A REUNION to commemorate 25 years since the closure of a steel plant was held in Consett last night.
Former employees of British Steel Corporation Consett Works met in The Demi pub in the town.
They met old friends and former colleagues to recall the days when Consett was an industrial powerhouse.
Thousands of people lost their jobs when the plant closed and knock on effects on the economy forced thousands more businesses to shut.
Today, the jobs have been replaced and Consett is enjoying a new-found prosperity, but the workers who attended last night's reunion have not forgotten the impact of the plant in the town.
Former fitter Billy Robson, who organised the reunion, started his own businesses as a mechanic but is now chief executive of Consett YMCA.
He got involved in the charity by organising leisure activities for unemployed people in the town.
Mr Robson said: "People remember the good times and the bad times they had. Many remember the muck and the noise, but also the camaraderie among workers.
"Consett has still survived and it is a cleaner place."
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