Cathedral service marks 150 years of Miner's Gala
The 150th anniversary of the Durham Miners' Gala is to be celebrated at a special service at Durham Cathedral.
The ‘Big Meeting’ – the annual celebration of community, solidarity and the coal mining heritage of County Durham – was first held in 1871 and the Miners Festival Service at Durham Cathedral has been part of every Gala since 1897.
The Gala was unable to take place in its 150th year due to the Covid-19 pandemic but a special evensong service on Friday, October 29, at 5.30pm aims to honour the event and the communities that have sustained it for a century and a half.
Actor Charlie Hardwick will read a new poem celebrating the Gala and Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, will pay tribute to key workers and the service will feature performances from the Durham Miners Association Brass Band.
There will also be readings by the Bishop of Jarrow Sarah Clark, Dean of Durham Andrew Tremlett and Stephen
Guy, Chair of the Durham Miners Association (DMA).
Alan Mardghum, DMA secretary, said: “We are very proud that this anniversary of will be celebrated in the wonderful Durham Cathedral.
“More than a generation on from the closure of the last colliery in Durham, the continuation of the Gala demonstrates that the principles of community and camaraderie at its heart are alive and relevant.”
The Gala has undergone a resurgence in recent years, with more than 200,000 people packing the streets of the city every second Saturday in July.
The Gala is due to return to Durham on Saturday, July 9.