Coal mines aren’t the answer – but workers need a job they’re proud of

The national outcry against Britain’s first new coal mine in 30 years has been loud and long. But not in Cumbria, writes Chris Blackhurst. There, the focus is on the economic fortunes it could bring

Contracters in Whitehaven have been given the go-ahead to begin extracting coal (Getty)

It’s not a name that trips off the tongue. Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment or Core (geddit?).

Even its repetition conjures up an image in my mind of a few desultory souls holding placards outside the gates of Sellafield. Indeed, that’s pretty much what Core amounted to. This, despite Cumbria, where I grew up, being the centre of all things nuclear.

In my hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, the main – make that only – large-scale employer is engaged in the building of Trident nuclear submarines. These are nuclear-powered and designed to carry nuclear missiles. And they are being assembled in the shipyard right in the centre of the town.