Residents, businesses and community leaders speak out in the wake of Friday’s devastating events
Bouquets of flowers mount up at Pier Towers on Withernsea’s bitterly cold seafront. Much of the snow has receded from the landmark spot in recent days but a deep sense of sorrow will linger much longer yet, following the terrible events that unfolded nearby last Friday.
People of the town – and others from further afield – have been coming to the spot to pay their respects to 45 year-old mother Sarah Keeling, her 15 year-old daughter Grace and 67 year-old Mark Ratcliffe who were named as victims of the tragedy. They were taken by huge waves that punished the shoreline that afternoon in freezing conditions.
Despite rescue teams’ best efforts, Grace’s body is yet to be found. And that, according to Withernsea’s Reverend Clive Hall, is preventing a town in shock from taking its next steps.
The Vicar, who leads the congregation at St Matthew’s Church, explained: “Somebody just said to me “you can’t say Happy New Year to anybody at the moment” and that sums it up very well. That is the feeling. By saying that, you’re ignoring the fact of what’s just happened.
Such is the enormity of events, Reverend Hall saw many new faces in his church over the weekend as people sought comfort and meaning. Special services were staged as many from outside the regular congregation called in to light candles, say prayers and “just chat with each other”.
“In the town, I’m delighted at the work of all the residents groups and what they’re doing, pulling together to make things happen – like the churches,” said Reverend Hall. “All of that has been very positive.”
He added: “Of all those flowers that have been laid out – one lady said “I’m not even from Withernsea but I wanted to do something” and had just arrived from somewhere else and put the flowers there. There are so many responses we’re getting in calls – and not just people from Withernsea – everybody saying they can’t believe what they’ve heard and that they’re praying for the town and thinking of us.
“Those positive remarks are very helpful when you’re in the middle of it all.”
Plans for a united service which commemorates Sarah, Grace and Mark as well as giving thanks to emergency responders have been mooted. For now though, Reverend Hall is among those figures in the community to whom people are turning for words of comfort – a tough job that requires a delicate touch.
“It’s a case of listening to what they’ve come with, if that makes sense,” he explained. “I have to hear what they say to me before I give any words of comfort.
“All of this is about going through it together. As a community we go through this together and we strengthen one another from that. There are religious people and there are non-religious people but there are no labels when it comes to this sort of tragedy – we’re all affected by it.”
Less than five minutes walk along the road, preparations are being made at The Spread Eagle pub for a quiz night that will raise funds for the RNLI, who were instrumental in the rescue efforts last Friday. Landlady Chrisse Wilkinson, who lives above the Queen Street watering hole, has promised to match the money raised.
“It’s the least we can do,” said Chrisse. “I’m Withernsea born and bred but I’ve never experienced anything like this. We’ve lost people in the sea before but this seems extreme. Everybody has been talking about it and everybody is absolutely devastated.”
The horror that unfolded on Friday brought streams of emergency service vehicles past the doors of the pub. Talk inside turned to the realisation that something serious had happened.
Chrisse explained: “I live in the pub myself and I could see the ambulances and the police cars going out. Normally you can sort of guess what’s going on but after the first couple, a helicopter arrived and my heart just went to my mouth. It was scary.”
“It was emotional and scary not knowing what had happened, until the news started to filter through. We were worried about the local people involved in the rescue, the lifeboat men, the police etc – it shook the whole community.”
“Withernsea is a remarkable town,” said the Mayor Alexandra Camplin in a statement issued earlier this week. “With many individuals, community organisations and businesses supporting the emergency services personnel in attendance throughout, we cannot thank everyone enough. We are very lucky to have such dedicated and kind people in our town.”
“That’s what Withernsea is about,” added Chrisse at The Spread Eagle. “You see the bad side but there’s also all of us coming together to try and make it good. They all just rally around – it’s a fantastic, friendly community.”
As the search for Grace continues along the shoreline, a continued police presence is a reminder of what Withernsea is experiencing. “It’s still very raw,” said one business owner who told of the “upset and anger” in the wake of Friday’s events. “Evidence of trauma is starting to show. There’s a strong community bond in Withernsea anyway, and that has been particularly galvanised by this.
“The town isn’t unique because such tragedies happen everywhere, but it is special in the way that we pull together for each other, because of our love for the place.”