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A former south Wales pit, now an award-winning coal mining museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Since it opened in 1983, Big Pit in Blaenavon has welcomed nearly three million visitors.
To mark the occasion Big Pit is hosting a weekend of activities including, talks, tours and an exhibition of pictures of life in the 1970s.
The site which has been awarded World Heritage status uses ex-miners as museum guides.
Big Pit's manager Peter Walker said: "We have been through difficult times but in the last 10 years we have completely redeveloped the colliery site, been named as the UK's favourite museum and had our Pithead Baths voted as Wales' favourite national treasure."
Celebrations
He said the success of the attraction was down to visitors meeting ex-miners and hearing first hand stories about life in the area.
"We are now the most-visited tourist attraction in the greater Gwent area and welcome over 155,000 visitors every year from all corners of the globe," Mr Walker added.
Among the activities being staged to mark the event is an exhibition by Walter Waygood called "Coming Home" featuring photos of life in Blaenavon.
There will be performances by chorus members from the Welsh National Opera as well as a free shuttle bus running between Big Pit, the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, the Blaenavon Ironworks and the newly opened World Heritage Site Visitor Centre.
The attraction was made a World Heritage Site in 2000 in recognition of the role it played in the industrial revolution
In 2005, it won the Gulbenkian Prize, which aims to promote public appreciation of museums and galleries by highlighting the best work in the sector.
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