Croydon will mark the fourth anniversary of the Sandilands tram derailment on Monday with a restricted civic ceremony owing to the latest Covid-19 lockdown.
On the morning of 9 November 2016, more than 60 people were injured and seven people – Dane Chinnery, Donald Collett, Robert Huxley, Philip Logan, Dorota Rynkiewicz, Philip Seary and Mark Smith – sadly lost their lives when a tram derailed close to Sandilands tram stop.
Until this year, the anniversary of the tragedy has been marked by a public ceremony attended by members of the public and civic representatives at a memorial installed in the centre of New Addington.
Owing to the national lockdown restrictions, this year there will be a short civic ceremony at 11am on Monday outside the town hall. The Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Maddie Henson, will lead a period of silence and reflection and the borough flag will be flown at half-mast. She will be joined in person by representatives of the council, while council staff and councillors will join remotely to pay their respects. Victims’ families have been invited to attend the event while observing social distancing rules.
Katharine Street will be closed to traffic and diversions will be in place from 10.30am until the commemoration event has concluded.
The Mayor of Croydon will also be visiting the memorials at New Addington and Sandilands on Monday to lay floral tributes.
Councillor Hamida Ali, Leader of the Council, said: “The Sandilands tram derailment devastated many people across our borough and shocked the country, and our thoughts remain with those who lost their lives and everyone still affected by this tragedy.
“As with Remembrance Sunday, the Covid-19 lockdown means we cannot commemorate this anniversary in the way we have done in the past, but it is important that we still remember this terrible incident and pay tribute to its victims.”
