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It has taken more than fifty years but today the very first memorial to the children so badly affected by the drug Thalidomide was unveiled in Harrogate.
Survivors came together from all over the country more than five decades after the morning sickness pill was withdrawn from the UK market. Its effects though are still being felt today, as Jon Hill reports.
The UK's first memorial to people affected by the drug Thalidomide has been dedicated in Harrogate.
The memorial, a 16ft copper beech tree and plaque, commemorates babies born with a range of disabilities caused by the drug.
Thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950s as a cure for morning sickness but withdrawn in 1961.
The memorial has been paid for by Harrogate businessman, Guy Tweedy, a Thalidomide survivor.
Mr Tweedy, whose has shortened arms and fused fingers, said: "It killed thousands of babies in the womb and in their first years of life.
"It left thousands more with terrible deformities and affected the lives of thousands of families around the world."