Never before has a tragedy hit so close to home.
We moved to Southport around 12 months ago, a sleepy town in the North West of England, the move was based around our two small children, to give them more space to grow.
No-one could imagine what was going to happen this week.
On Monday morning I was beavering away in my home office, when I heard sirens.
At first, I didn’t think much of it, but after more than ten minutes of consistent noise I started to be concerned. The noise was growing louder and the emergency vehicles were going into Southport, the vague direction of my youngest son’s nursery, a brief thought crossed my mind, I hope nothing could be affecting my child.
I had learned that news travels fast in this small town, and promptly logged on to the local social media pages to find out what was going on with all the noise.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when people were saying that a nursery had been attacked, children injured, I ran frantically around the house in tears before pulling myself together and calling his nursery. He was fine, they were fine, heart pounding we decided to bring him back home, not knowing if he was safe anymore.
In this terrible time, when so many people are feeling the direct or indirect trauma of world, national. and local violent events, it’s a reminder that we are all human, vulnerable and need love and kindness to heal and survive.
Sadly, three girls lost their lives, Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine. Elsie’s picture was posted online yesterday in the same school uniform as my eldest son.
This little girl is someone that we have no doubt passed by numerous times on the school run. That may have performed in the end of year summer play to a room full of adoring parents, just as my son had a few days before. Unimaginable.
There are many ways to give, I am sharing the following page which is set up for her family.
Sadly, Elsie’s mum felt urged to send a message out on social media, a call to stop the subsequent violence by Far-Right protesters that broke out at the site of a nearby Mosque.
This unrest, due to the sharing of misinformation and the stirring of racial hatred is abhorrent.
Today, as with many others in the town and country, we feel vulnerable in many ways, and our thoughts are with the victims of this tragedy, and all those affected.
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