October Half Term at The National Coal Mining Museum
Shekina Rose, Families Editor
Dig deep into creativity and history this October Half Term at the National Coal Mining Museum, with all sorts of hands-on activities and storytelling fun to unearth creativity, explore the mining world and learn new things!
There’s so much to do at the National Coal Mining Museum this half-term. Go deep, deep underground (140 metres below ground!) to explore the old mines with a former miner, who will show you the nooks and crannies of the miner tunnels and share 180 years of coal-mining tales. Trust us, it’s fun – but wear a jumper as it can get a bit cold down there!
More mining discovery awaits at Striking Stories, which are free and drop in. Meet Uncle Fred or Auntie Brenda as they unearth their memories of the 1926 strike. With drop-in sessions at 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm, you’ll get a chance to see how life has (or hasn’t) changed since their childhood.
Want to tell your own ‘striking story?’ Head to the Maker’s Shed, where you can dig into creativity and craft a picture that tells your own striking story, inspired by images from the Miners’ Strike.
And there’s more creativity to be had, with the Family Lantern Making Workshops – make a luminous lantern to take part in the National Coal Mining Museum’s Light Up Festival parade on 24 November, or Caphouse Creators for young people aged 7-12 yrs, where you can discover the paw-sitive role cats played in coal mines and get your hands dirty with needle felting to create your own colliery cat.
Don’t miss other exciting activities, from the Hope Pit Explore tour to the Railways of Caphouse and Why’s Our Water Orange? tour. And there’s plenty more too, from nature trails and horsekeeper talks to the steam winding demonstrations.
