Welsh singer-songwriter Rob Westall has written and recorded a special Easter show for the BBC with a little help from his family and friends.

‘An Easter Meditation’ which airs this Easter Sunday April 5t at 8am on BBC Radio Wales, features some of his previously unreleased songs, scriptures, poetry, interviews and reflections on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Rob, who lives in Abergavenny, is a Christian recording artist whose songs are sung at churches across the UK and beyond.

In a previous life he worked as chief reporter at The Abergavenny Chronicle before moving to. work at BBC Wales and eventually moving into his dream career writing and singing his own songs.

He teamed up with Monmouthshire-based Welsh-Bafta nominated producer Gary White, to arrange the 10 songs, including some well-known hymns, that feature in the programme. Two of the songs have been written for Rob’s next album which is currently being recorded.

He also formed a 15-member congregation of people who attend local churches including members of Gateway and Cornerstone Churches in Abergavenny, Elevate in Blaenau Gwent, Capel Ed in Goytre and Hereford.

Rehearsals were held at Squeezing Cafe in Abergavenny town centre and Abergavenny Town Football Club ahead of the recording at the BBC Studios in Cardiff.

Rob’s sister, Kate, is also an artist herself and has sung with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Elbow, Seal, Goldie, Laura Mvula, Lewis Capaldi, Trevor Horn & U2. In the programme, she reflects on her trip to Israel and Palestine which prompted her to write a beautiful song called ‘Songbird’ with her husband Harry Tarlton.

His father, Frank, a published poet also shares some spoken word pieces which follows the Easter story.

Rob also interviews Maryna Korolova from Ukraine who tells him how she gave birth to her daughter in a bomb shelter during a Russian air raid in Lviv.

Maryna speaks movingly of the day the war began - "I was aware of the sound of muffled explosions. Vadym woke me at 6am with the words 'The war has started. We have three minutes to leave the apartment.' It was the morning of February 24 2022.”

The family fled the war and came to Abergavenny and with just £40 bought a small juicer, opened an orange juice stall in the market.

Maryna has now grown the business and runs the Squeezing Café in High Street as well as a charity which provides humanitarian support for people in her homeland.

“We explore the theme of hope throughout the programme,” said Rob.

“The hope that Maryna, myself and so many others around this world celebrate this Easter despite their circumstances.

“It’s been wonderful to connect with so many different people throughout the course of this project and I can’t wait for people to hear it”

An Easter Meditation airs at 8am on Easter Sunday April 5th on BBC Radio Wales and will be available on the link below and BBC Sounds App afterwards.

You can listen to the programme here following its airing on BBC Radio Wales this weekend https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002tl78