The Mine Is Yours Festival

Healthy Arts, in partnership with volunteers at the Lancashire Mining Museum, will host the inaugural ‘The Mine Is Yours’ celebratory arts and heritage festival on Saturday 1st October 2022 at the former Astley Green Colliery site, off Higher Green Lane in Astley.

Entry to the event, which takes place between 11am and 6.30pm, is FREE thanks to National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) funding, and additional investment from Wigan Council and Peel L&P.

The festival will start promptly at 11am with a parade of former miners with colliery banners and a brass band, echoing the old miners’ galas of yesteryear. The Mayor of Wigan will be in attendance to open the event.

This will be followed by a full day’s entertainment including live music, short theatre performances celebrating the history and importance of the mining industry, poetry readings, exhibitions and street performers.

There will also be craft workshops and, of course, all the attractions of the museum itself including the steam engine, reproduction Miner’s Cottage and train rides. A grand day out for all the family including dogs!

Refreshments will be available to purchase – or you can bring your own picnic. You are also encouraged to bring your own fold up chairs or blankets.

We will be rewarding selected National Lottery players with a special VIP area between 3pm and 5pm with live entertainment and refreshments. To stand a chance of winning free entry bring along a recent Lottery ticket on the day and we will enter you into our prize draw for up to 40 places. Each line of a ticket will represent one person’s admission.

The Lancashire Mining Museum can be accessed via the Bridgewater Canal or by road with a bus stopping just outside on Higher Green Lane. Car parking will also be available in nearby fields and stewards will guide you on the day.

Please be advised that some areas of Lancashire Mining Museum are tricky to access for those people who have difficulty with their mobility. The ground of the site is uneven in places and the Engine House is only accessible by using stairs. However, disabled toilets will be provided at the event.

Please let us know if you need any priority seat ing or wish to park in the disabled parking area. Email contactus@healthyarts.org.uk or phone 07542 114383 to do this. As part of ‘The Mine Is Yours’ festival, there will be a staffed Access Consultation area – for people to receive information, support and offer their suggestions. This marks part of a consultation process with the community to help make Lancashire Mining Museum a more disabled and access friendly site in the future. We would love you to get involved! If you wish to come along the event is free but you will need an entry ticket which is available here – https://www.acc360.co.uk/the lancashire mining museum. Or you could visit the museum email or ring to book a ticket.