Voices in the Coalshed: New Hope – New Year

For this month’s Voices in the Coalshed, we asked you, along with our Museum staff and volunteers, to share what your hopes are for the year ahead. Using all 24 contributions, our writer in residence, Dave, produced this poem ‘New Hope – New Year’, and it certainly has us feeling hopeful for the future and all the good things that are yet to come.

Tomorrow is ten months ago and more,
When the pit wheel turns again. Searching for
A rich seam of new days from which to hew
The future from, new things to see and do.
Just to have visitors back, volunteers
And guides; learning and laughter is this year’s
Kibble of hope, with life bringing life
To the mine, the miner, the miner’s wife.
Looking forwards, of course, to Gala Day,
When the banners parade and brass bands play
As lockdown’s unlocked, it’s time to engage
Traditional values, mining heritage.
Museum open with smiling faces,
Finding New Hope in amazing places,
Full team back behind the scenes, then
Start and share experiences again.
Back to normality, the old and new;
People are why we do what we do.
Create exciting digital projects,
Virtual engagement, special effects,
Artefacts and local artists’ display,
Sight and sound of a very welcome day.
Re-connect, inform, surprise, even shock,
Open by Easter? Let visitors flock!
Able to build, when that moment arrives,
Everything in all areas of our lives.
There’s roles to play, the museum’s not gone;
This our New Hope for twenty twenty one
– Dave Alton