Latest news with #WellandParkAcademy
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bikers' tributes to couple killed in cable car crash
Friends of a couple who were among four people killed in a cable car crash near Naples say they are "devastated" at their deaths. Elaine and Graeme Winn, who lived in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, died alongside two others in Thursday's crash at Monte Faito, near Naples. Local officials have said they believe the mountain cable car cabin plunged to the ground after one of the cables supporting it snapped. Friends say the pair were keen motorcyclists, and on Sunday at a meeting outside the Black Horse in Foxton, fellow bikers and members of a club paid tribute. Karina Mottley was one of many bikers who turned out to pay their respects to the Winns. "They were the founders of the club, so we spent most weeks and weekends together, riding bikes and doing social things," she said. "They were literally the best people I think we've ever met really. "The biking community is such a close community - not just our club, other clubs across the East Midlands have been in contact, so it's just [had] a massive impact on all the clubs. "Everybody knew of them, and everybody loved them." Don Moore said the Winns were deeply involved in the local biking community. "They were a fantastic couple," he said. "They lived [for biking] - Graeme had recently retired, Elaine was cutting down her working days so she could do more biking and holidays, and they enjoyed all of that tremendously. "Everybody's been absolutely devastated, there's been lots and lots of lots of tears, and everybody's been down, hence us having a little meeting today. "It's such a tragedy to go in the way they have, on a holiday that they were dreaming of as well... you don't expect to have a dream holiday and not come back." Sarah Hix said she worked with Elaine, who was a school business manager at Welland Park Academy in Market Harborough, for about 10 years. "She threw herself into school life," she said. "You never think it's going to be someone that you know. "I only got back last night, so I've not really spoken to anybody, but two or three of my colleagues have spoken to me, and we're absolutely devastated." Andrew Shrive said he met the Winns through their shared passion for biking, and had previously been on holiday with them. He said Elaine had been a major influence on bringing more women into biking, and said Graeme's lifelong love had seen him buy "about 45-50 different bikes". "They're the nicest couple that I've ever known," he said. "I'd just come back from France touring on a bike, and I'd seen there had been an incident in Italy, and I heard that two Brits were killed, [and] I knew that Graeme and Elaine go over there, but you don't think that two people you know would be the two people involved in that serious accident. "I just couldn't believe it." Estelle Ambler said it will take time to come to terms with their loss. "I couldn't believe it when I heard the news, it's very shocking," she said. "We'd only seen them last week, and they were all excited for going away on their holiday. "I've been following them on their travels on their social media - they'd only been in Italy a couple of days, and looked like they were having the most amazing time. "To hear what has happened to them is shocking and extremely sad." Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Tributes to British couple killed in Naples cable car crash Four dead in cable car crash south of Naples
BBC News
20-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bikers' tributes to Market Harborough couple killed in cable car crash
Friends of a couple who were among four people killed in a cable car crash near Naples say they are "devastated" at their and Graeme Winn, who lived in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, died alongside two others in Thursday's crash at Monte Faito, near officials have said they believe the mountain cable car cabin plunged to the ground after one of the cables supporting it say the pair were keen motorcyclists, and on Sunday at a meeting outside the Black Horse in Foxton, fellow bikers and members of a club paid tribute. Karina Mottley was one of many bikers who turned out to pay their respects to the Winns."They were the founders of the club, so we spent most weeks and weekends together, riding bikes and doing social things," she said."They were literally the best people I think we've ever met really."The biking community is such a close community - not just our club, other clubs across the East Midlands have been in contact, so it's just [had] a massive impact on all the clubs."Everybody knew of them, and everybody loved them." Don Moore said the Winns were deeply involved in the local biking community."They were a fantastic couple," he said."They lived [for biking] - Graeme had recently retired, Elaine was cutting down her working days so she could do more biking and holidays, and they enjoyed all of that tremendously."Everybody's been absolutely devastated, there's been lots and lots of lots of tears, and everybody's been down, hence us having a little meeting today."It's such a tragedy to go in the way they have, on a holiday that they were dreaming of as well... you don't expect to have a dream holiday and not come back." Sarah Hix said she worked with Elaine, who was a school business manager at Welland Park Academy in Market Harborough, for about 10 years."She threw herself into school life," she said."You never think it's going to be someone that you know."I only got back last night, so I've not really spoken to anybody, but two or three of my colleagues have spoken to me, and we're absolutely devastated." Andrew Shrive said he met the Winns through their shared passion for biking, and had previously been on holiday with said Elaine had been a major influence on bringing more women into biking, and said Graeme's lifelong love had seen him buy "about 45-50 different bikes"."They're the nicest couple that I've ever known," he said."I'd just come back from France touring on a bike, and I'd seen there had been an incident in Italy, and I heard that two Brits were killed, [and] I knew that Graeme and Elaine go over there, but you don't think that two people you know would be the two people involved in that serious accident."I just couldn't believe it." Estelle Ambler said it will take time to come to terms with their loss."I couldn't believe it when I heard the news, it's very shocking," she said."We'd only seen them last week, and they were all excited for going away on their holiday."I've been following them on their travels on their social media - they'd only been in Italy a couple of days, and looked like they were having the most amazing time."To hear what has happened to them is shocking and extremely sad."
The Independent
19-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
‘Highly respected' school business manager died with husband in cable car crash
A school business manager who died alongside her husband in a cable car crash in southern Italy was 'much loved and highly respected', the school said. Graeme Winn, 65, and Elaine Winn, 58, were among the four people who died in the crash on Thursday at Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, according to a spokesman for the local mayor's office. It is believed that the wire snapped and the brakes failed when they were 20 seconds away from arriving at the top, causing the cable car containing the couple, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, to fall to the ground. An Israeli national and the Italian driver of the cable car also died, while a fifth person was seriously injured in the incident, it was reported. Mrs Winn, who was part of a local bikers' group along with her husband, was a school business manager at Welland Park Academy, which said it was 'deeply saddened' after the crash. A Welland Park Academy spokesperson said: 'Elaine was a much loved and highly respected member of our school community. Her professionalism, warmth, and unwavering dedication to school life touched the lives of students, staff, and families alike. 'She gave so much to the school beyond her role, and many students will have fond memories of her from the school trips she supported over the years. The care and kindness she showed to everyone in our community means her loss will be felt deeply by us all. 'We are currently supporting our staff and preparing to support our students as they return from the Easter break. Plans are also being made to commemorate Elaine's life in a meaningful way within the school. 'We kindly ask that the privacy of Elaine's family, and that of our school community, be respected as we come to terms with this loss.' A spokesman for Luigi Vicinanza Sindaco, the mayor of Castellammare, said another cable car was descending when its brakes switched on as 'there was something that wasn't working' and safety systems were triggered. He went on: 'We are hypothesising that as the cable cars were moving at the same time. The one at the top was meant to arrive, (it) was around 20 to 25 seconds from the entrance of the station at the top, except the wire broke and the brake did not work because the cabin started to move backwards as it was on a slope. 'It went backwards and ended up on a pylon and it fell. 'It didn't fall perpendicular at 25 metres, it went a lot further back. 'The first thing that would've happened is that the wire snapped and then the brakes didn't work. 'At the moment it's all a hypothesis that the wire snapped and the brakes system did not start.' Ten people had to be taken down from the other cable car, the spokesman said. An investigation over multiple manslaughter and culpable disaster charges has been opened by Italian prosecutors, according to reports The mayor said on Facebook there will be a day of mourning and all events for the Easter holiday cancelled. Firefighters, police and Italy's alpine rescue were sent to the scene, which is between the popular tourist areas of Pompeii and Sorrento. The EAV public transport firm, which runs the cable car, said the service had reopened a week ago with all required safety conditions. Checks were being carried out by investigators on the cable car and the possibility that strong wind was among the causes of the incident. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences from Washington DC, where she was meeting US President Donald Trump. A British tourist said she saw people being taken down from one cable car in a harness after the incident. Megan Pacey, 50, from London, was with her husband, James Ross, and their children Hannah, 10, and Luke, eight, when they saw a suspended cable car. She said: 'We were within a minute or two of (the incident) happening. 'They started winching people down from the cable car. We watched the first couple of people come down in a harness and as we left, there was a sense of urgency that had kicked in.' She said she saw flowers and candles on the steps outside the railway station on Friday and emergency services remained at the scene. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the families of a British couple who have died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Highly respected' school business manager died with husband in cable car crash
A school business manager who died alongside her husband in a cable car crash in southern Italy was 'much loved and highly respected', the school said. Graeme Winn, 65, and Elaine Winn, 58, were among the four people who died in the crash on Thursday at Monte Faito in the town of Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, according to a spokesman for the local mayor's office. It is believed that the wire snapped and the brakes failed when they were 20 seconds away from arriving at the top, causing the cable car containing the couple, from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, to fall to the ground. An Israeli national and the Italian driver of the cable car also died, while a fifth person was seriously injured in the incident, it was reported. Mrs Winn, who was part of a local bikers' group along with her husband, was a school business manager at Welland Park Academy, which said it was 'deeply saddened' after the crash. A Welland Park Academy spokesperson said: 'Elaine was a much loved and highly respected member of our school community. Her professionalism, warmth, and unwavering dedication to school life touched the lives of students, staff, and families alike. 'She gave so much to the school beyond her role, and many students will have fond memories of her from the school trips she supported over the years. The care and kindness she showed to everyone in our community means her loss will be felt deeply by us all. 'We are currently supporting our staff and preparing to support our students as they return from the Easter break. Plans are also being made to commemorate Elaine's life in a meaningful way within the school. 'We kindly ask that the privacy of Elaine's family, and that of our school community, be respected as we come to terms with this loss.' A spokesman for Luigi Vicinanza Sindaco, the mayor of Castellammare, said another cable car was descending when its brakes switched on as 'there was something that wasn't working' and safety systems were triggered. He went on: 'We are hypothesising that as the cable cars were moving at the same time. The one at the top was meant to arrive, (it) was around 20 to 25 seconds from the entrance of the station at the top, except the wire broke and the brake did not work because the cabin started to move backwards as it was on a slope. 'It went backwards and ended up on a pylon and it fell. 'It didn't fall perpendicular at 25 metres, it went a lot further back. 'The first thing that would've happened is that the wire snapped and then the brakes didn't work. 'At the moment it's all a hypothesis that the wire snapped and the brakes system did not start.' Ten people had to be taken down from the other cable car, the spokesman said. An investigation over multiple manslaughter and culpable disaster charges has been opened by Italian prosecutors, according to reports The mayor said on Facebook there will be a day of mourning and all events for the Easter holiday cancelled. Firefighters, police and Italy's alpine rescue were sent to the scene, which is between the popular tourist areas of Pompeii and Sorrento. The EAV public transport firm, which runs the cable car, said the service had reopened a week ago with all required safety conditions. Checks were being carried out by investigators on the cable car and the possibility that strong wind was among the causes of the incident. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences from Washington DC, where she was meeting US President Donald Trump. A British tourist said she saw people being taken down from one cable car in a harness after the incident. Megan Pacey, 50, from London, was with her husband, James Ross, and their children Hannah, 10, and Luke, eight, when they saw a suspended cable car. She said: 'We were within a minute or two of (the incident) happening. 'They started winching people down from the cable car. We watched the first couple of people come down in a harness and as we left, there was a sense of urgency that had kicked in.' She said she saw flowers and candles on the steps outside the railway station on Friday and emergency services remained at the scene. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the families of a British couple who have died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Pictured: British couple killed in Naples cable car crash
A British couple killed in a cable car accident in Italy had been spending their retirement on motorcycle tours abroad, friends said as the pair were pictured for the first time. Graeme and Elaine Winn died along with two others when their cable car fell 100ft into a mountainside overlooking the bay of Naples after steel cables snapped. The accident happened at the top of an almost two-mile route connecting the seaside town of Castellammare di Stabia, near the Amalfi Coast, with the nearby Monte Faito mountain. Carmine Parlato, 58, an Italian who worked on the cable car route, and Janan Suliman, 25, a tourist from Israel, were also killed. Thabet Suliman, 30, Ms Suliman's brother, survived but broke both his legs and suffered other serious injuries. The holidaymakers and the cabin's driver are said to have been only 20 seconds away from reaching the top terminal. Prosecutors in the Torre Annunziata region have opened an investigation into possible manslaughter charges after the crash, which happened around 28 miles (45km) south-east of Naples. Neighbours of the couple, who were from Market Harborough in Leicestershire, said they had been planning to spend a week away in Italy. Ms Win, 58, was a school business manager at Welland Park Academy, a secondary school in Harborough. Mr Winn, 64, is believed to have been an IT consultant for secondary schools before retiring in September 2017. The couple were keen motorcyclists and had toured all over Europe. They moved to Market Harborough in 2017, relocating from Rayleigh, Essex, and both had two children from previous marriages. One neighbour said: 'They were lovely, lovely people and it is very sad. Graeme has retired and he and Elaine enjoyed going on holidays. They told me they were off to Italy for a week and were so excited. They had spent Christmas away, I think in Turkey.' Another said: 'He was really into his motorbikes, and he was always tinkering around with them and fixing his or someone else's. There is an elderly neighbour across the road, and Graeme would keep an eye out for him. 'They had grandchildren, who had only been up to visit the other weekend. When I saw on the BBC website that they had died in the accident I was in disbelief and very saddened. They would be missed around here. It is a pleasant close knit neighbourhood.' Chris Mann, a friend, wrote in a tribute on Facebook, that they were 'good friends who were enjoying retirement with lots of motorbike tours and holidays.' Another neighbour said: 'They were a very nice couple, and it is so sad that this accident happened. They were both into their motorbikes and liked travelling. It is a terrible irony that they died while out on their latest adventure.' The couple's family declined to comment when contacted by The Telegraph. A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are supporting the families of a British couple who have died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
