Southport, one year on: A community still in mourning – but united by grief
A year ago, he found the silent coastal town Southport in the light of national spotlight for the most tragic reasons that may come to mind.
On Monday, July 29, what should be a Taylor Swift -themed dance class full of joy, then 17 -year -old Axel Rudakubana launched an attack at the summer holiday event.
The attack critically wounded the lives of seven -year -olds and eight girls and two adults of Silva Aguiar’s lives in Nine, Bebe King, Altı and Elsie Dot Stancombe Alice Da Silva Aguiar.
The following hours and days, the country’s attention – and the world media – mourned Merseyside town returned to the town.
However, when the media and TV teams began to leave, the relatively small and strict community in Southport remained. By working together, they started to take pieces from the most terrible activity in the recent history of the town.
“We are just a typical British coastal town – quiet and not much here. Nothing like what happened last year,” says Sheila Anderson 62. Independent.
“What has changed the town. We are no longer an anonymous coastal town – changed our identity a little.”
Like many people in Southport, Sheila and her husband Brian Anderson heard about what was happening in the studio on Hart Street from their neighbors and colleagues.
“Everyone was just shock, Sheila says. “Many of them ‘do you know anyone?’ He was asking what was the reason.
The loss of three young lives was not the only terrible event that the town had to face that week. A calm seizure for the killed girls then landed in chaos as the violent uprisings broke out on the streets.
What happened was a series of racist rebellions that lasted for weeks throughout the country and fired the online false information about the identity of the killer.
Despite the pain, the Southport community gathered the next morning to clean the towns. Skes were hired and people have been rebuilt by brick, because people have exhibited a community spirit in the forefront of Southport’s identity since then.
“The way of processing gave us a sense of pride,” Sheila says. “The rebellions were terrible, but we had no general consensus – people of other places.
“The town is definitely sad and it will be difficult this week. But we know that we do our best. We want to look at each other and think we want to be more involved in the society last year.”
Speaking before the first anniversary of the attack, Brian said, “People are still working what happened and it is a difficult time. But we just hope to stay away from the problem and we will overcome it.”
Mazhaw 52 -year -old Mazhaw heard that the sirens crossed their house on the day of the attack and said he quickly noticed what was going on through social media.
The cage operated by the volunteer, the old Bakehouse coffee shop, one of the few “reflection centers ına to be opened on Tuesday to upset, reflect and participate in the afternoon of the community.
The café, which was opened in February, is a community interest company (CIC), which is assigned by volunteers who conduct community activities during the week and who are trained in the hospitality industry.
Maz says, “I didn’t open it because of what was directly. Im I wanted to reflect on my own way after the attack. But the people on Hart Street were not left to commit something.
“People are still going and pointing to and they say, ‘The place where it is’.
“We have been governed by the magnificent families of children. We have been governed by their magnificent families and passionate about being defined by them.”
Each of the girls of the girls founded a charity or CIC after the tragedy – Bebe’s Hive, Elsie’s story and Alice’s Wonderdence Foundation.
Most of Southport is interested in gathering donations for organizations from running marathon to organizing community days.
Southport Heskeeth round table continues to collect money for the entire 26 families affected by tragedy. 33 -year -old President Jordan Shandley says: “We are all about to go back to the local community, so last year was about how to help our first thought.”
Donations for donations rapidly exceeded £ 100,000, and the organization is still equally divided among families.
Jordan says: “Unfortunately, it will never be affected by the towns.
47 -year -old member Marc Foreman says: “We do not want Southport to be recognized for the rebellions. Of course, this will always be the town where this savagery will take place. But all of these charities and CICCs established from it are what we focus on now and for the future.”
Southport Trinity Crick Club also collected more than £ 34,000 for Bebe’s Hive and Alder Hey Children’s Charity.
His chair Steve Bennet said that the response to the club’s donation gathering activity was “overwhelming, and when the local businesses were asked, he literally çekmek something from the shelf” to donate.
“The attack hit the club quite badly. One of our members was Bebe King’s grandfather, and the others knew the children in the event, or he says. “The impact of the event was something that made everyone very difficult. I could not speak loudly for six months. You say, ‘You are connected to everyone,’ is very true in Southport, so everyone was able to empathize with the position of the families.”
The club decided to arrange a donation collection day on a community day that saw that more than 15,000 lottery tickets were sold and auctions were established.
“One of our members stolen every door and work in the region to ask for donations, or they could help with the donations.
“The generosity of the enterprises was not only awarded, but also to provide toilets, fences, tables, times and everything free.”
Although there will be nothing official to celebrate the anniversary of the attack on Tuesday, Steve says that the cherry belt remains as a “constant reminder ..
“There will be a low key, but people always carry it with them, or he says. “From a club perspective, he brought us to a tighter knitted group with the experience shared for our friend and the affected.”
