On the final day of the 1984-85 football season, 11,076 people assembled at Valley Parade, home of Third Division champions Bradford City. Bradford captain and future Lincoln manager Peter Jackson collected the championship trophy in party mood while the small band of Lincoln fans celebrated avoiding relegation the week before. It was a pleasant way to spend a spring afternoon.

Two hours later, 56 people had lost their lives as the main stand, tragically set for demolition the following day, caught fire and burned on television. Amid the horror, John Helm's magnificent commentary has deservedly gone down in history. Helm's reaction to the sight of a burning man staggering across the pitch is etched into the minds of everyone who saw it; sadly, the man did not survive. Inside the ground and in the immediate vicinity, unspoken acts of heroism took place from medical teams and from the local residents who took in the injured and tried to comfort the distressed. Twelve-year-old Gabby Yorath escaped the blazing stand and went looking for her father Terry, who unbeknown to her had been injured jumping from a window after helping to evacuate the ground. She was far from alone amid the smoke and confusion.

Over 200 victims were taken to the Bradford Royal Infirmary where a doctor named David Sharpe directed operations. Doctors were called in from leave, plastic surgeons summoned from all over Britain, and new methods of treatment developed over the ensuing weeks. The experience eventually led Professor Sharpe to set up the Bradford Burns Unit at the University of Bradford, and despite its pioneering work in the field of research, underfunding has threatened the existence of the unit on several occasions. Supporters of both clubs have often rallied round to raise funds for a facility that is close to the hearts of everyone who remembers the events of 11 May 1985.

As we approach the fortieth anniversary of the fire, it is entirely appropriate that Vital Lincoln City has chosen once again to hold an appeal in support of Bradford Burns Unit. Julian Burley has already confirmed that this will be his final fundraiser as owner of the VLC site and aims to take the amount of money raised during his tenure to an outstanding £40,000.