THE day hundreds of people lost their jobs when the Millom Ironworks closed has been retold.

Duddon Valley Local History Group gathered to watch a new film about the day the Ironworks closed.

The ironworks in Millom was a huge industry that employed hundreds of people since the first shafts were sunk in the 1850s.

On Friday September 13th, 1968, the Iron Works closed and almost five hundred people lost their jobs.

Local historian Ruth Sutton wrote a play about the uncertain times many families and individuals experienced when the main industry disappeared.

Ruth’s play looks at how people coped with the loss of their jobs and an uncertain future - and questions how Millom survived as a town.

Ruth introduced her play at Victory Hall, where a recording was enjoyed on the full screen, with surround sound followed by tea and coffee afterwards.

The play delved into the ‘perfect storm of circumstances’ that led to its closure; from cheap imports of iron ore making the Hodbarrow workings unprofitable to a lack of investment from a Spanish conglomerate.

The film shared the trauma of one family on the day the closing hooter blew for the last time.

Despite the stormy weather more than 40 people turned up to watch The Day the Ironworks Closed.

The chairman of Duddon Valley Local History Group Stan Aspinall said: “The closure of the Millom Iron Works after 100 years seemed to be a death blow, impossible to recover from. It shut with very little warning and no compensation; the industrial heart of the town was ripped out: the shock was psychological as well as financial.”