TWO brothers are paying tribute to their mining grandfathers in an exhibition of art and poetry.

Neil and Ian Hardy, of Spennymoor, joined forces to celebrate and justify their grandfathers' tough life working in North-East pits.

Neil, a student at Leeds University, painted for the exhibition and Ian, a former Durham City firefighter, wrote poems to accompany the artwork.

The pair opened the exhibition - dedicated to grandfathers Jim Hardy, who worked at Wooley Colliery near Stanley, and Leslie Latcham, who worked at Brancepeth Colliery - at the North Bar, in Leeds, last week. Neil said he never felt a connection with the region's strong mining art until he turned 30 and realised he was still haunted by memories of his grandfather's ill health, caused by years of working down a pit.

He said: "I realised just how much this had affected our whole family and probably many others all over the country and how the wounds had still not healed years later.

"This process has been very difficult during the last 10 months, particularly for my parents, David and Barbara, but the smiles on their faces when they viewed the exhibition made it all worthwhile."