A COMMEMORATIVE event is already being planned to mark next year’s 20th anniversary of the IRA bombing of Warrington.
The bombing on March 20, 1993 caused the deaths of two young boys, three-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry. 
The people and the town of Warrington were profoundly affected by this shocking event, but received widespread respect for the way the community responded to the event so positively.
The council and the Foundation for Peace, set up by Tim’s parents Colin and Wendy Parry, are working together on the special anniversary event.
It will include a week of various activities starting on Saturday, March 16 with a formal commemorative event to be held in Bridge Street – the site of the bombing. This will be followed by a celebratory event at the Foundation’s Peace Centre at Great Sankey.
The 20th anniversary is a significant milestone for many who were affected at the time of the bombing, and for those who have since contributed to, or benefited from, the work the Foundation has carried out.
Planning for the events is at an early stage and more details will be released later this year, but the council is keen to ensure that the people of Warrington have the opportunity to commemorate the occasion.
Council leader Terry O’Neill said: “We believe it is important to mark this anniversary as what happened is now part of our history. Warrington was united in its grief but also in its determination to move forward and build a positive future.
“It’s also a time to celebrate the many remarkable achievements in the last two decades and to celebrate our community spirit.”
Wendy Parry (pictured) on behalf of the Foundation for Peace said: “The 20th anniversary marks the loss of our 12-year-old son Tim and three-year-old Johnathan Ball. This tragedy might also have killed our family as well as our son, but we resolved to mark both the boys’ deaths by building a unique Peace Centre and creating a Peace Foundation in their names.
“Colin and I still remain as committed today as we were all those years ago, and looking back it’s seems amazing to think that so much good has come out of something so terrible and from such modest beginnings.
“Nothing can ever bring back a much loved child, but the Foundation and the Peace Centre have done so much for so many people who needed our help, that the boys do live on through the legacy we have laid down in memory of the two young and promising lives lost.”
To find our more abut the great work of the Foundation for Peace visit www.foundation4peace.org
Town to remember bombing tragedy
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About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
