Friends of Rising Sun Country Park

Standing proudly in front of the Countryside Centre, Fatkin the Miner Mole welcomes visitors to Rising Sun Country Park. This striking sculpture was created by artist Marjan Wouda as a tribute to the area’s mining heritage and the generations of miners who worked at the Rising Sun Colliery.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that Fatkin carries a pick and trowel on his back, and his body is textured with impressions of ropes, cogs and chains — subtle references to the tools and machinery once used in the colliery trade.

Fatkin is named in memory of George Charlton Fatkin, the last miner to lose his life in an accident at the Rising Sun Colliery on 10 February 1969. His name ensures that the human stories behind the landscape are not forgotten.

To learn more about the sculptor’s work, visit: www.marjanwouda.com/about-my-work