Littleton Lodge Care Home to Honour Local History in Miners Open Week

On Monday 4th December, Littleton Lodge care home in Cannock will be inviting their community to a Miners Open Week, in honour of the 30th anniversary of Littleton Colliery’s closure.

Littleton Colliery, Littleton Lodge’s namesake, was first opened in 1877, and eventually employed 1,900 miners, mining almost one million tonnes of coal. The colliery was the last to be closed on the Cannock Chase Coalfield in December 1993.

In 2022, Littleton Lodge became home to a mining exhibition and model of Littleton Colliery, which was built by ex-colliery worker and member of the community group ‘Friends of Littleton Colliery’, Mick Dando.

The model of Littleton Colliery took two years to construct and was previously housed by Littleton Primary School.

To celebrate Littleton Colliery’s history, Littleton Lodge are hosting a week of events for the public. 87-year-old resident, Margaret Moore, said, ‘It’s going to be fantastic hosting the Miners Open Week, I think it’s such a lovely thing to do with our community.’

Kicking off on Monday 4th December, local mining history expert Andrew Bennet will be doing a guided walk of nearby mining sights with children from Poppyfields Primary Academy.

On Tuesday from 11:00, a screening of footage from Littleton Colliery will take place in the home’s cinema room, where all are welcome to sit back with some popcorn to learn more about the colliery’s rich history.

Guests are encouraged to bring their dancing shoes on Wednesday from 10:30 for a special ‘Miner’s Coffee Morning’, with live entertainment by local performer, Winston Leadbetter.

On Thursday, the residents at Littleton Lodge will be revealing the new names of the different areas of the care home, all of which pay tribute to local history.

During the final day of Miners Open Week, local ex-miners will be invited to a special ‘Come Dine with Us’ event. Guests will enjoy a luxury home-cooked lunch with the residents at Littleton Lodge.

Soni Atwal, the Front of House Manager at Littleton Lodge, said, ‘It’s been an honour to house the Littleton Colliery exhibit for the past year, our residents and visitors always admire the model and memorabilia we have on display.

‘Littleton Colliery is such a significant part of our local history, so we want to do everything we can to celebrate that.’

All are welcome to attend any event during Miners Open Week. To find out more, please call the friendly team on 01543 399640 or email Littleton.lodge@idealcarehomes.co.uk.

Littleton Lodge is a purpose-built luxury residential and dementia care home operated by Ideal Carehomes. With 66 ensuite bedrooms, it has landscaped gardens and a full and varied activities programme. Littleton Lodge offers an all-inclusive fee, designed to give residents and their families peace of mind without having the worry of any extra costs.