Radstock Museum has received £10,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project, 'Mining the Past', about the former Somerset Coalfield. Led by volunteers from the local museum, the project will explore the experiences and memories of surviving miners and mine employees who worked in the Somerset coal industry.
2013 marks the fortieth anniversary of the closure of the last of the Somerset coalmines and with each passing year, there are fewer people left who recall what it was like to work in them.
Supported by the Somerset Miners' Welfare Trust, 'Mining the Past' brings together former mine employees with pupils and staff from three local secondary schools – Norton Hill School, Somervale School and Writhlington School – and volunteers and officers from Radstock Museum and the Radstock, Midsomer Norton and District Museum Society. The project will enable today's youngsters to explore and capture the memories and experiences of those who worked in the Somerset coal industry at its end.
Using the 25th Annual Miners' Reunion as a spring- board, pupils will learn about and use oral history techniques to engage former mine employees in a series of interviews. With the help of museum volunteers and officers, they will use what they gather to inform an exhibition, a publication and a DVD. It is also anticipated that the project archive will help future generations learn about the lives of men who helped shape our local communities, inspiring classroom learning for years to come.
Commenting on the award, Museum Chairman, Clem Maidment, said: "We are thrilled to have received the support of the HLF for this project." Julie Dexter, Project Co-ordinator, added: "The grant recognises the importance of the coal industry in the local communities and gives pupils the opportunity to ask mine employees about their working lives.
Nerys Watts, HLF's Head of South West, said: "The involvement of young people, in particular, will ensure that the memories and experiences of former miners will live on for generations to come and we are delighted to be able to support their work."