A TOWN centre festival to celebrated the life and times of a Welsh miner who was jailed for his part in the Spanish Civil War.

Tom Jones, who became known as 'Twm Sbaen', was a miner from Rhos who went to fight in the Spanish Civil War against the fascists in 1937.

He was one of hundreds of Welsh people who went to defend the Spanish Republic against Generalissimo Francisco Franco's military coup. He made his way to Spain through France after telling his family he was going to Colwyn Bay for the weekend.

Videos and images by Craig Colville

While fighting for the democratic republic as part of the International Brigades he was injured and imprisoned by Franco's forces.

He spent two years in the notorious Burgos prison. He was sentenced to death but was finally released in 1940 after the UK Government paid Franco a £2m ransom.

After that, he returned to Wales and worked as a trade union organiser and for greater self-government for Wales. He was the founder of the Wales TUC.

The festival on Saturday, started with a march from Queen Square around the town behind the Cambria Band. It is being supported by trade unionists and community activists in the area.

Speaking at the festival, one of the organisers, Dave McKnight, said: "The legacy of Franco still carried on in Spain. The far-right is on the March across Europe. The threat of the far-right is real.

""Today is not just about remembering Twm Sbaen and the great men and women who fought, this is about learning from them and being inspired by them, and continuing their struggles."

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones also spoke at the event. She said: "Twm Sbaun fought against the equivalent of Tommy Robinson in Parliament Square, and it is always our job in the spirit of solidarity to make clear we stand for a better world.

"I think 'More in Common' is a very good way of describing it (the festival)."

Another of the festival's organisers, Grosvenor County Cllr Marc Jones added: "We have to keep on being vigilant.

"They (the far-right) will come up with simple answers to complex questions and we have to be ready with proper answers to these questions."

In the afternoon the festival continued with music, films, talks and discussions in Ty Pawb and then an evening of music from local and international artists.