Bradford fire memorial remind us safety must come before sport: The Yorkshire Post says

The annual memorial service in Bradford for the victims of the worst fire disaster in English football history is always a poignant occasion, but the circumstances around this year’s event on the 35th anniversary gave it a particular resonance.

Mourners were prevented from gathering as usual owing to the coronavirus pandemic but an online service instead provided a chance to remember the 56 victims who died when Valley Parade’s main stand caught fire during a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on May 11, 1985.

As Bishop of Bradford Toby Howarth rightly pointed out, the parallels to the current national situation offer some hope in the darkness through the memory of the countless acts of bravery, care and compassion on that day.

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With debate raging over the potential return of football matches, it is also a reminder of the importance of the beautiful game to communities - but equally that sport must always be secondary to safety.

35th Anniversary of the Bradford City Fire Disaster, Valley Parade, Bradford. Picture by Simon Hulme35th Anniversary of the Bradford City Fire Disaster, Valley Parade, Bradford. Picture by Simon Hulme
35th Anniversary of the Bradford City Fire Disaster, Valley Parade, Bradford. Picture by Simon Hulme

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

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Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

35th Anniversary of the Bradford City Fire Disaster, Valley Parade, Bradford. Members of the fire service lay a wreath at the memorial. Picture by Simon Hulme35th Anniversary of the Bradford City Fire Disaster, Valley Parade, Bradford. Members of the fire service lay a wreath at the memorial. Picture by Simon Hulme
35th Anniversary of the Bradford City Fire Disaster, Valley Parade, Bradford. Members of the fire service lay a wreath at the memorial. Picture by Simon Hulme

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Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

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