YOUNG people have helped to commemorate a colliery village's mining heritage.

Pupils at two schools drew up designs that were featured in a banner commissioned by the Easington Colliery lodge of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

Lodge officials looking after the interests of former miners at the colliery decided to give younger members of the community a say, even though many were not born when the pit's closure was announced in 1992.

The results of their designs were revealed when the banner was unveiled at Easington Miners' Welfare Hall at the weekend.

Four of those whose work is featured on the banner, Gavin Armstrong, Jake Harriman, Laura Chisholm and Catherine Heppell, were invited to the event, attended by a cross section of the community, including a number of former miners.

Easington MP John Cummings addressed the gathering, before the Reverend Paula Lucas, curate of the nearby Church of the Ascension, blessed the banner.

Lodge secretary Alan Cummings said he and other officials wanted the banner to be a mix of the old and new, hence the involvement of the youngsters from Easington Colliery Primary School and Easington Community School.

The banner features a view from the community garden created on the former colliery site, as well as a scene featuring the village's primary school, under the inscription "Education is Our Future".

Produced by Durham Banner Makers, following £5,000 grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it will be on parade at Durham Miners' Gala, in July.

It replaces a banner that was dedicated in 1979, but which saw much active service round the country during the 1984-1985 miners' strike.