Grimethorpe

Grimethorpe is a large village, located to the east of Barnsley and the south of Hemsworth in Yorkshire. It is known for its past as a proud mining village, its brass band and its siting for the film "Brassed Off" - a tragedy [with a few funny bits] telling of the plight of the village and the effect on its band. Grimethorpe has gained a reputation as one of the most long-time deprived communities in Britain and more than half of the original houses were demolished. For a village, levels of crime and drug abuse were chronically high. Unemployment has been above 50% for much of the 1990s and a large proportion of the population are disabled, having sufferred injuries down the coal mines. Several regeneration projects have caused fortunes to improve in recent years and the village is starting to regain its self-respect.