Ex-Rugeley miners win £70,000 for memorial to pits

Former miners in Staffordshire have won a £70,000 grant to build a memorial to the men who worked in what was once the biggest colliery in Europe.

Rugeley, which boasted the rich seams of Lea Hall and Brereton collieries, is the only town in Cannock Chase not to have a commemorative statue to its mining past.

Now civic leaders have come forward with the cash to pay for the favoured design of a miners' tableau on the Globe island on the A460, at the gateway to Rugeley town centre.

The sculpture will show four pitmen, each one facing one of the four converging roads.

The Lea Hall and Brereton Collieries Memorial Society was formed nine months ago by ex-miners and their families to raise the money.

Now they plan to continue the fund in a bid to resurrect some of the traditional gatherings that brought the community together when the pits were active.

These include the annual gala day and the retired miners' supper.

The society has also commissioned a model of the memorial which will be displayed at Rugeley Library and are planning to erect a wall engraved with the names of miners who worked at the town's pits.

Brian Batey, chairman of the society, said: "It's wonderful that we have the money for the memorial but we are determined to go further and celebrate the spirit of that period in Rugeley's history. These were great days in the community and brought everyone together."

The money for the sculpture has come from Cannock Chase's town centre regeneration committee.

The Brereton pit and its successor, Lea Hall, transformed Rugeley. When it opened in 1960 it was the biggest in Europe, employing 2,400 people.

Four fundraisers will take place next month, with a gala day at Lea Hall on July 1 followed by a quiz night on July 7 at The Prince of Wales in Church Street. On July 21, an 80s night will be held at Ollys Bar in Bow Street and there will be a cake stall at the Rugeley by the Sea event on July 28.

By Marion Brennan