Win a mining-inspired House of Ruhr gin and new Miner's Lass book from best-selling Sunderland author

Glenda Young hit the UK Top 50 Bestsellers List with her last book, The Paper Mill Girl, and continues to shine a light on the North East, in particular the coalmining heritage of Ryhope village, in her gritty new saga, The Miner’s Lass.

Houghton-based House of Ruhr, although distilled and bottled in Germany, also bears a strong local connection to the region’s lost industry. Wanne-Eickel (the town where the distillery is based) is known for its rich coal mining heritage and the Renton gin is named after House of Ruhr’s owner Bryn Jones’s, maternal, great, great grandfather Captain James Ogilvie Renton who was lost at sea in 1871, after leaving the North East with a cargo of coal.

Ryhope-born and bred Bryn said: “The Ruhr Valley and the North East share a rich heritage of coal mining, and in both areas this heritage survives in the minds of mining families as well as museums and literature.

"My male paternal ancestors were made up mainly by miners, who were itinerant in that they travelled the country for work before settling in County Durham."

The House Of Ruhr gin came about through Bryn’s friendship with the distillers who were keen to see their products enjoyed outside of Germany.

With German engineering quality in every bottle, the collection includes Bergmann (infused with physalis, goji berry and yerba) Renton (infused with 12 botanicals) and Vogel (infused with lemon and allspice).

The collaboration between the two brands is just the tonic to celebrate Sunderland and its poignant past.

Glenda Young has hit a winning streak with her historical sagas set in Sunderland.

The latest release is her sixth with leading publisher Headline.

Glenda said: “I’m hugely proud to be putting the village of Ryhope, where I was born and bred, on the literary map and bringing the old village to life in my books. The Miner’s Lass is the story of miner’s daughter Ruby who struggles with the harsh realities of a life of poverty.

“It is great to team up with Bryn and House Of Ruhr, we are both very passionate about our local area and its heritage, especially coal mining.”

WIN

We have 1 500ml bottle of gin, worth £40, as well as four tonics and a copy of The Miner’s Lass to give away for the first prize winner.

Four runners up will receive a copy of The Miner’s Lass.

To be in with a chance of winning, collect the coupon in today’s paper, Saturday, October 30, and return it, along with your name, DOB, and address to Miner’s Lass Competition, Sunderland Echo, 1st floor, North East BIC, Wearfield, Enterprise Park East, Sunderland.

Entrants must be over 18 years old and proof of age will be required.

Usual JPI Media competition rules apply.

You only need one coupon to enter. Closing date: Monday, November 8. The first prize winner will need to collect their prize from our offices at BIC.

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