It’s become a tradition to take our new students to the Mining Museum at Betteshanger Country Park for a day of exploration and team-building. This year was no exception — we enjoyed another fantastic day filled with learning, laughter, and connection.

Betteshanger is the site of a coal mine – something that can be hard to imagine now that almost every trace of mining has vanished from the East Kent landscape. The highlight of our trip each year is the opportunity for our students to talk to former miners. They shared their stories of working in the mines, the strength of community and the solidarity which sustained them during the strikes.

This year we had the privilege to see the original Betteshanger miners’ banner displayed. This precious piece of history accompanied the miners on marches since the 1930s. Over the years, it was trampled upon by police horses, rolled up for a time under a bed for safe keeping, archived in different museums and now is safely home in Betteshanger.

Its motto “agitate, educate, organise” is one that the miners took to heart. Despite their long working days in arduous conditions, they still found time to work together in their communities to engage in educational activities, to push hard for better working conditions and to ensure that the whole community benefitted. One new element of their story was that they allowed women to play football on their pitch in defiance of the FA ban. This led to censure, but they were well ahead of their times, making the success of the English Lionesses all the sweeter.

As always, the visit to Betteshanger offered our students not just a glimpse into East Kent’s mining past, but a powerful reminder of the resilience, solidarity, and spirit that continue to inspire us today — even as we chase each other through the archery battle zone.