Shildon Steam Gathering 9-10 July
 

As ever, the annual steam weekend is nearly on us for Vintage Vehicles Shildon's lorry museum. All welcome, 10am to 4pm both days.

Admission £2 adults and £1 children.

More information from Michael Bowman 07831 384754, also if you want to bring an exhibit/engine, large or small.

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Same weekend as Durham Miners Gala again. Sorry cannot make it tied up with colliery banners and brass bands all weekend

If all goes to plan, there "SHOULD" be the Boer War Fowler in finished form and the ex Whitby Fowler roller of Ian Craggs amongst those attending - usual disclaimer about availability and low loaders not being able to start etc!

I consider it very short-sighted of the organisers to put on an event such as this on the same weekend as the biggest annual political demonstration in Europe just 10 miles away. Apart from the war years, The Durham Miners Gala has been an annual event since 1871 and is now a great day out for all the family with a showground, political speeches, marching brass, military and pipe bands. I would dearly like to support my local event but cannot when it clashes with a huge event in my home town where I am actively involved with the organisation.
I hope you who are going have a great weekend. Sorry to miss it yet again.

Apologies Roy, not short sighted at all - timed so it didn't clash with Duncombe Park the previous weekend and Masham the following one, also coincides with a tractor rally at Locomotion on Sunday. One of the problems, there are always more events than one can get to!

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

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.

Roy,

Were it still happening,this would have been the weekend for the Chester le Street rally when John Bainbridge was organiser. Looking out of the window now it would not have been much fun......

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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