A ‘big’ day out as Gala returns
THIS year’s Durham Miners’ Gala is set to be the biggest of modern times.
Huge crowds are expected when the Gala returns tomorrow after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, which saw the 2020 and 2021 events cancelled.
More than 50 Durham miners’ banners and over 50 brass bands are now confirmed as attending the 136th Gala, more than at any Big Meeting since before the 1984-85 miners’ strike.
Hosted by the Durham Miners Association (DMA), the gala was established in 1871.
DMA Chairman Stephen Guy said: “We are seeing an extraordinary response from the extraordinary people of County Durham.
“The gala is the people’s day. There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world and it happens right here on the second Saturday in July.”
This year’s gala is dedicated to key workers, and a nurse and a postal worker, selected by the DMA, will top the list of speakers. Nurse Holly Johnston is a member of the GMB union, and postal worker Rohan Kon is a member of the CWU. They both worked throughout the pandemic.
Holly said: “I am extremely proud of the work all key workers do. It is people like us who have kept the country going, but we are now facing attacks on our conditions.
“There has never been a more important time to join a trade union. We must use our collective power to force change. This is what the gala has always been about and I am absolutely honoured to be invited to speak.”
Rohan, the daughter of a firefighter and an NHS worker, said: “Something exciting is happening in this country right now; the tide is turning and there’s just something in the air. After two years of isolating lockdowns, it is a privilege to come together with people from across the trade union movement from all over the world for the truly legendary Durham Miner’s Gala.”
The speeches will begin on Durham’s racecourse at 1pm. Stephen said: “It will be our honour to welcome Holly and Rohan on to the gala platform.
“I know they’ll receive a wonderful and warm gala reception. But it is not enough to cheer and applaud our workers. We must all join together to ensure workers receive the muchimproved pay and conditions they truly deserve.”
Other gala speakers for 2022 include trade union general secretaries representing key workers. They are: Mick Lynch, RMT; Christina Mcanea, Unison; Sharon Graham, Unite; Patrick Roach, NASUWT; Jo Grady, UCU.