Support offered to locals 35 years after Lockerbie bombing

On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the town in Dumfries and Galloway, 40 minutes into its flight from London to New York.

All 259 passengers and crew were killed, including 35 students from the University of Syracuse, along with 11 Lockerbie residents.

Victims were of 21 different nationalities, and 190 were American.

Throughout our documentary, carrying the weight of Lockerbie examining the events of that night we spoke to several witnesses, who recall discovering bodies, parts of the plane raining down on their homes and even seeing the explosion as it happened.

A common tale they all had though was that none of them ever got any official support. Many felt like they were left to carry with them what they witnessed last night, forcing them to be unable to speak about it for nearly 35 years.

Some continue to be unable to open up about the disaster and what they witnessed.

Now though the Tim Parry and Jonathon Ball Peace Foundation are offering support.

The Foundation was established as a living memorial to two children, Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball, who were killed by an IRA bomb in Warrington in 1993. Tim’s parents Colin, and Wendy created the charity to provide peaceful alternatives to the use of violence in conflict situations.

The charity now works to help others who have been impacted by terrorism, offering peer support and Counselling.

William Roberts is part of the Tim Parry Jonathon Ball foundation, he said: "It doesn't matter how long ago an incident took place. We appreciate, having done this for 20 years now, this is something that can stay with people a long time, maybe their whole lives.

"There's no saying as and when support needs might be more prominent, some people find some times of year more difficult, like anniversary times. This is something that can just come up and people can struggle with when they least expect it, when they experience other trauma in their lives as well.

"It's important to us that people know it does not matter how long ago an incident took place. We are there to support you."

If you need any support on any of the issues we've raised throughout our coverage visit the Tim Parry and Johnathon Ball Foundation who can help provide comprehensive support to victims and survivors of terrorism.

Untold stories

All this week, we're hearing from some people who've not previously shared their Lockerbie experience or story:

Peter Giesecke: He was sat at home in his living room when Pan Am 103 came down over his home.

When he went to investigate what had happened outside his house, he was met with the body of a young American passenger.

Since then that scenes of that night have stayed with Peter, and he continues to struggle to come to terms with what he witnessed.

Read his account of what happened here.