A MEMORIAL garden to honour British miners will be created near Huddersfield.

The National Coal Mining Museum has revealed plans to commemorate the lives of those who were part of the industry, including those who died while mining and through mining-related diseases.

The Memorial Garden will be built on an open grassed area at the museum’s Hope Pit off Wakefield Road near Grange Moor.

Speaking at the launch event, Wakefield MP Mary Creagh, said: “Next March will mark the 40th anniversary of the Lofthouse disaster.

“Seven miners died that day when the pit was flooded and six of the men have never been recovered so this Memorial Garden will be a really beautiful tribute to them and to all who have lost their lives.

“It will be a place to reflect on people’s lives, a place to enjoy the natural world and remember the sacrifices of the men, women and children who worked in the mines.”

She added: “Just like the memorial that stands on Batley Road, this will be a living monument to those who have lost their lives.

“It will also be a tribute to the miners who have suffered terrible industrial injuries, osteoarthritis, damaged lungs, people who lost their hearing due to the noise of machinery and all the other industrial injuries suffered down the pit.”

The museum is inviting mining communities to get involved with the project through an appeal for donations, but also by asking people from the region who would like to help with the development of the garden to get in touch.

The garden is planned to open in the summer of 2014 and will be designed as a place for quiet contemplation and reflection, allowing visitors to share their memories of what coal mining has meant to individuals, families and the local area over many generations.

If you would like to be involved with the development of the Memorial Garden or to make a contribution to the appeal, please contact Sally Hawksworth on 01924 848806 or by email at sally.hawksworth@ncm.org.uk