Twenty years ago Warrington was rocked by an IRA bomb attack which killed two children in the town. March 20 marks 20 years since the 1993 bombings. Over the next week, we will be looking at what happened then through the eyes of some of the key people involved.

THE tragic loss of Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry should always be prominent in people’s minds when the Warrington bombing is remembered.

But the case of Bronwen Vickers should also never be forgotten.

The mum-of-two was shopping on Bridge Street with her husband Paul, two-week-old baby Harriet and four-year-old daughter Hannah when she was caught in the blast.

The then 32-year-old’s injuries were so severe her left leg had to be amputated.

Miraculously her children escaped serious injury.

Bronwen’s body shielded Hannah and had she been holding her with her left hand rather than her right, her daughter would have been killed.

The mum lost four pints of blood, but Mike Argumont, a trained paramedic at the scene, helped save her life by staunching the flow until she was taken to Warrington Hospital.

Speaking to the Warrington Guardian in a Monday, March 29 special edition, Bronwen said she was “just glad to be alive”.

She said: “When I was hit by the bomb, I sincerely believed I was going to die.

“I saw a lot of blood. I did not believe anyone could live and lose so much blood. When I did survive I was very, very grateful.

“I was not lying in the street shouting and screaming for my baby. I did not have the energy. I needed all my energy to stay lucid and in this world.

“I could see straight away that Paul and the children were alright. They were standing up. Hannah was crying.

“I can only think the IRA are psychotics and maniacs, I really do.

“But I am not bitter, I’m not about to do anything. I am just going to get on with my life. Something good has to come out of this for me.

“Obviously, I will never forget it. I have a constant reminder but we will get on with our own lives. What else did the IRA expect?”

Mrs Vickers inspired staff and fellow patients with her courage in learning to walk and drive again with the use of an artificial leg.

But just over a year later she died from the same skin cancer disease that she had beaten eight years earlier.

Director Peter Gordon recorded Bronwen’s recovery and the recurrence of the disease, which she believed might have been brought about by the shock of the attack, in a BBC2 documentary ‘After the Bomb’.

Tributes flooded in after her death, including a message from Prince Charles who had met her during a hospital visit.

And artist Lorcan Walshe presented a painting - The Sun behind the Clouds - to Warrington Hospital in 1996 as a reminder of her optimism, good humour and bravery.