Grayson (left) and Wintle (right) saved and protected the Archer Inquiry website for future generations, key research evidence submitted by Grayson to Lord Archer has since been extensively used by both the Penrose Inquiry and the Infected Blood Inquiry
(Image via Colette Wintle)
Kate Burt
Chief Executive Officer
The Haemophilia Society
52b Borough High Street
London
SE1 1XN
Reference Transfer of Archer Website
25th February 2023
Dear Kate,
I am writing to you in an official capacity as co- owner of the Archer website domain which has been held in joint ownership between fellow campaigner Carol Grayson and I, Colette Wintle, since February 2017. The website domain was officially transferred to us from Slater Gordon solicitors following a period of two years of searching for the Archer Report which had been offline and unavailable for several years. On the 15th February 2017, Barrie Anderson wrote informing us that their firm would no longer be hosting the site and with regard to the forthcoming transfer, stating, “my intention is to make you aware as I feel between yourselves the domain name should be in the ownership of those who have been involved in this inquiry”.
The report and testimonies are an important part of the Haemophilia community’s history and is deserving of protection for future generations of persons with bleeding disorders so they can learn from what Lord Winston referred to as “the worst medical treatment disaster in the history of the NHS”.
The Archer public inquiry was fought for through the work of long- standing campaigners such as Carol and myself and others who worked with Lord Alf Morris and other cross party MP’s over decades. It was the first ever privately funded public inquiry since the advent of the Contaminated Blood scandal which left 4,800 haemophiliacs, men women and children stricken by Hepatitis and HIV viruses. Sadly, many of the people who were core participants in the Archer inquiry have died from their infections and never saw justice in their fight for the truth as to who was responsible for this NHS treatment scandal. Lord Morris and Lord Peter Archer both sadly died only a few short years after the report was published and we must never forget their support and efforts to hold government and other bodies to account.
Carol and I have agreed that the time is now right following the final presentation day of witnesses to the Infected Blood Inquiry, to hand over the stewardship of the Archer Website Domain to the Haemophilia Society with the express wish that the Haemophilia Society commits (in writing to us) to protect the website for its members and future generations. It will serve as a reminder of our commitment to our community whom we fought for so determinedly for three decades despite our own suffering from ill health and personal losses.
A few years ago, Haemophilia Scotland requested under Dan Farthing Sykes ex CEO of the Scottish Society to place a copy of the report and testimonies on their website which we gave them permission to do providing they referenced its ownership to Carol and myself. Unfortunately, others such as Factor 8 Group have not been so respectful and placed the contents of the Archer website on their site minus any reference to our work to preserve the site. We state emphatically that the reason lawyers transferred the site to us in the first place was because of the recognition of our extensive involvement in the Archer Inquiry, Carol gave evidence both as a the widow of haemophilia Peter Longstaff and again as a researcher on Contaminated Blood (later awarded for her work) and I gave testimony as an infected female haemophiliac at a time when female haemophiliacs were not even officially recognised due to a misogynist approach to treatment.
As the CEO of the Haemophilia Society, you may wish to write to the new CEO of the Terrence Higgins Trust and inform them that the Haemophilia Society will now be hosting the Archer Report. We would like you to ensure that the background history of how this report disappeared and was then recovered by us is understood by your members and other organizations with an interest in bleeding disorders and Contaminated Blood because it was lost to the haemophilia community until we tracked it down!
I have already sent you the access details to the website and I understand you have acted upon the transfer. We would like to thank you for agreeing to take over the care of this important report as it was and remains a vital part of our lengthy campaigning years. We ask finally that you place this letter on the Haemophilia Society website for members to read to ensure they are informed of the transfer.
Yours Sincerely
Colette Wintle and Carol Grayson
Links
Report on the Archer Inquiry, Blood Scandal Report, Channel 4, 16th March, 2009 (Youtube, Lekozza)
Whitehall accused of cover-up over infected blood imports (Telegraph, 26th May 2007, Hardcopy Archived)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1552656/Whitehall-accused-of-HIV-cover-up.html
Government knew of HIV risk from imported blood (Guardian, May 25th 2007, Hardcopy Archived)
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/may/25/health.politics
Four people speak out about the impact of contaminated blood (Guardian, 23rd February 2009)
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/feb/23/nhs-contaminated-blood-transfusions
‘A horrific human tragedy’: report criticises response to blood scandal (Guardian, 23rd February, 2009)
This article is more than 14 years old
Government failed victims of infected product
Haemophiliacs renew call for full and quick action
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/feb/24/haemophilia-contamination-report
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad. She was a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 