The 67th anniversary of the Winter Hill air disaster was marked with a special memorial in St John’s on Thursday.

The disaster, which occurred on February 27 1958, saw 35 Manx residents lose their lives on the slopes of Winter Hill near Horwich in Lancashire.

Of the 42 people who took off from Ronaldsway Airport that morning, only seven were to survive the crash less than an hour later.

The service in Cooil y Ree Park was organised by the Rotary Club of Douglas, and was attended by more than 55 people, most of whom lost relatives or friends in the crash.

Rotarian Jane Falconer played bagpipes to get the memorial underway, which was then led by David North while other members of the club read out the names of those who lost their lives and delivered readings.

Finally, Rotarian Reverend Ian Faulds provided prayers and some reflections on the theme of ‘waste’.

A wreath from the Rotary Clubs of Douglas and Horwich (some of whose members helped with rescue attempts in 1958) was laid by Rotarian Howard Callow, while John Brown laid a wreath on behalf of his family.

At the conclusion of the Service, many of those who attended enjoyed tea and scones in St Johns’ Greens Café.

At the same time as the Service was being held in St. John’s, another Service was also taking place at the crash site on Winter Hill, organised by members of the Rotary Club of Horwich.

A spokesperson from the Douglas Rotary Club commented: ‘The friendships formed over the years between Horwich and the Isle of Man remain as strong as ever.’