News - Ollerton residents push for pit memorial

PLANS by Ollerton councillors to submit a planning application to build a new miners’ memorial on the site of the town’s former colliery have been welcomed by residents.

Ollerton Colliery closed in 1994 and the land is now owned by supermarket giants Tesco, but talks between the council and store bosses over the location of a proposed new memorial have stalled recently.

At a meeting of Ollerton and Boughton Town Council, members voted to submit a planning application to have a memorial built on what was knows as Pit End Lane.

The move has also been welcomed by Ollerton residents, including Maureen Pickering whose husband and father-in-law both worked down the mine for many years.

“Without the colliery, there would be no Ollerton, the public wants a visible memorial that people can see and is not hidden away,” she said.

“People feel let down by the situation. It is a lost bit of history and a lost community if something is not built to remember all those people who worked there.”

Maureen says that it is important for the next generation of young people to know the history of their home town.

“We need something to show young people who may not have heard of Ollerton Pit and visual references are always more potent,” she added.

“Tesco takes a lot from this community but gives nothing back, that piece of land does not mean anything to them but it means a lot to local people.”

Boughton resident Elizabeth Tilstone gathered more than 375 signatures and raised nearly £600 in a bid to get the memorial built.

“Every other pit village has a tribute to their miners but Ollerton has nothing, we spoke to some kids who didn’t realise we had a pit but some remembered their grandfathers working there,” she said.

During the council’s monthly meeting, members said that submitting a planning application would force some movement from Tesco on the issue.

Tesco’s regional corporate affairs manager Jonathan Simpson said that the store is in talks about the memorial and is happy to discuss the plan with residents. He added: “If this is land that does not cause any problems in terms of access we will be very happy for a memorial to go there.”

From: http://www.chad.co.uk/news/ollerton_residents_push_for_pit_memorial_1_3851217?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

News - Determined to honour miners (Ollerton)

Calls have been made for plans to erect a miners’ memorial in Ollerton to move forward.

A site for the memorial, at the old mine entrance near the Tesco roundabout off Forest Road, has been identified.

However, the land is owned by Tesco and talks over siting the memorial there have stalled.

Residents attended a meeting of Ollerton and Boughton Town Council to voice their disappointment that the project was being delayed.

The Mayor of Ollerton, Mrs Abbie Truswell, said: “Members of the public are very disappointed that this seems to have been lost track of.

“Although the mine is no longer there, the community spirit is and we still want something to recognise the miners.

“Tesco doesn’t seem to realise how strongly people feel about it.”

The council agreed to submit a planning application for the memorial to Newark and Sherwood District Council to try to force some movement on the issue.

The chairman of the memorial committee, Mrs Irene Miller, said the roundabout site was the ideal location for a memorial and that a resolution was needed.

“Hopefully we can try and get over this because it has gone on too long,” she said.

“We have been in negotiations with Tesco and hopefully we can get it resolved.”

She said the possibility of renting the land from the supermarket for a peppercorn rate had been looked at, but talks seemed to have hit a dead end.

“The mine closed in 1994 so it really is time we had something there,” she said.

“We have dragged our heels over this for long enough. That road was what we called Pit End Lane and opened out on to the colliery site.

“The consensus of everybody in Ollerton is that it would be the ideal place for a memorial. Two elderly miners have given donations towards it and we want it to be done so they can see it.

“Some local contractors have offered their services for free as well so it needs to be done.”

A design for the memorial, featuring the names of miners who died working at the colliery, has been drawn up. It features a mining wheel with a red brick backdrop.

Tesco corporate affairs manager Mr Jonathan Simpson said: “We are certainly in talks about this and are happy to meet with representatives of the group to discuss it with them.

“If this is land that does not cause any problems in terms of access we will be very happy for a memorial to go there.”

Mr Simpson said there were a number of groups across Nottinghamshire in discussion with him about memorials, and that he would be happy to talk personally to representatives of the Ollerton group if they contacted Tesco.

From: http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/Determined-to-honour-miners