A rally organised by women to mark the 40th anniversary of the nation’s most bitter industrial dispute is being held in the North East this weekend.

It is four decades since working pitmen downed tools in the ultimately doomed attempt to prevent widespread colliery closures across the County Durham coalfield.

The action, led by Arthur Scargill, of the National Union of Mineworkers, came in response to policies created by Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher designed to weaken the power of trade unions.

The Northern Echo: The 1984-85 Miners' Strike was an era that changed the course of British historyThe 1984-85 Miners' Strike was an era that changed the course of British history (Image: Keith Pattison)It started on March 6, 1984, at Cortonwood Colliery, near Rotherham, and quickly spread across the country, with the exception of Nottinghamshire, as miners walked out in solidarity.

In the long months that followed, money in once affluent, law-abiding communities, became scarce and the sight of large numbers of police in riot gear became a common sight.

With hungry mouths to feed, women played a vital role in strengthening the resolve of the striking miners, who were torn between putting food on the table and the long term struggle to maintain their livelihoods.

Miner's daughter Heather Wood helped organise free cafes for striking men and their families in Easington, where she lived with her husband, John.

The Northern Echo: Heather Wood on the picket line in Easington in 1984Heather Wood on the picket line in Easington in 1984 (Image: Contributor)

She said: “If it had not have been for the women the men would have gone back because who was going to provide the food?

“The women wanted to provide food, that was their main aim when the strike started.”

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Heather, now 72, said wives, mothers, sisters and girlfriends became more politicised as both sides became more entrenched and the strike became a year-long war of attrition.

She said: “As it continued those same women who initially just wanted to feed their families became very politicised because of what was happening.

“They wanted to be on picket lines so they did and some were arrested.”

The Northern Echo: The policing of the strike has been widely condemned by people from pit communities The policing of the strike has been widely condemned by people from pit communities (Image: Keith Pattison)On Saturday, from 12.30pm Heather, a grandmother-of-five, and other members of the National Women Against Pit Closures will meet at Palace Green in Durham with their banners.

The women’s march, followed by men from Durham Miners’ Association from the cathedral down the historic cobbled streets, starts at 1pm after a rousing rendition of Gresford, the Miners’ Hymn, from the NAS/UWT Riverside Brass Band.

The parade will make its way down Elvet Bridge to the Swan and Three Cygnets where the participants will sing the anthemic strike song, ‘Women of the Working Class’.

Then, from 2pm, the student union in Durham is holding a ticketed event with speakers, live music, speeches and comedy commemorating the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike.

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The Northern Echo: Heather Wood still stills in the former pit village Heather Wood still stills in the former pit village (Image: Northern Echo)The Miner' Strike was a key turning point in modern British history that forged the country we have today but also, Heather says, redefined the role of women in coalfield communities.

She said: “They organised rallies, addressed crowds and spoke on television and radio. These were things they had never done before.

“The strike changed these woman. I am not saying what they were doing previously was unimportant - home keeping is very important - but they learned that they could, if they wanted, do so much more.”