Ex-Miners Tell Their Story On Film To Mark 25th Anniversary Of Strike

Online, June 13, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The film features brand new interviews with many of the strike's key players, who give new insight into the circumstances that led to the strike, their own experiences of being involved and the events that led to such a disastrous end to the strike for the miners. These contributors represent the full spectrum of opposition to Mrs. Thatcher's plans for the British Coal Industry: from former Labour MP Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner MP, to senior members of the National Union of Mineworkers and the Trade Union Congress, to Women's Action Group members, who were transformed during the strike from housewives into activists. The ex-miners who experienced it all from the front line also share their memories.
The film's biggest achievement is in drawing some remarkably frank and direct accounts from these men and women, whose lives were irrevocably changed by the events of 1984 and 1985. This is no dour historical document - Dole Not Coal offers a passionate tale of the destruction of Britain's coal mining industry, which is at times both humorous and sad. Illustrated by recently rediscovered home video footage, along with other sources, the major incidents of the strike (such as the "Battle of Orgreave") are reflected upon with refreshing honesty. A stirring new song by Worksop-based songwriter Steve Colbourne, entitled "You Could've Fooled Me", captures the mood of the era in closing the film.

"The 84-85 miners' strike changed the political and industrial landscape of Britain forever," said the film's producer Geoff Wheatley. "It brought an end to coal mining as a major source of employment for British people and crippled the once strong trade union movement. Yet the mainstream media's coverage of the strike was heavily biased towards the government's position. The people who lived and breathed the strike, and who ultimately lost the most when the pits closed, have never had the chance to share their thoughts and feelings about these events - until now. Their story is one that every working man and woman can relate to, and one that everybody can learn something from."
The timing of Dole Not Coal's DVD release is no accident, as 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the miners' strike, which ended in March 1985. Exactly 25 years later, Dole Not Coal's premiere was held at the Winding Wheel in Chesterfield and was attended by more than 200 ex-miners, strike activists and members of the general public. The audience gave the film a standing ovation.
Dole Not Coal has also been submitted for screening at Sheffield DocFest 2010, Europe's largest documentary film festival, in November this year.
Dole Not Coal: The Strikers Story is available now to buy on DVD from Amazon.co.uk, priced at £12.99.