Coal and Community in Wales

"This is undoubtedly a moving and insightful collection that will surely become a key work for understanding the response of Wales, both as a class and a nation, to what was one of the most momentous disputes in British labour history." - Morning Star

Back in the early 1980s, young freelance press photographer Richard Williams began documenting the decline of the south Wales coal industry. He was there with his cameras as the coal workers walked out in opposition to Margaret Thatcher's government's program of pit closures, and followed the 1984–85 Miners' Strike – a key moment in UK history – to its end and beyond, seeing miners march back to work after their year-long struggle. From a coalmining family south Wales herself, Amanda Powell was starting her career as a junior reporter on a local newspaper during the same period, and the two worked together on some of the events unfolding. They went on to marry. Williams and Powell have come together to co-author this book, each drawing on their work and experiences from this fraught period, and speaking again to contacts made at the time. The result is a book giving a unique perspective on the Miners' Strike, taking an in-depth 'before and after' look at life in the South Wales Coalfield through Powell's text and Williams' accompanying images. In this striking collection of photographs, many previously unseen, Williams' camera captures defiance and solidarity against the odds during the strike and beyond.