The designs, which can be seen in villages across the Somer Valley, have captured the hearts of residents and visitors alike, honouring those who worked tirelessly in the regions coal mines.
The unveilings celebrate Somerset’s coal heritage and mark fifty years since the last Somerset coal mine closed, leaving a legacy for those who worked there.
Somerset Miners’ Welfare Trust (SMWT) Chairman, Bryn Hawkins, told The Journal: “You must have noticed metal coal miners popping up around the area, it’s the brain child of the Somerset Miners’ Welfare Trust.
“It’s our intention to site as many statues as possible near where coal mines existed.
“On Sunday, the largest group of statues were unveiled by Glastonbury’s own, and a previous coal miner at New Rock Colliery, Michael Eavis at the Winding Wheel in Radstock.
“The SMWT started looking at the project eighteen months ago, many different types of statues were explored.
“Meeting up with metal worker, David Speed, proved to be the best move that was made as he came up with the designs of metal miners. After a prototype sited at Camerton Community Hall, it was decided to make them taller!
“Many people came along to see the unveiling, there was poem and a trumpet solo when the cover of the statue dropped to the floor.
“Look out for a metal miner appearing at a village like yours, if there is a site we haven’t identified, please get in touch with the SMWT.”