We need £10k to preserve this special piece of South Tyneside history
A South Shields heritage group is looking to raise around £10,000 to help restore and repair historic damaged banners.
A South Shields heritage group are appealing for up to £10,000 to repair historic banners which help to tell the tale of the town.
Harton and Westoe Heritage Group are hoping to raise the money to fix tears and discolouration on their famous banners.
The first in need of repairs is a 1974 banner, which workers took on strike.
Ronnie Peterson of Harton and Westoe Heritage Group explains: “Over the time it’s got rips in and it’s discoloured.
“We’re getting an estimate on that one, but we’ve got another one for Westoe Mechanics.”
This banner is currently on display in St Hilda’s Church in South Shields.
Three replica banners protected by the group also need work. One remembers the St Hilda’s Colliery Explosion of 1839 when 51 lives were lost at a South Tyneside mine. The other two replicas depict designs for the Harton and Westoe Miners’ Lodge and Westoe Colliery.
All three of these are also seeing their colours fade after years of use and visits to the Durham Miner’s Gala.
“They need to be cleaned and painted. We’ve had estimates for around £7,000” adds Ronnie, who has been a committee member of Harton and Westoe Miners’ Welfare since 1985.
Now 76 years old, he worked at sites across Whitburn and Boldon during his career and is now chairman of the Heritage Group.
The fundraising efforts have seen a boost thanks to the group’s idea to sell badges commemorating the work they do.
These badges can be bought by contacting the Heritage Group.
Around 150 badges have already been sold. Alongside fundraising days attended by former mine workers for the centenary of the 1926 General Strike, the group are working towards their target.
So far around £1,500 has been raised, although £10,000 will be required to repair the full set of banners. This includes the £7,000 estimate for the three replicas.
While there is no set time goal for the team, the goal for the future is for the team to eventually hand over the banners to local schools to keep the region’s mining history alive. Their work already sees Ronnie and his team visit show children artefacts from the industry.