A powerful new pop-up exhibition exploring one of County Durham’s most significant environmental campaigns will open to the public later this month.
Wounded Land: Stories of Community Resistance Against an Opencast Coal Site will take place at the Roxy Theatre in Leadgate on Sunday 22 March, offering visitors an opportunity to reflect on the story of the Pont Valley campaign and the community effort to oppose opencast coal mining in the area.
The free exhibition will run from 12pm until 6pm, with a walk-in exhibition open between 12pm and 4pm, followed by a screening of the documentary “Finite: The Climate of Change” at 4pm.
The exhibition brings together pieces from the Pont Valley archive of destruction and resistance, sharing the experiences of those who took part in the campaign to protect the valley from mining.
The Campaign to Protect Pont Valley became a defining environmental movement in the region and played a significant role in the wider decline of opencast coal mining in the North East.
While campaigners were unable to prevent mining entirely, the movement is widely seen as part of the final chapter of opencast coal extraction in the region.
The exhibition describes the story as a “bittersweet victory”, highlighting both the determination of the community and the lasting impact the campaign had on local environmental activism.
Through photographs, archive material and personal stories, Wounded Land explores the emotional and personal experiences of those who sought to protect the valley.
Organisers say the exhibition aims not only to document the campaign but also to reflect on what it means for communities to come together to protect landscapes they value.
The project has been created by Simone Rudolphi and Floor van der Hout, working alongside members of the Pont Valley protectors, bringing together materials that capture moments of resistance, solidarity and community action.
As well as looking back at the campaign, the exhibition also aims to encourage reflection on environmental protection and the role communities can play in safeguarding places they care about.
The event is open to all and free to attend.
Event details
📍 Roxy Theatre, Watling Street, Leadgate, DH8 6DP
📅 Sunday 22 March
🕛 12–4pm – Walk-in exhibition
🎬 4pm – Film screening: Finite: The Climate of Change
🎟 Free entry – all welcome
Submission by Simone Rudolphi
Ended up getting smashed into the back of with these whoppas causing havoc and a new driver forgetting where her brake pedal was
These people need to get a life and understand how the real world works
I was initially against the open cast as I live less than half a mile away. I went to the open day before work really got under way and when they explained what would happen it made sense .They have made a fantastic job of landscaping the area .It has more natural diversity than before the opencast. Most places in the north were blighted by industry be it coal and lead mines steel works etc but now look at those areas after landscaping etc. People have to remember these industries employed thousands of people in the local areas. No commuting to workplaces miles away as today. Which is greener? Plus with what is happening in the world today we were more self sufficient regarding fuel and power resources. I know we cant go back but surely we can have both and still have nature !
Nothing too be proud of saying they put an end too opencast mining in the north east in fact should hang your heads in shame 😡🤡😡🤡
Looks better now than it ever did
I can smell them both from here
Remember when they hoisted that woman in a wheelchair to the top of the tree😂😂 what a bunch of clowns
Bussed in morons as always . No wonder nothing gets done in this country. The only negative impact was this scruffy lot .