Summerland survivors say apology from Isle of Man's Chief Minister 'falls short'

A survivor of the Summerland Fire says an apology 50 years on from the disaster still "falls short" of what is needed.

Jackie Hallam was 13 when she lost her Mum and friend Jane in the blaze, which also claimed the lives of 48 others.

But, although she has now received the apology she had asked for during a meeting with Isle of Man's Chief Minister, she says is it not enough.

Jackie said: "I'd like to thank Mr Cannon for his time, he had a meeting with me and listened intently to everything I had to say and today his statement is welcome."

But Jackie goes onto say that more needs to be done.

"I thank him for his apology for the pain and suffering and also for his admission that there were failings that led to this tragedy," she said.

"But it does fall short of the request in the apologise for Summerland campaign [a campaign group] and it does not address the verdict of death by misadventure which is disappointing."

"The 50th anniversary of the Summerland fire is the right moment for the government to offer an apology for the suffering caused by the wrongs of the past," said Chief Minister Alfred Cannan.

In a statement to the House of Keys, he said: "I am sorry. Sorry for the pain and suffering felt by everyone affected by the fire and sorry for the failings that could have prevented such a tragedy."

A total of 50 people died, and 80 more were seriously injured, after a fire spread through the island's leisure centre on 2 August 1973.

A year after the fire, a public inquiry into the disaster was published covering factors that may have led to the fire, and why it spread so quickly.

'The Summerland Fire Commission' contained various examples showing how little consideration was given to fire safety in the early design stages, through to the management of the building.

These included a lack of fire escapes, the decision to cover the building in a highly flammable material called Oroglas, and the use of softwood instead of concrete.

Jackie, along with the 'Apologise for Summerland' campaign group, wants a public admission that the death by misadventure verdict given to those who died was 'inappropriate'.

Jackie said: "It suggests there was a known voluntary risk taken for us entering that building, but we had a right to expect that building to be safe, there was no risk taken at all.

"The verdict meant that the deaths of our loved ones really were written off as though they were in someway to blame themselves and the evidence shows that the verdict was inadequate, and for us it is unacceptable for it to remain in the records."

On the 50th anniversary on 2 August 2023, there will be several events marking what happened and commemorating those who died.