When it opened in 1971, the acrylic-clad complex promised balmy conditions year round. But then a blaze ripped through the building in minutes, killing 50. What happened – and why has the disaster been forgotten?
Heather Lea wasn’t there when it happened; she was 19 and newly married. But her sister June was only 13 and had been looking forward to the family’s annual fortnight on the Isle of Man. Reg, Heather’s husband, drove June and her parents to the ferry terminal in his car. Heather remembers her mother turning to wave goodbye.
The Cheetham family lived in a council house on the edge of Kirkby, Liverpool. Heather shared a bedroom with June and her older sister, Mavis. Their father, Richard, a typesetter in the printing business, was an ex-sergeant in the RAF who insisted shoes were polished on a Sunday night. Her mother, Elizabeth, was timid, with a mischievous side.
