Remembrance service to honour oil industry deaths
A special service will take place this weekend to commemorate those who have died in the offshore oil and gas industry.
The UK Oil and Gas Remembrance Service will take place in Aberdeen on Saturday, just a day before the 30th anniversary of the worst aviation accident in the industry's history.
45 men died on November 6, 1986 when mechanical failures caused their Chinook helicopter to come down on approach to Sumburgh Airport on the Shetland Islands.
The event at the Kirk of St Nicholas will also remember the four people who lost their lives while working in the industry in 2016, with candles being lit at the service.
The Reverend Gordon Craig, chaplain to the industry, is officiating the service and he said it will be a special time for the families to come together.
He said: ''It is really important for families to realise their loved ones are still being remembered and respected by the industry. The service is an opportunity to commemorate all those no longer with us. Thirty years on from the Chinook crash may seem like a long time, but the memories are still vivid for those who lost their loved ones suddenly and tragically.''
The Rev Pauline Nixon, whose husband was killed in the 1986 crash, will also be delivering a short address at the event.
The annual service, which began more than 50 years ago, will open with a lone piper and close with a minute's silence to commemorate all those who have died.