A FORMER colliery community will mark its mining heritage with the unveiling of a distinctive memorial statue later this month.

Plans are being put in place for the opening ceremony which will see the nine-foot steel sculpture, Marra, officially taking its permanent place in Horden’s Welfare Park.

Horden Parish Council purchased the statue, featuring a miner with his heart ripped out, made by celebrated steel sculptor Ray Lonsdale in his studio at nearby South Hetton.

The council then consulted villagers in the County Durham coastal community seeking their views over the memorial, its name and the site where it should stand.

It resulted in the overwhelming choice of the name, Marra, the miners’ colloquial term for ‘friend’ or ‘colleague’, while the park proved the popular site in the centre of the community for the statue to stand.

The final task for the parish council, ahead of the installation ceremony, on Saturday November 21, was to try to trace any ex-miners who worked at the pit prior to its closure, in February 1987.

Parish clerk Paul Davison said, given the passage of time since the axe fell on the colliery, that there may be few surviving pitmen from that time.

“Ideally we wanted the oldest miners or miners to come along to the ceremony, should they wish, just to cap off the event.

“We have got the ground ready, with a plinth prepared, and we’ll bring the statue in a few days ahead, but wrapped in tarpaulin.”

Arrangements will be finalised at Tuesday’s (November 3) parish meeting, but it is hoped that as many local people as possible will turn up for the ceremony, which is scheduled to run from 11am to 1pm.

It will feature the music of a colliery brass band and a choir, with the guests to include David Hopper, general secretary of the Durham Miners’ Association, plus local county council members June Clark and Paul Stradling.

They made contributions from their respective neighbourhood funds to help meet the purchase price of the sculpture, which with VAT, came to about £22,000.

Should the weather prove favourable it is hoped that Horden Heritage Society, based nearby, can mount stalls to add to the occasion.

Although the deadline for the search for surviving ex-Horden miners is strictly passed, any late suggestions can still be made to the parish council.

Mr Davison can be contacted at the council’s offices, at Horden Social Welfare Centre, in Seventh Street, Horden, SR8 4LX, by email to hordencouncil@bt-connect.com, or by ringing 0191-518-0823.