Turning to what this evening is all about… Councillor Tattersall – our new Mayor – congratulations! I hope everyone knows what an enormous privilege it is for me to represent our community, and how seriously I take that responsibility. Let me be candid, many people were surprised at my decision to stand down, but I said from the beginning that being a Mayor and an MP wasn’t a long-term arrangement.

This was a great event and a fantastic opportunity to pay tribute to the incredible resilience of a community. All of those who spoke were brilliant and the variety of people who were at the event from Calendar Girls to the cast of Brassed Off is a testament to Grimethorpe. You can’t choose where you were born but you can choose where you want to be – and I chose Barnsley. Now an educational consultant and speaker on the Arts in Action from Grimethorpe to Hollywood, her previously published work includes a range of diagnostic/support strategies, All for Barnsley, Barnsley & Beyond and involvement in a number of community books including The Bus to Barnsley Market and the Grimethorpe Book in a Day. The Queen – overseeing us this evening – has been the embodiment of service and stability, a constant in our lives and it is right we recognise her unwavering dedication. Anyone who questions that ambition has a short memory, look at what we have achieved and how we have achieved it… as one.Just outside, we have our square dedicated to the Barnsley Pals battalions. Men who stepped forward to answer the call during the First World War. Just look at who was awarded the Freedom of the Borough last month alongside our phenomenal Intensive Care Unit…

Some thought that I would step away as MP and keep going with the mayoralty, but I have a fierce loyalty to our town. Speaking at the time, Mel, of Staincross, said: “It came as a complete surprise but I’m absolutely over the moon with the news. I don’t see it as a personal achievement, it’s something for Barnsley and everyone I’ve come across during the last 50 years.” While the Pals’ struggle took them to foreign soil, the miners’ struggle was brought to their very doorstep. She unearths some intriguing local links in the form of great positive role models ranging from education to economics, Coronation Street to Ready Steady Cook, pop music to ‘soliciting, sculpture to poetry, international fashion design and hairdressing, burns surgery to fire-fighting, archaeology in Egypt to Christianity in China. World champions in music and sport join past and present figures whose achievements continue to show the influence the area has had historically, and continues to have worldwide.

More clips from Howard Pressman

To their detriment, successive governments failed to recognise it wasn’t just coal that came out from the collieries, but community too. The Bus to Barnsley Market co-editor (with Ian Clayton and Brain Lewis ) published by Yorkshire Arts Circus 1989. I remember once being in complete awe stood outside our wonderful Town Hall by the newly installed fountains one summer morning – the sun was shining, children were paddling, laughter filled the air. It was a scene of pure joy. That suffering will live long in the memory but so too should the resolve of those who pulled us through – our NHS

Miners, glassworkers, stonemasons, clerics – many of them friends and neighbours. They joined-up together, trained together, fought together and ultimately, many of them died together. I became aware, from experience in Grimethorpe at the time of the pit closures, how seriously the decimation of industrial opportunities in this area affected not only men and boys, but equally the women and girls. Faced with far fewer opportunities and the increasing influence of media concentration on celebrity status frequently results in a negative reaction to both education and ambition. Mel always insisted one of her proudest achievements came at Willowgarth HIgh School when she spearheaded a ‘book-in-a-day’ project, with contributions from miners, families, school children and celebrity supporters. The response to the crisis from our community has been incredibly moving – we opened our hearts and our homes. I started teaching in Barnsley schools in 1969 and left in 1994/95, during which time I had taught every age range from pre-school nursery to A Level – always with extramural involvement.

Mel Dyke is an incredibly passionate champion for the area. Her books ‘Barnsley and Beyond’ and ‘Grimethorpe Revival’ are so important in remembering the past and in helping future generations. From the First World War to the Second, to the Falklands and every other conflict beyond, Barnsley’s men and women have consistently stepped forward to answer the call. Mel Dyke has written and been involved in the production of a number of local history titles. These include: I am however acutely aware not everyone always shares my enthusiasm for when the winds of change begin to blow!

Our community knows all too well the arc of history does not always necessarily steer to a better tomorrow. But we also know that together we have the power to bend it toward a more hopeful future. Our community was left devasted by the pandemic, I know everyone here this evening has their own story – me included.She has done an amazing job in keeping the past and those memories alive, to be cherished for future generations. I do also want to say a word about the Platinum Jubilee – truly a milestone in our nation’s history. Caroline… you have been a wonderful advocate for our community and helped see us through the pandemic. I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to you for all the work you have done – and will continue to do – for Barnsley.