Dying for Coal: A Story of Sacrifice and Resilience in the South Yorkshire pit village of Denaby Main

The South Yorkshire “company owned” mining village of Denaby Main is dedicated to the getting of coal - at all cost. Men and boys sacrifice their blood, breath and bones in the pursuit of the black treasure - coal. Yet their lives are still governed by danger and insecurity.Childhood friends, Mary Cooper and Bridie Flannagan see the village change dramatically with the sinking of the two pits, Denaby Main and Cadeby, in the mid and late 1800s.As the best friends become wives and mothers, they and their families suffer daily struggles as strikes, accidents and disasters overshadow their lives.The constant conflict between men and management threatens to break the miners' solidarity and determination, continually testing the bonds of family and friendship. Yet the women try to stay strong for the sake of their families.Mary and Bridie each experience love, loss and regret, but with very different outcomes. Will they have the strength and resilience to survive heartbreak and sorrow?