Why we all need to hear uncomfortable truths about Jay Slater's disappearance
Plus: Tragedy devastates Blackpool and devolution deal defended
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. I’ll start with a welcome to all the new subscribers who’ve recently joined - I’m very grateful for your support and would love to hear your feedback so if you have any thoughts or suggestions, get in touch using the contact form or via jamie@thelead.uk
Today’s edition features some more devolution chat with a renewed defence from those in favour of the existing deal; a look back at Lancashire past; and the regular news digest.
Reflecting on the tragic Jay Slater news, there’s also editorials to share from an expert in missing person searches and from The Lead (North) editor Luke Beardsworth. Both look at the activity surrounding the searches, with Mark Greenhalgh focusing on how the public can both help and hinder and Luke looking at the role played by news organisations.
Before that though, we start with the utter tragedy which hit Blackpool this week as two people died in a house fire which left their children seriously ill. Josh Pearson and Danielle Bamber both died when the fire broke out in their Peter Street house 2.30am on Wednesday, with their children rescued and taken to hospital thanks to the bravery and heroism of fire fighters and neighbour Jake Hartill.
It’s hard not to talk in cliches when the subject is as harrowing as this - perhaps because that makes the thought ever so slightly less difficult to process - but it is true to say what happened has left the community devastated.
Speaking to me for this week’s Blackpool Lead, Cllr Ivan Taylor said:
“It’s an awful tragedy. I think there's a sense of despair and shock and sadness that that can happen to a family. That’s the overwhelming feeling people have about it. It’s absolutely tragic.
“Obviously there’ll be investigations and stuff and until then the fact is that’s an absolutely terrible thing to happen. I just feel so sorry for the relations and people who know them.”
Anyone who saw or captured anything suspicious on their CCTV, doorbell or dashcam in the Peter Street area in the early hours of this morning is asked to call 101 or report it via the Lancashire Constabulary website. Quote log 97 of 17th July 2024.
A fundraising page has been set up to support the family by a close family friend. You can see the page and donate using this link.
This week’s Hyndburn Lead was thankfully able to focus on a more positive story as Antonia Charlesworth Stack took a look at the burgeoning women’s football scene coming through at Accrington Stanley.
The piece is packed with insights from how much the women’s game has grown locally to the reality of everyday life for it’s leading players and the challenges facing the sport even at a time of significant exposure.
You can check it out here and be sure to subscribe to be able to read future editions first. Each issue also includes exclusive content which isn’t published anywhere else.
“There's so much more that we can deliver if we've got people who can help us along the way, because enthusiasm isn't something that we're short of. It's just capacity. We've got the vision and we've got the drive. We just need more boots on the ground to help us.”
Accrington Stanley Women chair Sami Smithson
Subscribe to The Blackpool Lead | Subscribe to The Hyndburn Lead
Never forget the real people at the heart of missing person searches
As mentioned above, I’m grateful to be able to share the insights of two industry leaders in this week’s edition, albeit with the significant caveat that the subject matter is such a tragic one.
Mark Greenhalgh is chief executive at the entirely volunteer-run missing persons charity Locate. A former police officer who racked up 24 years of service to reach positions as senior as Chief Superintendent, he has managed missing-person teams at both tactical and strategic levels and served as Senior Investigating Officer in numerous missing person cases.
He leads a charity which aims “locate the missing and name the unidentified” in a bid to bring closure to these families by ensuring exhaustive efforts in every case. Like others, he followed the coverage of the search for Jay Slater and today shares his thoughts on what impact can be caused by a case being so high profile.
In the age of social media, the rise of "armchair detectives" has significantly impacted high-profile missing persons cases. Nowhere is this more evident than in Lancashire, where the tragic disappearances of Nicola Bulley and Jay Slater have been compounded by the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories, exacerbating the trauma for their families.
Public interest and community insights are undeniably valuable. The engagement of local communities often brings forth crucial pieces of information that can aid in solving cases.
However, the influx of unverified claims and speculative theories can overwhelm official investigations, leading to potential misdirection and delays. It is essential to recognise that while community contributions are significant and can provide the piece of the missing puzzle, they require thorough verification and corroboration.
There is often a public demand for swift resolutions, and while this is understandable, it is imperative to acknowledge the reasons behind the deliberate pace of police investigations.
Sensitive information must be handled with care, ensuring the accuracy of witness statements and protecting the privacy of those involved. Striking a balance between public involvement and investigative discretion is vital to uphold the integrity of the process.
At Locate International, the families of the missing and unidentified are at the heart of our mission. We are dedicated to assisting investigations, improving investigative practices, and ensuring that every family of a long term missing or unidentified person knows that all that could have been done has been done.
Currently, in the UK, 11,600 people have been missing for over a year, and 973 remain unidentified. With increasing demands and budget constraints on police forces, there is a pressing need for innovative approaches.
To address this need, Locate International has developed one of Europe's largest community volunteer training programs. Our volunteers are equipped with both technical knowledge and practical skills specific to cold case investigations. Our volunteers are highly skilled and undergo extensive training, positioning us uniquely to partner with police forces nationwide. Our aim is to help, not hinder, investigations.
Last month we published our General Election Manifesto, setting out four key asks of the new Government that we believe would have a genuine impact in helping to solve these cold cases and we hope to engage with Government about these asks over the coming weeks, months and years.
One of our cases in Lancashire is that of River Lune Man who was found almost a decade ago on the salt marshes on the River Lune estuary near Glasson Dock. Our ambition is to reunite him with his name and we are appealing to anyone with even the smallest piece of information to come forward.
In an era where online speculation can both help and hinder, it is crucial to remember that behind every case is a real person and often a grieving family. At Locate International, we strive to ensure that every effort has been made to help find the answers people deserve, leveraging community involvement while maintaining rigorous investigative standards and the integrity of investigative processes.
An ‘everyone has something to learn but us’ attitude won’t wash
Also contributing to today’s edition is Luke Beardsworth who edits various titles for The Lead and has extensive history covering the county’s news through both his work at Blog Preston and launching LancsLive.
He also assists with support and training for journalism students and universities and, like me, has found some of the news coverage of Mr Slater’s disappearance and to be quite concerning.
Luke led LancsLive through the coverage of the murder of Lindsay Birbeck, which began as a high profile missing person case. His view during the Nicola Bulley disappearance was that journalists were asking various industries to reflect but showing very little inclination to do that themselves. He’s worried that history might repeat itself here.
The death of Jay Slater and the investigation that preceded it has, somehow, ended up eerily reminiscent of the Nicola Bulley case.
Both cases were marked by calls for a change of behaviour on social media - and perhaps more to be done about that behaviour - after floods of conspiracy theories across all platforms, but especially TikTok.
The Nicola Bulley case was remarkable and tragic for many reasons - but police held their hands up and acknowledged their role in allowing that behaviour to fester. This led to a report, published in June, which talked about repairing the relationship between the police and the media. This would, in theory, have allowed some of those conspiracy theories to be debunked.
The Jay Slater case tells us close to nothing about what lessons have been learned by police in the UK after that report and in the time since the Nicola Bulley investigation, given it was Spanish authorities who handled it.
And it would’ve been naive in the extreme to expect anything to have changed on social media. Quite the opposite in fact - once it became clear Jay Slater’s background could be called into question, the conspiracy theories were met with what can only be described as the memefication of what was most likely going to be a dead young man. Footage of him raving before going missing, unfortunately and wrongheadedly, fuelled that further. So calls from the Lancashire Post to silence the trolls are justified and precise.
But in all the conversation that took place in the aftermath of the Nicola Bulley investigation, there were precious few calls from the industry that journalists reflect on their reporting. It appears to be the same with Jay Slater so far.
Video footage of Slater partying before he vanished has been offered up by news publishers as a form of entertainment, unironically alongside calls for the social media trolls to be silenced.
Snapchat has been mined dry. Random residents with little expertise in Tenerife have been headlined and quoted with their speculation about the disappearance. None of which could be argued as especially constructive reporting, but will have been well-read and done little to discourage those conspiracy theories. But all of which would’ve risked adding to the distress of his loved ones and a community in Oswaldtwistle.
Some social media users should really have much to answer for - but if the tone journalists take is “everyone has something to learn but us” - as in the aftermath of the death of Nicola Bulley - then that could be remarkably self-destructive.
🦸 A dare-devil 94-year-old plans to raise money for a Lancaster charity by taking on the world’s fastest zip wire (Lancaster Guardian).
🥔 Thousands of people queued as Preston’s Spud Bros celebrated their 70th anniversary with a party and retro prices (Lancashire Post).
🛣️ South Ribble’s new MP - and departing council leader - vowed to fight for a dual carriageway on a congested road after alternative plans were announced (Lancashire Post).
👨⚖️ A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of neighbour Richard Chamberlain in Colne. A sentencing date is likely to be set next week (Lancashire Telegraph).
📝 A report has assessed Blackpool as the second worst place for young girls to grow up. Barriers identified included poor education opportunities, health inequality and feeling unsafe on the streets (BBC). ↪️ Meanwhile, calls have been made for fluoride to be put in the town's drinking water to help combat tooth decay in children (BBC).
🦒 It was a tall order (sorry) but the ‘M6 giraffe’ has been restored to its former place after suffering storm damage two years ago (Blog Preston).
⛏️ Burnley Council is considering whether it can use its old coal mines to generate geothermal energy (LancsLive). It also plans to name a street after cricket legend James Anderson (Lancashire Telegraph).
🌊 The collapse of an embankment on the Lancaster Canal - potentially linked to ‘silt pollution - has triggered an Environment Agency investigation (Blog Preston).
🚨 An exhibition will go on show at Lancashire Police Museum to mark the 20th anniversary of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster (Beyond Radio).
🗑️ Delegates from the Saudi Arabian government visited Blackburn to learn about waste management (LancsLive).
🎭 A £3m events space to host concerts, markets and other entertainment in a St Annes has been approved (BBC).
🍭 An 86-year-old lollipop man who is retiring after more than two decades says he is planning a "mad week in Benidorm" to celebrate (BBC).
🦔 Firefighters were sent to rescue a hedgehog who became stranded by rising water at Preston docks (Blog Preston).
It may have seemed the tide was turning away from the previously agreed devolution deal as more and more voices came out in favour of revisiting the terms, in particular the lack of an elected mayor.
But that shouldn’t been seen as there being anything near consensus and the latest intervention made the opposite argument, albeit a fairly tame one. Adding to the upper tier leaders who’ve defended their deal, Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stephen Atkinson this week issued a warning against the negative effects of revisiting it.
Speaking to local democracy reporter Paul Faulkner, Cllr Atkinson said: “The current deal took a lot of time and effort to be negotiated - we would lose too much time and have to start again.”
There is already some cross-Lancashire collaboration going on through the creation of the Lancashire Business Board which held its first meeting this week. The board includes bosses from the county’s biggest businesses - including UCLan, BAE Systems and the EG Group - and will work alongside Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council to “deliver long term economic growth in the county by using their expert knowledge of the area.”
In a press release announcing the first meeting, the councils said the board is one of a number being set up in response to Government guidance on the need to include private sector and employer views in local economic strategies. One of its first agreed actions is to write to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in support of the current devolution deal.
“Lancashire has been under achieving from a growth and skills perspective and we want to use the Level 2 Devolution deal to start to make up the ground on our neighbours with their Combined Authorities. The Business Board made up of significant Lancashire-based business leaders will help enormously with that mission.”
Cllr Phil Riley, Blackburn with Darwen Council leader
Yesterday marked 126 years since Morecambe Winter Gardens - then known as Victoria Pavilion Theatre - first opened its doors. In its heydey, the seaside venue hosted stars including the Rolling Stones, Laurel and Hardy, George Formby and The Who.
It originally included a theatre, ballroom, restaurants and gardens, with the theatre being the biggest in the North West. As a result, it became known as Albert Hall of the North and was central to the resort’s popularity.
However, like many other venues of its kind it’s popularity waned and in the 1970s it was closed down. In 1982, the original Winter Gardens were demolished with just the theatre still standing.
The Friends of the Winter Gardens was formed a few years later and managed to see Grade II* status assigned to the building. Ever since then, volunteers have worked to keep the building open while campaigning and fundraising for the theatre’s restoration.
Since 2006, ownership of the building has belonged to a charitable trust and the campaign continues. Three years ago, Heritage England awarded it a grant of more than £200,000 and volunteers were last year given a King's Award for Voluntary Service.
You can support those efforts here.
Once again, we finish on a selection of What’s On stories from the past week. With the summer holidays getting under way, there’ll be plenty of events and activities on offer so if you have something you’d like to see featured here, please get in touch.
Kirkham pun to close for six weeks to undergo £114k transformation into town's best beer garden
New opportunity for teenagers to join free art and design club in Preston
Taco Bell to open first East Lancs restaurant at Burnley’s Pioneer Place
Comedy legend Julian Clary announces extra Blackpool tour date due to demand
Pauline Quirke MBE to open new performing arts academy in Fylde
Thanks for reading today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. If you enjoyed it, please share it so others can find and consider taking out a paid subscription to support the newsletter and gain access to exclusive features and the full archive.
 | A guest post by
|