Today marks 110 years since the sinking of the Titanic where over 1,500 people lost their lives. One of those was Colne’s Wallace Hartley, the leader of the band that famously carried on playing as the ship sank.
Tomorrow at noon, there will be a gathering at Colne’s Wallace Hartley Memorial Statue to remember him and all those who lost their lives in the tragedy. Refreshments will be available and local storyteller Simon Entwistle will be speaking, followed by a performance by the Trawden String Quartet. Those attending are being encouraged to bring white flowers to lay at the foot of Wallace Hartley’s memorial statute.
From Wallace to Morris and from over a century ago to the more recent past, last week I was also able to remember long-serving Pendle Councillor, Morris Horsfield who passed away last year. This was at the official renaming of the Morris’s Café in Earby’s Old Grammar School, attended by many who knew Morris including lots of members of his family.
Naming the café after Morris is a wonderful tribute to someone who worked so hard for their local area. As well as representing Earby on Pendle Council, Morris served as a trustee for the Robert Windle’s Foundation, the excellent charity that manages the historic grade 2* listed building. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t visited it to do so.
This week saw confirmation that inflation remains high and that it is causing a squeeze on the cost of living, though there were encouraging signs that wage growth is strong and importantly, more and more people are finding work. Nationally, the employment rate is going up and a record number of people are on the payroll. With over 1.3 million vacancies across the UK, this should be encouraging for anyone looking to move jobs or get back into employment and shows the government’s Plan for Jobs is working.
There’s no getting away from the reality that this year is going to be hard with inflation putting real pressure on household budgets. However, we are past the worst of the pandemic and the foundations of our economy are proving to be strong. As a country we can and will come through this difficult period.
