Creative minds needed to find fitting memorial for Fishing Disaster
Thursday, September 14 2006
Organisers of events to mark the 125th anniversary of the East Coast Fishing Disaster are calling on community groups to help them find a lasting memorial of the tragedy.
The 125 Memorial Association, which was formed in May to commemorate the 1881 disaster, has appointed Project Managers Dunira to help develop ideas for works of art that residents and visitors to Eyemouth and the Berwickshire coastline villages will be able to enjoy for years to come.
Dunira is keen that everyone living in the communities along the Berwickshire coast should have a say in how they would like the disaster remembered.
“The East Coast Fishing Disaster was a national disaster, and it is incredible that the story is so little known beyond the fishing villages of East Berwickshire, which between them lost 189 men, of which 129 came from Eyemouth alone,” explained Benjamin Carey of Dunira. “We are delighted to have been asked to contribute to this extraordinary story and we are all looking forward to working with the whole community to devise a memorial that truly reflects the area’s dramatic past.”
James Evans, Chairman of the 125 Memorial Association, added, “It is important that the disaster is remembered because it had such a huge impact upon the lives of people living along the Berwickshire coast in 1881. It is equally important that the young people are able to pass on the stories of that dreadful day to their children and to future generations.”
The project team will be holding workshops to develop themes and ideas with local people, leading to a public competition to decide on what the works of art will eventually be like.
Among the events which are being planned is a special service on the Anniversary Day, Saturday 14 October, which will include a wreath-laying ceremony, poetry recitals and a special exhibition at Eyemouth Museum.
The commemorations will involve young people, particularly through the local schools. Eyemouth Youth and Community Drama Group will be staging a special theatrical work called ‘The Ties that Bind’ on the weekend of the Anniversary.
For further information, please contact Lisa Hodge at the Eyemouth East Berwickshire Partnership on 018907 51515; Captain Jim Evans, Chairman of the 125 Memorial Association, on 018907 50231; or Benjamin Carey, Managing Director of Dunira Strategy, on 0845 370 8076.
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