A COUPLE are marking 50 years together with a piece of artwork containing personal family memorabilia.

A remembrance record from the 1984 miners’ strike is one of the items included in the three-dimensional framed montage produced by Ilkley artist, Maria Brophy.

The work was commissioned by Queensbury Couple Paul and Sheila Cannon to celebrate their anniversary. The 6ft by 2ft piece contains personal family memorabilia and artefacts stretching across the decades and covering topical events during their life together.

The strike played an important part in Mr Cannon’s life. He took weekly provisions to the miners over the course of a year and helped to produce a fund-raising record after Kellingley miner Joe Green was killed on the picket line at Ferrybridge Power Station.

He said: "I spent a year going to The Big K each week with a Hoover Van full of food, nappies and soft drinks donated by the temples and mosques of Bradford each Wednesday to the miners of Kellingley.

"At the time I was putting on bands with RAR such as The Negatives, Gang of Four, Piranhas, Au Pairs, Thompson Twins and SLF with the help of Dave King and publicised by Nick Toczek (Gig Guide T&A 1970’s-80’s) with whom we produced a fund raising record (45rpm) 'Remembrance' (incorporated into Maria’s Artwork) as a fund raiser for Joe Green’s family, the 55 year old Kellingley miner killed on the picket line on 15th June 1984 at Ferrybridge Power Station."

He added: "Maria has integrated very cleverly and with subtleness into her artwork several kinds of personal memorabilia such as Sheila’s father's Bradford City Transport cap badge; a crocheted handkerchief given to Sheila by her mum (now deceased); an Easter chicken given by our granddaughter Phoebe, when she was one (five next); some political badges from my past, and other small pieces of jewellery and trinkets."

The Cannons met Maria at the 2017 Ilkley Art Festival, where they bought a smaller piece by her and followed this up with a commission for the larger project.

They were so pleased with the end result that they organised a small unveiling for friends and family at their home.

In 1987 the couple set up their own Electrical Contracting Company which is based in Leeds and is now run by their sons Christopher and Andrew.

For the past five years Mr Cannon has been helping to run a retraining hub for unemployed postgraduates on the campus of Bradford University.