Durham Miners’ Gala 2024
Rain can’t dampen spirits as thousands brave the bad weather- and speeches call on the new Labour Government to make a difference
Rain soaked the streets of Durham for the 138th Miners’ Gala. On the 40th anniversary of the biggest coal miners' strike in history, plenty of people braced the weather for what is one of the most unique events to be held in this country.
It’s always an early start for the Miners’ Gala, also known as the Big Meeting, or at least it is if you want a good spot. The procession of banners started before 8.30am and the cobbled streets of this old city were filled with brass band music.
The Gala was once solely to celebrate the coal mining industry which was the beating heart of the county and other parts of the UK. In 2024, it is a celebration of trade unionism, left-wing ideologies, and the working class. Plenty of Palestine flags and a banner stating ‘Not My King’ was plenty of evidence of this.
Walking the streets of Durham on Gala Day, no matter what the weather, is a special experience. The colliery banners form a rich tapestry of an industry that once fuelled Britain but has been resigned to history. The gala is a way of keeping the industry alive and teaching its importance to younger generations is a vital way of doing this.
Plenty of people enjoy a drink, myself included, and even as the rain got heavier on the way to where the Gala speeches are made, the spirits of people singing and dancing under trees or queueing to get a drink at one of Durham’s many fantastic pubs could not be quashed.
Brass bands play songs that are a staple of the gala, with several bands playing the moving tune ‘Gresford’ which is also known as The Miners’ Hymn. The song was written by a miner following a horrific disaster at the Gresford Colliery in North Wales in 1934. 266 men died, and it has become a reminder of the human cost of the coal mining industry.
The band from Fishburn played this song before the speeches were made on Durham’s Racecourse- a band is selected to take part in this tradition each year. The speeches this year were made by trade union leaders and representatives, top officials within the Durham Miners’ Association, and Labour MP Ian Lavery.
These are always politically charged and reflect the state of the country. With the UK now run by the first Labour government in 14 years, the tone of the speeches turned from getting the Conservatives out, to being happy that they’d been given their marching orders, but also calling on Labour to make the significant changes the country needs.
My Grandad was a coal miner his whole life, working in the colliery of a village I wrote this from for most of it. I’m immensely proud of this, and my interest in the industry and its impact on the North East, in particular, drove me to write my university dissertation and a fiction novel on the subject.
The gala has critics who say it’s gone too left-wing and that the mining industry is no longer front and centre. It’s no secret that the event has taken on a different role in the 21st century, but the Durham Miners’ Gala's original meaning still exists and is thriving.
