Save Our Steel on the Fourth Plinth in London!
On Wednesday 26 August, Community members Geoff Waterfield, Richard Green and
Derek Loughborough, and members of the Teesside Multi-union Committee, travelled
down to London and braved the elements to support Linda Robinson who was taking
part in the Fourth Plinth Project in Trafalgar Square.
Linda is a poet from Teesside, and used her allotted hour on the Fourth Plinth to read her own works. Linda is a strong supporter of the Save Our Steel Campaign, and her grand finale was reading the poem ‘Steel River’, for which she unfurled the SOS campaign banner.
Steel River is a poem dedicated to the heritage of steelmaking on Teesside, and you can read the full text below:
We are the children of the Steel River,
Our spirit forged on the anvil of the Ironmasters ambition.
In the shadows of the chimneys and the furnaces we are indomitable and fierce, yet open and loyal.
When our industrial masters eat us up and spit us out, their pockets lined like the last blast furnace, we are dignified and proud.
Steel in our hearts and steel in our spines.
From father to son and father to son, the baton of our industrial heritage is handed on, with many a false start in the race to remain relevant, economical, viable.
We will always be the children of the Steel River and if the sounds of industry are one day stilled you will still hear us roar.
Geoff Waterfield said: “it’s fantastic that people in the local community like Linda are making a positive contribution to a national art project and using the opportunity to showcase our steel heritage and plight at the same time, demonstrating that everyone can make a difference.”
The event was well attended and attracted significant media attention, despite the weather!
Save our Steel Petition
Please download and circulate the Save Our
Steel Petition before returning it to the regional office.To return, either speak to your branch official or contact Sylvia at the regional office on 01642 246 040.
Save Our Steel Petition