Boxing and a tug o’ war contest will be among the more energetic pursuits during the Kent Miners’ Festival at Fowlmead on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31.

The festival is open to everyone in Kent, and organisers are especially hoping to welcome former miners from the Kent Coalfield for a reunion.

Carl Moses, of Aylesham Boxing Club, said the boxing exhibition will show festival goers various elements of the sport culminating in up to eight bouts fought by boxers, including Deal lad Ross Austin.

Skipping, pad work and punch techniques will be demonstrated from 1pm before the bouts begin.

The festivities are based on the old gala days, enjoyed by so many mining families, and a vintage fair will keep youngsters amused, while the traditional entertainment of boxing, tug o’ war and brass bands will help rekindle the spirit of camaraderie.

It is hoped people who are unaware of the county’s rich mining heritage will come along for a day of fun and learn about how Kentish communities were built around the pits and the colliers’ way of life.

A photographic display by Changing Landscapes, the National Coal Mining Museum England and English Heritage, will also run to the festival to show visitors how it developed while residents from mining communities in east Kent will be transported to the festival by vintage buses.

Gary Cox, chairman of the campaign to move the Waiting Miner statue from Dover seafront to Fowlmead, said: "It is so important to keep the memories of our miners and mining history alive. The Kent Miners’ Festival will be a spectacular day out for all the family."