A bronze statue depicting a ‘Miners Rescue’ has been chosen for the National Mining Memorial at Senghenydd.
The statue, designed by sculptor Les Johnson, was chosen following a community vote depicts a rescue worker coming to the aid of a survivor signifying emotion and brotherhood. The people behind the memorial have said the statue is a symbolic piece that the whole of Wales will be able to relate to.
Work on creating the statue which will stand on a plinth made of local pennant stone is well underway and work commenced last week on creating the memorial garden in which the statue will be situated.
The statue and memorial will be unveiled on the October 14, 2013, marking the 100th anniversary of Britain’s largest mining disaster at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, where 440 men and boys lost their lives in a devastating explosion.
As part of the memorial garden, the Aber Valley Heritage Group are raising funds towards a national memorial pathway that will feature paviors dedicated to disasters across Wales where five or more were killed. The pathway will feature 152 tiles, each costing £500.
To sponsor a tile or make a donation towards the tiles, please call 02920 830444/5 or email senghen.heritage@btconnect.com.
The statue is costing £120,000 and is funded from contributions from Caerphilly County Borough Council, the Aber Valley Heritage Group, Aber Valley Community Council and the Welsh Government.
I totally support the concept of a mining memorial but fear that, with a budget of £120k, the monument will not be large or dramatic enough to adequately commemorate the savage repurcussions of industrialisation in the South Wales coalfield. The story of Welsh coal in all its manifestations deserves an international audience. My instinct is that we are not being ambitious enough.