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This reflection has in part been precipitated by the deeply disappointing news that the coal miners’ charity CISWO is proposing to sell off the Maltby Miners’ Welfare Institute.

As many readers will know, the ‘Stute’ is a valuable community asset which is vital to the prosperity of Maltby.

A constituent described it as symbolising the blood, sweat, and tears of our miners who have formed the foundations of our towns and villages.

Alexander Stafford, MP for Rother Valley. Photo: London Portrait Photographer-DAV

The fact that our miners paid for the Stute from their own pockets in order to safeguard their mining heritage makes the proposed sale by CISWO all the more difficult to take.

Miners’ welfares in areas like Rother Valley are our very own palaces, country houses, and mansions and as such must be protected accordingly.

The mines may be gone, but the values and legacy of the mining communities are enduring.

I have taken decisive action in the fight to save the Stute.

I have been in regular contact with CISWO and the Maltby Miners Welfare & Recreation Protection Group, and I have tabled a Parliamentary Early Day Motion (EDM) which expresses the House of Commons’ support for the Stute.

The EDM can be viewed at https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57457/the-maltby-miners-welfare-institute

I urge readers in neighbouring constituencies with a similar mining heritage to contact their local MPs and ask them to support my motion.

However, the Stute is one part of the bigger picture.

We must always look after our miners and ensure that their health and welfare is prioritised.

This means creating skilled, high-quality jobs in our local area which utilise our miners’ expertise, focusing on mesothelioma and related illnesses, securing good educational opportunities for our miners’ children and grandchildre, and guaranteeing the survival of our miners’ institutions, clubs and legacy.

Rother Valley’s bright future is built on its mining past, and I shall continue to champion this rich heritage.

Alexander Stafford is MP for Rother Valley.

Rother Valley MP is taking fight to save Maltby 'Stute' to Parliament