David Amos at Annesley Colliery (photo: 1986). 
Dr. Amos also conducted a fascinating project with Professor Natalie Braber (Nottingham Trent University) about the unique dialect (“pit talk”) of coal miners in the East Midlands as well as leading the Selstonia Living Heritage Project (Selston is a large village and civil parish in the Ashfield District of Nottinghamshire), further work at the Annesley Colliery, and a study of the Bestwood Winding Engine House. In addition, he innovated “A History of Coal Mining in Ten Objects” funded by Britain’s AHRC, another AHRC project about “Hidden Histories”, and a long-term study of Harworth Colliery that just finished in 2024.
PAUL FILLINGHAM is the Director and Digital Design Consultant for thinkamigo.com, one of whose prominent projects is as a bridge between local communities, universities and government agencies. Paul is a seasoned UX consultant with over three decades of experience in digital design and innovation. His career spans the evolution of digital media – from early desktop publishing to today’s enterprise SaaS applications. He established Thinkamigo in 2011 (Incorporated 2012), collaborating with trusted amigos to create Digital Platforms for the Arts. Since 2015 Thinkamigo has focussed on user research and design for government and enterprise. An interest in coal mining heritage is foundational in Thinkamigo.
David and Paul have collaborated since 2011 in multiple endeavors. Among these are the mining heritage digital trail created in 2023-2024 for the preserved Pleasley Pit (CLICK). David and Paul advocate for the role of digital media in recovering and promoting the story of industrial culture and communities. Read more about this work HERE. Importantly, David and Paul created Mine2Minds, a community interest organization that conducts public outreach among people affected by structural unemployment and digital exclusion. Mine2Minds provides community education and training in former coalfield regions of the East Midlands. Mine2 Minds is focused on shared heritage and history. it deploys mixed methods of public engagement including digital tools and physical exhibitions.
HELAINE SILVERMAN recently retired as a Full Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is now Professor Emerita. Dr. Silverman’s early career was devoted to the archaeological investigation of an ancient Peruvian society called Nasca. Extensive media attention to her research led her to become interested in how Peru uses its extraordinary cultural heritage for modern-day projects of nationalism, economic development and identity formation. After decades in Peru, fortuitously, the University of Illinois and the University of Birmingham formed a strategic international partnership in 2012 which opened a totally new research opportunity for Dr. Silverman at nearby Ironbridge Gorge. This led her into the field of industrial heritage. After her research in Ironbridge Gorge, she conducted a project on County Durham’s coal mining heritage with Dr. Andreas Pantazatos, then based at Durham University (now at Cambridge). The new work in Nottinghamshire builds on these prior experiences.
Dr. Helaine Silverman stands with a work by artist Paul Kelpe, titled, Man and Machines (Abstraction #5), 1934, Oil, canvas. Commissioned through the New Deal art projects. The work, which reflects many of the themes of her work, is on display in the Kincaid Pavilion Annex at Krannert Art Museum.