November 19, 2018 - A sculpture of a coal miner has been created to stand in the center of St Martins near Oswestry, England.

The village was next to the Ifton coal mine and many families had members who worked down or for the mine, which closed in 1968.

Sculpture George Triggs with the clay model of a miner that is being cast in bronze

To mark the 50th anniversary of the closure a commemorative statue - Miner of the 60s - is being cast in bronze and will be installed in a ceremony on November 24.

The statue, nicknamed, Mr. Mots, will be placed on the Miners' Memorial Garden which already includes a mining truck.

Villagers have had to raise £50,000 for the sculpture and parish councilor Sue Schofield said it had seemed like climbing a mountain reaching the target.

Donations have been made by individuals, from fundraising and there have also been grants from trusts and organizations.

A souvenir program including a history of the colliery is being prepared in time for the commemoration day.

The day will begin with a church service in St Martins Parish Church at 11am then at noon there will be a parade through the town, left by the Ifton Band, to the memorial garden. The unveiling of the sculpture will take place at 12:20pm.

There will then be hot drinks and soup in the St Martins Centre followed by an afternoon of entertainment including a story from Helen East and a newly written play and music from Moreton Hall School.

In the evening there will be a free concert featuring the Dyffryn Ceiriog male voice choir in the St Martins Institute - built at a miners' institute - at 8pm.