GALA veterans muttered about it being a little too easy to negotiate Elvet Bridge these days. They said it was a far cry from the days when the sheer volume of people would lead shopkeepers to nail planks across their windows to stop people falling in.

But Saturday's Durham Miners' Gala was not just a nostalgia trip for those lamenting the loss of the coal industry and recalling the golden age of the gala.

It was also about the future.

A future in which, David Prentis, Unison general secretary hoped, public services would resist privatisation.

During the traditional speeches at the city's racecourse, he preached - mainly to the converted - about resisting the world of "out-sourcing, downsizing and restructuring".

He told the crowd: "Privatisation in whatever guise will lead to the demise of quality public services. You don't get quality on the cheap. You don't get quality from private companies bent on making profits for their shareholders.

"Let's have a united front and let's keep our public services public."

Before the speeches came the rain. The marching bands played on, of course, pausing to fiddle with their wet weather gear whenever they got the chance.

They treated the dignitaries gathered at the Royal County Hotel to a tune or two, before merrily playing along their way towards the racecourse.

They delivered all the traditional standards and a few modern crowd-pleasers to keep the youngsters among the 40,000 crowd happy.

The Durham Miners' Gala is not all about marching bands and speeches though - it is also about drinking.

Brown booze was guzzled by hordes of teenage lads up from the pit villages, by mothers bouncing their toddlers on their knees and by brass players made thirsty by their work.

You could see the overseas visitors looking at each other with that 'Gee, this wasn't in the brochure' expression on their faces.

For some, though, the Durham Miners' Gala was a more sober affair, to be enjoyed with a clear head.

The Bevin Boys, for the first time proud to be marching alongside Durham Miners, clearly enjoyed every minute of the day.

About 48,000 of these conscripts were recruited into the coal mining industry during the Second World War, the majority of which were conscripted by ballot or in lieu of serving in the Armed Forces. They were given perhaps the biggest cheer of the day on Saturday.

The most poignant moment came in the afternoon, with a special service in Durham Cathedral to remember the 92 pitmen who lost their lives in the Easington Pit Disaster 50 years ago this year.

Back then, gala crowds reached an estimated 300,000.

The numbers may have dwindled, but the Durham Miners Gala remains one of the most important days in the North-East's calendar.