³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Rob Pittam visits his home town in Nottinghamshire, which was divided by the miners' strike in 1984, in Inside Out, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One (East Midlands), 7.30pm, Wednesday 25 February.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Working Lunch reporter wrote his first piece of journalism 25 years ago for Ollerton's community newspaper. Rob returns to the paper's offices where his career began, where he reported on the divisions between strikers and working miners.

Rob's dad was a miner and the family moved to Ollerton from the North East in the early sixties along with hundreds of others. Pit closures in Durham meant they had to find work elsewhere. There were plenty of jobs in the Nottinghamshire coalfield which couldn't be filled with local labour. And the jobs came with new homes.

The divide during the 1984 strike could roughly be drawn between ethnic origins: the Notts' men worked while the North East men went on strike.

In June 1984 Rob wrote about miners having to endure a chorus of abuse from their neighbours and workmates when they went to work. The division was symbolised by pubs in the town becoming places for either workers or strikers.

In 1984 Rob wrote: "How much of the split will remain when the dispute is over? For there will come a time when the people will have to face each other again. It is to be hoped for the sake of the community that common sense will prevail over the extreme attitudes."

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Nottingham also remembers the miners' strike with features running across the week (Monday 23 – Friday 27 February).

Its Breakfast Show (6.00-9.00am) on Thursday 26 February features a broadcast from Sherwood Energy Village, which is sited where Ollerton pit once stood. Contributors include a former miner returning to the site for a look around; school children involved in designing a permanent memorial to mark the pit; a tour around the energy village; and a package on the legacy of the strike from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ's East Midlands Political Editor, John Hess.

Notes to Editors

Inside Out is also available online via bbc.co.uk/insideout/eastmidlands from 8pm, Wednesday 25 February.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Nottingham is available on 103.8 & 95.5FM, DAB and online via bbc.co.uk/nottingham/local_radio/

Archive photos of the strike collected during the recent ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Bus Tour can be seen via: bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/image_galleries/
mining_for_memories_archive_gallery.shtml

LN