Although the Selby ‘super-pit’ opened in 1983, full production was not achieved until after the strike of 1984-5. Many miners were recruited from pits in the Barnsley area earmarked for closure. The majority chose to remain in their home villages, only 30 miles away. Some however, encouraged by generous incentives by the Coal Board took the chance of moving to the Selby area.
This interview records the memories of three of the partners of these miners. Although, 30 years on, none regretted their choice, they describe their original difficulties and anxieties. They describe the initial isolation they experienced moving to the wide open spaces of rural North Yorkshire where many local residents of the villages around Selby were nervous about the arrival of the miners and their families.They contrast this with the close family and community links they left behind.
They speak vividly of their experiences of the miners strike of 1984-5, as all three still lived in pit villages around Barnsley at the time.
Click on the start arrow to hear the interview.
- Date
- December 2019
- Ref no
- R2G/interviews/coal/
- Archive
- York Greenways
- Extent
- 59 mlinutes
- Theme
- Coalfield