Geevor tin miners mark 30 years of keeping heritage alive

A former tin mine in Cornwall has held a gala day to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its becoming a museum.

Among the face painting and music were former miners from Geevor mine, which closed in 1990.

"It is vitally important because Cornish mining is a huge part of our shared history," said Jack Roberts of the Geevor Tin Mine Museum.

Millions of tonnes of copper and tin were mined in Cornwall in the 18th and 19th Centuries for worldwide export.

Mr Roberts said: "It's really important that we keep the story alive, and we do that directly from the guys that worked here telling their stories, but also through the museum and our buildings which are preserved pretty much as they were when the mine closed."

Former tin miner Grant Jelbert said: "There were some lovely times. Before you went underground you had a bit of a laugh and joke, it was all about that."

Another said: "It was hard work, but everyone looked after each other and made sure we were safe and everything.

"I miss it. The day it closed, we were gobsmacked; we couldn't believe it - we were all ready to go down."

Another said: "These guys were like brothers. We haven't seen each other for a long, long time, but, today, it was like we saw each other yesterday and all the memories come back."

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