A night to remember the 30th anniversary of the Ravenscraig Steelworks will be held in Motherwell next month.
The reunion night at Club 100 takes place at 6pm on Friday, June 24, following an afternoon exhibition at Motherwell Heritage Centre.
One of the organisers of the event, Stevie Jeffrey, worked at the ‘Craig from 1979 until its dreaded closure in 1992.
He said: “We had lots of good people working there, it was like an extended family.
“I was 29 when it closed and I’m nearly 60 now but it’s still like a family.
“You can’t put your finger on but when we all meet up.
“We organise this every couple of years and although we usually have a core group of guys but we always have a few surprises.
“We would ask for people to come along with photos or memorabilia and talk about what we did and what we are up to now.”
The closure of Ravenscraig in 1992 signalled the end of large-scale steel making in Scotland.
It led to a direct loss of 770 jobs, and another 10,000 jobs linked to these.
Demolition of the site’s landmark blue gasometer in 1996 and the subsequent cleanup operation have created the largest brownfield site in Europe.
This huge area is now being transformed into the new town of Ravenscraig.
Stevie added: “There doesn’t seem to be a vibrancy in Motherwell and Wishaw that there was when the ‘Craig was there.
“Most of us lived in the towns and spent our money here which meant the businesses here were supported. The towns were devastated.
“I have had 12 jobs since I left the ‘Craig and I’m sure there will be other guys who worked there who will be the same.”
For more information on the event visit Ravenscraig Steelworks Reunion Facebook page.
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