Songs include Deep into the Ground (from the musical Billy Elliott), Rap her t’Bank (a traditional song from Durham coalfields), Sally Wheatley by Joe Wilson and Wi’ Me Pit Claes On by Eric Boswell.
In the Veins is a short film that resonates through time, using over a century of archive footage to shine a light onto the face of the mining heritage of Yorkshire and the North East of England.
A story of hardship and hope, division and defiance, perseverance and pride; this is not a history lesson, it’s an emotional journey that digs deep into the heart of a community built on coal.
For centuries, men toiled in the bowels of the earth to build a nation, creating prosperity and improved standards of living, before experiencing the gut-wrenching end to livelihoods, a cost to people and their communities that is still having an impact across the generations.
Four decades on from one of the longest industrial disputes of the 20th century, it’s an important time to reflect on the rich history of mining in the UK, how it has affected the people, places, and identity of those that were involved.
From villages, towns and communities that grew from the industry, the bonds and friendships fostered, to the formation of activist groups such as ‘Women Against Pit Closures,’ In the Veins celebrates the success, commiserates the demise and is a timely reminder about the need for a ‘just transition’ from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.
Commissioned by Teesside University with support from the AHRC Impact Acceleration Account fund, and produced by the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, this short film is a catalyst for conversation, an opportunity to learn from the past to help shape the future.