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Candour and Communities tells a shocking story about lies to the public and institutional cover-ups. Across a 100-year timeline it connects just some of the many disasters and scandals that have had devastating impacts. It is a story of how hard it is for ordinary people to get to the truth.

But Candour and Communities also shines a light of hope. A new law could end the culture of lies and cover-ups. Campaigners call the new law ‘Hillsborough Law’, and it is making its way through Parliament under the name of the ‘Public Office (Accountability) Bill’. Hillsborough Law imposes duties on everyone who works for public services, institutions and public authorities to act with candour, transparency and frankness. ‘Candour’ means being open and honest in communication with the public.

This exhibition is on tour around the UK. It encourages you, the public, to contribute to research that is exploring what the public think about Hillsborough Law. The exhibition has been co-developed with representatives from the communities affected by the events it features. The summaries are based on independently verified facts and evidence available in the public domain. Each of the events and their impacts are described in the words of the individuals, communities and organisations who resolutely campaign for truth and justice.

During the early hours of September 22nd 1934, an explosion in Gresford Colliery, near Wrexham, North Wales, killed 266 men and boys. Only 6 men made it out alive. It is one of Britain’s worst ever mining disasters.
Between 1948 and 1988, thousands of people from Commonwealth nations, former British colonies and the rest of the world came to the UK to rebuild the economy after World War Two. They became known as the “Windrush Generation”.
After the 1945 bombing of Japan, Britain joined the Cold War arms race, detonating its own atomic bombs in tests on Pacific atolls and in the Australian outback.
In 1966, 116 children and 28 adults were killed when a mountain of spoil tip waste collapsed on the village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.
During the 1960s and 1970s, over a million women were prescribed Primodos, a hormone pregnancy test (HPT) consisting of two pills: one with progesterone and the other oestrogen. Primodos contained hormone levels 40 times higher than modern contraceptive pills.
On 30th January 1972, around 15,000 people joined a peaceful march in Derry to protest against the British policy of imprisoning civilians without charge or trial.
During the 1970s, the British government failed to secure the national blood supply needed to research and treat haemophilia.
On 18th June 1984, during the Miners’ strike, thousands of miners travelled to the coking plant at Orgreave, South Yorkshire, to take part in a mass picket.
On 15 April 1989, a fatal crowd crush occurred during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield.
On 2nd June 1994, an RAF Chinook helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, killing all 29 passengers and crew. Among them were 25 British intelligence experts from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the British Army and four Special Forces crew.
From the 1990s until 2013, at least 1,400 children were sexually exploited by gangs of men in Rotherham. Victims as young as eleven years old were intimidated, supplied with drugs and alcohol, beaten, raped, sexually abused, trafficked and intimidated by men primarily of South Asian heritage.
In 2000, the Post Office introduced Horizon accounting software to all its branches, which are run by sub-postmasters. The software, developed by Fujitsu, was faulty and incorrectly recorded that money was missing from the branch accounts.
On 8th February 2014, seven-year-old Zane Gbangbola tragically died after floodwater from a contaminated landfill site entered the basement of his home in Chertsey, Surrey.
On 14th June 2017, a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, London, killing at least 72 people. It was the worst residential fire since World War Two.
From 2019 until June 2023, the Covid-19 pandemic killed over 225,000 people in the UK. The UK government’s handling of the pandemic has been widely criticised.
The Hillsborough Law will right wrongs of the past, changing the balance of power to ensure the state can never hide from the people it should serve.
Sir Keir Starmer
Prime Minister
Hillsborough Law is not just a symbolic fix. It’s a practical one which will ensure a duty of candour and equal access to legal representation. The people who make up these campaigns have dedicated years of our lives to honour our loved ones and ensure, by achieving Hillsborough Law, no one who comes after us has to. Justice should be the default and this is a huge step towards that.
Lobby Akinnola
Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice

Acknowledgements

This exhibition would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of individuals, communities and activists affected by the events featured. We are grateful also to the Marx Memorial Library for their production assistance and to A Studio Called Jane for the creative design. Kate Dewsnip, Emily Kearon-Warrilow and Megan Thomas provided invaluable research assistance and Eve Hayes de Kalaf produced the digital version of the exhibition.