"I lost the two most important people to me in my life, at that time. For 49 years I didn't speak about the details of what happened - not even to my family. I was recovering from injury, dealing with unspeakable loss and grief and trying to pick up the pieces of my life. Now is the time to speak out and get justice for mum and Jane's sake, and for the sake of all those who died. The verdict of 'death by misadventure' is an absolute travesty. Death by misadventure suggests that the person who died knew they were taking a risk, like bungee jumping. We didn't know we were taking a risk! We were simply using a building for the purpose intended."

"We don’t feel that it’s ever been recognised that 50 people lost their lives. I’ve lost 50 years of having my sister. Would she have had a family? The fire was never mentioned in our house. We had two very good friends who took on the role of surrogate grandparents to our children. My daughters were in their teens, 14 or 15 years old, before they realised that their real grandparents had died in the fire. It was a fire that should never have happened. The death by misadventure verdict implies that the innocent victims were undertaking a risky adventure. My mum, dad and sister were simply hoping to have fun and make happy memories. They were not on a risky adventure. 

If the building had been correctly designed and built, entering Summerland should not have involved any risk. So, how can a verdict of misadventure be right?"

"Although I escaped in the early stages and received fairly minor injuries, the experience left its mark on me. I have always been uneasy in large crowds and am quick to check fire exits / escape routes in places where I work or stay. Thankfully,  I have had only one flashback experience, which I found very unnerving and would not like repeated. 

Had the building been more fireproof and safety measures set in place, the fire would not have enveloped the complex so quickly or caused such injury and loss of life. Had that verdict been different, it could realistically be argued that it would have influenced future planning / building / safety regulations which might have averted further disasters, down to the time of Grenfell."

"Granny had been a widow for nearly 30 years when she decided to go on a coach trip with her best friend Elsie to the Isle of Man. Wallace Arnold coach tours were very popular in West Yorkshire at that time.

They didn't want to go to Summerland that night or any night. But they got friendly with a group of people on the trip who were staying in the same hotel. "Come on they said". So not wanting to appear unfriendly, they went. My parents flew to the Isle of Man the next day. I stopped with a neighbour. I can't recall where my brother and sister went. I also can't remember being told that granny had died, but I knew that something bad had happened. They brought back a Manx doll. I was so happy with it. Granny was very big in our lives. She lived next door for a while and used to pick me and my sister up from school. It was a big loss.

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Losing his mother in the way he did affected my father terribly. He had to identify his mother's body and that of Elsie's. He shut down and was unable to talk about it for decades. The last time he was able to cry was on the Isle of Man. Such was the trauma of losing her. 

He went back for the inquest and was furious at the verdict. "There are villains responsible for this disaster. They are still on the island. They should be brought to court" he told a journalist at the time. 

I want to get justice for Granny, Elsie and the other 48 people who lost their lives that night. Also, I want it for my father and his one remaining sibling, my uncle. They are now 85 and 83, respectively. I want to get the verdict changed for them. It would mean so much."

"I held my baby daughter tight and looked on in horror as the inferno engulfed Summerland. This is the place where 50 men, women and children perished in the most horrific way. People say, 'Let’s move on, draw a line under it all.' But you can’t put a cap on somebody else’s grief. I hate injustice and the death by misadventure verdict was, and is,  a huge injustice."