A CAMPAIGNER seeking the truth behind the Birmingham pub bombings that killed his father has been taken aback by the ‘generosity of spirit’ shown by fundraising customers and staff at a Lye pub.

Paul Rowlands, whose dad John died in the 1974 bombings, is part of the 'Justice4the21' campaign group made up of families and friends of the 21 people who lost their lives in the atrocity.

The inquests on the deaths were never properly completed and although they have been reopened, the coroner in charge argued the identity of the bombers was an issue that should be excluded.

Justice4the21 raised £30,000 to challenge that decision and sensationally won – but now they need to drum up the same amount again after the coroner applied to the Appeal Court.

That’s where the Fox Inn on Green Lane has stepped in to help regular Mr Rowlands, collecting hundreds of pounds in just a few weeks of fundraising.

Paul, 54, hopes that effort, combined with all of the other fundraising drives being undertaken by Justice4the21 campaigners, will be enough to amass the money needed.

He said: “The thing that stands out for me is the incredible generosity of spirit of ordinary working people.

“They haven’t been putting pound coins in – they have been putting £5, £10, £20 notes in.

“That sort of community spirit is so rare and so amazing – especially towards me, a Brummie living in the Black Country!

“The whole community has come together to support the cause and that needs celebrating.

“There is a lot of bad press in Lye for one reason or another but we need to celebrate the fact that there is a community here that looks out for each other.

“The publican, Ian Hanke, and his partner Sandra, have been absolutely brilliant and they have put a lot of their own money in too.

“I haven’t asked them to do any of this – they have done it off their own back.”

The Fox has been selling badges, stickers and wristbands, along with honey produced by bees owned by Paul, as well as sending regular collection buckets around the pub.

The gesture has touched Paul, who has lived in Lye for 30 years now.

He grew up in Birmingham and was only 11 when his father was killed in the double blasts that targeted the Mulberry Bush and Tavern In The Town pubs on November 21, 1974.

Paul and wife Soraya – who have two children of their own – are among several families that have been tirelessly campaigning for decades for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

They achieved success when the inquests were ordered to be reopened, with Sir Peter Thornton, former chief coroner of England and Wales, selected to head the process because of its length and complexity.

However, he wanted to exclude the issue of the bombers, saying it was ‘not in the public interest to pursue unachievable or indeed unlawful objectives’.

However, the Justice4the21 families say the identity of the culprits is central to the inquests and they won a judicial review in the High Court, only for the coroner to appeal.

‘The Birmingham Six’ were wrongly convicted of the crimes, which happened when IRA attacks were at their height, and were freed in 1991.

The crime remains unsolved but Mr Rowlands said: “We know a lot more than we can talk about (due to confidentiality agreements).

“We believe we know the truth and the evidence is there to support that.

“But the coroner is now appealing. He is publicly funded but we are not – so we have to raise another 30k and wait for another court date.

“That’s why this generosity means so much. Every step we get knocked back but the support we have had is so important for us. Without it, we would be lost.”