I had not lived in the former pit village of Lynemouth since 1961 but the winding road north from Newcastle will always be the same nostalgic highway each twist charged with vivid memories & powerful emotions. So begins a story full of wonderful humour emotional candour & hardy tales of tough times
- a quietly epic family saga set amid the pit villages of the North East. It stretches from the 1920s before Sids parents had even met to the final closing of the mine & his mothers death in 1999. Sid paints a picture of a colourful tight knit community full of good times & hard work god-fearing women & hard-drinking men. Always dominating the skyline is Auld Betty the pit head that took the men away each day & with a prayer brought them back each evening. Amongst the unforgettable cast of his extended family & friends we follow the Waddells attempts to stay afloat & provide a better future & possible escape for youngsters like Sid.