[How the 1 in 12 Club Supported Striking Miners]

During the 1984-5 Miners strike, the 1 in 12 established a close and supportive relationship with strikers at the nearby Kellingley colliery. The Club organised meetings at which miners came to speak to Club members, the gigs were turned into benefits, and regular collections of food and basic essentials were established. When Bradford Trades Council ran a double decker bus to a picket at Emley Moor, the entire top half was occupied by the 1 in l2 Club. When Bradford Council refused  to allow miners to collect money in the City centre, the l in 12 invited them to collect at its outdoor festival at which hundreds of people had attended. After the strike, a book of poetry by Jean Gittens (mother of two striking miners at Ledston Luck Colliery) – Striking Stuff – was published by the Club to raise money for the NUM Solidarity Fund. A plaque, presented by the Kellingley miners now sits behind the bar, a proud reminder of the solidarity members showed during that great fight.

An extract from Matt, ‘The 1 in 12 Fights On’, Black Flag, no.204 (Spring 1994).

See also [Report on return to work at Kellingly Colliery] https://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/brv34j