Local Economy

I recall when a pupil at primary school, teacher asking us all what jobs our dads did.

She expected, I think, (stereotype) all to be coal miners or millworkers.

Certainly she seemed surprised that Transport sector scored highest. Lorry drivers, rail workers, etc. and shopkeepers came in second place.

What sector of economic activity do you think is the biggest provider of employment in Wigan and environs nowadays?

Anything to do with computers because other industries have died a death

You can't really make a comparison between then and now.

Firstly, if Priscus's primary school was in Wigan, it's obvious that there wouldn't be many miners' kids amongst the pupils as there wasn't many miners lived in Wigan.
Ask the same question in Haydock, Golborne or Leigh and the answers would be totally different.

Today, most Wigan workers (and I suppose you mean anybody under Wigan Council, not Wigan?) travel out of the area both to work and to spend their wages.

Back in the day, most people living in 'Wigan' would work in Wigan and spend their money in Wigan too, in local shops for local people, owned by the parents of some of the kids in Priscus's class!

Correct Tonker. I went to Abram St. John’s and a lot of us were of mining stock. The Maypole Pit was in the Village.

Went to school in Bryn.

There were kids of mineworkers. They were outnumbered by those of each of the two groups mentioned.

"Wigan and environs" I would have thought self-exploratory!

Asked this question, because I wondered what employment opportunities people now find in the area, and what the next few years are likely to hold for them?

There were plenty of miners living in Wigan, I can recall seven miners living in the street that I grew up in, in the next street I can remember another six. In my class at school I knew of five lads who were miner's sons, this was in the 1970s.

When I was at primary skool I remember same question being asked, but most replied that they didn't know what job their dad did and teeacher was getting a bit perplexed at all these same answers, so she asked the next kid why did he not know what job his did and he replied "I don't know who me dad is, never mind what job he does" and all the kids who had given the same answer, they all nodded in agreement ...

Disappeared G.I. dads when I whur a little un!