By Claire Harrison

May 18, 2019 - In England, ex-miners from across Warwickshire are being urged to share their memories to ensure that they are remembered forever.

Their stories will be used to create a special Community Showcase display at Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery this summer.

Access assistants at the Riversley Park-based museum are hosting a Reminiscence Café on Saturday, May 18, and want former miners from Warwickshire pits to join in.

They especially want to hear from members of the Warwickshire Miners’ Association (WMA)  which, at its height, had 11,000 members.

In the museum's collection is a banner, which was found in the Town Hall in Nuneaton, and was used by the miners during parades.

Undated handout photo issued by UK Coal of coal face men Les Eastoe, Ian Smith, MarkEvans, Alan Guild, Richard Holland and Geoff Collett celebrating with a lump of the three millionth tonne of coal from the face at the Daw Mill colliery, between Tamworth and Nuneaton in the West Midlands. Wednesday December 3, 2008.

Image by UK Coal, PA Wire

Daw Mill Colliery

John Glass, who was the last secretary of the association and is a Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough, encouraged all former members to share their stories.

"I fully support the museum’s intention to collect stories about the WMA and miners’ experiences of working in the Warwickshire Pits," he said.

"These stories will be used to create a new Community Showcase display at the museum over the summer.

"My involvement started when I approached the museum about a banner that was donated to them by the WMA.

"I wanted to take it to a big meeting of miners in Durham.

"Though this isn’t possible, we are looking into making a replica to parade instead.”

The event on Saturday is free and will run from 11am to 4pm.