A special service at Durham Cathedral has celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Durham Miners Gala. The world’s greatest celebration of community, solidarity and working class life was first held in 1871. The Miners Festival Service at Durham Cathedral has been part of every Gala since 1897. The Gala itself was unable to take place in its 150th year due […]

Everyone at the Durham Miners Association (DMA) is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dick Quin, who served as secretary of the DMA Brass Band for more than three decades. An electrician at Dawdon Colliery, Dick became the librarian for Blackhall Youth Band when his daughter joined the band in the late 1970s. That band […]

The 150th anniversary of the Durham Miners’ Gala will be celebrated at a special service at Durham Cathedral. Known as The Big Meeting, the annual celebration of community, solidarity and the coal mining heritage of County Durham was first held in 1871. The Miners Festival Service at Durham Cathedral has been part of every Gala since 1897. The Gala itself […]

The Durham Miners Association will commemorate the great Thomas Hepburn, leader of the first miners’ trade union. A public memorial service returns to St Mary’s Church, Heworth following a two-year hiatus on Saturday 25 September, beginning at 11am. Following advice from the church, the service will be limited to 60 people within the church, with […]

The Durham Miners Association (DMA) Executive Committee is pleased to support Allen Young in the election for Mineworkers Pension Scheme (MPS) Trustee to represent North East and Overseas. Allen has a tremendous record of service as a trustee and gave evidence to the BEIS committee  which considered the appropriation of the surpluses accrued by the […]

Banners, brass band music, and poetry marked the 150 years to the day since the first Durham Miners Gala. The first Gala was held in the amphitheatre at Wharton Park on 12 August 1871. Today, the Durham Miners Association (DMA) returned to the site a century and half later to honour the anniversary. In front […]

The DMA has said farewell to union and community stalwart Derek Sleightholme.  Affectionately known as ‘Mr Washington’ because of his deep commitment to his community, Derek passed away last month aged 86. He worked at Washington Glebe colliery, where he was DMA lodge secretary and later at Wearmouth. He was a pillar of strength and […]

The Durham Miners’ Association (DMA) has announced that next year’s Gala will be dedicated to all our key workers. The Gala was due to be held today (Saturday 10 July) but was cancelled for the second year running due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year is the 150th anniversary of the first Gala. When the […]

It is with immense sadness that we have learned of the death of Jean Lamb (pictured front row, right), a key member of the Miners Wives support group in Hetton and across Durham. Jean was born in Audley in between Stoke and Newcastle under Lyme in the Staffordshire coalfield. She married her husband Keith in 1968 […]

The Durham Miners Association has welcomed a parliamentary report calling for the return of at least £1.2 billion to the Mineworkers Pension Scheme (MPS). When the then Conservative government privatised the MPS in 1994 it imposed a 50/50 split, taking half of the surpluses in its value. To date, governments have received £4.4billion from the […]