Off to the Big Meeting

We were proud and delighted to see the Seaham Colliery miners' lodge banner off from Eastlea Community Centre on its journey to Durham Miners' Gala.

The banner, which usually lives here at the Centre, was accompanied by the Huddersfield and Ripponden Brass Band as it was paraded down the Mill Inn Bank to the miners' memorial at Christ Church, before setting off for Durham.

As the band members had travelled such a long way to be here, it was the least we could do to provide them with bacon sandwiches to thank them for their time and talents.

The banner's trip was long overdue, as the last two Galas were postponed because of the Covid pandemic, and the organisers, Durham Miners' Association, were expecting it to the biggest of modern times, with more bands and banners taking part than at any time since before the miners' strike of 1984-85.