Twenty-five years ago, most of the old-style pits closed down after the year-long miners' strike. In some parts of the country, there have been emotive commemorations of this anniversary: for some people the aftermath of the strike was the death knell both for their communities and for their own working lives. Many ended up on the dole, on disability benefits or on the fiddle.
There is always too much nostalgia about coal mining. Working in the pit may eventually have paid well but it was a dirty, dangerous and difficult occupation. What it did cultivate, however, was a real sense of community and solidarity, borne of the need for mutual support and self-help. Hence the working men's clubs, the sporting activities and the educational programmes.
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