Death of the pit village

[divine]

I work in an ex pit village in South Yorkshire, England. I meet, on a daily basis, old men in their 70's and 80's who worked down the pits. These are proud, spirited men, who knew what it was like to do a hard days graft. They moan to me, even to this day about the breakdown of their communities since the pits closed.

On the flip side, there are young men, in their 20's who hang around bus shelters with nothing to do. There is no work for them, they have nothing! These young men were not academical enough to do A levels or go on to Uni, they would have followed their fathers and grandather down the pit, now they just exist. Whether you agree with men working down mines or not, there is something lost in our way of life and culture that can never be replaced.

[Anonymous]

I work in an ex pit village in South Yorkshire, England. I meet, on a daily basis, old men in their 70's and 80's who worked down the pits. These are proud, spirited men, who knew what it was like to do a hard days graft. They moan to me, even to this day about the breakdown of their communities since the pits closed.

On the flip side, there are young men, in their 20's who hang around bus shelters with nothing to do. There is no work for them, they have nothing! These young men were not academical enough to do A levels or go on to Uni, they would have followed their fathers and grandather down the pit, now they just exist. Whether you agree with men working down mines or not, there is something lost in our way of life and culture that can never be replaced.

I'll never ferget that first day at 't pit.Me and me fatha worked a 72 hour shift and walked home FORTY THREE MILES through 't snow in us bare feet.Huddled in us clothes med out er old sacks.