Irlam spirit shines despite Gas Blast скачать в хорошем качестве

Irlam spirit shines despite Gas Blast

by Tom Rodgers On November 2nd 2010 the small community around Merlin Road, Irlam, was changed forever by a suspected gas blast that ripped through the streets. News reports filtered through of an explosion that could be heard five miles away, four entire homes were destroyed and hundreds more damaged. The shockwaves of the blast are still affecting the community; most will never forget that fateful morning. The Tiger Moth pub became the lynchpin of the community that day, opening its doors just an hour after the explosion so the hundreds of displaced residents had somewhere to go. Seamus and Eileen McCallion have been the landlord and landlady of the pub for the past eight years, but at just 1000 yards from the epicentre of the explosion they had to think quickly. Brewing hundreds upon hundreds of cups of tea, they opened their doors at 8am to allow the community a place to gather, watch rolling news reports and to recover. Now, Seamus and Eileen hold regular coffee mornings for the local residents to offer comfort and support, to help them to fill in claim and application forms, and to just be a hub for the shocked locals to come to. Ex-Irlam Councillor and former Salford Mayor, Roger Lightup, joined Seamus and Eileen to talk about that day and to find out how the community is coping over the festive period. [First published on www.SalfordOnline.com]