Pride
The research project Cambridge and the Miners' Strike was inspired by a screening of the feature film Pride at the Arts Picturehouse in September 2014.
The film, directed by Matthew Warchus and starring Bill Nighy, Imelda Stanton and Dominic West, centred on the true story of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the Miners' Strike. It achieved popular and commercial success.
In Cambridge the film revived memories of the work of local miners’ support group and the relationships that members forged with mining families in different parts of the UK.
A public screening of Pride was organised by Jack Toye, Programme Manager at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, on 8 February 2015 with a discussion panel including Lizbeth Hem (Amnesty), Gethin Roberts (LGSM) and Mary Joannou (Labour History Research Unit). This was followed by a lively Q&A session with the audience.
The film inspired Mary Joannou’s essay on the humanitarian work of the Miners’ Support Groups – which placed the work of the Cambridge Miners’ Support Group in the national context of the humanitarian work done by other support groups up and down the country – as well as her review of the film. Both are reproduced below:
The Miners Strike and Me: A Very Personal Response to Pride (PDF)