DEDICATED volunteers have been collecting and sharing the personal stories and unique history behind some of the region’s most powerful and emotive artwork.

The team of 50 volunteers are giving their time to ensure that visitors of all ages and walks of life leave the Mining Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland feeling inspired.

All of the volunteers live in County Durham, and many draw on their own memories and family connections to offer visitors a more personal understanding of the mining world. They are also on hand to listen to visitors’ own recollections of life in mining communities

Volunteer, Susan Graydon, from Coundon, said: “It is a privilege to hear their stories about their lives, their parents’ lives and the areas where they worked and lived. Both of my granddads worked in the mines, and when my parents came to visit, the paintings brought back memories. So the gallery has kept me in touch with my own past which has been quite humbling.”

All volunteers at the Mining Art Gallery underwent three months of training before taking up their roles, attending lectures and presentations, and visiting museums.

The gallery celebrates both the creative abilities of the mining artists and the close-knit communities of the pit villages and towns.

It has been created by The Auckland Project in partnership with Dr Robert McManners OBE and Gillian Wales, and since its launch in October has attracted more than 4,000 visitors.

Since its launch in October more than 4,000 visitors have come through its doors.

The gallery is supported by The Gemini Collection, County Durham Community Foundation, Mr McManners OBE and Stefa McManners, Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, Sir James Knott Trust, Banks Community Fund, Bishop Auckland and Shildon Area Action Partnership and The Sir John Priestman Charity Trust

The Mining Art Gallery, part of The Auckland Project, is open daily from 10am to 4pm.