HOW DO WE PASS ON OUR MINING MEMORIES TO THE NEXT GENERATION?
We will feature 4 blogs, 1 each Monday, themed around ‘mining education’ in the next month. We will show how our Mining Museum has been engaging with children and also ask how we can pass on those memories more widely to future generations.
MEMORY – PRIDE – SELF CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE
One of our key aims when taking our Mining Museum into Schools or, inviting children into our Museum, is to help them to understand that they are part of history too. We want them to research and learn about their family and their community’s history. To feel pride in the work and struggles of their own people and to use that pride to grow their own self confidence.
Our 1st blog features our Chair, Eric Eaton, who was awarded the Guardian Rose on behalf of our Museum, in recognition for our education work in Schools.
Report in the Worksop Guardian dated January 2016
Year 6 pupils, Jay and Maddison from the Sparken Hill Academy presenting Eric Eaton with a Guardian Rose at a Special Assembly. Photo courtesy of the Worksop Guardian
A former miner from Mansfield who has been giving up his spare time to educate school children on their local mining heritage for the last decade has been honoured with a Guardian Rose.
Eric Eaton, from the Retired Miners Association, was presented with the accolade in a surprise assembly at Sparken Hill Academy on Friday, January 15.
For the last 10 years, Eric has led a dedicated team of volunteers from the association who have been taking their “Mining Memories” roadshow into numerous schools across the county.
Eric and his volunteers have taken the roving mining museum into Ryton Park and Manton Primary Schools, and more recently at Sparken Hill Academy, Ollerton Primary, Dukeries College, Worksop Library, Worksop Town Hall and Ollerton and Mansfield Library.
The roadshows gives the children the opportunity to research their own family mining history, handle and get up close with thousands of real working mining artefacts and take part in three mining-themed activities, including a quiz about what can be made from coal.
Kate Curry. Year 5 teacher at Sparken Hill Academy, who nominated Eric along with other staff at the school, said: “Upon working with Eric, it is clear he is truly dedicated to his role and a very passionate man who is very proud to be part of our coal mining community.
“He is a pleasure to work with and truly deserves more recognition for all that he does to keep our mining heritage alive.”
Eric is an enthusiast for his industry and the spirit of community and comradeship that coal mining encouraged, and believes the roadshows foster that kind of community pride.