UNSUNG HEROES....UNSUNG
BRIXHAM FISHING DISASTER CHARITY SINGLE FROM CORNWALL TAXI DRIVER
A Cornish taxi driver whose video tribute after the Brixham fishing disaster went viral has now joined with a Falmouth singer to record a charity single. The Falmouth Packet reports that Will Keating and Danny Smith are to release a song to raise money for the families of the crew of the stricken Brixham trawler Joanna C BM265, which sank off the Sussex coast on 21 November. One crew member, Adam Harper, is confirmed to have lost his life, with a second, Robert Morley, still missing, while the skipper, Dave Bickerstaff, miraculously survived. Shortly after the tragedy Danny Smith, a taxi driver from Liskeard, posted the video of himself singing the Garth Brooks song “The River” after he heard the terrible news. After seeing this, Stuart Mann, who runs Falmouth-based business Evotek Marine, contacted folk singer Will Keating about the possibility of recording the song and releasing it to raise money for the Fishermen’s Mission in Brixham - something that Will was keen to get onboard with. Within a week more businesses from the marine sector across Britain signed up to the project. Will then commis- sioned Cube Recording Studios in Cornwall, who produced the backing track a couple of days later.
Danny and Will met for the first time in the studio and recorded Danny’s vocal and some backing vocals. Will said: “We have all been touched by the loss of life and the bravery shown by Dave the skipper who man- aged to survive. Danny’s voice perfectly embodies those feelings, and this track will be a symbol of our continued support to the families that are going through hell at the moment.” The single, called “The River,” was released on Saturday 5 December at 6.14pm, to coincide with a two-minute candle lighting vigil exactly two weeks after the tragedy. The timing is relevant as this was the time that the Joanna C went down. All proceeds from the single will go to the Fishermen’s Mis- sion, which provides welfare and support to fishermen and their families. To download a copy visit:
www.fishmishmarket.org.uk/shop
SHEFFIELD TAXI DRIVER RESCUES POLICE OFFICER TRAPPED INSIDE HER CAR AFTER CRASH ON BUSY ROAD
A selfess taxi driver from Sheffield stopped on a busy road to rescue a police officer trapped inside her car fol- lowing a crash. The Sheffield Star reports that Kev Sheeds, 57, from Woodhouse, was trav- elling to Handsworth on Sunday, 6 December for a grassroots football match when he noticed a police vehicle had been involved in a collision with a blue Ford Fiesta on Coisley Hill round- about. Kev, who manages Sunday league team Intake Old Boys, said: “I was coming down Coisley Hill and I could see there was a police car that had been smashed into and a blue car in the roundabout – it must have hit her and spun round. “Her door was jammed and she was panicking.”
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He added: “I could see her trying to get the door. She said to me: ‘Make sure no one smashes into me. I could see him coming towards me so I braced myself.’” After being trapped for about three minutes, the officer managed to get out of her car when Kev forced the door open.
Kev, who has been a taxi driver for 21 years, added: “She got hold of me and I walked her to the side of the road. “She was panicking, she was in shock. Some of the door hit her arm and there was a bit of blood.” Despite his public-spiritedness, father- of-one Kev received no thanks at the
scene and his contribution was left out of a police report of the incident. He said: “I was trying to ring the police the next day to see how she was but it got cut off. “I would do it again. It’s a human thing to do. I just think that’s someone’s daughter, that could be someone’s mum.” After Kev’s unsung heroics were brought to the attention of South York- shire Police on their Facebook post about the crash, a spokesperson said: “If you have helped our colleague like you say, then all at South Yorkshire Police extend our thanks to you for stepping forward.” The Ford Fiesta driver was found to be in possession of drugs, over the limit through drink and tested positive at the roadside for drugs in his saliva.
JANUARY 2021
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