In the darkness and dust: memorial recalls the hard history of British mining

The sculpture, to be unveiled next month, will celebrate the courageous contribution of pit workers to our industrial heritage

They toiled far underground in dark, cramped and dangerous conditions, emerging at the end of their shifts caked in coal dust and often gasping for air.

Towns grew up around the collieries; boys followed their fathers and grandfathers down the pit. In the 19th century, women and children were among the nation's coal workers. But by the end of the 20th century, miners had mostly been consigned to the post-industrial scrap heap as pit after pit shut down.