28.09.2006

Collection started for Crane driver

We have now been informed that the Falcon crane driver who died in Tuesday’s accident was Jonathan Cloke, 37, of Docking near Fakenham in Norfolk.

Cloke and his wife Joy had only christened their 16 month old son, Zion, on Sunday.

Cloke was a plumber by trade but took a crane operators course at the CITB National Construction College in Bircham Newton in order to follow a different career. He had been with Falcon for over three years and had relocated to Guildford, Surrey.

The United Crane Operators Association’s (UCOA) is organising a collection for Clokes family.

UCOA chairman John Batey said “We know that no amount of money can ever take the place of a lost loved one, but the money raised will go towards costs involved in unforeseen funeral expenses etc, and hopefully help to ease the heartache of such a terrible tragedy”.

For those of you who would like to contribute towards this collection, donations can be made by cheque or postal orders, made payable to:

The United Crane Operators Association Ltd (UCOA)
Crane Accident Appeal
3 Southview Close
Skegness
Lincolnshire
PE25 3JU

Notification will be made periodically on the progress of the collection, in the UCOA section of the lifting-world.co.uk . website. We will also place a link from Vertikal.Net directly to that page. .

Terry Duxbury a UCOA director added: “On behalf of the UCOA directors, John Batey, Trevor Durham, and myself, I would like to express our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the operator involved, our thoughts are with them. “