Hull's 'Headscarf Revolutionary' Yvonne Blenkinsop dies

Yvonne Blenkinsop was given the Freedom of the City of Hull in 2018

The last of a group of four women dubbed the Headscarf Revolutionaries, who campaigned for trawler safety measures in the 1960s, has died.

Yvonne Blenkinsop, from Hull, fought with Lillian Bilocca, Christine Jensen and Mary Denness for tougher laws and changed the fishing industry for good.

They took action after a triple trawler tragedy in 1968 which saw the loss of three Hull trawlers and 58 crew.

Ms Blenkinsop died on Sunday aged 83, her family confirmed.

Mrs Bilocca died in 1988, Mrs Jensen MBE in 2001 and Mrs Denness in 2017.

• The 58 fishermen who never came home

Their campaign started when 58 fishermen lost their lives in three separate trawler sinkings in the space of less than a month in 1968.

Fifty-eight men lost their lives in the 1968 trawler tragedies

The trawlers - St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland - all sank in quick succession, and only one man survived.

The four women collected a 10,000-signature petition calling for reform, led protest meetings and lobbied politicians.

Among the measures the campaign won were safety checks before vessels left port, radio operators for all ships, improved safety equipment and a "mother ship" with medical facilities for all fleets.

Ms Blenkinsop became only the third woman in 130 years to be awarded the freedom of the city of Hull in 2018.