Titanic Event Anything But A Disaster!

Friends of Cleethorpes Heritage welcomed back Dr Nick Barratt to Cleethorpes on 7th June 2014, for what was surely one of our most successful events yet. As Nick commented at the end of his talk,

"I think this group is remarkable in what it does to protect and preserve heritage; there's a real community spirit and it's that sort of approach to history that I'm trying to promote."

Courtesy of our friends at the Class Act Theatre Company, the stage was set quite beautifully, allowing Nick to give his talk to a packed Memorial Hall from the deck of the Titanic. The words of the people who sailed on the ill-fated ship, some of whom survived whilst others perished, brought events before, during and after the night of 15th April 1912 vividly back to life, telling a tale of chaos and panic, salvation and loss, bravery and cowardice and safety sacrificed on the altar of luxury. Myths were dispelled, pre-conceived ideas challenged and we were reminded that this is a story not of the ship that sank, but of the people who perished and especially of those who survived and had to live with the consequences of what happened that April night for the rest of their lives.

We would like to thank the Annikyra String Quartet, whose delightful performance really set the mood as the audience enjoyed their tea and cake prior to Nick taking the stage. Our gratitude as always goes to our fantastic volunteers, without whom the event would not have been possible, and also to the Sea Cadets of Grimsby and Cleethorpes for watching over the Titanic memorabilia kindly loaned to us by Steve Hilldreth. Thanks also to the Caxton Theatre for the loan of costumes.

Finally, thank you to Nick for a wonderful talk and for taking the time to talk to the many people who wanted to question him about a wide array of subjects. We are delighted to say that we have already booked Nick for another talk next year and we will have his favourite carrot cake waiting for him!