Cannock Chase pays tribute to its mining heritage with special service - PICTURES and VIDEO
Hundreds of people paid tribute to the proud mining history of Cannock Chase in a special dedication service.
It celebrated the laying of more than 4,000 bricks over the past 10 years at a mining memorial in Hednesford town centre following the fourth and final phase of its construction.
The monument recalls a bygone era when thousands of men toiled for long days in the pits below Cannock Chase.
Now, with the latest batch of 500 inscribed bricks laid in place, bringing the total to 4,034, the Hednesford Mining Memorial has been declared complete.
The project was launched in 2004 as a lasting tribute to an industry that defined the area and the men that worked in it. At one time, there were 48 collieries across the Cannock Chase area, and the memorial covers all of them.
The first phase of bricks were installed in 2006 with stages two and three following in 2012 and 2014. At that point the names of more than 3,600 people were featured. But requests still came in from people who had not known about the monument and wanted the names of family members added.
Now Chase Arts For Public Spaces (CHAPS), which was behind the scheme, says it is confident that everyone interested in being a part of the memorial is named on it.
Prior to Saturday's ceremony CHAPS president Mike Mellow told the Express & Star: "It was extremely important to recognise all of the people that worked in the Cannock Chase coal-mining area.
"We are satisfied we have got all of the names of the people on there who wanted one."
Sunday's dedication service was led by Rev Nigel McCulluch, former Bishop of Manchester, who has a long connection with the mining industry, and was Bishop for Mining Communities.
