This is a project close to our hearts at Beam, having developed the project for a number of years, and we are very happy that we have been able to contribute to this group and sponsor a figure commemorating William Pickering, a 24 year old haulage hand who died in the 1938 disaster.

The five new statues take the total of life-sized steel figures at the site to 93, and we are continuing to work alongside partners to fundraise to see the target of all 106 figures installed.

The most recent additions are sited at the Markham Vale Environment Centre and are dedicated to:

Arthur Roper, 61, contractor

Albert Bell, 33, road Layer

George Cowley, 38, contractor

William Pickering, 24, haulage hand

Rowe Kirk, 60, contractor

A short film celebrates the latest installation.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, Councillor Tony King, said –

“Installing 5 more statues to the Walking Together mining memorial brings us even closer to commemorating all 106 men tragically lost in the 3 accidents at Markham Colliery.

“We will never forget Markham’s mining heritage and the memorial is a place where generations to come can visit and learn about the site’s important history.

“As we work towards completing this important memorial project, I’d like to thank all of the sponsors for their generous contributions so far, including Tesco Bags of Help, The Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust, Aviva Community Fund, public donations and Beam who have funded the most recent group of figures.”

We have also created a handout for this most recent installation giving more details about the miners. Walking Together Event Handout September 2021

Thank you to the Markham Vale Heritage Group for their continued dedication and support for realising this important memorial. More information about the Walking Together project and miners can be found on The Story Mine website.

Film and photography credits – David John King.