In 1994, 10 years after the miners' strike, the UK Government turned their attention to the last deep pit in south Wales. The target of their economic vandalism was Tower Colliery. Tower in Hirwaun was profitable—it had been commended by John Redwood, of all people, for its productivity. But Westminster still decided to strike its final blow against the once-mighty miners. The NUM Tower workforce and local community rose to the challenge.

Cynon Valley MP Ann Clwyd joined the miners in a sit-in deep underground to highlight the valiant campaign. The response from the UK Government and the NCB was further betrayal and backsliding. The miners had no choice but to vote for closure. But their story did not end there. Led by branch secretary Tyrone O'Sullivan, 239 miners each contributed £8,000 of their redundancy to buy the mine. It was resurrected as a workers' co-operative; the first mine in the world to be owned by its workforce. January 2018 marks 23 years since Tower reopened—a brave and bold new chapter in its history. 

Tower is now closed, but there are exciting plans for the future of the site; plans that will ensure Tower and its story of struggle live on. To paraphrase from the narrative boldly owned by the miners of Tower: they were ordinary men, they want their jobs, they bought a pit.