As brightly coloured banners fly free in Durham City each July, I march in front playing the cornet in my brass band. The Miners’ Gala is a joyous celebration of our local community and the mining families who powered the industrial revolution and transformed Britain.

It is a time for family and I remember my grandfathers, proud miners, and my grandmothers, who worked long hours to support them and their family. Like so many working class people in our region, I grew up in a colliery village, steeped in the history, traditions and values of hard work, pride and respect.

Coal mining shaped our communities and gave opportunity, but it took a severe toll too in the poor health that our friends and neighbors are living with today. That’s why it has meant so much to me that this Labour govern

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