Durham University chancellor marks revival of Durham’s mining links during speech

Durham University’s chancellor has marked the revival of Durham’s mining links during a speech at Redhills.

Fiona Hill spoke about the renewed partnership she’s seeing between the university and the Durham Miners’ Association at Energy Days, a two-day conference held last week.

Taking place at the former Durham Miners’ Hall, the event explored the potential of clean energy in the former Durham coalfield, the Northern Echo reports.

Energy Days brought together scientists, academics, writers, artists, community leaders and schoolchildren in an interdisciplinary discussion over clean energy solutions for the region.

‘The university and the Miners’ Hall had this aim of sharing knowledge’

During her speech, Fiona said: “It is great to see a partnership re-emerging between two of the great institutions here in Durham City – the university and the Durham Miners’ Association.

“Both the university and the Miner’s Hall had this aim of sharing knowledge and generating new ideas for the future, so what a great way for us to put that on a new footing for the future.

“It’s fantastic that the Miners’ Hall, having just been reopened, is already embarking on this kind of relationship with the university through the Energy Days event, but also that it is there for the whole community again.”

The ‘Pitman’s Parliament’ clean energy conference

Durham Miners’ Hall via Google Maps

Organised by the Durham Energy Institute, the focus was on looking at opportunities presented by clean energy. This includes the potential to extract geothermal power from disused coal mines.

Redhills is now powered almost entirely by ground-source heat pumps that tap into natural heat underground.

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Fiona saw its historic role as a centre for not only debate and decision-making, but education within the mining industry. A union with the university was seen by the chancellor as vital in its commitment to strengthen community ties.

Fiona credits support from the Miners’ Association in shaping her education

Fiona recalled the invaluable impact the institution had on her studies, having “received a £100 bursary…in support of my education, and that helped make it all possible”.

She credits Redhills for shaping her academic journey, and is overjoyed that it is “continuing that long tradition of giving back to the local community”. She believes this power is something that can inspire future generations, and education is at the root of this belief.

It was common for miners to invite university lecturers to educate communities on ways to improve their lives.

On becoming Durham University Chancellor

Fiona, born in Bishop Auckland, was shaped by her father’s work as a coalminer and affected by the perils of deindustrialisation in the region. Her autobiography, entitled There Is Nothing For You Here, echoed his advice to leave her home town and search for opportunities elsewhere.

Having become a specialist in Russian studies and a US national security adviser, she gained international attention as a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment in 2019.

Since becoming chancellor, Fiona has spoken extensively on the war between Russia and Ukraine, and is a UK government defence adviser.

She said: “We saw that with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine when oil and gas prices shot up and we all paid the price.

“In the past, we could produce all the energy from coal that we needed and we could be largely energy independent”.

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Featured image via Google Maps