NEW PATHWAY FOR BRAVE MINERS...

A permanent memorial in Beighton to a horrific accident involving 47 miners from Brookhouse Colliery in 1958 has just become even easier to access, for all to see, thanks to Crystal Peaks’ owners and management, with the laying of a new wheelchair path and roadway.

The "Time Works" sculpture complete with bench and plaque is situated across the road from the award winning Shopping Centre on Drakehouse Lane close to Eckington Way and commemorates the courage, resilience and comradeship of local miners when a tragedy struck at 6.30 a.m. as the 'day shift' clocked in, on a fateful Tuesday, the 4th March.

Said Thomas Brocklehurst ex Brookhouse Colliery miner and survivor, "It's known locally as "The Overwind Incident". We were going down the pit to commence work. The then-new electrical winding system on the shaft cage failed, sending us plummeting to the bottom. The impact created hell on earth, with moaning and groaning as bodies were thrown against each other. As it was a two-tiered affair, a double-decker cage, one lift on top of the other with us all standing upright made matters much worst. So when it fell, lots of leg, hip and pelvic injuries ensued, maiming and traumatising. I remember it took three hours to evacuate the injured who were all taken to Sheffield Royal Infirmary."

Pete Scott, Chair of Beighton Community Partnership and Beighton Villages Development Trust commented, "It's truly a wonderful thing Centre Management at Crystal Peaks have done here and in addition, I can't thank his property asset managers Hermes, based in London, who administer the caring community Centre enough. The accident has never been forgotten by Beighton residents being a mixture of community pride for the men's' bravery and a tinge of sadness. Incredibly there were no fatalities with some real hero's carrying the injured over a mile underground in difficult conditions to the second shaft and safety. That was 47 years ago, and time marches on. Nowadays there are elderly relatives and less abled survivors, who, because of their injuries, have to use a wide variety of transportation to get out and about, such as electrically powered pavement scooters, buggies and wheelchairs. They too wanted to visit to the site on a regular basis to remember old friends and colleagues, but the terrain was difficult to say the least. It's marvelous such community spirit exists."

Remarked Centre Manager, Chris Jones, "We learnt at the recent unveiling that relatives and less abled survivors wanted to visit. So the laying of the new access path seemed only right and proper for Crystal Peaks to become involved with. It addresses the circumstances in which everyone can now access the bench, sit, reminisce and pay their respects to those extremely courageous men. We were glad to be of assistance."

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