Warrington IRA bombing: Dad vows to keep bringing people together

Colin Parry and his wife Wendy work with local schools to prevent violence

A father whose 12-year-old son was killed by an IRA bomb 31 years ago has vowed to continue his work aimed at reducing violent behaviour in society.

Tim Parry and three-year-old Johnathan Ball died when two bombs hidden inside litter bins exploded in Warrington on 20 March 1993, while 54 were injured.

Colin Parry said Warrington "enjoys a reputation for being a tolerant town".

The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation opened in March 2000, working to bring communities together.

It also works to help young people and victims of terrorism.

Mr Parry said Warrington was a town in which people could "live and work without particular fear of the kind of problems which arose back in 1993".

Johnathan Ball, three, and Tim Parry, 12, died after the IRA bombing

Tim was killed alongside Johnathan when the IRA detonated bombs near a busy shopping centre the day before Mother's Day in 1993.

"That period of time was clearly a nightmare for me, my wife, my other children and the wider family," Mr Parry told BBC News.

"Even all these years on, I can relive those moments very clearly."

More than three decades on, the peace centre is inviting local schools to see photos and other memories of life in Warrington after the bombing.

High-profile visitors came to Warrington in the aftermath of the atrocity, including the then Prince Charles and the prime minister of the time, John Major.

Mr Parry said: "Many people who were not even born at the time will see things and read about things which perhaps they know next to nothing about."

'Creating friendships'

He said he was dedicated to promoting tolerance in the next generation.

"We try to make sure young people don't live out negative thoughts about people of a different skin colour or people of a different religion or people who live in a different part of the community," he said.

Mr Parry remembers his son with huge warmth.

"Tim was the joker and the vocal one - he was the sporty one, he was socially very active and very good at creating friendships quickly because he had a disarming smile and a nice personality.

"He lived life to the full - he only had 12 years but he got a lot out of those 12 years and that's a memory I always treasure."