Memorial garden to commemorate Yorkshire’s mining history
A group of heritage volunteers based in Barnsley have worked tirelessly to commemorate the fallen, injured and forgotten of Yorkshire’s mining past - thanks to support from South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF).
The Barnsley Main Heritage Group, officially owned by Barnsley Council under the umbrella of Barnsley Museums and Recreation, is a collective of volunteers whose dedication has transformed and maintained the Barnsley Main, formerly Oaks Colliery, site with the purpose of keeping the rich mining history alive.
The Barnsley Main Heritage Group was awarded £1,000, from South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation, for its green space site project.
The grant has enabled the group to create a memorial garden to commemorate the miners who lost their lives or suffered from life-changing injuries. The garden provides an area for contemplation and information on the mining history at the Barnsley Main site.
Barnsley Main created a seating area for the site and, with the funding awarded by SYCF, they purchased laurel shrubs to border the seating area, plants and flowers for a garden area and purchased and installed an information board.
They group also printed and displayed a memorial poem, commemorating the worst mining disaster in England that occurred at the site in 1866. This was installed in their pop-up museum, which is housed in a former shipping container and tells the story of the mine’s history.
Funding also supported extensive research into the names of all miners who lost their lives in the mine, undertaken by a volunteer at the site and included in the museum.
Janice Ingram, Treasurer at Barnsley Main Heritage Group, said:
The site is totally unrecognisable from the neglected dumping site it originally was.
The grant has helped us to honour the stories of those who were essential to mining history and to educate all generations on a significant part of South Yorkshire’s past. We’re incredibly grateful to South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation for making this possible.
SYCF is the region’s largest grant-giving charity and last year awarded more than £1.3m to 420 community groups and organisations. Since 1986, the Community Foundation has given out almost £40m in grassroots grants.
Jess O’Neill, Grants and Partnerships Manager at SYCF, said:
It’s inspiring to see Barnsley Main Heritage Group’s tireless efforts to keep Barnsley mining history alive. This is a huge part of British working history, and we are delighted that our funding is making such a difference in maintaining this historical site.
Meet Jess
Jess is responsible for leading the team which delivers SYCF's Grants Programmes, focusing on improved ways of working and streamlining. Jess is the lead officer for managing our volunteer recruitment and training for panels - providing on-going support and an annual panel members event. Her working days are Tuesday to Friday.
Jess O'Neill
Grants and Partnerships Manager
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