the Annual Memorial ceremony for Wrexham’s greatest tragedy takes place at Miner’s Wheel Memorial in Pandy This year is the 90 anniversary of the disaster which affected the whole of Wrexham with almost every village in the county borough losing someone To mark this significant anniversary of remembrance there are several events also taking place many of which are free to attend Monday 2 September – Monday 30 September 10.00am – 4.00pm (Closed Wednesdays and Sundays) A specially created exhibition of artwork to commemorate the Gresford Disaster.​ Monday 16 – Saturday 21 Sept​ember 10.00am – 3.00pm You will learn about the first hand experiences of those affected by the Gresford Mining Disaster and its lasting legacy today Come along to the Miners Rescue Project to explore this special 90th anniversary historical exhibition To commemorate the lives of those who tragically lost their lives in the Gresford Disaster imprinted with the names of each mine worker and dramatically cascade them down the inside of the church tower Thursday 19th – Saturday 22nd September 10:00am-4:00pm Wrexham University Civic Mission Team has worked with local primary schools across Wrexham to deliver a workshop on the Gresford Colliery Disaster which supports the engagement of young people with local history and the impact on the wider Wrexham community They have produced a piece of artwork based on the disaster using materials such as charcoal and copies of newspapers from the time which will be displayed in an exhibition in Tŷ Pawb on the dates above To mark the 90 anniversary the Wrexham Miners Centre will light 266 candles At 2:08am on the 22 September each candle will be extinguished An evening of live music featuring bands from mining communities from Wrexham and Durham-based Brass band DENNIS who be performing at the food court for a family-friendly evening of music following the Wrexham v Crawley match An Annual Service of Remembrance has taken place on the 22nd September at 11am to commemorate those who died a service will take place at All Saints Church Experience the New Sinfonia’s brand new community opera with music by Jon Guy and libretto by Grahame Davies based on the story of the Gresford Mining Disaster and highlighting Wrexham’s strong sense of community both past and present Also featuring a brand new work from Evrah Rose.  Joined by the community choir NEW Voices and NEW Academi youth orchestra Tickets ​A concert filled with local musical stars to raise funds to support the renovation of the Miners Rescue Centre ‘Help save a building built to save lives’ Tickets The events have been brought together by New Sinfonia You may also like to read Tattoo Cymru will be hosted by The William Aston Hall on November 2, 2024 Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest news and info from Wrexham Council the annual memorial ceremony for Wrexham’s greatest tragedy The disaster affected the whole of Wrexham with almost every village in the county borough losing someone Miners are descending into the Dennis section of the Gresford Colliery to begin their shift It’s particularly busy as many of them are ‘doubling up’ so they’ll be free to watch the Wrexham match on Saturday afternoon Engine Attendant at the Dennis recalled: “It came nearer like thunder and then the place was all black Over 200 rescue workers were sent down in an effort to rescue the miners All they recovered were 11 bodies – three of them belonging to the first rescue team One of the rescuers described that mine as being ‘just like hell’ crowds began to gather around the mine – women and children waiting for loved ones who will never return After 40 hours of toiling it became clear to the rescuers there was nobody alive left to save so they decided to close the shafts at 6pm Sunday afternoon The Gresford Colliery disaster was one of Wrexham’s greatest tragedies…but what’s often overlooked is the aftermath of the disaster and the effect it had on the victims’ families and fellow workers This was in a time where women weren’t provided with the same opportunities as men Losing a husband left more than a grieving widow…it left a widow with the responsibility of providing for herself and her children without a source of income The rest of the men employed at the mine were forced to look for other jobs – often to no avail The future seemed bleak for Wrexham; survival alone would become a struggle for many It would be six months until the mine re-opened The tragedy became national headline news and even received recognition from the King Word travelled about the struggling families and a relief fund was established to aid those in need however the lives lost could never be replaced This year marks 90 years since the 266 men and boys lost their lives The annual memorial service to mark the Gresford Colliery disaster takes place on Sunday September 22 at 11am at the Miner’s Wheel Memorial said: “The Gresford mining disaster is an incredibly sad part of Wrexham history almost every village in the county borough lost someone due to this tragedy and many mothers We must never forget the high price they paid for coal.” Tears flowed as relatives of the victims were in the audience for a premiere of a poignant new opera to mark the 90th anniversary of the Gresford Colliery Disaster There was a standing ovation at the end of the emotionally charged performance of Gresford – Up From Underground on the opening night of the North Wales International Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral It told the story of how 266 men and boys were killed when a massive underground explosion and fire ripped through the pit near Wrexham on September 22 Following the explosion six men managed to escape but those not killed in the blast were trapped and died in the deadly fires Rescuers battled unsuccessfully for more than 40 hours to reach the men but only 11 bodies were ever recovered Only the winding gear built into a slate plinth remains The miners buried underground died with their last pay packets in their pockets it’s been claimed and shamefully the colliery’s owners refused to pay their grieving families An inquiry was launched to determine the cause of the explosion but the cause remains unknown It is likely a build-up of gas was ignited by a spark from a metal tool The inquiry led to the manager William Bonsall being charged with failing to keep records of air flow and was fined £40 with £350 costs Among those at the premiere was Val Nuttall whose grandfather both perished in what was one of the worst disasters in British mining history said: “The tragedy left my mum an orphan at the age of 10 she had lost her mum when she was just 18 months old and it badly affected her for the rest of her life and had a significant impact on me who was an only child “My daughter Tracey heard about the opera on the BBC News and I really wanted to come so we bought tickets for the premiere for ourselves and my two grandchildren “I thought it was very moving and extremely well thought out It can’t be easy depicting an event that killed so many people and affected so many lives This is our heritage and it means a lot to my family that the memory of the miners is being kept.” while the words were written by poet Grahame Davies It was performed by the NEW Sinfonia orchestra along with a cast of six professional singers The Gresford Disaster commemorations culminate with three performances of the new opera The first of them at St Giles Church in Wrexham will be for schools only there are evening performances at St Giles Church at 8pm The opera was co-commissioned by royal composer Paul Mealor the North Wales International Music Festival’s new Artistic Director and sponsored by the care organisation Pendine Park via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust who had a special reason for supporting the premiere They cared for last remaining survivor of the disaster who celebrated his 100th birthday while at Pendine before he passed away in 2020 Jonathan Guy said: “The story means so much to so many people that’s one of the things I’ve felt coming from this So many people have come to me and said thank you for doing this because it means so much because we are maintaining the memory of those who died “I’m just so overwhelmed and happy that people are coming up to me and saying that was great.” Conductor Robert added: “I feel the music created by Jon and the words by Grahame speak volumes and tells the story so beautifully I’ve had shivers so many times and when you see other people in tears you can’t not be affected,” he said It was an equally memorable occasion for librettist Graham Davies who said: “My great-grandfather William Thomas Holywell was a miners agent and very prominent trade union official at the time of the disaster and I recall reading his reflections he’d written for a chapel society about how awful it had been “Working on something like this you’re very conscious of the heritage you’re representing their stories and their memories and I wanted to ensure I did justice to them and express something that is a true commemoration of the sacrifice and loss.” According to Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE the opera was a “poignant and deeply moving tribute” to the men and boys who perished on that fateful day He said: “I thought the piece was absolutely amazing it really got the whole sentiment of what this is all about remembering those miners from all those years ago and bringing the community together The choir was in fantastic voice and it’s a wonderful piece of music.” “It was also a fitting way to remember Albert Rowlands who was the most amazing chap He had these memories – obviously very painful and sad memories – but he came through that and he always had stories.” The new opera work has been funded by the Arts Council of Wales Tŷ Cerdd and the Shared Prosperity Fund for Wrexham the founders of the NEW Sinfonia orchestra worked with the Wrexham Miners’ Project to organise the local commemorations in Wrexham with support from the Arts Council of Wales Another highlight of the North Wales International Music Festival that runs until Saturday September 21 will be the inaugural Pendine Young Musician of Wales competition that’s being funded by the Pendine Arts and Community Trust set up by the festival’s headline sponsors Other sponsors include the Arts Council of Wales Tŷ Cerdd and Salisburys Chartered Accountants This year’s event is also part funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for Denbighshire Tickets and further details about the festival programme are available online here. Tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames St Asaph – 01745 582929 (Weds – Fri 10 – 4) and Theatr Clwyd by phone – 01352 344101 (Mon – Sat Meanwhile, click for information about the full Remembering Gresford events programme and details of how to buy tickets for the opera Gresford – Up From Underground.  Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Connect with Nation.Cymru on Facebook and Twitter If you would like to donate to help keep Nation.Cymru running then you just need to click on the box below it will open a pop up window that will allow you to pay using your credit / debit card or paypal Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018 In 2017 Nation.Cymru was launched after raising £5000 from a crowdfunding campaign Today it is one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK attracting over 1.5 million visitors a month We are not backed by billionaire owners or hidden behind a paywall but we depend on our readers' support to continue our work If everyone who visited the site over the course of a month donated at least £1 we would have enough funding for the next eight years To guarantee our future please consider making a donation today. Three JD Cymru North fixtures were the only games to take place this weekend as Storm Darragh caused significant disruption across Wales.  Gresford Athletic ended their five-match winless streak in style with an emphatic 6-2 victory over Prestatyn Town at the Hollingsworth Group Stadium on Friday night.  The Colliers took the lead inside just nine minutes as Paul Johnson turned the ball home in the box for his first league goal in over three years Charley Edge scored a trademark stunner from distance to double the advantage just after the half hour mark before Johnson proved he had firmly discovered a goalscoring touch by netting his second as half-time approached.  Charlie Mann added his name to the scoresheet just before the hour before Prestatyn were awarded a penalty in the 79th minute but Connor Whelan scored on the rebound.  any slim hopes of a late comeback for the visitors were put to bed by Gresford substitute Ilan ap Gareth who made it 5-1 before captain Josh Griffiths added a sixth – his first league goal in over five years Prestatyn substitute Owen Jones netted his first goal for the club with one minute remaining but it came far too late to save his side from a ninth consecutive league defeat Gresford remain in the relegation zone but are now only one point adrift of safety having played one game more than 13th-place Ruthin Town Llandudno are up to 10th in the table after they came from behind to earn a 3-1 home win over Mold Alexandra on Friday.  Aidan Farren gave Mold the lead on 51 minutes but Llandudno turned the game around with two goals in five minutes from Alex Boss and Harvey Bennett.  Those two plays combined in stoppage time for a third goal as Bennett played in Boss to clinch back-to-back league wins for Llandudno for the first time since February.  Second-place Colwyn Bay closed the gap on league leaders Airbus to four points following a 3-0 home win over Ruthin Town.  The deadlock was broken in the 34th minute when Cai Owen squared for Gwion Dafydd to finish from close range while the teenager grabbed his second of the game just before the hour mark after being played in by Tom Creamer.  It was 3-0 just three minutes later when Lewis Sirrell poked home in a goalmouth scramble securing a 12thconsecutive league victory for the Seagulls.  Gresford Athletic 6-2 Prestatyn TownColwyn Bay 3-0 Ruthin TownDenbigh Town P-P Holywell TownLlandudno 3-1 Mold AlexandraAirbus UK Broughton P-P CaerswsFlint Mountain P-P GuilsfieldLlay Miners Welfare P-P Bangor 1876Penrhyncoch P-P Buckley Town JD Cymru Premier European Play-Off semi-final confirmed JD Cymru Leagues April Player and Manager of the Month shortlist JD Cymru Premier round-up | Caernarfon Town and Cardiff Met secure play-off semi-final spots Airbus win Welsh Blood Service League Cup with thrilling win over Trefelin The New Saints crowned JD Cymru Premier champions JD Cymru Premier format confirmed for 2026/27 Close ModalLearn more from FA WalesSign up to receive all things FAW We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data – view our privacy policy by clicking here © 2025 The Football Association of Wales * We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data – view our privacy policy by clicking here As part of the Cofio Gresffordd | Remembering Gresford 90 year Anniversary commemorations there’ll be a free live musical performance in the Food Court by DENNIS; Folk Rock & Colliery Brass Pop Band from the pit town of Hetton (County Durham) whose ethos songs and lyrics are native to a working class and cultural heritage The evening will begin at 6pm with a performance by Andy Hickie; Wrexham-based bilingual folk singer-songwriter Who will then be followed by DENNIS for a one our set building on sell-out theatre shows at venues such as the Durham Gala Theatre three previous EP’s and a live at ‘Redhills Miners Hall’ release available on physical formats and all stream services DENNIS have aired across numerous radio stations (including BBC Radio 2 various music channels (some videos feature noted actors) and have received generous support from Blogs and National Press Tŷ Pawb’s Food Court and Bar will be open for refreshments Sign up to get Tŷ Pawb’s newsletters straight to your mailbox You might also like to read Wales Nations League fixtures are to be shown live on the big screen at Ty Pawb Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest news and info from Wrexham Council. A pensioner whose father narrowly missed being caught up in the Gresford colliery disaster is to sing in a new opera commemorating the 90th anniversary of the tragedy Ivor Owen Bellis had injured his hand while down the pit the night before an explosion and fire killed 266 men and boys in of one of Britain’s worst coal mining disasters When the small cut turned into a large and painful blister the 18-year-old's mother refused to let him go to work after seeing his hand Gillian Davies was determined to be part of the new community opera 'Gresford – Up From Underground.' She says she might never have been born had it not been for that “strange twist of fate” The 70-year-old will be a member of the New Voices choir that will be performing the opera with the NEW Sinfonia orchestra at Remembering Gresford a series of events in Wrexham to mark the milestone anniversary of the disaster “If it wasn’t for my grandmother insisting he stay at home dad might have been among those killed," Gillian said “His mother woke him up in the morning to give him the dreadful news after she heard it on the radio So many of his lifelong friends and workmates were killed it’s impossible to imagine how devastated he felt “Our father often told us the story of the disaster as my sister Lynne and I grew up He told us he was the luckiest man to be alive.” a keen amateur soprano who belongs to four choirs felt compelled to join the NEW Voices choir which includes 120 singers from across North Wales Some rehearsal sessions have taken place at All Saints Church in Gresford where a memorial is situated in St Catherine’s Chapel It includes a mural painted in 1994 by artist Denise Bates a book of remembrance detailing the names of all those who died Gillian said: “I love singing and I have joined in previous NEW Voices concerts but when I heard about the subject of this latest work I knew I had to be a part of it “The story of the disaster has played such a major part in mine and my sister’s life that I signed up immediately After all if it had not been for that miracle of fate our father might have been among the tragic victims and neither of us would be here today “Jon and Rob are such wonderful musicians and have done a brilliant job making sure this performance will reflect the true spirit of the Gresford community and all the surrounding towns and villages which had their hearts ripped open by this disaster." the founders of the New Sinfonia orchestra have worked with the Wrexham Miners’ Project to organise the local commemorations Jonathan has written the music for the opera while Robert will conduct the orchestra The commemorations culminate with three performances of the new opera The first of them will be at St Giles Church in Wrexham will be for schools only On 21 and 22 September there are evening performances at St Giles’ Church at 8pm was a fitter at the Llay Main and Bersham collieries Jon said: “We have grown up hearing stories about the pits all our lives so many of us have family members who were miners or worked for mining companies Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know… Thunder and lightning may have filled the sky over their corner of north Wales at the final whistle, but this was a far from spectacular way for Wrexham to stay top of League One Instead, goals from Elliot Lee and Max Cleworth were enough to grind out a 2-1 win against 17th-placed Crawley Town who created enough chances to spend the 220-mile (350km) journey home to London’s southern commuter belt wondering just how they boarded their bus empty-handed The Athletic casts an eye over an entertaining game With 215 points won since the start of the 2022-23 season, Wrexham’s character and ability to deal with setbacks should be beyond question. Nevertheless, the way Birmingham City picked Phil Parkinson’s side apart five days earlier made the visit of Crawley a potentially seminal moment in a fledgling third-tier campaign Win and the early momentum that had carried the Welsh club to the top of the table would be maintained and the risk ahead of upcoming back-to-back trips to Leyton Orient and Stevenage was that Wrexham might lose their way the hosts just about passed that test to maintain their standing as the English league’s in-form team those 215 points from 99 games putting Wrexham above nearest rivals Ipswich Town (197 points from 97 games) and Manchester City (192 from 80) it was “a tough afternoon” for his team against a lively Crawley who had not only more efforts on goal (18-15) but put more on target (7-3) That Wrexham emerged with the points was the perfect lift following that chastening evening at St Andrew’s against a Birmingham side who are surely destined to run away with this division, such is the quality at head coach Chris Davies’ disposal after spending £25million ($33.3m) on new players this summer When you’re not at your best for whatever reason you have to stand strong as a team and dig deep Never mind the much-touted Manager of the Month curse scoring your league’s best goal of August no longer seems a guarantee of future success either not least because Marriott was joint-top of the League One scoring chart with four An expected goals (xG) number of 2.56 also points towards the 30-year-old being in fine form Now fully recovered from summer back surgery, club talisman Mullin brought plenty of energy to the team, but the one decent chance that came his way when picked out by James McClean during the first half was snatched at Marriott’s confidence clearly had not been dented by being left out judging by the ambitious 20-yard shot that brought a flying save from Joe Wollacott but Jack has been brilliant,” says Parkinson ‘This is our starting XI’ situation going on I just felt a bit of freshness up the top of the pitch would be important You have to think of how much training the lads did in pre-season and the games we have had “Jack will be ready when called upon again Those two are such important players for us.” Ninety years have passed since one of the worst disasters in British coal-mining history that will forever be intertwined with the fortunes of Wrexham and its football club. But the passage of time has done nothing to dim the sense of loss over the 266 men who perished in an explosion at Gresford Colliery on September 22, 1934 That much was clear from the outpouring of emotion at Saturday’s game as Wrexham wore a special commemorative version of their black away kit to mark the anniversary Everyone at the STōK Cae Ras observed a minute’s silence ahead of the match to mark the 90th anniversary of the Gresford Colliery Disaster 🖤 🔴⚪ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/xAQosgKUBa — Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) September 21, 2024 The Gresford disaster has strong football links due to how many of those who died were working a double shift or had swapped with others to be free to attend that afternoon’s match in the old Third Division North between Wrexham and English neighbours Tranmere Rovers the match went ahead as scheduled despite the devastation felt across the community The players sporting those commemorative shirts against Crawley even those who have joined Wrexham over the past 12 months Parkinson having taken time to explain the background during Friday’s team meeting The manager then later paid a visit to the nearby Miners’ Rescue Centre where two years ago he officially unveiled a wall featuring the names “All the lads were conscious of what a big weekend this is for the area and the club,” says Parkinson “Our aim was to get the win to represent all the families and friends who were affected by that tragedy all those years ago.” not only was an impeccably observed minute’s silence held before kick-off but the front page of the matchday programme featured ‘The Gresford Disaster’ ballad A trip to the capital to round off September as 20th-placed east Londoners Leyton Orient await Parkinson’s league leaders on Saturday (3pm BST/10am ET kick-off) (Top photo: Mullin returned to the starting XI against Crawley; Alex Pantling/Getty Images) A reduced JD Cymru Leagues schedule is on the agenda this weekend due to the JD Welsh Cup quarter-finals but the fixtures that await are no less important – particularly at the bottom of the tables.  JD Cymru North – Llay Miners Welfare v Gresford Athletic (Saturday After a stunning 3-0 victory over reigning champions Holywell Town last weekend Gresford Athletic will be aiming for back-to-back wins when they travel to Llay Miners Welfare.  Eddie Maurice-Jones’ side have now won four of their last six league matches moving up to 12th in the table and three points above the relegation zone in the process Another three points on Saturday could take them as high as 10th dependent on other results.  Welfare’s survival hopes are looking much bleaker with Jordan Scott’s men currently bottom of the table and 16 points adrift of safety with nine games remaining A 2-1 home defeat to Buckley Town last weekend extended their winless run in the league to six matches.  The two teams last met on the opening day of the season when Sam John’s strike looked to have earned Welfare victory but a stunning free-kick from Charley Edge in the eighth minute of stoppage time salvaged a point for Gresford in a 1-1 draw.  JD Cymru South – Cwmbran Celtic v Taffs Well (Saturday The relegation battle is also the focus in the JD Cymru South on Saturday afternoon as bottom-of-the-table Taffs Well visit Cwmbran Celtic.  Celtic have boosted their survival with back-to-back wins over Goytre United and Carmarthen Town so far in February seeing them climb to 12th in the table and three points above the relegation zone They will now be targeting three consecutive victories for the first time since the end of last season.  Taffs Well are currently eight points adrift of safety and a 2-0 loss to fellow strugglers Goytre United last weekend made it seven league defeats in a row The Wellmen have not won away from home in the JD Cymru South since triumphing at Afan Lido in August.  Taffs Well have beaten Celtic twice already this season David Lyon’s stoppage-time strike secured a 2-1 victory in the reverse league fixture in August while Drew Banner’s brace inspired a 3-2 comeback win in the Welsh Blood Service League Cup first round a week later.  * We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data – view our privacy policy by clicking here.