Methodists at Durham Miners’ Gala
More than 200,000 people took part in Britain’s biggest celebration of community and solidarity the other weekend at the Durham Miners’ Gala. The Gala parades through the city with banners and brass bands from pit villages, miners’ associations, unions and other organisations. The Durham Miners’ Gala is a living emotional reminder of the sacrifices made by workers and their families in the past and a call to all for social justice today.
This year, a new banner was paraded through the streets, a banner from The Methodist Church.
The Durham Miners’ Gala was first held in 1871. Mining was a dangerous, back-breaking job that forged communities and faith. Rooted in personal holiness and social justice rather than hierarchy, Methodism was the denomination many miners chose to follow. This year, the Evangelism and Growth team partnered with the Newcastle and Darlington Districts and Elvet Methodist Church in Durham to recognise the relationship between Methodism, the miners and the support for those communities left behind now that the pits have closed.
The new Methodist banner was created by freelance illustrator Benji Spence who worships at Jesmond Methodist Church in Newcastle. The design began by consulting people from across the Methodist Church who were interested in the Gala. They discussed what they would like people to see and how they would like to feel carrying the banner. The group focused on ideas around heritage and hope, with the final banner featuring a miner’s lamp and the words ‘Dignity, Hope and Belonging’.
The methodist website: https://www.methodist.org.uk/about/our-stories/methodists-at-durham-miners-gala/ has more.