Imagine driving home on a Friday evening in March only to hear on the car radio that a major competitor in the cross-Channel ferry industry was in serious difficulties. As is usual, initial reports were sketchy, but one of their ships had foundered in shallow water off the Belgium coast with a loss of life, at that stage unquantified.

This was Friday 6 March 1987 and the ship was the Herald of Free Enterprise belonging to Townsend Thoresen.

Despite commercial competition the decision for me and my team was an easy one. In no time my car was heading back to the Dover office amid calls to the ferry operator and my own staff to see what we could do to assist.

A total of 193 crew and passengers perished that evening with a similar number of relatives and friends of those that had died as well as survivors who were understandably traumatised. All of those living and, in some way, connected were clearly in need of counselling.

Kent County Council (KCC) felt the need to establish a help unit called the Herald Assistance Unit. Due to the location of the wreck bodies were landed in Belgium which caused logistical difficulties. Once KCC had established a focal point it was difficult to know what would happen next. The two major ferry operators, Townsend Thoresen and Sealink contributed £90,000 and £66,000 respectively in order that the counselling care and support might continue. The rest as they say is history.

Although time has moved on, counselling expanded and DCC developed into a substantial organisation that to this day provides expert mental care to countless thousands in Kent and beyond.

We have come a long way in the last 35 years and it has been a privilege to have been associated with DCC, its tradition and the people who have made care in the community a reality that so many have benefited from.

Dr Bill Moses MBE