Award for mining heritage project

The 24 mosaic slabs form a stone circle with a 3.5m (11.4ft) diameter.

A mosaic depicting the coal mining heritage of a Shropshire village which was awarded nearly £4,000 in lottery money has been completed.

The 24 mosaic slabs were made by more than 200 villagers to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ifton Pit closing in St Martins, near Oswestry.

The stone circle was set in the viewing area of Ifton Meadows nature reserve -formerly a village slag heap.

An opening ceremony has been held to mark the anniversary.

Community art

The Awards For All grant of £3,920 paid for St Martins Youth Club to commission a community artist to work on the project, known as Paving History.

The artist Cadi Price, from the nearby village of Shawbury, worked with members of the youth club, as well as community groups such as the brownies, cubs, scouts, guides, church groups and the Women's Institute, to design the artwork depicting village life and its mining history.

The finished stone circle has a diameter of 3.5m. (11.4ft) and the stones were donated by a local businessman, John Clifford of Westminster Stone near Oswestry.

Slab mosaics have also been commissioned for Ifton Miners' Institute, Ifton Band and the family-run village shop Stan's Superstore, which celebrated 60 years in business this year.