King arrives in Southport to meet knife attack survivors

The King has arrived in Southport to meet survivors of the fatal Southport knife attack and their families.

Charles travelled to Merseyside on Tuesday for a private meeting to hear the experiences of some of the young children who were attacked at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.

Crowds cheered as the King arrived at Southport Town Hall shortly after 1.30pm, where tributes have been left outside in memory Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, who all died in the attack.

Charles stopped to look at the memorials and greet some of those gathered before going inside the building to meet some of the children who survived the attack, their families and the police liaison team working with them.

The King is due to meet with the three bereaved families in London on Wednesday.

Hundreds of bunches of flowers and cuddly toys have been laid near the town hall, where a vigil was held the night after the attack.

The King walked around the tributes, waving to the crowd and shaking some hands and was applauded as he walked into the building.

Balloons in the shape of stars, hearts, a disco ball and the girls’ ages were among the tributes and messages were placed in frames, covered with plastic to preserve them, including one which read: “God has gained three beautiful new angels… May you dance forever in heaven and be at peace.”

People began to gather outside the town hall from about 11.30am to catch a glimpse of the King.

Charles spent about 45 minutes meeting survivors before signing a book of condolence in the town hall.

He signed his name, adding: “In deepest sympathy.”

Outside the building before he left, the King met members of the community who had helped in the aftermath of the attack.

Paige Whitby, Harriet Neal, Naomi Taylor, all 13, and 10-year-old Emie Todd said they had raised £2,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital by selling lemonade.

Naomi said: “It was shocking to meet the King. We were excited and nervous.

“He asked us about school and whether we were enjoying our holidays.”

Joanne Martlew was there with son Harvey, seven, who presented Charles with a pair of Scottish cufflinks.

Ms Martlew, a retired emergency service worker, said she had been driving past the dance class on the day of the attack when she saw victims coming out and went to help, assisting six of those injured.

She said Harvey, who had witnessed some of the aftermath, took ice creams to police officers in the days after the incident and they took teddies which had been left in tribute near the scene to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

She said: “It was brilliant to see the King. I last saw him in 2008 when he was prince. He was just really pleasant.”

Members of the Lord Street in Bloom gardening group, who have been looking after the flowers outside the town hall, were also there to meet the King.

Helen Marshall, 71, said: “I think it’s very important he is here. We’re under a cloud and we need something to boost morale.

“The last few weeks have been devastating but the community spirit is the thing keeping us going.”

Pauline Morris, 60, added: “There have been thousands of flowers left. It has been an honour and a privilege to work there.”

Siblings Antony and Jenna Johnson, who distributed free ice creams from their family business Triviso to children in Southport in the days after the attack, also met the King.

Mr Johnson said: “We feel super-privileged to be here.

“It was lovely to meet the King, he was so nice to speak to. He said we’d done a fantastic job.”

Ms Johnson added: “We wanted to give out ice creams after the riot because the kids had all been terrified and we wanted to give them something to come out of the house for.”

Charles would later join local politicians at Southport Community Fire Station and hear from Merseyside’s police, fire and rescue and ambulance services about their roles during the disturbances, as well as meet local groups, including faith leaders.

Following the attack last month, rioting broke out in Southport and across the country.

The disorder included looting, with hotels housing asylum seekers also attacked before counter-demonstrations appeared to quell the disturbances.

The violence, denounced as “far-right thuggery” by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, was sparked by false claims about the identity of a teenage suspect later charged with three counts of murder.

The family of the final child to be released from hospital earlier this month condemned the “disorder” and attacks on police officers, emphasising that “when the horrific events unfolded, our police officers were the first on the scene”.

The King has been engaging privately with the issues generated by the disorder which has seen hundreds arrested.

Following the Southport stabbings Charles, at his request, received daily briefings about the national situation when the disorder was at its height.

It is not known what issues he has been focusing on, but he is a long-term promoter of inter-faith dialogue as a way to bring groups together and has championed community cohesion.

The violent disturbances left some Muslim communities fearful following the targeting of mosques in a few areas.

During separate telephone calls earlier this month with the Prime Minister and senior police chiefs, the King called for unity and praised the “community spirit” that countered the riots, and offered his “heartfelt thanks” to the police for restoring order.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murder of the three girls in Merseyside.

He is also charged with the attempted murder of yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas, businessman John Hayes, and eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.

Published: 20/08/2024 by Radio NewsHub