Hull's Lost Trawlermen's Day service held online

The event is usually held close to the banks of the Humber estuary near the former fish dock

A memorial event for the estimated 6,000 Hull trawlermen lost at sea has been held online due to the pandemic.

The city's 32nd Lost Trawlermen's Day service went live online earlier.

The event was organised by the STAND fishing heritage charity and aims to maintain and remember Hull's fishing port heritage.

The Right Reverend Alison White, the Bishop Of Hull, told the BBC: "It is one of the key days for us of the year because remembering is so important."

Ron Wilkinson, who is STAND chairman and spoke at the online event, said: "It is a shame we can't meet up, usually the people that have all suffered the same loss meet up and pay respects and have a little chat."

Fishing was an extraordinarily tough industry: it is estimated that more than 6,000 trawlermen from Hull alone perished between 1835 and 1980.

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Bishop White said "The whole of the fishing industry has really stamped its character on us as communities.

"I think one of the things I've found moving at the [earlier services] is to see the young people because they are part of the story.

"I don't think this is just about something in the past, it's about our identity."

The event is usually held close to the banks of the Humber estuary near the former fish dock but was moved online due to Covid restrictions.

The 17-minute service included hymns, prayers, readings and photographs of trawlers and of the harsh life aboard long-range fishing vessels.

The event is held on the last Sunday in January each year, a time of year when many trawlers were lost.

A- floral tribute was left outside the city's Maritime Museum earlier