A stone’s throw from the Dickie Bird statue, also crafted by local sculptor Graham Ibbeson, is the tribute to the 1866 Oaks colliery disaster. The incident claimed the lives of 361 miners when firedamp caused huge explosions in the shafts. The sculpture depicts a woman carrying a child after hearing news of the explosions. Coal flows from her back, a reference to the fossil fuel being the backbone of the industry. Around the edges of the sculpture, a miner works and a relief displays the circle of life for a mining…
