WHEN the 30th anniversary of the end of the epic miners’ strike of 1984-5 arrived in 2015, it was fitting that Yorkshire should stage a labour and trade union movement commemorative event.

Yorkshire was where the strike began, at Cortonwood colliery, in the South Yorkshire area of the UK’s biggest coalfield.

The commemorative event in 2015 was to celebrate the courage of the mineworkers, their families, their communities and their union.

Its title, “With Banners Held High,” was a reminder that after a year in which they were subjected to all the forces and brutality of the state and its allies — police, judiciary, government and the media — the miners marched back to work proudly behind their union banners.

The first With Banners Held High (WBHH) festival at Unity Works, a former Co-operative headquarters in Wakefield, had as its theme “Time for Truth.” It was a tremendous success, with political speakers, theatre, workshops, stalls, poetry, dance, drama and more.

It donated £8,000 to the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and £2,000 to the Justice for Mineworkers campaign.

WBHH became an annual event, a community festival and a celebration of the labour and trade union movement.

The 2016 event had the themes “Music and the Miners’ Strike” and “International Solidarity.” The latter brought speakers who as union activists in their own countries had provided key support during the strike — actions such as the convoy of articulated lorries bringing food and gifts from French mineworkers and their union in time for Christmas1984.

Subsequent WBHH festivals had the themes “The Flame Still Burns” in 2017, and “The Fight for Consciousness” last year focusing on the labour and trade union movement’s need to educate and agitate.

Last year the nature of the event changed. The Unity Works venue was no longer available — it had gone into administration. So WBHH took to the streets of Wakefield, staging an open-air day-long community festival, starting with a march through the city with banners raised, led by a traditional brass band.

Speakers included shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trade Union Congress, and Jon Trickett, Labour MP for the West Yorkshire constituency of Hemsworth.

The new format was supported by thousands of trade unionists, activists and families. If the trend continues, WBHH is likely to become the biggest annual celebration of trade unionism in Yorkshire.

This year’s festival on Saturday, May 18, has the theme “A Land Fit for Heroes?”

The slogan was the promise made by the British government to young men who went to fight in the imperialist Great War of 1914-18. They were told they would return to just such a land. The reality was very different.

The 2019 WBHH festival will follow its new format — a march through Wakefield, followed by a day-long festival and celebration of the labour and trade union movement.

However the successful new format has come at a price — the organisers need to raise £7,000 to ensure that the festival can break even.

Martyn Richardson, chair of the WBHH organising committee, said: “WBHH 2018 was extremely successful, seeing thousands of trade unionists, former miners and campaigners of the left come together to march and celebrate the diversity of the labour movement.

“On the back of this success and the impact last year’s event had, more organisations and individuals want to be involved on the day which could potentially see WBHH become Yorkshire’s largest trade union festival and indeed the interest from other areas certainly reinforces this possibility.

“We will be holding a bigger and longer march this year and the main stage is full with fantastic performances and political speakers. We will also be having more stalls and more workshops.

“All this along with the need for greater security, however, comes at a cost. “The event is organised solely by volunteers in their spare time and so far this year’s donations ensuring the event goes ahead have been drastically less than in previous years.

“We are in need of at least £7,000 to break even this year.”

An emergency funding appeal has been launched. Martyn Richardson urged supporters to take the WBHH appeal to meetings of union and political party branches and political organisation meetings, or to make individual donations.

Cheques should be made payable to With Banners Held High. Then email [email protected] for further details. Or pay by BACS to With Banners Held High, sort code 55-70-23, a/c no 83299874.