Friday Focus - Timothy Trow Day 125th Anniversary

On April 12th 1894 a tram conductor who was working on the tram that ran along the canal on London Road (neither tram line nor canal remain today), saw that a young girl, Jane Ridgeway, had fallen into the canal. He immediately jumped from the tram, into the canal, and saved Jane’s life. Sadly, he lost his own. He was only 21.

Boothen and Oakhill Councillor, Andy Platt, was amongst those who organised a ceremony five years ago to mark the opening of Trow Close, which is in the housing estate near to where a monument to Timothy was erected in October 1894.

That memorial, an obelisk inscribed with details of the tragic day and the sacrifice Trow made, has this year been cleaned, thanks to Andy Platt, in time for the annual celebration of the young local hero.

Timothy Trow Day happens every year on the nearest Saturday to the day he died, and this year it is tomorrow (Saturday April 13th). I will be attending and reading a short story I wrote in a City Voices Group meeting a year ago. It is a fictional story based on the dramatic real life event. Last year, Councillor Platt read it on my behalf as I could not attend, but I am honoured to be able to read it myself this year.

Descendants of Jane Ridgeway attend this event too. It’s amazing and humbling to think that they would not be here if it were not for the bravery shown by Timothy Trow on that day.

If you are in the Stoke area on Saturday and are free around 11am, please do come to the monument, which is near and opposite the West End Methodist Centre, and join us as we remember the sacrifice Timothy made, and celebrate his life with words, maybe music, a silence to pay tribute to him – and then chat and refreshments at the West End Methodist Centre and Café afterwards.

Above is a picture from 2017.