Information on Loughborough

Banded together at Snibston

Posted on 26/02/2010

Leicestershire Councty Council Community Services

17 February 2010

Banded together at Snibston

Snibston Discovery Museum is hosting its next Miners’ Morning talk entitled The making of the CD ‘Banded Together’ at 10.30am on Thursday, February 18.

Continuing the museum’s series of mining-themed talks, Brian Langtrey will talk about making an audio dramatisation about Leicestershire’s worst colliery disaster.

The Whitwick Colliery disaster in 1898 saw the loss of 35 Leicestershire miners’ lives. This talk will look at how Brian evoked some of the emotion and drama of the tragedy, and excerpts from the CD will be played.

David Sprason, Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, said: “The Whitwick Colliery disaster had a huge impact on families in Whitwick and Coalville. This talk will look at how this event which happened 112 years ago is still commemorated by the local community.”

Future talks include:

Thursday, 18th March The Mines of Memory project – Alison Clague, Project Co-ordinator, Leicestershire County Council Thursday, 18th March A special Miners’ Evening for National Science and Engineering week: The return of King Coal - Professor Paul Younger, University of Newcastle Thursday, 15th April The Coal Authority – Simon Caunt Thursday, 20th May Witness: Disaster, Rescue and Recovery – Anne Bradley, Curator of Social & Oral History, National Coal Mining Museum for England Thursday, 17th June Behind the scenes at Snibston Colliery Railway – Nick Pell and Fred Hartley

Each session costs £3.50 per person and includes tea, coffee and biscuits. Pre-booking is required by calling 01530 278444.

ENDS

Notes for the editor:

1. Contact details

For further information regarding the talks, please contact Alison Clague on 0116 53429 or Alison.clague@leics.gov.uk

2.  Background to Snibston

Snibston is set on the site of a former colliery and consists of a multi-award-winning interactive museum, colliery buildings of national significance, the Century Theatre, a country park and nature reserve.

The museum displays a rich and diverse collection of objects, telling the story of technology and design and how it has affected everyday life from the past to the present and into the future.

In 2008/9 Snibston achieved 98,043 paying visitors, and almost 30,000 visitors to the country park and free exhibitions, and this year to date has seen a 4% increase in visitors.   Year on year, since 2005 there has been a 37.6% increase in paid admissions.