Stephen Manion

Today I have been up to the National Coal Mining Musuem just outside Wakefield. I was there to attend a meeting of the Liaison Committee. This is a group made up of local government members, mostly from authorities around the musuem including parish councils, district and borough councils and city councils. They are also inviting representatives from wider afield including Bolsover, The Forest Of Dean and Dover.

I am only to keen to help as I believe that the museum serves the mining community well in providing a source of understanding about the role that coal mining has played  and continues to play in our nation's history.

Today we were also reminded about the cost of the industry in human terms as we observed a minutes silence for a coalminer who died following a mine incident last week.