Banks Group grant helps Byth community fundraisers reach mining monument target

Thursday 31 July 2008

A memorial celebrating the mining heritage of a Blyth community has been erected after local fundraisers reached their £50,000 target.

And a £20,000 grant from north east company The Banks Group, via its Banks Community Fund, played a significant part in enabling the North Farm residents to reach their goal.

The statue, which depicts a young miner with a pit pony pulling a coal wagon, is now situated in the Estate's memorial garden, which was created and is still maintained by local children, and which is located on the old pathway to the mine.

Three local schools are now planning to incorporate both the statue itself and what it represents into their education curriculum.

The North Farm Estate was built just after the Second World War specifically to house the families of men who worked in the local mines, and there are still a number of ex-miners and their families living amongst the 600-strong community today.

The Residents and Community Association was established in 2001 to help tackle some of the social problems on the Estate, which had become run down and neglected over the years, and it has undertaken and run a number of schemes which have contributed greatly to improving the area, increasing community spirit and raising morale.

Isobel Foster, who is part of the Association's management committee, says: "The statue is located next to a very busy footpath used by local residents and children walking to school, and will now be a constant reminder of our area's rich mining heritage.

"The Residents and Community Association have worked very hard to tackle a number of problems on the Estate, via projects which have focussed on increasing community spirit and local morale, and we strongly believe that this memorial will help communicate a lasting sense of shared history and belonging throughout our local area.

“The support we received from the Banks Community Fund means a great deal to us - it’s wonderful to have the statue in place after so much hard work from so many people, and we’ve already had a lot of visitors coming up to take a look, including many people who used to work in the mines.

The Banks Group has recently put forward proposals for a multi-million pound residential regeneration project across three sites in Blyth - the former Bates Colliery, the former Crofton Mill Colliery and the current Morpeth Road school, which is scheduled to be relocated to the Bates site as part of the Northumberland schools reorganisation.

Banks Group environment and community director Mark Dowdall adds: "Communities like North Farm are built on their shared history, and the memorial is a very powerful reminder of the mining foundations upon which this area is built.

“As a north east company that is still very active in the mining industry, as well as in the regeneration of the Blyth area, we are extremely happy to have helped bring the memorial plans to fruition.”

Last updated: Monday 04 August 2008, 17:13 PM