"When I started mining, we had a mine in every village. Over the years that’s all gone sadly, so to see it coming back with the Woodsmith Project is fantastic,” said Dave Cook, Woodsmith Mine Shift Manager.
Mining in the UK has changed significantly in recent decades. Over the course of the last century, employment in coal mines peaked at 1,191,000 in 1920 before falling to 695,000 in 1956, 247,000 in 1976, 44,000 in 1993, and then to just 2,000 in 2015.
In fact, Dave was a Command Supervisor at the time of the high-profile closure of the Kellingley Colliery in 2015 that marked the end of deep-pit coal mining in Great Britain, having started his career in mining aged 16 back in 1979.
Nevertheless, such was Dave’s passion for mining he encouraged his sons, Tom and Joe, into it and they joined the Woodsmith Project in June 2020.
Although this isn’t the first time they’ve worked together, it’s certainly their most stable period in the industry for a long time and an opportunity they couldn’t pass up, as Tom explained: “If we wanted to stay in mining, this was the place to be. We’re not going to get the chance to work on another project like this in a deep shaft now, especially not in this country.
“We’ve been in pits since we were 16 – I love mining and I don’t want to do anything else. I’d probably be jumping from pit to pit at operations in the process of closing if it wasn’t for the Woodsmith Project.”
“I didn’t expect to come to a new mining project in this country, I really didn’t,” admitted Dave. It’s a sentiment echoed by Joe: “We thought we were out of mining, we were getting the last bits of work at mines before they closed.
“We went to work on private mines and it was tough work, they were primitive places. We never thought we’d get the chance to help sink a shaft so we’re grateful to be here and have that opportunity. We’ve never seen anything like this.
“If it wasn’t for this project, I would probably have to move abroad to work in mining,” added Joe. “This is the future of mining in this country, there’ll be no other mine like this. I intend to stop here until I hang my boots up, I’ve bought a house near here.”
They may have seen and heard a lot working in mines across the UK, some of which they describe as “primitive”, but all three of the family members, heralding from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, are thrilled to be working on a project from the construction phase.
“It’s nice to be on a project from the start. The construction side was all new to me, so I have learned a lot since coming here,” added Dave.
The importance of the project to the local area isn’t lost on mining veteran Dave, praising Anglo American for its community initiatives and efforts to enhance and contribute to the local economy and landscape.
“For the local people here, to come and be a part of this and possibly have a quality job for the long term, it’s brilliant and a fantastic opportunity,” he added.