Shildon Steam Gathering 9-10 July

[lampwortroy]

Originally Posted by notyalc

Sorry Roy, but you must surely be the only guy who has an interest in both steam and politics....

I do not go for the politics. - I go for the brass bands, the marching, the music, the wonderfully ornate mining banners, all the lifelong friends I only see once a year. I have only missed 3 Miner's Galas since 1955. This year I am chaperone to a brass band from Fife in Scotland who we hired to take our banner to The Gala. This is my heritage.

[lampwortroy]

Originally Posted by Steaming North

I know which I'd rather go to to be honest Roy. There's two days in a weekend if punters go to both and there's not enough weekends in the year to avoid other events.

Joe I am torn between the 2. I want to go to both. In fact there are 4 things on this weekend where I feel I should be. Coal mining is in my blood - more so than steam (the only thing that is!). It is the way things go. As Chairman of a mining banner society and Chairman of The Durham Mining Museum, I cannot avoid the event even if I wanted to. On the Sunday I am chaperone to my Scottish Brass Band while they play in the bandstand at Beamish Museum. I cannot be everywhere.

[lampwortroy]

Originally Posted by 8_10 Brass Cleaner

Roy, what do you demonstrate at this event? Mining tackle perhaps?

Cheeky!

I sell mining banner key rings, mining banner coffee mugs, Coal mining disaster official reports - all raising funds to keep our website going. A website that is considered by many to be the largest in Europe with over 73,000 HTML webpages of mining information. (www.dmm.org.uk) and we are a registered charity as well.

Being involved also enables me to supply gifts of glass chopping boards and coffee mugs showing traction engines to various people who have been helpful to me over the years.

[Timothy Hackworth Jr]

Ian Craggs' T3 confirmed for Sunday only, Big Fowler and Marshall due for both days, plus others if they appear.

[Ian Hardy]

Originally Posted by lampwortroy

I know and before that, The Durham County Show was the same weekend. I do not understand how organisers can arrange the 2 biggest events in County Durham to be the same weekend. We must be getting the thinking wrong somewhere. The clash of dates has been going on for years - just different organisers involved.

There are a few of us enthusiasts with blue blood Roy...!