A MEMORIAL to the workers of a former village colliery has been installed ready for its unveiling tomorrow.

The Fishburn Millennium Group Memorial, on the village green, will be unveiled by Dr Keith Beveridge at 11am, and blessed by the Reverend Susan Richardson to the accompaniment of Fishburn Brass Band.

The sculpture, by Northumberland artist and sculptor Keith Maddison, is the culmination of a long-running fundraising campaign by Fishburn Millennium Group, led by chairman Christine Luke.

The sculpture is a life-sized bronze miner encased in 24 tons of sandstone, provided by Thompson's of Prudhoe, from the firm's Springwell Quarry, where Mr Maddison began working the stone 15 months ago.

The structure was installed on the village green on Monday, with the assistance of Alex Chater and his team from Alexander Developments of Fishburn, but will remain under cover until Saturday.

Among guests will be 92-year-old Ned Troughton. He worked in Fishburn Colliery for 47 years and is believed to be the oldest former miner in the village.

Organisers are keen to ensure as many people as possible attend the ceremony, including past members of the millennium group.

Mrs Luke said: "I want to invite anybody who wants to come along, including all past members of the group.

"Some of them might think that because they have dropped out they are not welcome, but some left to ill-health or other commitments.

"We would love to see them all because they were a part of this and without their help this would not be happening."