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
The night the Marchioness went down
PETER FROST discovers it often takes a disaster to introduce new safety regulation. Here are two examples
A HUGE party of friends and relatives took an emotional trip on London’s river this week to pay tribute to those who died in one of Britain’s worst peacetime disasters. Many of them had been on the party boat Marchioness 25 years before.
Fifty-one roses were floated on the murky river waters to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the tragedy exactly a quarter-century ago.
The party was going strong in the early hours of August 20 1989 after a balmy evening on the Thames Tideway.
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