County Durham — pride in the past and hopes for the future
The County has been through turbulent times over its history- but it’s a past that has built it strong
Saturday afternoon in County Durham, like in many other spots around the country, means football. The county is full of clubs, represented by men and women, boys and girls from all around the area. The professional clubs around the North East have the backing of thousands of passionate fans, and these are steeped in as much history as those at a grassroots level.
Shotton Colliery FC is located in the village park. The Rec is a closed-off ground with a playing surface that will likely be the envy of non-league teams around the country. Although the ground has been standing in the village for decades, the club itself is relatively new.
Formed in 2020, Shotton Colliery FC, affectionately known as ‘The Yakkas’, is an example of the people of County Durham remembering the past while also embracing the future. The club’s flag, which hangs proudly behind the goal during home games, is both simple and powerful.
The flag has a picture of the coal mine that was the focal point of Shotton Colliery for almost 150 years. Accompanying it are the words ‘proud of our past’. The club’s ground lies around the corner from where the colliery once stood and the football club and the proximity of the colliery site see the past clash with the future.
The club badge incorporates two village memorials, one to the colliery and the other to the Shotton war memorial. Both greet people as they enter the village from the East. The community has been through a lot, and it is ex-mining villages like this that have given so much to the country but have been low on the list when it comes to appreciation.
This appreciation of history and the hopes for a better future are a common theme within County Durham communities like Shotton. Plenty of sports clubs across the region have pit wheels and memorials on their badges, that are worn with pride.
County Durham was built on coal mining, and further up the coast cities like Newcastle and Sunderland were put on the map through shipbuilding. Clubs around these cities have incorporated this rich industrial past into their identity, hoping to keep it alive for generations to come.
Another feature of the pride County Durham takes in its past is the preservation of colliery banners. At one time almost every coal mine across the county (which at one point was over 300 at the height of the industry in 1913) had their banner. It was a tapestry that was unique to the colliery and colliers that marched behind it, and it would have been brought out in displays of celebration and solidarity.
County Durham is changing, and in 2024 the region marks 40 years since the 1984–85 Miners’ Strike which had a significant impact on the region. Communities were ripped to pieces with the closure of their coal mine, and whilst efforts to rebuild for the future are underway- the scars in some of these communities may never fully heal.
Closer to the coast is the port town of Seaham. In its heyday, Seaham had three coal mines and its coal was shipped overseas from just yards away from the town centre. Thousands of miners earned their living in Seaham, but in the space of five years, all three pits had shut.
On a sunny Saturday at the end of September, the town’s people gathered for the annual Seaham Miners’ Day. Representatives of the Durham Miners’ Association gave speeches that reflected on the strike and its impact on Seaham. Still, they had visions firmly fixed on the future and rebuilding Seaham- like so many other mining communities- into a town for the 21st century.
The county is often overlooked when it comes to outsiders looking at the North East. Newcastle is the main focal point of the area, but County Durham is steeped in as much history and with plenty of places of interest to add. I’ve lived large parts of my life in towns and villages in County Durham and, although I live away now, it will always feel like home.
