FORMER industry workers from West Cumbria have visited the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven to see their names written in history.

David Taylor, David Powell and Jack and Dorothy Nicholson visited the museum on Wednesday January 29 to see trophies that have been unearthed from mining's heyday.

They spent time at Cumbria's mines with Mr Powell and Mr Taylor working at Haig Pit and Harrington Number 10. Mrs Nicholson worked as a colliery secretary, stationed at Bankfield.

Trophies were awarded to winners of industry competitions. Steelworks, mines and quarries would complete mock rescues, demonstrating their effectiveness in first aid and extracting workers from dangerous situations.

Mr Taylor was a ventilation officer at Harrington Number 10 and captain of Lowca Rescue Team, who won the prestigious Scoular Shield. Teams would have to demonstrate that they could carry out life saving work under pressure, resuscitating causalities and setting broken bones.

"I haven't had my hands on that shield for fifty years."

He said: "When the pits shut, these things just disappeared."

Curator Alex Milner said: "This came to us via Marchon, they were the last winner."

Mr Powell and Mr Taylor remembered the apparatus being so heavy that they couldn't lift it.

"The apparatus weighed about 45 pounds, even when we were fit and young you couldn't lift it, you had to put it on the table and climb under it."