Trade union and co-founder of Unity Trust Bank restores historic community hub for future generations.

Now 155 years old, Durham Miners Association (DMA) continues to represent its members and support the protection and strengthening of local community assets.

The DMA trade union was established in 1869 to look after the welfare of miners and their families.

In 1984, the association was part of a group of trade unions that co-founded Unity to serve the common good.

DMA campaigned to end the yearly ‘bond’, a legal agreement binding miners to their ‘masters’, and fought to reduce the hours of labour for boys.

Since the closure of the last pits in the county in 1985, DMA has continued to support its members by securing compensation for illnesses such as vibration white finger and emphysema incurred by working in coalmines.

Every year DMA organises the historic Durham Miners Gala, an annual procession and ‘Big Meeting’ to celebrate community, solidarity and working-class life. Now in its 138th year, the event still attracts 200,000 supporters.

Impact

In 1915, DMA created a purpose-built miners’ hall called Redhills which became a focal point of the coalfield community.

The Grade II listed property had recently declined and the building’s future was at risk. A campaign to restore the hall began in 2017, attracting millions of pounds of funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, Durham County Council and trade union peers.

The cost of living crisis impacted the project. Price increases led to a £1.5m funding deficit endangering the project. Unity engaged to provide DMA with a £1.5m loan to enable the project to go ahead.

The hall will reopen and welcome community members in 2024. Equipped with a new roof and energy-efficient heating. It will offer conference facilities as well as arts, heritage and education programmes for visitors and young people.

Nick Malyan is the CEO of the Redhills charity that was set up by DMA to manage the development. Nick said: “We’ve made sure the building is as carbon friendly as possible. Visitors can learn about climate science as well as local heritage.

“What we offer at Redhills aligns with DMA’s motto: The past we inherit, the future we build.”