Despite a six-day rescue effort, seven men died in the Lofthouse Colliery disaster, one of the worst mining catastrophes in British history. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country. Mine Exploration Forum - View Topic - UK Mine Exploration Forums - New recruits! In December 2001, St. Peter's Church Stanley, closed after serving local people in times of peace and war for nearly 180 years. But I really enjoyed it. http://www.aditnow.co.uk/mines/Lofthouse-Coal-Colliery. After leaving in 1983, Downes then worked for a number of companies who did jobs for mines across the world, specialising in tackling underground fires and filling voids - and he later formed his own firm. Part of a group of volunteers who help to maintain what is now Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park, Downes led on the creation of a heritage trail which opened at the site in 2013. In that short sentence, the 69-year-old sums up the motivation behind years of work to preserve and recognise the region’s coalfield history. This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). “They said there’s no problem with taking it but always remember to never ask a man to do anything that you wouldn’t do yourself and that’s stuck in my mind all my life.”. I was working underground at Lofthouse Colliery on the night of the Disaster in 1973 and I, For more info on Lofthouse and the Pit site go to our. Armed with mining memorabilia, ‘the old miners’ group have given talks to schoolchildren and community groups across the region and have also worked closely with the National Coal Mining Museum to support its events and exhibitions programme. He was 15 when he joined Manor Colliery in 1957.    ________________________________________________________________ Â. This was 1980. For more stories from the YP Magazine and The Yorkshire Post features team, visit our Facebook page. Between the pair and other members - Clive Cowell, Steve Wyatt, Keith Franks and Barry Downes, the group have been involved in memorials for sites including Oaks Colliery in Barnsley, Newmarket Silkstone Colliery in Wakefield and Allerton Bywater Colliery on the outskirts of Leeds. My late father was an Undermanager at kellingley at the time of the in-rush. “We don’t do this for medals,” says Tony Banks, a fellow member of what he calls ‘the old miners’ group. “The Manor Pit was a real family pit. This dvd is available price £10 - Fast Free Postage -  run time 35 mins, -  format 16x9 high definition. Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing subscriptions@jpimedia.co.uk. “A lot of them haven’t a clue what a lump of coal is - they’re baffled. “I worked under Wakefield around the Cathedral pillar. It was the best job I had down the pit.”. The skills and momentum that this project has given to those involved is encouraging them to take on new projects, and build on what we have already achieved together. Banks, who later went to work at Selby coalfield before a bad chest ended his career in the industry in 1995, has spent many years caring for a memorial in Wrenthorpe to those killed in the tragedy and is also chairman of the Lofthouse Disaster Trust Fund, set up in the aftermath to support the families of those who died. The Wheelers and Wobblers Group meet each week at Stanley Community Centre, and this video is an example of the determination of people to succeed despite their disabilities.A wonderful uplifting dvd that is an inspiration to us all. Back then, the coal would have been extracted at out-crops near the surface in primitive ‘bell pits‘. He was sent to lofthouse to help and was in charge of making the piggy back tunnel thack went over the top of the origional roadway to gain access to the workings. Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well. Generations of his family had worked in the industry, but his dad had told him “in no uncertain terms” that he was not to go down the pit and instead Downes left grammar school wanting to be a field geologist. THE LOFTHOUSE COLLIERY HERITAGE TRAIL Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park looks set to become an effective focus for community activities in the future. Historical interest Lofthouse Colliery was the lifeblood of the local community for over a hundred years. For Banks, the memorial at Lupset will hold a special significance as it marks the coal mine where he started his career, becoming the fifth generation of his family to work in mining. “At about twenty past two in the morning, I’m on the coal face cutting away and there was such a rush of air and noise. These principles were also the guiding light for the Lofthouse Colliery Heritage Trail app we developed – although we had completed this project before I went to France and Belgium. This 40 minute video, produced by Outwood Community Video, includes a brief history of Lofthouse Colliery, underground  footage from the Yorkshire coalfield and news reports from the 1973 disaster. Part of a group of volunteers who help to maintain what is now Lofthouse Colliery Nature Park, Downes led on the creation of a heritage trail which opened at the site in 2013. That’s why I do it.”, “I’m proud of what I did,” he adds. This dvd is available price £10 - Fast Free Postage -  run time 50 mins, -  format 4x3 standard definition. Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians Mine explorer and mining history videos on YouTube Connect with other mine explorers on Facebook. Some of my grandad’s relations were working there and I knew a lot of the lads anyway. And they’re also working with Temple Newsam House on a pit wheel project to reflect the site’s mining heritage.

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