TODAY would have been Tim Parry’s 38th birthday if he hadn’t been tragically killed by the IRA bomb attack on Warrington 25 years ago.
When Tim fought for his life after the IRA bombing in March 1993, he touched the hearts of millions. His parents, Colin and Wendy Parry faced up to this most private grief whilst being in the public gaze, and turned despair into hope as they began their work #ForPeace
Their extraordinary determination, the actions they and others took in 1993, and the story of the 25-year legacy that they have created in Tim’s name and that of three-year-old Johnathan Ball is about to touch the hearts of millions again, as the BBC and RTE in Ireland screen Mother’s Day – the story of the Warrington bombing.
On September 1, 1994, what would have been Tim’s 14th birthday, the IRA declared a ceasefire and within weeks many other organisations started to withdraw from violent conflict on our islands. In 1998, the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was signed that has brought about peace – a peace that remains challenged – but sees the majority of people working to deal with the legacy of the past and shape a future without violence.
Tim and Johnathan were not the only children killed as a result of ‘the Troubles’ and, as is explored in the BBC drama, every victim was the child of someone. The work #ForPeace continues and on Tim’s birthday the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation is asking peole to get involved.
Nick Taylor, chief executive officer of foundation, said : “Our founders, Colin and Wendy, the Parry family alongside the McHugh family in Ireland, have worked with BBC Drama to create a remarkable film that will be screened across the United Kingdom and Ireland to coincide with Tim’s birthday.
Mother’s Day will broadcast on Monday September 3 at 9pm on BBC2. It will be available on BBC iPlayer. Click here to visit the BBC Mother’s Day webpage: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bj7ldv
Mother’s Day – a must watch factual drama about the Warrington bombing
