LOCALS who came together under cover of darkness to clear the site around a ‘forgotten’ mining monument in Birdwell show that the ‘community are all together’, according to a local campaigner.
The Rockingham Colliery mining wheel stands in the middle of Birdwell roundabout and serves as a tribute to miners and their families who had previously worked there.
However, many have probably not noticed this dedication to the area’s history, as the central part of the busy roundabout had been left to overgrow with bushes and trees now covering the memorial.
Barnsley Council had cited health and safety reasons as to why the area was unable to be worked on, but last week locals spent 45 minutes clearing it themselves.
Local campaigner Jaz Holt, who has been working with the Hoyland Common Residents’ Group and Coun Andy Wray for a number of years to work out a solution, says she was thrilled to see it had been cleared.
She told the Chronicle: “I’m shocked but over the moon.
“It’s about the power of the people.
“We’re a community. If we stand together then this is the sort of thing we can achieve.
“It took them just 45 minutes to do it,
“We’d love for it to stay like that now.
“People were sick of being told no.
“This just shows exactly what can happen when the community are together on something.”
Coun Wray is now hoping the area will remain in its current form.
He said: “The council had thrown obstacles in the way and we worked for two years to try and get something sorted.
“It brought on a huge feeling within the community.
“They just thought ‘why not do it ourselves?’.
“We’re still not allowed on the roundabout so it’s now about ‘how do we keep it like this?’.
“I do get the council’s position but if they can go on and do this in 45 minutes, it means it shouldn’t take the council’s contractors any longer to keep it the way it is.”
The council had said that another project would ensure that the area’s mining heritage would be remembered but Coun Wray says it’s just a ‘token gesture’.
“The community are very happy about this,” he added.
“We are in a mining community.
“We’re just glad that the community are able to have the wheel on show.
“And there’s not just a ‘token gesture’.”
A Barnsley Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that recently, the Rockingham Miners’ Wheel roundabout was accessed to clear vegetation from around the site.
“While we understand this has been done with good intentions, the wheel is located on a live roundabout on a highway, and accessing the site without authorisation poses serious safety risks.
“We would remind the public that unauthorised work on or near the highway is not permitted.
“We continue to work with local councillors on a safe and sustainable way to celebrate Rockingham’s mining heritage that the whole community can enjoy.”
