THE historic Durham Miners’ Gala has been marked with a scaled-down celebration 150 years to the day since the first gala was held in 1871.

For the last two years the gala — Britain’s biggest celebration of the labour and trade union movement — has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The annual event normally attracts crowds of about 150,000 people.

This year’s celebration on Thursday included the banners, brass band music and poetry which are a feature of the gala in normal times.

And it was held at the site of the first miners’ gala in Durham, Wharton Park, starting at the exact time of the 1871 Gala, noon.

Durham Miners’ Association secretary Alan Mardghum said: “On this day in 1871 families left their homes in pit villages across the coalfield to travel into Durham for the first gala. This journey has been made on summer days for 150 years.

“The coal industry came to an end, but the gala did not end with it. It lives because the people have remained determined that it must.

“The gala represents the best of us. It is about community, human spirit, and our desire to look out for each other and to build a better world. 

“The gala is 150 years old, but the future is bright. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Durham when the gala returns on the second Saturday in July, 2022.

“As the Durham miners’ motto states: ‘the past we inherit, the future we build’.”

The last deep coal mine in Durham, Easington, closed in 1993 during the Tory butchery of the coal-mining industry following the miners’ strike against the pit closures of 1984-5.

With no union membership subscriptions, the gala survives and thrives thanks to the “marras” – Friends of the Durham Miners Gala, whose regular subscriptions finance the event.

“Marras” is a Durham miners’ term for trusted friends who can be relied on in times of need.

Marras chairman and former Blaydon Labour MP Dave Anderson, said: “Without the support of our marras the gala simply would not happen in any year. 

“I urge everyone who values the gala to please sign up, chip in what you can and help us ensure the gala survives and thrives for many years to come.”