A striking miner sculpture has been installed at St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School in Radstock as a lasting tribute to Somerset’s mining heritage.
The sculpture, which now stands at the front of the school, was donated by the Somerset District Miners Welfare Trust, an organisation formed to manage the legacy left by Somerset’s miners. It provides pupils and visitors with a visual reminder of the generations of miners and their families who helped shape communities across the region.
The school welcomed trust members Bryn Hawkins and Selwyn Rees, along with treasurer Mo Durey, to see the sculpture in place and celebrate its installation with staff and pupils. The donation complements the school’s recent work exploring local history and the area’s mining industry.
Pupils have visited Radstock Museum, where they learned about life during the Victorian industrial era and the difficult conditions experienced by miners working underground. The museum includes reconstructed mining environments, a Victorian schoolroom and exhibitions exploring everyday life within Somerset’s mining communities.
The visit helped pupils connect their classroom learning with the history of their local area and develop a greater understanding of the people who worked in the region’s coal mines.
St Benedict’s, which is part of the Dunstan Catholic Educational Trust, plans to continue exploring local heritage through its curriculum, educational visits and community projects.
Ellen Croker, headteacher at St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School, said, “We are absolutely delighted to receive this sculpture and are extremely grateful to the Somerset District Miners Welfare Trust for their generosity. Mining is such an important part of our local heritage and having this artwork at the front of our school allows us to honour that history every day while enriching our pupils’ learning.”
Helen Taylor, CEO of the Dunstan Catholic Educational Trust, added, “This is a wonderful example of how schools can bring learning to life through meaningful connections with local heritage. The visit to Radstock Museum, alongside the donation of the miner sculpture, gives pupils a powerful opportunity to understand the history of their community and the people who shaped it.
“Experiences like these help children develop pride in their local area while deepening their historical understanding in a truly memorable way.”
