Long overdue thanks to Bolton’s millworkers

16 Jan 2019 09:54

Decades after Bolton’s last working mill closed its doors, those who dedicated their lives do Bolton’s textile industry will be honoured at a special ceremony.

A Millworkers Thanksgiving Service, thought to be the first of its kind in Greater Manchester, will be held at Bolton Parish Church at 3pm on Sunday, January 20.

The event has been organised by the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Elaine Sherrington, as a celebration of millworkers’ lives and to give thanks to the men, women and children whose hard work helped make Bolton a prosperous and vibrant industrial town.

The service will be open to the public and former millworkers are especially welcome.

“The textile industry put our town on the map and this service will be an opportunity to thank our predecessors for their hard work and sacrifices.

“I’m especially looking forward to welcoming former millworkers and hearing about their experiences during the final days of Bolton’s textile mills.”

Bolton has a long history of textile production and innovation, including Samuel Crompton’s invention of the spinning mule which helped revolutionise cotton production.

After an industrial boom in the mid Nineteenth Century, the textile industry in Bolton employed 36,000 people by 1911.

As the textile industry declined, the last of the mills began to close in the late 1970s.

To complement the service, the church will host an open day and exhibition on Saturday, January 19 from 10am to 3pm.

The exhibition will explore the lives of millworkers to give visitors an idea of what it was like to work in the textile trade during the industrial revolution.

The public can also enjoy panoramic views of Bolton from the church tower where illustrative maps will highlight how the town would have looked during the height of textile production.

Free refreshments will be available on both the Saturday and Sunday.

Executive Cabinet Member for Strategic Housing, Cllr Martin Donaghy, said: “The work of the mills also supported the coal mining and engineering industries which are such important aspects of our local heritage.

“While mill owners and industrialists are often remembered with portraits and statues, the endeavours of ordinary workers are often overlooked.

“This is long overdue recognition of working men and women who helped build this town.”

The service will feature readings, reflections on mill life and hymns.

The Vicar of Bolton, Revd Canon Dr Chris Bracegirdle, added: “The Mayor has rightly recognised the debt Bolton owes to those thousands of men, women and children from this and other countries who, for generations, worked in mills in our town.  

“I'm delighted that there is to be a service of thanksgiving for their work and where better than Bolton Parish Church where Samuel Crompton, the Bolton born inventor and spinning pioneer was married and is buried?”

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