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Funeral display for Miners' Strike 'inspiration'

Tom MacDougall & Tom Ingall
BBC News, Yorkshire
Tom Ingall/BBC A black hearse with a coffin in the back covered by a coloured banner. In the background three other brightly coloured banners, synonymous with mineworkers, are held aloftTom Ingall/BBC
Anne Scargill's coffin arrived at Barnsley's crematorium draped with the legend "we are women, we are strong"

The funeral of Anne Scargill, the activist and campaigner who co-founded the national Women Against Pit Closures movement amid mass shutdowns in the 1980s, took place in her home town earlier.

Ms Scargill, from Barnsley, died in April aged 83. She had been living with dementia in a nursing home.

The hearse containing her coffin, which was draped in a banner declaring "we are women, we are strong", led a poignant display of mineworkers' banners being held aloft at the entrance to the town's Ardsley crematorium.

Friend and fellow activist Aggie Currie said: "She was an inspiration, I can't praise her enough for what she did for the women of all the communities."

Getty Images Anne Scargill, the former wife of NUM leader Arthur Scargill, joins miners, union members and local people in a protest march from Knottingley Town Hall to the Miners Welfare Centre marking the end of deep coal mining in Britain on December 19, 2015 in Knottingley, England.Getty Images
Anne Scargill's activism career was kickstarted by the 1984-85 strike
Tom Ingall/BBC Three colourful banners, each about two metres square, are held up by men in suitsTom Ingall/BBC
The funeral saw traditional banners held aloft to mark Anne Scargill's passing and to celebrate her life

Born Anne Harper, Ms Scargill was married from 1961 until 2001 to Arthur Scargill, the trade unionist who led the 1984-85 Miners' Strike - and she said that dispute was her "political awakening".

She and Mr Scargill had a daughter, Margaret, in 1962 who became a GP and married a colliery manager.

Soon after the miners' strike began in 1984, Ms Scargill began to organise with women in her community, catering for people at the local welfare hall, travelling to cities like York to fundraise, and speaking at protests.

Ms Currie said Ms Scargill "gave women courage", such as when the pair were arrested during protests. Neither were charged with anything.

"She'd give you advice, she was there," she said.

Tom Ingall/BBC Aggie Currie wearing a gilet covered in historic activist's badges.Tom Ingall/BBC
Ms Currie called Ms Scargill an "inspiration" to women

Betty Cook, a co-founder of Women Against Pit Closures, said she was "lost" without her friend.

"We went everywhere together, and I still go to what I can go to, but she's not there anymore.

"Although I'm surrounded by loving people, I'm so lonely."

The campaigner said it was important to "pass the torch on" to a younger generation of activists who wanted change.

Celebrant Sue Miller, speaking as part of the funeral service, described Ms Scargill as a "very forthright, opinionated and, some might even say, outspoken lady".

The official said Ms Scargill's funeral was a celebration of "the rich and varied life of a much-loved lady"

"Anne was fearless, assertive, and dogmatic about what she believed in," she added.

Getty Images Group of women lined up smiling and laughing in a black and white photo with the front of Buckingham Palace just visible behind them.Getty Images
Anne Scargill (fourth from left) with Betty Heathfield and others presented a petition at Buckingham Palace in August 1984 in support of the Miners' Strike

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