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Marchers at the Durham Miners' Gala, July 13, 2024
[Neil Terry / neilterryphotography.co.uk]
MARRAS gathered in Durham’s medieval cathedral on Saturday for the annual blessing of the miners’ banners.
As speeches concluded in the Gala field, the banners of the Durham Miners’ Association banner was marched to the cathedral through the city’s packed streets accompanied by its own brass band and the banners of Langley Park and Ludworth which would be dedicated at the ceremony.
In the cathedral itself, renowned employment rights lawyer John Hendy spoke of his efforts to support the miners and the NUM against legal attacks launched by former Tory PM Margaret Thatcher and her National Coal Board axeman Ian MacGregor to “tie the union up in knots” during the great strike.
A poem written and read for the occasion by Susannah Ronnie and volunteers from Durham Energy Council reminded the gathering: “Coal from County Durham powered ships and heated homes, coal from County Durham fuelled industry and fed our families.”
Looking to the future, they concluded: “The pits are closed but our minds are open It is time for us to raise our voices, it is our legacy and we reclaim it.”
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