Snibston Colliery Park will be hosting a Leicestershire Mining Heritage Day this Sunday (September 15).

The event (10am-4pm) is free and local societies from around North West Leicestershire will display their own mining history and heritage. 

Members of societies such as the Whitwick Historical Society, Coalville Heritage Society, Swannington Heritage Trust will be on hand to talk to the visitors about the local mining heritage and to hear mining stories from local people. 

In addition to the local societies, Chris Matchett, well known mining historian and collector, will be there with his extensive collection of mining memorabilia. 

The event has been organised by Snibston Heritage Trust in collaboration with Leicestershire County Council - and during the event there will be two tours of Snibston Colliery provided by former local miners. 

The tours are extremely popular and times of the tours are 11.00am and 1.30pm and tickets are £5 for adults, with children under-15 free, and available through Eventbrite HERE.

Steve Brotherhood, Colliery Guide and Trustee, said: "As a miner for over 40 years, it is a pleasure and privilege to show visitors around Snibston Colliery and tell them about my life in the pits and mines rescue. 

"Snibston is very important to the people of Coalville and North West Leicestershire as it is a lasting monument to the mining community that tolled in the local pits. This event and colliery tours tell their, and our, story".

There will also be a chance to experience 'Into the Dark' a mine simulation. 

As it is not possible to go underground at Snibston, 'Into the Dark' gives visitors the opportunity to find out what it was like being underground at the coalface and to experience 'total' darkness. 

Snibston Colliery Tours.Reproduced courtesy of Snibston Heritage Trust

The popular Snibston Colliery Café will be open providing refreshment throughout the day and families can have fun on the free access Children's Adventure Playground and Colliery Park nature trails.

The Leicestershire Mining Heritage Day is part of North West Leicestershire's Hello Heritage Festival which sees many heritage events around the district including guided walks and street posters telling local stories. 

A concert, New Lount Colliery Centenary Celebration, A 100 years of history through songs and stories will be performed by members of the Newbold Heritage Group at St. Matthew's Church, Church Street, Worthington at 7.30pm on Friday, September 13.

Tickets are £6.00 and available HERE.

This is followed on Saturday, September 14, with a trail around New Lount Colliery, which opened in 1924, closed in 1968 and is today New Lount Nature Reserve. 

The Mines Story will be told by re-enactors around the colliery site. This event is free and opens 11am-4pm.

For more information about the Leicestershire mining heritage weekend contact Stuart Warburton on [email protected] or 01530 833521 - and for more details about Hello Heritage events and activities click HERE.