An emotional memorial service will remember the lives of two Colchester friends killed during a bombing attack in London 25 years ago. 

On March 30, 1999, Andrea Dykes, John Light, and Nik Moore were killed as a nail bomb detonated at the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho. 

The 27-year-old mother-to-be from Colchester, was in the pub with her husband Julian, 41, to celebrate with Mr Light, 32 from Colchester, after asking him to be the godfather of their unborn baby boy. 

Mr Dykes, a computer programmer also from Colchester, survived the horrific incident but was left in a coma for several weeks after suffering extensive burns and injuries from nails lodged in his lungs. 

Gazette: Mrs Dykes died in the Soho blast

Today, a special memorial event will be held at 6pm to keep the memory of Andrea, John and Nik alive, 25 years after the attack. 

Friends and family previously told the Gazette the friends would never be forgotten. 

David Copeland, 48, of Hampshire, a Neo-Nazi, had planted three bombs in central London, planning to start a race war after targeting venues for more than 13 days. 

The first two bombs in Brick Lane and Brixton failed to detonate, but the third one also saw 139 people injured. 

Gazette: Pub - The Colchester couple was celebrating with their friend at the Admiral Duncan when the bomb explodedPub - The Colchester couple was celebrating with their friend at the Admiral Duncan when the bomb exploded (Image: Google Street View)

Copeland was given six life sentences in June 2000 and failed to get his sentence cut in 2011. 

Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, saw the sentence as appropriate, saying Mr Justice Burton, who set the minimum term of 50 years in 2007, was right to call the crimes “exceptionally grave”. 

He said: “It is difficult to exaggerate the horror of these appalling crimes, which stemmed, as far as we can see, from the appellant’s abhorrent beliefs. Having reflected on this awful case, we have come to the conclusion the appeal should be dismissed.” 

Gazette: Julian Dykes, far left, John Light, second left, and Andrea Dykes, who were caught in the blast.

In 2015, Copeland slashed the face of another inmate at HMP Belmarsh with a makeshift weapon of razorblades stuck into a toothbrush. 

After slashing Thomas McDonagh twice, Copeland was put into solitary confinement for 11 months and had three years added to his sentence for the attack, of which he will serve at least 18 months.