A “LIVING HISTORY” weekend at Big Pit honouring the lives of Welsh miners has been cancelled due to a museum strike.

The National Coal Museum in Blaenavon planned to stage the fun-packed event with re-enactments, music and discussions on Saturday and Sunday.

Speakers planned to tell visitors about life in Welsh pits and the Miner’s Strike of 1984 and 1985.

Performers were also to have re-enacted a protest against the “1933 Means Test”, which saw miners on benefits scrutinised by Government, and Blaenavon Town Band was due to play at the event organised as part of Miners’ Fortnight.

But the museum will be shut on both days owing to a strike staged in opposition to plans to scrap premium payments for weekend working, which make up as much as 15 per cent of the take-home pay of front-of-house staff.

A Big Pit spokeswoman said on Friday the two-day event had been cancelled “for the time being”.

The National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon will be unaffected by the strike at museums in Wales.

A National Museums Wales spokesman expressed disappointment at the Public and Commercial Services union to go ahead with the strike after entering into a process of conciliation with them via ACAS.

For more information on events at Big Pit, call 02920 573 650.