A SCULPTURE celebrating 50-years of mining at Boulby is attracting admiring attention from abroad.

Artist Katie Ventress, whose studio workshop is at Hinderwell near Whitby, is creating a full-size sculpture of a miner sat at a ‘bait’ table, where miners sit to take a break and eat lunch.

It will form a lasting tribute when it is installed in its permanent position alongside the Cleveland Way near the Boulby site.

And it is already causing quite a stir as Ms Ventress is getting messages from as far away as America where gold miners have complimented her on the attention to detail.

Ms Ventress said: “I’ve created a modern-day miner to make him relatable to the local people who live in the area and work at the mine.

"It is quite emotional hearing people’s response to it, to see them get excited about the things they are familiar with.

"The aim is to celebrate not only the mines’ history, but all the people who have worked there through the decades, both below and above ground.”