His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Jonathan Joughin JP, presided over a short ceremony in the Kaye Memorial Garden on Thursday August 2 to mark the 45th anniversary of the Summerland fire disaster in which 50 people died.

After prayers led by the Mayor's chaplain, Monsignor John Devine OBE, His Worship gave a short address in which he said: 'It is right to remember the dead and that is why the Council placed this memorial here to enable everyone to see that those whose lives were tragically cut short that night are remembered.' He also paid tribute to members of the emergency and medical services involved in the disaster before laying a wreath on behalf of the Council. 

Among those attending was Ruth McQuillan-Wilson, from County Down, who returns to the Isle of Man each year on the anniversary of the tragedy. She and her sister Lynda Bergin, were the youngest survivors. She said: 'I am always overwhelmed by the memorial and the garden. It's a very precious place to me and provides as near to closure as I'll ever get. I feel at peace here.'