Rich seam of support

Assurances have been given that a memorial to miners who worked at Ollerton Colliery will go ahead.

It is hoped that progress will be made by next month — the 16th anniversary of the announcement of the pit’s closure.

At Ollerton and Boughton Town Council last week, councillor Irene Miller, who has been leading the project, said: “It will happen. I am quite convinced of that.

“We have just got to find a way around certain things. We are still waiting to hear back from organisations regarding funding. Apart from that it is still ongoing.”

The planned memorial, which could cost up to £50,000, is in granite and based on a design of five miners working together.

It was decided by the public in August after their opinions on different designs were sought at the Ollerton Of Yesteryear exhibition.

About 600 people attended.

The other choices included a sole miner, a miner with a child, and a miner with a pit pony.

The preferred location is the Tesco roundabout, the former pit entrance.

The deputy clerk, Mrs Karen Wakefield, said an email was sent to Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways department on October 29 asking for an indication of whether the memorial would be allowed on the roundabout or not.

There were concerns that the council would not approve the site because of fears it could block the view of motorists.

A reply was received on November 5 saying it was being passed on to someone else but they had heard nothing since.

A campaigner, Mrs Liz Tilstone, of Newark Road, said she was disappointed there had been no response from the highways department.

Her husband, Mr Geoffrey Tilstone, worked at the colliery for 18 years.

She said if it could not go on the roundabout at Tesco then a new site would have to be found and the cost could change.

She said that would cause further delays.

Mrs Tilstone said: “We need the memorial sooner rather than later. A lot of people are asking if we are still having it.

“Other villages have got something. Surely they didn’t have to go through all this.”

She said it had been dragging on for too long and hoped the project would take a step forward next month.

“I am disappointed for the people of Ollerton. If it wasn’t for the pit we would not have a town or community like we have got now,” she said.

“Ollerton, Boughton and the surrounding area were born from the mine.”