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The Durham Miners’ Gala is Back Dave Anderson
THE DURHAM MINERS GALA IS BACK!
THE DURHAM MINERS GALA will return this year. Hosted by the Durham Miners Association (DMA) since 1871, the Gala was cancelled for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The DMA and the Friends of the Gala have been working with the local authority, police and other partners to confirm arrangements for the safe return of the event, which is attended by more than 200,000 people from across the region and beyond. We now confirm that The Big Meeting will return on Saturday 9 July 2022. Once again, the streets of Durham will be packed, as people march colliery banners to the sounds of brass brand music. The DMA announced last year that the returning Gala would be dedicated to key workers, carers and bus drivers, delivery workers and nurses, shop staff and teachers. Everyone who has risked their lives to keep society functioning throughout the pandemic will be celebrated. Between now and the Gala, we will work with trades union branches across the country to bring people into Durham, and call on the public to gather in greater numbers than ever before in support of the country’s key workers. DMA Secretary Alan Mardghum said: “We are delighted to confirm that the Gala will return in 2022. We know it has been sorely missed. For many, it truly is the highlight of the year. The Gala has been at the heart of the cultural life of the people of the Durham coalfield area for more than 150 years. “The Gala has also been a rallying point to fight for social justice throughout its long history. We dedicate this year’s Gala to the workers of this country. As the pandemic made so clear, it is they our society truly needs. Our key workers will be centre stage, and I urge everyone to join us in Durham in a massive demonstration of our support.” Also returning is the hugely popular Miners’ Festival Service at Durham Cathedral, which has been part of every Gala since 1897. The service, in celebration of Durham’s mining heritage and its communities of today, features
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brass band music and the blessing of new banners taking part in the Gala for the first time. For more than a century, the Gala was funded by the working miners of the Durham coalfield. Before the pandemic, only two world wars and two national strikes had stopped the Gala marching on. Following the closure of the collieries, the Gala is funded by donation and subscription through the Friends of Durham Miners Gala (FODMG). Those who contribute are known as ‘Marras’, a Durham miners’ term for a friend who can be relied on in times of need. We thank all of our Marras for their support, enabling us to keep the spirit of the Gala alive during the global pandemic. In its absence new digital content, including a live streamed event, brought the sights and sounds of the Gala to more than one million people online. Last year, in the 150thanniversary of the first event, more than a dozen communities across the region hosted ‘little big meetings’, bringing people together in the spirit of the Gala. It is thanks to our Marras that the Gala will be able to return in 2022. Without you it simply could not happen in any year. The costs of hosting the Gala rise every year, but organisers are facing a huge increase in 2022. Bumper crowds are expected, safety and stewarding costs are rising and inflation has hit infrastructure costs. Everyone who values The Big Meeting is urged to chip in. If you haven’t done so yet, please join our band of Marras today, at https://www. friendsofdurhamminersgala.org/. The Gala is a unique and inspiring spectacle. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world and it happens in Durham. Whether you enjoy the sights and sounds and atmosphere of the Big Meeting, share its values of solidarity and community, or value the contribution it makes to the local economy, I urge you – please sign up, become a Marra, and help ensure this wonderful day continues to survive and thrive.
