National Women Against Pit Closures Banner Greeting Card

The banner of National Women Against Pit Closures greeting card

As the Miners’ Strike of 1984/5 progressed, the mining communities created the means to sustain themselves without wages. Groups led by women came to the fore and a network was built. Their role stretched from fund raising and running kitchens to lobbying and picketing.  A rally of 5,000 women in Barnsley during May was followed by a national march in London during August. The name, WAPC, was adopted at the national conference in Chesterfield in December 1984.  The lives of many women were transformed through their fight to protect families, jobs and communities. Theirs was a critical and unique contribution to maintaining the strike until the return to work in March 1985.