TALES of women whose spirit and determination shone through in the region's mining communities are being sought for an art exhibition.

Residents across the North East are being asked to search their family archives for stories and pictures of women of the 1800s, whose strength and fortitude enabled them not only to survive but to make their mark on society.

These personal histories will be used as part of an upcoming exhibition at the Mining Art Gallery, in Bishop Auckland, which will look at the role of women in coal mining communities.

A spokesperson said: "As miners worked in dangerous conditions, their families lived in constant fear of pit disasters and the risk of losing not only a loved one, but also their breadwinner.

"Many women prepared against this by taking in washing, mending and dressmaking to protect the family's finances.

"Some women took this tenacious spirit to rebel against injustice. In 1872, miners' wives of Durham and Northumberland organised a protest against the high prices charged by local butchers."

Anyone who can offer stories, anecdotes and photographs of strong women from the North East's Victorian mining communities is asked to submit them to The Auckland Project by emailing angela.thomas@aucklandproject.org, by Friday, August 31.