Dodworth Colliery Miners Welfare Band played their part in remembering one of the most influential figure trade union figures of the past 30 years when they performed at the recent Memorial Service of Rodney Bickerstaffe (above) at Central Hall in Westminster.

Minimum wage

Bickerstaffe was the General Secretary of the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) and later UNISON, the largest trade union in the UK. He was a key advocate for the implementation of the National Minimum Wage and for the protection of the value of pensions. He later became the highly respected President of the National Pensioners Convention.

The service, was attended by hundreds friends, colleagues, trade unionists and politicians, with speeches made by the Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn and current UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis.

Strike support

The band was chosen to play at the event under MD Eliot Darwin following their performance at the Annual NUM Memorial Service in Selby Abbey last October. Bickerstaffe was a prominent supporter of the miners and played a key role in battling to keep the coalfields open during the 1984 strike.

This was an occasion for the band to hold true to its proud mining heritage and support a man who did the same. We were proud that we performed with players of all ages at such an important and emotional eventDodworth MW Band

Proud

Band Chairman, Max Senior told 4BR: "This was an occasion for the band to hold true to its proud mining heritage and support a man who did the same.

We were proud that we performed with players of all ages at such an important and emotional event."