A bed of roses

Last Monday was the 30 Anniversary of the Hillsborough Tragedy.  We had planned something quite elaborate - at least two guest speakers talking about being part of a community living with tragedy and a bit of Q&A.  However, with the on-going court cases (and especially with the Dukenfield trial ending in a hung jury - HOW?!?!?!), the speakers were, understandably, unable to speak in public.

I have always felt that, at church at least, Hillsborough was 'my thing'.  There aren't many football fans and it's just something that only I seemed to give a shit about.  But this year, I've been privileged to hear so many stories - 'my brother was there', 'my dad (vicar) and mum (counsellor) were asked to go to the ground', 'my mum was working in the hospital' - that I've realised my own story (we support Liverpool FC and we're angry on behalf of the families) is actually pretty insignificant.  It's been a powerful experience in humility.

So, we pared it right down to being a simple prayer vigil for an hour in church.  We did a press release which made it to the Echo and - somehow - to Premier Christian Radio!  And they interviewed me!!!  My recorded voice is so Scouse...  I was a bit nervous about them, because 'Christian radio' actually triggers all kinds of alarm bells, but I looked them up and they seemed pretty balanced and sane.  They don't hold views on any particular issues but they offer a platform for people who do.  When I spoke to one of my colleagues, he said they tend to be on the conservative evangelical side but I suspect they are the people who make use of platforms!  I'm wondering if we could get on there and present the liberal/progressive side...?

Anyway, the interview was fine.  I printed out a large copy of the image of the 96 faces - I find it even more moving than the names because you can see that some of them are just children.  Then I headed to church and we set up.  The person opening for me wanted to open the doors at 5.45pm but we were still setting up.  As an organiser and as an attendee, I want all the setting up done before people come in to the space.  I don't want to show people the wires - and I don't want to see them, either.

We got 12 people, four of whom weren't connected to St Bride's at all, so I'm guessing they saw the piece in the Echo.  And we sat in silence and lit candles and... it was a lovely thing.  I didn't get to speak to the new people but the important thing is that they needed that space and we provided it.

And I don't know why we haven't done it before.  And I think we should definitely do it again.

So, after watching Star Trek: Discovery last night, I had a little look around Netflix for inspiration and came across The Defenders.  Now, I loved Jessica Jones and loved Luke Cage in that (although I haven't watched his separate series) and... suddenly I'd watched the first two episodes and had been amused by some of the lines ('My friends call me Foggy' - 'and you let them?') and was frustrated by the ending of said second episode.  But I resisted the urge to watch another episode because it was getting late.

Seems I'm a secret superhero fan - who knew?

There's also a mural of The Umbrella Academy on a wall in town and I am secretly rather pleased with myself for knowing what it is :D

I've added the LOTR films to my list, since I'm currently reading the book, but at 3 hours each they're such a commitment.  I think I'll have to watch them in sections!

In other news, it looks like our Hillsborough vigil is going ahead.  I did get really nervous because I didn't know if there was ANYTHING going on but the Cathedral are doing a service in the afternoon, so I feel better about it.  Theirs is timed to coincide with the timing of the actual event, whereas ours will be in the evening.

Duckenfield is likely to face a retrial after the jury couldn't reach a verdict.  I am confused by this because I believe I 'know all the facts' but I don't know how the evidence has been presented.  And it must have been so hard for the jury to be objective.  They'll have heard and seen all the things I've heard and seen but had to try to put that aside and weigh up just the evidence.  What I think, however, I won't write down.  I am so nervous that I could in some way jeopardise the trial.  It seems incredibly unlikely - and potentially egotistical! - but I don't want to run ANY risk.

The person who was Secretary of Sheffield Wednesday at the time, however, has been found guilty of failing to discharge his duty under the Health and Safety Act.  And the other trials continue.

I have a day out to Lancaster for work on Monday, so there's that to look forward to.

And the weekend holds cooking, cleaning and gaming - not necessarily in that order!