51st anniversary of the Summerland disaster West Yorkshire survivor calls for fresh inquest
Jackie Hallam who is from Huddersfield survived the blaze but her mum and best friend died - she wants a fresh inquest after their current cause of death is 'death by misadventure'
Today marks the 51st anniversary of the Summerland disaster, the blaze, which broke out on 2 August 1973, on the Isle of Man, killed 50 people.
At the time, it was Europe's largest indoor entertainment complex.
Jackie Hallam survived the fire, but her mum and best friend died. She is now part of the 'Justice for Summerland' group, who are calling for a fresh inquest into the deaths of all 50 people.
On the Justice for Summerland website, it states 'despite serious failings in the design, construction and management of the building, it was ruled as death by misadventure'.
Jackie told us: "We were wronged, we were truly wronged, we lost people, children were orphaned it was absolutely horrendous, the event itself was horrendous."
She also said: "The people that were involved in that are living in fear to this day, of crowds, confined spaces fire alarms, it's impacted all our lives hugely and the only thing that we can do is, is fight for those who we lost and get that verdict over turned."
An Isle of Man Government spokesperson said: "The Summerland fire leaves a lasting legacy on the Isle of Man’s recent history, and at the upcoming memorial event we will remember the people who died, and acknowledge the enduring effects on survivors, the bereaved and those who responded to the tragedy.
"The Isle of Man Government continues to welcome engagement with survivors and victims’ families, some of whom travelled to the Island to be part of previous commemorations. However, an application for a fresh inquest would be a legal matter for the Attorney General to consider, and it would be inappropriate for the Isle of Man Government to comment until this process is complete."