Raw footage of miners from Westoe Colliery near South Shields marching back to work with pride and dignity.

The end of the 1984-85 Miners' Strike came on the 3rd March, 1985 with a call from miners in South Wales to return to work. Other regions followed shortly thereafter, with the exception of Yorkshire and Kent who voted to continue the strike. Like miners across the county, those at Westoe Colliery near South Shields went back to work on the 5th March. They did so with the heads held high, with dignity and pride, as the film shows marching behind their lodge banner. The eventual cost of the strike was very high on many different levels. Financially it is believed to have cost around £2.5 billon. The 51 week dispute also cost the lives of four working miners, two through suicide. 255 more men were injured as well as 790 police officers. Although the miners were eventually defeated, they did come out of the dispute with many positives. For example, for many, especially women, the strike changed their lives, helping them to have a more fundamental role in how the community worked, something that for many would continue long after the strike. The struggle for Westoe Colliery continued with the formation of the Westoe Colliery Campaign Group (WCCG) in 1992 following news that there were plans by British Coal to close the pit. Sadly, after a valiant fight Westoe Colliery was closed, and the pumps keeping the mine from being flooded were turned off on the 19th November, 1993.

Westoe miners return to work at Westoe Colliery near South Shields on the 5th March 1985.