An evening of mining memories at Rosehill
Last updated 15:53, Wednesday, 09 April 2008
AN EVENING of Mining Memories is promised by The Miner’s Lamp Theatre Company and Whitehaven Male Voice Choir.
The event is being held on Saturday, April 19, at 7.30pm, in Rosehill Theatre.
Also, special guest on the night will be Gillian Rothery.
All proceeds will go to the Haig Colliery Mining Museum.
The evening will remember both the Wellington Pit and William Pit disasters.
The Miners Lamp Theatre Company will be performing The Parting Gift and a Day in August.
The Parting Gift tells the story of Frank and Martha who leave Whitehaven with their two small children to start a new life in Arizona.
They leave behind several family members including Frank’s younger brother who is working at Wellington Pit and reported missing at the time of the gas explosion in 1910.
The sketch describes the effect the Wellington Pit disaster had not only on the lives of the couple but the other members of the family.
A Day in August is all about the day in 1947 when the William Pit disaster occurred.
It follows the story of George, a miner at Haig Pit, who goes along to help with the rescue. It describes the conditions and scenes that confront the rescue workers and the trauma and sorrow that unfold.
Whitehaven Male Voice Choir, which is itself steeped in history, will be performing on the night.
In the early decades of the 20th century, the choir enjoyed close links with the mining community, with many of the members being miners. The choir was also known as the Whitehaven Miners’ Male Voice Choir.
Back on May 26, 1910, The Whitehaven News reported that Whitehaven Male Voice Choir had held a special meeting and decided that they should not go that year to the Morecambe Music Festival on account of the terrible disaster at the pit. And a sum of eight guineas was donated to the Mayor’s Fund.
It starts at 7.30pm, tickets are £6, £5, from Rosehill Theatre box office on 01946 692422.
