Coalfield Heritage Project

A major initiative to preserve and record the heritage of the Kent Coalfield is welcoming the beginning of a new chapter in its important work - with the launch a new book packed with information about the local area.

Dover District Council (DDC) launched the Coalfield Heritage Initiative Kent (CHIK) in 2001 to record and celebrate our mining heritage. The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Single Regeneration Budget, DDC and other funding bodies, and has been led by Dover Museum and the White Cliffs Countryside Project (WCCP). The CHIK project has worked closely with local communities to produce a digital archive, which can be viewed at the 'virtual museum' at www.kentcoal.co.uk. A second phase of this work was the Miners Way, led by WCCP, which has created a coalfield country trail focusing on old coalfield sites and the surrounding countryside.

This important work has led CHIK and WCCP to produce The Companion To The Miner's Trail, written by Paul Haddaway. The book is being launched with CHIK community groups at the Betteshanger Social Club on Tuesday 11 September from 2pm-5pm. The CHIK exhibition on the history of mining in Kent will be on display and there will be a chance for visitors to bring their own photographs for inclusion on the CHIK website, which will remain a live archive.

Cllr Mrs Sue Nicholas, DDC Cabinet Member for Community said: "The CHIK project has been a great success and we are very pleased to have worked with our partners in the community to preserve our heritage in this way. This book launch marks an important stage in the project, as we look forward to the future and welcome the work that has been done to record the history and heritage of the past."

For more information, please contact the CHIK project at Dover Museum on (01304) 201066 or log onto the website at www.kentcoal.co.uk. The Companion To The Miner's Trail book is available from the Dover Museum shop.