Photographers John Harris and John Sturrock will give a talk on their work documenting the miners’ strike and the struggle against pit closures.

Both photojournalists covered the strike extensively. John Sturrock’s reportage began on the first picket lines at Cortonwood Colliery in March 1984 and continued until the return to work marches a whole year later, covering picketing from Bilston Glen in Scotland to Didcot in South East England.

John Harris’ coverage was similarly thorough, and his iconic image from Orgreave, depicting a police officer swinging his truncheon at Lesley Boulton, an activist from Women Against Pit Closures, became one of the seminal images of the strike.

Join us for a rare chance to hear firsthand insights into what it was like to document the strike and see an extended selection of both photographers' images. Following the talk they will be joined by Martin Parr for a conversation on the work and their experiences, followed by questions from the floor.

This event has been programmed to coincide with the MPF exhibition ONE YEAR! Photographs from the miners’ strike 1984-85 and both photographers feature prominently in the show.

Photo - Miners Strike 1984 mass picket confronting police lines, Bilston Glen. Norman Strike at the front of a mass picket, Scotland. © John Sturrock/Reportdigital.co.uk