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Cambridge and the Miners' Strike '84-85

Cambridge and the Miners' Strike

This major oral history project and archive documented the work of the Cambridge Miners Support Group, which was twinned with the mining communities in Nottinghamshire in 1984 and also supported miners and their families in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Wales.

Inspired by a screening of the feature film Pride at the Arts Picture House in Cambridge in September 2014, the project gives a voice to those who participated in the miners’ strike and the relief effort that was organised by their supporters, allowing them to share their experiences with those who know little or nothing about the strike and its effects upon ordinary people.

You can watch interviews from the project on our LHRU YouTube playlist.


Interview with Yvonne and John Woodhead, Mal Howarth and Geoff Peace

This video from the project shows an interview with Professor Mary Joannou of Anglia Ruskin University's Labour History Research Unit and the Cambridge Miners' Support Group with members of the Nottinghamshire NUM Ex and Retired Miners Association. Produced by Eric Eaton and Ann Donlan, August 2015.



Commemorative booklet

A commemorative booklet ‘Cambridge and the Miners’ Strike’ was produced jointly by Anglia Ruskin University Labour History Research Unit and Cambridge and District Trades Council in a limited edition of 150 copies, which sold out in December 2015. This has now been reissued with four new pages (January 2016) and a small number of copies are available for purchase on request. Please send any enquiries to the Labour History Research Unit.



Miners' Strike

Witness evening: The strike recalled through oral testimony

Held in November 2014, following the remarkable success of the film 'Pride' in local cinemas, this event was dedicated to the work of the miners' support groups, with members of the public in the Cambridge area and beyond, who participated in the humanitarian relief effort to assist the besieged families of striking miners in the coalfields talking about their recollections of the strike. 'Witnesses' including Lucy Munby, Alison New and Vivien Bailey talked about why they supported the strike, what they did, and about the important friendships formed with men and women in the pit villages that have lasted to this day.

For more information about this project, please email Mary Joannou or Lucy Bland.

Photo courtesy of Keith Pattison, Report Digital


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