George Hinds: Hundreds join convoy tribute to toddler killed in Heysham gas blast
30 May 2021, 22:52
More than 100 vehicles have driven in convoy along Morecambe Promenade in tribute to toddler George Hinds, who died in a gas blast earlier this month.
The two-year-old was killed in an explosion in Heysham, Lancashire, on 16 May.
On Sunday, lorries, vans and cars drove and honked their horns in unison through the coastal town after setting off from Morecambe Football Club's Mazuma Stadium.
Dozens of vehicles were draped with characters from Paw Patrol, one of the boy's favourite cartoons.
"You just cannot put into words what's happened today really," Craig Mottram - one of the event's organisers - said.
"It's been absolutely immense.
"Everyone that's been involved today has done an absolutely fantastic job of remembering George and helping the family remember George."
Read more: 'Beautiful little angel' - family pay tribute to George Hinds
Read more: Blast which killed George caused by cut gas pipe inside house, police say
Posted by Tony Simon on Sunday, May 30, 2021
He added that the toddler's family were in attendance and said they "thoroughly enjoyed" the tribute, which raised £3,000 for a charity, the Tigerlily Trust, which supports bereaved parents, and the creation of a memorial garden.
Onlooker Maemi Sokanon Wyanet-Smith said: "Everyone here has been so heartbroken by what happened to the little man, it was a beautiful gesture they did in his honour."
The explosion also injured George's parents, Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds, but neither suffered serious injuries.
It also saw a 44-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman suffer critical injuries.
Last week, Lancashire Police said the blast was caused by a pipe which had been cut in a neighbouring house.
The inquiry into the incident is now being classed as a criminal investigation and the force is working to establish how and why the pipe came to be cut.
