I first heard about the tragedy at Hillsborough in the car coming home from the Swindon v Watford game. I remember being numb with shock, and hardly saying a word all the way home. I can't remember very much about the weeks that followed - I know the scenes from Anfield were incredibly moving, but I also remember what the media was saying about drunken fans with no tickets being the cause. It seemed such a tragic loss caused by mindless idiots. To be honest, in the years that followed my interest was only that shared by most football fans. I saw the changes which happened in grounds, and I was aware that on Merseyside there was still a deep sadness and a strong sense of injustice. But I had never travelled to Liverpool, and to be honest my life just went on.
The first thing to change this was the Jimmy McGovern's Hillsborough programme on ITV. For the first time, I was aware of the suffering that still existed because of the injustice which followed the tragedy. But I still didn't feel there was anything I could do. Then in 1996 I went to Anfield - I saw the pictures of the Kop covered in scarves and flowers, I stood by the Hillsborough Memorial, and I talked to peopled from around the world who all felt touched by the tragedy. It was a hugely moving experience, and one which fired me to get involved. I found Ed Walker's HFSG website, I read everything I could find about events that day, and I designed the banners for the online campaign. Since that day I have shed tears on many occasions, most recently when Jack Straw announced that there would be no fresh inquiry.
This website is for all those decent people - be they football fans, those from Merseyside, or anyone who was touched in some way by the tragedy to have a voice, to declare as one, that they believe the families of those who died on Leppings Lane deserve justice.
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Last Updated - April 1998
