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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser.

3 September 2009

I dropped into see old friends at the Deal Miners Welfare Club on Sunday where they were holding an open fun day to celebrate their 70th Anniversary and on Bank Holiday Monday I spent most of the day at the Kent Miners Festival over at the Fowlmead Country Park in Betteshanger.

The day was supposed to start with the unveiling of the famous statue of The Waiting Miner after its relocation from Dover’s Seafront to Fowlmead and although a last minute glitch in the planning process prevented this happening – it didn’t prevent the Festival developing into a really successful day and the weather was great.

Fowlmead is the nature reserve and leisure park that was developed from the former Betteshanger Colliery spoil tip using the Government’s Coalfield Regeneration Funds. You can enjoy cycling, bird-watching, horse-riding and a whole lot more on any day of the week but Bank Holiday Monday was dedicated to celebrating East Kent’s mining heritage.

I’ve been to dozens of events at Fowlmead but I’ve never seen so many visitors having such a good time – it was packed out by midday and people were still arriving in their hoards. There were stirring recitals from the Snowdown Colliery Welfare Band and great entertainment from a full program of gymnasts, line dancers and vocalists but the centre of attention was the Miner’s Exhibition where they had scores of photos and memorabilia.

When the East Kent pits were first opened there was no mining experience in the local population and miners were drafted in from the North and from the South Wales Coalfields to sink the pits and mine the coal but they were not made welcome by all of the indigenous population.

The influx of thousands of miners and their families caused great unrest and gave rise to all sorts of irrational prejudices. One old boy, who came with his father and mother from Swansea to live in Mill Hill when he was a boy told me what happened to him within a couple of weeks of arriving. He’s wandered into Walmer and as he was walking along the pavement he felt a clip across the back of his head – delivered by the local bobby who said: “We don’t want the like of you miner’s kids in this area, get yourself back to Mill Hill where you belong !”

The Festival also sported a full sized outside boxing ring where members of the Aylesham Boxing Club displayed their skills and if you wanted to do something a little more leisurely there was a regular schedule of vintage buses running to Sandwich, Mill Hill and Aylesham.

I met lots of old miner friends and quite a few old shipmates and everyone I talked to said what a great day it had been. I’m sure the organisers will want to make it an annual event – so why not come along next year and you’ll have the added attraction of being greeted by the Waiting Miner.