Hull headscarf parade to raise money for trawler statue

Lillian Bilocca (centre) and other women campaigned for improved safety after the loss of three Hull trawlers in 1968

A parade through Hull will raise funds to build a statue honouring four women who campaigned for trawler safety measures in the 1960s.

The Headscarf Revolutionaries took on the fishing industry and the government after three boats sank in 1968 with the loss of 58 crew.

Now campaigners are aiming to raise £100,000 for a memorial to them.

Project supporter and Liberal Democrat councillor Tracey Henry said the women were an "inspiration".

Ms Henry, whose great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all fishermen, said the campaign was "personal".

"For me it's about passion," she said.

"I still live in Hessle Road and it's about giving the future generations that inspiration from what these ladies have done."

The four women - Lillian Bilocca, Yvonne Blenkinsop, Mary Denness and Christine Jensen - fought for tougher safety laws.

The trawlers - St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland - all sank within two weeks of each other off the Icelandic coast, with only one survivor.

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.

The last of the quartet, Mrs Blenkinsop, died in April last year aged 83.

Radio Humberside's David Burns (centre) pictured with Councillor Tracey Henry (right), launching the fundraising parade

Ms Henry said the four deserved to be honoured, adding there were "very few" statues of women in the UK.

"These women went against everything, they went against their own, they went against the government, they went against the fishing people who ran it all," she said.

"These ladies got up there and they just stood up and fought, they just had enough. That is an inspiration for anybody. They damn well deserve it."

The parade will take place on 8 March on International Women's Day.

It is being promoted by BBC Radio Humberside's David Burns, who launched the initiative on his morning show.

The statue fund was started by Ian Cuthbert, who has organised various fundraising events and an online appeal.