“Meeting LGSM was a significant event in the miners’ strike of 1984-85. I was gratified that lesbians and gay men, who were attacked and vilified on a daily basis, would set aside their problems to help us. It was an incredible act of kindness and solidarity.

“They could so easily have left the miners to discover what they had known for a very long, painful, time — that the state through its police force and the press is merciless when it decides to attack you.

“LGSM’s selflessness deserves to be remembered whenever the history of the LGBT community and the working class is discussed. That struck me 30 years’ ago and will always be in my memory.

“Many more people know about the strike now, thanks to the film Pride. This story shows what can be achieved when people under attack come together without seeking anything in return.”