Mining Memories: Tales of Hardship, Tales of Joy

A new book on Durham Coalfield communities is a timely testament to working class resilience, says MARY HULL, bringing together evocative tales of ‘marras’, meetings, strikes and marches as well as banners, brass bands and allotments. Full of hope and laughter, sadness and anger, it's a fitting tribute to the area’s rich and radical...

The Night the Lights Were Lit

The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Co-operatives. DAVID J THOMPSON marks the milestone with a celebration of the movement’s unlikely birth in a small northern English town 180 years ago....

Banners, Bands & the Big Meeting

MARY STRATFORD celebrates the return of Durham Miners’ Gala, explaining how it’s survived for more than 150 years and why it still matters to local people and the wider Labour movement. ‘It remains the greatest celebration of trade union and Labour movement values in the UK … and beyond.’...