Thanks to local sponsorship a potentially life-saving defibrillator has now been installed at historical Derbyshire visitor site, Good Luck Mine* near Matlock.
The former lead mine which opened in 1830 is now a popular visitor spot with around 400 cavers and miners coming to the site each year. Special trips are arranged so that visitors are able to go down the Mine, under Middleton Moor, and explore the old workings which ceased operation in the 1950s
The Good Luck Mine Preservation Club, which has 60 members, has been fundraising for a defibrillator after a Club member collapsed inside the mine and had to be rushed to hospital. Thanks to sponsorship from local company Longcliffe Quarries Ltd and other contributors, the Club has been able to buy and install a defibrillator at the entrance to the mine.
Club Secretary David Barrie explains: “Good Luck Mine is a fascinating place and we are working hard as a club to continue to preserve this important industrial archaeology site. We encourage visitors and are keen to ensure their safety when on site. The Mine is regularly checked by His Majesty’s Inspector of Mines, but we wanted to add to the safety measures by installing the defibrillator.”
Longcliffe Group Managing Director Paul Boustead added: “We are pleased to be able to support this Derbyshire mine, located very close to our operation. Whilst it is important to maintain sites of historical interest like this, visitor safety has to come first. We hope of course that it does not need to be used, but it’s great to know there is now a defibrillator on site.”
*Goodluck Mine is a former lead mine, situated in the Peak District of Derbyshire near Matlock Bath. It was originally opened in 1830 by John Alsop. It seemingly never lived up to its name and the veins of ore (galena or lead sulphide) were always thin. The mine entrance was closed by the then landowner in the 1950s by blasting.
A group of enthusiasts started restoration and repair work in the 1970s and after many years dedicated effort the Mines Inspectorate approved access to visitors in 2007. The mine is a great example of a small-scale lead mine and original stonework, tools and many other artefacts can be viewed. Some remains of surface buildings can be seen, and the former spoil heap is prominent.
Since the reopening, efforts have continued to explore and open up more of the underground complex. A second entrance to Goodluck has been created in a former shaft and parts of two neighbouring mines can now be explored.
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