Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
Latest editorial
Cuts cost lives: could we cope with a Grenfell disaster in Scotland?
Years of cuts have left the Scottish fire and rescue service dangerously understaffed, with over 700 front-line firefighters' jobs lost since 2013, says DENISE CHRISTIE
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
Special report by PEOPLE’S WORLD
NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
The morning of June 14 2017 is one that no firefighter in Britain will ever forget: the images that we all saw showing the horrific events unfolding were unprecedented.
Watching our brothers and sisters going into that building time after time to rescue people in desperate situations made us proud, but also concerned that there would still be a huge loss of life despite their efforts and, tragically, as we all now know, this was the case.
In over 20 years working within the fire and rescue service, I have never seen a fire pose such a huge threat to human life.
Similar stories
YVETTE WILLIAMS and JOE DELANEY dissect the institutional dawdling that rubbed salt into the Grenfell open wounds prolonging the agony of survivors
Since 2010, one in five firefighter jobs has disappeared alongside 30% funding cuts — all while climate breakdown brings record blazes and flooding. It’s time to fund our fire service properly, writes FBU general secretary STEVE WRIGHT
