Musical celebration of the coalfields in Cumnock

But the harsh conditions and proximity to fellow miners, often living in villages housed almost exclusively by mining families, bred an extraordinary solidarity and sense of community.

And it's this spirit that the Cumnock Tryst Festival hopes to capture in its Musical Celebration of the Coalfields events which are part of a long running regeneration project in East Ayrshire.

Jennifer Martin, chief executive of the Cumnock Tryst Festival, explained: "The Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership were given £2.2 million to look at how coalfields can inspire the regeneration of the area. That could be with new cycle paths or new footpaths, for example.

"Our part is how we can use them as inspiration for musical regeneration."

Cumnock Tryst Festival, now in its seventh year, had hoped to perform its annual musical event this October but announced yesterday that they are now looking to stage some musical concerts in the spring of next year instead, followed by the Celebration of the Coalfields performances in Barony Hall at the new Robert Burns Academy in Cumnock in October 2021 and 2022 as a 'highlight' of the next two festivals.

Ahead of the coalfields performances at Barony Hall, the Tryst Festival is asking community groups and individuals to record the sounds of their local communities - "anything from the sound of footsteps on the pavement outside to birdsong in the playpark", Ms Martin said - which will form part of the spring concerts before being incorporated into the annual October events as a community opera.

"We want people to be inspired by the history, people and places around them; their own heritage," she said. "We are inviting members of the community to record sounds from their areas - or they could create text that could be recited, or take photographs."

Schools, local music societies and voluntary organisations are involved, as well as individuals, with 150 estimated to take part over two years.

The initial phase will be done by people in isolation and, as the lockdown eases, they hope to run some workshops later in the year. All of the material submitted will be worked on by professionals in creative writing, videography, photography, sound recording, opera and musical theatre.

But those involved will be 'at the heart of every part of writing, composing, producing and performing their stories' she said.

Sir James MacMillan, founder and festival director of The Cumnock Tryst, added: “Music is a very powerful tonic which can sustain us through difficult times and refresh our souls.

"Now more than ever we want to find ways to bring the best classical music to as wide as possible an audience in our local communities in Ayrshire and bring people together safely, to enjoy it.

"Although we cannot mount the festival as planned this year, we are planning some wonderful concerts over the first few months of next year to lift our souls."

Sir James, an internationally renowned conductor and composer, was inspired to become a musician by his grandfather George Loy, he said. Mr Loy was a coalminer in Ayrshire all his life but 'his true love was music,' he said.

"My earliest musical experiences were of making music with friends, relatives, schoolmates and teachers in Cumnock," he said. "I remember seeing amateur operatic productions of Gilbert and Sullivan, oratorio performances of Handel by the Kyle Choral Union, (one of Judas Maccabeus in New Cumnock in which I played trumpet), and hearing Cumnock Music Club performances by the Berlin Octet and many other fabulous international musicians."

He has worked with 'some of the most wonderful musicians of our time, all over the world,' he said, and now 'wants to bring something of that back.'

Octobers Tryst Festival sees performances from international musicians, as well as local performers.