Not all those who wander are lost
Date published 25 June, 2019
Morecombe Bay Remembers
A regular place that we visit is Morecombe Bay. Well, more usually, Bolton le Sands, just around the headland.
Let's be clear. It is a beautiful place. The views, the sunsets, the mountains in the distance, the canal - there are a lot of reasons to visit here. We could write about a lot of these things, and probably will. That vast bay with it's fascinating tides.
And that is where we want to pause a little. On the headland, a little out of view of a casual visit to either Morecombe or Bolton le Sands, is the Praying Shell - a memorial to a tragedy on those sands.
On the 5th February 2004, in the evening, a group of people went out onto those sands to gather cockles. Just one of them, Li Hua, survived. There were 23 fatalities. The lifeboat crew spoke of the horror of being confronted with a 'sea of bodies' when they arrived at the scene.
The tide here sweeps in fast across the flat sands. And there are quick sands. And the tide sweeps, and loops, and cuts you off. And in the dark the tragic outcome was entirely predictable. And years later, relatives are still without their loved ones.
The investigation touched on criminal gangs, and human trafficking, and more. Here unfolded the consequences of when people forget to love people. Exploitation may start in small ways - a boss being needlessly harsh, or paying below a reasonable wage, or asking for unreasonable amounts of work. But it ends here. In the dark. With the sweeping bitter cold water rushing across the sands, the equally chilling arms of death matching its pace.
Could this happen again? The answer there lies not simply in the warning signs by the sands, the excellence of the rescue services, the bans on cockle harvesting. It lies in each of our hearts.
We stood a moment by the Praying Shell, the work of artist Anthony Padgett, looking out over the sands looking so innocent in the sunshine at mid-day, and found the place moving. Deeply thought provoking.
Take the time to seek the Praying Shell out. To read the stories. To be freshly shocked by the events back in 2004. Sometimes our wanderings bring us sunsets and laughter. Sometimes they jolt us into deep thought.
We are happy snappers!
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