More than 200 Nottingham ex-miners reunited to remember one of the UK’s biggest former coal mines on the 25th anniversary of its closure.
On Monday morning guests met at the Mapperley Plains Social Club, on Plains Road, before heading to Gedling Country Park, the former location of Gedling Colliery which closed on Monday, November 7, 1991.
A dedication service was conducted by Reverend Keith Williams at the Miners Lamp in Gedling Village, and a beacon was lit in remembrance of miners who died while working at the colliery.
Guests were shown films of the last shift, recorded by former miner and event organiser Graham Tavner, and a selection of mining memorabilia from the old colliery was on display.
Graham said: “Today is about bringing miners together for one final reunion.
“128 miners were tragically killed in the pit so it’s important to remember them and bring the ones who are still alive together again.”
Graham worked as an electrician at the colliery for 35 years before becoming a union secretary in 1984, and has been planning the event for nine months.
When the pit closed we dearly missed it
He said: “Gedling owes a lot to what was once the mine – it gave people a job and built a community.
“The community spirit still exists and people are remembering each other 25 years later which is great.
“It was a hard life, but a good life, and when the pit closed we dearly missed it.”
Following its closure the colliery stood derelict for more than 20 years.
Gedling Borough Council has since invested £1.6 million to turn the site into a country park.
Former miner Norman Jordan worked in the pit for 32 years and was pleased to visit the old site again.
He said: “It’s nostalgic seeing my old workmates – I can’t really explain the feeling.
“There was a great congregation down the pit and everybody helped everybody.
“The area has changed dramatically and you cant really recognise the place now – it’s nice to see and it’ll be better still when they’ve completed the alterations in a couple of years time.”
The event was organised by Gedling Borough Council, the Gedling Miners’ Welfare Trust and the Friends of Gedling Country Park.
Mayor of Gedling Councillor Sandra Barnes and Gedling Borough Council leader John Clarke were among the guests.
Cllr Clarke said: “It’s very important to remember the people who lost their lives.
“These people were an important part of Nottinghamshire life and have added to the prosperity of this area.
“There’s probably about 250 ex-miners here today – that’s community, that’s the mining community, and it’s something we will sadly miss in years to come.”
