Betty Heathfield, Chairwoman of Women Against Pit Closures, speaks with the crowds at the Durham Rally followed by Labour MP Dennis Skinner.

Betty Heathfield was more than just the wife of Peter Heathfield, General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers' (NUM). Along with Anne Scargill, wife of NUM President Arthur Scargill, she helped form and chaired 'Women Against Pit Closures,' an organisation to mobilise thousands of wives, partners, and relatives into, according to writer Graham Stevenson, “A fighting force that virtually sustained the strike for the whole year.” By the end of the dispute, she would go onto be known as 'the Miners' Heroine,' and although the miners were eventually defeated, she would continue to fight for union rights. She joined members of the printers' union on the picket line at Wapping to fight against proposal by Rupert Murdoch to move printing of his newspaper resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.
For nearly half a century Dennis Edward Skinner was a near permanent fixture of the House of Commons serving as Labour MP for the constituency of Bolsover in Derbyshire. By the time he lost his seat in 2019, he had become not only the oldest member of the House of Commons, but the second longest serving becoming known as the 'Beast of Bolsover' due to his aggressive rhetoric and sharp quips. During the 1984-85 Miners' Strike he was staunch supporter of the NUM and Arthur Scargill going so far as to donate his parliamentary salary to support the miners. During his parliamentary career he was suspended ten times, most often for 'unparliamentary language' saying once of Margaret Thatcher that she would, “bribe judges.” A staunch Republican and Socialist to this day, he is often remembered for heckling Black Rod during the State Opening of Parliament by Queen Elizabeth II.

Appeal of Betty Heathfield on behalf of a rally of Women's Support groups at the Durham Miners' rally; and the speech of Dennis Skinner, MP, on the lead given by the miners to the general attack on the Tory government, 'in retreat'.