Mourners have lined streets decorated with pink ribbons as a special day is held to celebrate the life of a seven-year-old killed in the Southport knife attack.
A horse-drawn carriage arrived at St John’s Church in Birkdale, near Southport, on Friday morning for the funeral of Elsie Dot Stancombe.
Hundreds lined the streets of Southport to remember seven-year-old Elsie, described by her grieving family as a “truly unforgettable” girl who enjoyed her life with “determination, persistence, love and kindness”.
A procession led by two white horses adorned with colourful feathers passed through Birkdale towards the church for the service. After it ends, the procession will pass through the floral tribute site outside Southport’s Atkinson arts centre.
A group in cheerleader outfits – an activity which family said Elsie had a passion for – were pictured in tears as they awaited her funeral procession in Birkdale.
Ambulance staff and police officers also lined the streets to pay their respects to the seven-year-old described by her family in a statement released on Friday as an “amazing little girl” with the ability to “light up any room that she entered, she was truly unforgettable”.
The streets were decorated with pink ribbons, and the church entrance with a pink carpet and balloon arch, with bubbles in the air as Elsie’s coffin was carried inside to the sound of songs including Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird.
The church was decorated with pink ribbons, pastel-coloured flowers, and a screen with an illustration of a dancer welcoming the mourners.
Ibrahim Hussein, the imam of Southport mosque, which was damaged during disorder the night after Elsie’s death, attended the funeral alongside hundreds of others. Elsie’s family dog, Bobby, also watched on as her coffin entered the church.
Emily Ridgeway, performing a reading called Elsie Dot Stancombe by Mum and Dad, said: “Elsie’s proudest moment came at a time when she found out she was being given the title of big sister.”
The reading added that Elsie’s legacy “continues here on earth”.
This was followed by her primary school teacher, Ms Katie Sykes, who reflected on Elsie before reading out memories from her classmates. “Elsie was always teaching me when we played together, Elsie loved to make me laugh,” one classmate said.
Ms Sykes recalled that Elsie would look out every day to see her father, who works for Royal Mail, delivering the post for her school, proudly telling her fellow pupils that it was her dad.
Deputy chief constable of Merseyside Police Chris Green then spoke, saying he felt “extremely privileged to celebrate her life”.
Later, a rendition of Love Story by Taylor Swift was performed with a singer, pianist and guitarist, as the family stood up to leave the church and the coffin was carried out.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Bebe King, six, were also killed after being attacked while attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Eight other children and two adults were injured in the attack, but all have now been released from hospital.
Elsie’s is the final funeral of the three and is taking place at St John’s Church in Birkdale, near Southport, with the service also being screened at church hall and Liverpool Road Methodist Church for others to pay their respects.
Her coffin, wrapped in colourful fabric and with a large cuddly toy, was carried into the church just before 10am this morning.
The family requested that people don’t wear black for the service, and instead opt for pastel or bright colours.
In a statement, Elsie’s family said she “loved to dance” and was a “devoted ‘Swiftie’”, adding that she was “up for anything and gave every activity a go”.
She was a passionate cheerleader, a keen reader, and had completed a 3k run and 10k charity walk to raise money for her local hospice. “Everything she did she gave 100 per cent and would never give up,” the family said.
A black-and-white photo of the family was released alongside the statement, showing Elsie grinning in front of her happy parents, as her young sister pulls faces in her dad’s arms.
“Our family affirmation is ‘as long as you try your best, enjoy yourself and have fun, nothing else matters’,” the statement continued.
“‘We are the four best friends in the whole wide world’ – and that mantra will remain with us for the rest of our lives, sound in the knowledge that Elsie is here with us and forever will be in our hearts.
18-year-old Axel Rudakubana was arrested at the scene and has been charged with the murders of the three girls, the attempted murder of 10 others, and possession of a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
