williams, the town had another local legend: Coley the Collie. Since he was a puppy, he and his owner Phillip Owen, 65, would sit on a roadside bench on Penybanc Road every evening waiting for Phillip's wife Lesley Llewellyn-Owen, 51, to come home from work.
There, the two of them would wait and watch the world go by for an hour each day for the past 11 years. Coley the Collie soon became a local fixture with people stopping to chat to them, kids pleading with their parents to walk the long way around so they could pass the dog and cars beeping their horns when they saw him.
"It started off that he just sat there for an hour but then he started to be a symbol for the town - people loved seeing him because they knew they were almost home when they saw Coley," says Lesley.
"Kids waved at him and people tooted their horns when they saw him. Even taxi drivers used him as a landmark to take people home. They would say 'Is it near Coley on the bench?' He brought joy to people."
But after over a decade, Coley passed away in July leaving the community mourning and wanting to pay their tributes.
"We couldn't believe the reaction when he passed, people were devastated. The bench was covered in toys and flowers for him, there were people in tears. It's really sad but some people said that he was the only thing that they looked forward to and he brightened their day, he meant a lot to people," says the owner.
"Whether it was raining or snowing - whatever the weather, he would make Phillip take him to the bench or he wouldn't settle. People have so much going on these days that he became a sort of symbol of comfort, he was always there, they could depend on that."
The couple were so touched by the community's reaction and were approached by a friend to organise a memorial bench to honour the Ammanford legend. A GoFundMe page was set up and the community raised hundreds to place a memorial bench in Coley's favourite spot.
"We liked the idea of people having a place there to remember Coley and for kids to pass it and remember him sitting there watching the world go by. I loved this bench and it's black and white like him," adds Ms Llewellyn-Owen.
"Everyone's reaction to him and the fact that he became this symbol has really reminded me of the true meaning of community."
