The north-east of England has a strong mining heritage

People in the former pit community of Fishburn have raised �12,000 for a memorial to miners who worked at the village's colliery.

The memorial takes the form of a life-sized bronze miner encased in sandstone and stands on the village green.

The funds for the sculpture were raised by Fishburn's Millennium Group and work on the memorial has taken 15 months to complete.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Northumberland artist and sculptor Keith Maddison who created the memorial.

Mr Maddison said the statue plan was a team effort between himself and local people.

The memorial was blessed to the accompaniment of Fishburn's Brass Brand.