Snibston Colliery will open its doors to the public with the 'People, Places and Events' special event and colliery tour later this month.

The Ashby Road attraction in Coalville will hold the event on Sunday, April 21.

The event is a chance to come and meet local heritage groups and hear what they have planned for 2024.

There will be displays by local heritage groups including Whitwick Historical Group whose display will include the story of Whitwick Colliery First Aid Team, and volunteers from Newbold who are celebrating the centenary of New Lount Colliery this year.

As well as the exhibitions, there will be two vintage buses on display outside the Colliery Café from the collection of the Leicester Transport Heritage Trust.

The buses will be a Browns Blue AEC RT double-decker, which some will remember used to run around the Coalville district, and a 1960s Midland Red single decker.

Volunteers from Mine2Mind Education and Nottingham Trent University will be asking people what they know about local coal mining as part of the National Heritage Lottery funded 'Mine-Craft Project'.

Photo: Coalville Heritage Society

David Amos, Project Manager of the Mine-Craft Project said: "The project aims to gather as much information from East Midland coal miners and their families about prominent local pits through the fantastic collection of photographs kept by the Coal Authority at Mansfield.

"The project is focusing on five case studies, which include Snibston and Whitwick Collieries, to add information to the pictures and tell the stories of these pits, the people who worked there and their families.

"If you or a member of your family live in Coalville or worked in the local mines, please come along and tell the Mine-Craft team all about your experiences".

Over the winter, the band of dedicated Snibston Heritage Trust volunteers have been getting the colliery site ready for 2024 and the new programme of colliery tours which start during the event.

The Snibston Heritage Trust has been developing an exciting new simulated underground mine visitor experience, which will give the visitor the experience of being underground as it is no longer possible to travel down Snibston's shafts.

Steve Brotherhood, one of the Colliery Guides and a colliery site volunteer, is excited about the new attraction and said: "All the volunteers have worked hard over the winter to get the historic pit ready for the 2024 visitor season and part of that work has included 'Into the Dark' mine simulation.

The simulation will be opened for the first time on Sunday 21st April at the People, Places and Events special event where Nottingham Trent University will be present with their Mine Craft Project asking local people about the experience of Snibston and Whitwick Collieries

"There are only two deep mines in the whole country where the public can go underground via a mine shaft and two which are drift mines.

"There are none in the East Midlands coalfield, so 'Into the Dark', which is a mine simulation, gives a safe experience of what it was like underground at Snibston and Whitwick Collieries. The event will be a preview of 'Into the Dark' mine simulation which will open fully during the summer."

During the event 'A Coal Miner's Story' programme of Snibston Colliery tours will recommence for 2024 with tours at 11.00am and 1.30pm.

The tours tell the story of the Snibston miner during the 1970s/80s and include access to all the key surface buildings used when the colliery was open.

Tickets for the tours, which are £5.00 per adult with children under 15 free, are available HERE.

Entry to the 'People, Places and Events' exhibition will be open between 10.00am and 4.00pm and is free.

There is also free access to the Snibston Colliery Park where the children's adventure playground, Country Park and Mountain Bike Trail are also open. There is parking on site and the Colliery Café will be serving refreshments from 9.30am – 5.00pm.