New jobs from old pits

Many derelict sites have been turned into business parks

A conference will hear how, 20 years on, mining communities are creating new jobs from the old pit-based work they used to do.

The conference, organised by Staffordshire County Council, will celebrate the success stories that have helped the former mining communities rebuild their lives following the collapse of the old industrial base in the 1980s.

And visitors will look to the future too, with thousands more employment opportunities in the pipeline, visiting projects in Silverdale and Lymedale to see for themselves.

New start

Former Silverdale miner Steve Scarlett and his friend, former Michelin worker Chris McGing, started their own company.

Trinity Windows started at the Lymedale Enterprise Centre.

"It's close to our Chesterton homes, close to our North Staffs market, and its just the right size to meet the needs of our small but growing business," said Mr Scarlett.

A host of big and small employers have taken advantage of the revitalisation initiated by the county council.

This has included such major firms as the US-owned Asda supermarket chain.

The council claims recently completed schemes have created more than 8000 jobs, with double that figure in the pipeline.