Miner’s Welfare Fund – Denaby’s Impressive Scheme

May 1922

Mexborough & Swinton Times, May 13, 1922

Miners Welfare Fund

Denaby´s impressive scheme.

A Recreation Centre.

A very fine scheme has been prepared by the committee set up by the Denaby and Cadeby Miners and management to consider the best means of using the local grant to be obtained from the miners´ Welfare Fund, The committee is composed of representatives of the minors working at both Denaby and Cadeby together with the managers of those pits and Mr. H. C. Harrison.; Mr. Arthur Roberts is the secretary, and Mr. Harrison was appointed Chairman.

Various meetings have been half for the discussion of the best means of utilising the grant from the fund, and the decision reached has been unanimous. The meetings throughout have been characterised by a most friendly spirit, and there has been a noticeable absence of the two sides management and men- both working together most amicably.

The proposal is that an up-to-date colliery institute should be built on a site between the football and cricket grounds at Denaby, and an application for a grant from the fund for this purpose is to be made.

It is intended that the institute shall comprise educational and fictional libraries, the former equipped with books on mining subjects for the use of the mining students. There will be a lecture hall which can be used for lectures, meetings, concerts, etc. and a billiards room, with smoke rooms and other accessories of a club. Swimming baths and slipper baths for both sexes will be included. And it is suggested that during the winter when the baths cannot be used they should be fitted up as a gymnasium, a further suggestion is for the benefit of the miner´s children for it is proposed to equip a recreation ground with swings, see-saws and a paddling pond the land for both institute and recreation ground for the Denaby and Cadeby colliery company.

The idea of the institute is to further their social and educational side of the miners´ lives and also to extend these facilities to their wives and families. The institute will be managed by a body of trustees composed of members of the management and the workmen and the men will be more than equally represented in this direction.

The estimated cost of the scheme is £20,000, and, of course, the grant from the fund will not reach this figure. The committee, however is trying to get as much as it can and the balance will be raised locally. Already a certain amount in in the hand as the result of cricket and football matches.

It is expected that the institute would soon become self-supporting, for the committee is favoured in the fact that between 80 and 90 per cent of the men working at Denaby and Cadeby live in the immediate district, and would become members. There are 2,005 men working at Denaby and 2,255 at Cadeby. It is expected that about 85 per cent. Of these would become members of the club. As regards the others who live outside, however, they are quite eligible for membership, but in the event of a scheme being instituted in the district where they reside the Denaby committee would expect to assist it according to the proportion not men who work there and live away. Further it is not intended to confine the institute strictly to the miners, for those who are not employed at the pits will be eligible for membership, though, of course, at a slightly increased figure.

Sport will be coupled with the activities of the Institute, which will be closely allied to the Denaby United Football Club and the Cricket Club, whilst interest in the district will be well looked after.

On the whole, the committee regard the scheme as one which showed this amend its cell very much to the mine, and also to the authorities want the power to provide grants from the Miners Welfare Fund this. It certainly is very praiseworthy. This deserves all possible support.

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