Durham Miners' Gala

The Gala (pronounced gae-la rather than gar-la apparently!) was great fun yesterday. I've never seen so many marching bands in one place before! Durham was as full as I've ever seen it and definitely not with students. The music and the banners were great and I was starting to feel some stirrings of socialist sympathy..but then the speeches started. So stereotypical that I couldn't take them seriously, they felt like some bizarre self-parody.

I felt completely out of my depth in some ways, a different country where I didn't really belong, or indeed never really visited. But I loved seeing some glimpse of the history of the people and the land up here..I feel like I understand Durham better for it.

I got chatting to various people during the day, on the street and in shops..everyone had a different take on the day, some merely resigned. A shopkeeper on North Road said they used to have to board up the shops along there, and there was certainly a very visible police presence on the street. We heard the odd rumour of 'trouble' later in the day, but generally it all seemed very good natured.