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1994 - Page 32

Last Pit Ponies Retired At Deep Mines

The last 8 pit ponies working in deep mines in Britain were retired when Ellington colliery in the North East closed on 18th February 1994.

There were now just a few ponies working in small drift mines in South Wales.

By 2002 these would be retired also.

M I N D

Miners wives were seeking emotional help from a voluntary group in Mansfield. The organisation called MIND received a substantial rise in women phoning in to the Samaritan-style telephone service asking advice and reassurance, but from what? Quite a few of the local mines had closed recently and of course the miners being made redundant had none or very few jobs to go to. The good money of the past had disappeared and the women were in the heart of it. A different and more meagre shopping list to the one last year - no new dress, less enjoyment, fewer night outs, maybe no holiday this year. One tends to forget the woman back home that usually runs the house and sometimes a job as well and then takes on all the worries of the empty purse! Pit closures are dramatic and leave a scar that one cannot describe! The memories last forever, particularly the bad ones.

Ollerton Reserves Transferred To Thoresby

Following the closure of Ollerton colliery in February 1994 all remaining Ollerton reserves were transferred to Thoresby. Men who werent redundant were allocated jobs at nearby collieries. Salvaging work to recover the expensive chock shields from 42s and 60s faces in the Parkgate seam required a further 8m of cutting in advance of each face line. All the coal produced was wound out of the pit and transported to Thoresby by lorry. 60s chock shields were recovered and transported to Thoresby and 42s chock shields were recovered and transported to Asfordby. The total value of transferred equipment and chocks was £9.456m.

UK Coal

UK Coal was founded trading under RJB Mining with Richard Budge as Chief Executive leased Clipstone for 8 years from British Coal on 24/1/1994 and Calverton (Nottinghamshire) on 23/5/1994.

Fears grew regarding the Miners Welfares. Recently the Miners Welfare building at Blidworth was sold although the sporting sections continued. Without a focal point some of the old colliery villages would be lost. The future of CISWO, the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation was in doubt. Fully operational welfares in the area at this time were Clipstone, Ollerton and Bevercotes, Rainworth, Bilsthorpe, Thoresby and Welbeck.

Now that there were no contributions being paid from the miners wages Welfares were renamed as Social Clubs they began to struggle as stand-alone entities. Other outside activities were encouraged to help them survive but some had to close down. (Welbeck Welfare would close down in January 2014 after languishing for several years).

Limit Halved On Number Of Men

New Regulation from 1st April 1994 limiting the maximum number of men allowed in single intake workings to 50 from the previous maximum of 100.

Nottinghamshire Group

  • Annesley Bentinck 1,486,900 tonnes, closed 12/2/1994, mothballed (in 1991-1992 produced 1.3m tonnes, 879 697 men) £23m profit
  • Asfordby development, 450+ men
  • Bilsthorpe 1,340,300 tonnes, (in 1991-1992 produced 873,000 tonnes, 595+ men
  • Calverton 375,000 tonnes, (in 1991-1992 produced 860,000 tonnes, 752 men), closed 19/11/1993, but would re-open
  • Harworth produced its first double million with a total of 2,065,100 tonnes from the Deep Soft seam with 713 men u/g /104 s/f and 427/69 contractors men in 1993-1994, at 8.15 tonnes OMS, 2 weeks before the end of the financial year 31st March (in 1991-1992 produced 1.9m tonnes, 1,203 men), however the manpower was to fall from 870 to 550 and fewer contractors
  • Manton 1,374,739 tonnes, closed 18/2/1994
  • Ollerton 1,530,00 tonnes, closed 12/2/1994
  • Rufford 558,200 tones, closed 11/11/1993
  • Thoresby 1,658,647 tonnes
  • Welbeck 1,755,700 tonnes, with 646/104 and 23/45 contractors men.

Midlands and Wales Group

  • Bolsover 650,000 tonnes, 494 men, closed
  • Markham (in 1991-1992 produced 1.9m tonnes, 1,296 men) closed
  • Shirebrook (incorporating Pleasley, in 1991-1992 produced 1.3m tonnes, 1,005 men) and included Daw Mill (Warwickshire) 2,030,051 tonnes working the Warwickshire thick coal, 1,262 men
  • Littleton, Cannock, 678,734 tonnes, closed 10/12/1993 (1991-1992 produced 1.2m tonnes, 890 men
  • Silverdale, Newcastle under Lyme, 511,430 tonnes (1991-1992 produced 935,000 tonnes, 701 men)
  • Trentham (Stoke on Trent amalgamation of Hem Heath and Florence collieries) 1991-1992 produced 2.3m tonnes but lost £20m. 1,544 men
  • Betwys drift start 1978, in 1991-1992 produced 126,000, 113 men
  • Parkside, Newton-le-Willows, start 1964, in 1991-1992 produced 870,000 tonnes, 782 men
  • Point of Ayr, Prestatyn, sunk 1879, reconstructed 1957, in 1991-1992 produced 555,000 tonnes, 478 men
  • Tower, merged with Mardy 1986 (Rhondda Valley).

Thoresby Voted To Close

The 910 men at Thoresby voted to close the pit in April and accept redundancy terms, however British Coal refused to accept the decision and the mine remained open. At the time the reserves at Thoresby were dwindling fast, however the remaining reserves in the Parkgate at the closed Ollerton colliery were now available.

Extra Redundancy Terms

Extra redundancy terms for industrial workers providing for up to £37,000 in severance pay was extended to 30th April 1994.

Coal Industry Bill

Energy Minister Tim Eggar MP (Con) announced that a Coal Industry Bill was to be laid down for Royal Assent in July for a Coal Authority to be set up in September 1994.

Transfer of Records and Plans

Under the provisions of the Coal Industry Act 1994 and following the privatisation of the coal industry in 1994, the records and plans of all the abandoned mines were transferred to the custodianship of the Coal Authority to be made available for inspection by the public. The assets and liabilities of British Coal were transferred to the Authority.

Workshops Closed

In May 1994, British Coal closed the Bestwood Workshops employing 240 men. Longwall Inc re-opened them shortly afterwards, but only employed 91 men.