More than 100 pieces of local mining history will be going on display for the first time later this year after a County Durham developer gave a five-figure grant to Beamish Museum.

The Banks Group has donated £11,000 to Beamish, via its Banks Community Fund, to help fund a new exhibition of miners' safety lamps, and to help support the open air museum's work to establish an authentic colliery lamp cabin within its mining exhibit.

Over 100 lamps, most of which were used at and collected from north east pits, will be part of the exhibition, which will open in March 2009, to coincide with the beginning of Beamish's summer season.

The construction of the lamp cabin is the first part of Beamish's long-term vision to enhance its facilities and establish itself as one of the world’s leading museums.

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As well as the exhibition space in which the lamps will go on show, it is planned that the cabin will eventually include space for educational activities, scientific experiments with miners' lamps, and display cases and graphic panels showing a day in the life of an early 20th century miner.

Project leader Chris Scott said: "We're aiming to recreate a 1913 miners' lamp cabin as part of our colliery exhibit, and are using both original artefacts and new items which have been manufactured to be as close to the originals as possible.

"Part of this project will involve creating a new exhibition space in which many of the items that we've previously just not had the room to display can be shown."

The Banks Group was established as a surface mining company in Tow Law more than 30 years ago, but has since diversified to undertake property, waste management and renewable energy schemes.

Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at Banks, adds: "As a company with its long history in the north east mining industry, we are pleased that we have been able to support the delivery of such an interesting and important project.

"Beamish is a highly valuable educational and historical resource which attracts a huge amount of visitors and interest from both within and outside our region, and provides a fascinating window on a period of history which had a massive influence on shaping north east England in the 21st century."

(GK/JM)