Salford in Greater Manchester is one of those places that still boasts a lively community  hell bent on reminding all the rest of us of what it means to be working class. The Irwell Valley Mining Project, run by local activists, epitomises that spirit of refusal to accept any negative labels about what being working class means and is determined to pass on to young people the crucial role that coalmining once played in the community.

Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund several aspects of the project were launched on 21 September at St.Augustine’s Church in Pendlebury, Salford.

St.Augustine’s is a Grade 1 listed building, constructed between 1871 and 1874. Known locally as the “Miners Cathedral”, it was the focal point of the local mining community. Within its grounds is a memorial to the 178 men and boys killed in the Clifton Hall Colliery explosion in 1885. It was chosen…