Huge sculpture of miner to be unveiled in Doncaster this weekend

The towering statue will be officially unveiled in Armthorpe on Sunday by civic dignataries and locals who have campaigned for a permanent memorial marking the village’s contribution to the UK coal mning industry.

Opened in 1916, Markham Main Colliery was one of Doncaster’s biggest and most productive pits, employing nearly 3,000 workers during its heyday.

A focal point of the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike, it finally closed in 1996 despite a lengthy fight to keep it open.

At 11am on Sunday, a ceremony will be held at the Miners’ Memorial Garden on Church Street to officially unveil the sculpture.

Created from copies of hundreds of tally check discs – the safety tokens used by miners to retrieve their safety lamps before going underground – the statue will be unveiled by Doncaster Central MP Dame Rosie Winterton and Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones.

Local councillors will also be in attendance, along with former miner Dennis Nowell and a number of other ex-pit workers who have helped campaign for the statue.

It has been paid for purely by donations and fundraising.

Music at the event will be provided by Markham Main Colliery Band and there will be refreshments in the Community Centre after the ceremony.

Members of the public are invited to attend the unveiling of the sculpture, which will pay tribute to the 87 miners who lost their lives at the pit during its 80 year history.