On December 21 it will be three decades since Pan Am 103 fell from the sky over Lockerbie.
Last year’s 29th anniversary went largely unmarked and Dumfries and Galloway Council revealed they would only honour anniversaries if the commun- ity indicated desire for such an event to take place.
Following that, Lockerbie Com- munity Council asked townsfolk to share their views on how and even if the 30th anniversary should be marked.
Chairwoman Jan Andrews last week said: “We asked for feedback but very little came our way. I understand some people have said that they think it’s time to move on, they believed that the last big show of respect was the 25th anniversary and after that the disaster, though always re- membered, should be marked in more personal or subtle ways.
“However, other people in the town feel exactly the opposite and think it’s ridiculous that the 30th anniversary could pass by without a proper event to mark it – but how do people want to mark the anniversary?”
She added: “As a local body it’s up to the community council to nd out how townsfolk want to mark the event so we are appeal- ing for people to be vocal and let us know. We need to work together.”
And an online survey, which asked the question ‘Do you want the anniversary to be marked?’, has so far seen 87 per cent of voters say yes.
And when asked how to mark the event, 47.92 per cent preferred the idea of holding a ceremony at the cemetery; while 25 per cent favoured ‘something subtle – like a minute’s silence’; just ten per cent supported a civic reception; while the remaining share of the votes were spread between something different, no event at all and other – which gives people the chance to write in with their ideas.
The survey is still ongoing and people can also email their ideas to Jan at the community council.
Jan said: “We understand a lot of people do not have access to the internet or use computers. Their views still matter and they can pass them on to any member of the Lockerbie Community Council or even better, they can come to our monthly meet- ing. We meet the third Tuesday of every month.”
And encouraging people to get in touch, she said: “It might sound early to be asking people in January what they want to happen in December, but if the general consensus is that townsfolk want to see the dis- aster marked in a big way, then that takes months of time and planning. The air disaster is a big part of our town’s history and it’s very important that it is marked respectfully in a way that honours those who died and our town.”
To take the survey visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VKCVNTV and to email Jan contact: jan696@btinternet. com
