How to donate money to victims and families of Southport stabbing attack
The mass stabbing in Southport, which has left three children dead and more injured, has sparked an outpouring of grief not only in the local area but further afield.
Flowers were piled up during the day in memory of the victims of the shocking incident, including tributes from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and home secretary Yvette Cooper.
Several online fundraisers have also been set up to help the families of those affected, giving people from across the world the opportunity to donate.
Within just a day, hundreds of thousands of pounds have been raised across the pages.
These are some of the fundraising pages set up to help people affected by the horrific events:
Swifties for Southport JustGiving page
A JustGiving fundraiser set up by Taylor Swift fans Cristina Jones and Holly Goldring quickly raised tens of thousands of pounds.
The fundraiser, dubbed 'Swifties for Southport', had raised over £281,000 by Wednesday morning following the incident the previous day.
On the page, the pair wrote: "We are working with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to help raise money for the families affected by the tragedy in Southport, and raising funeral funds for the three young swifties who have tragically passed.
"Every donation through this link goes directly to the verified charity below, which will in turn help make a difference to those impacted in a time of great sadness. Forever and always, thank you."
Benridge Care Group fundraiser for Alice
A GoFundMe has been set up for Alice Aguiar, the third child to have been confirmed to have died following the stabbing. It had raised over £12,000 by Wednesday morning.
The fundraiser has been set up by Southport-based Benridge Care Homes and Good Companions – where Alice's mother worked – and donations are set to go to helping any costs the family may face.
Writing on GoFundMe, the organisers said: "We at Benridge Care Homes and Good Companions, have been completely stunned by the tragic loss of Alice, following the horrific events that took place in Southport yesterday. We can't even begin to imagine how the family feel.
"Alice is the daughter of one of our team here & she has been a part of the Good Companions family since she was a baby, joining in with many of our activities & events with our families & staff.
"Benridge Care Group would like to help support the family, so we kindly request donations towards costs that the family will be faced with. Any help is much appreciated. Prayers and Love."
It added: "All funds raised will go directly to Alex and her family to help support them in any way that they need it, at this time."
Southport Dance Group Emergency Fund
A fundraiser has also been launched by a group of dance school leaders and had raised over £33,000 by Wednesday morning.
Claire O’Connor, founder and CEO of babyballet, Anne-Marie Martin of Diddi Dance, Claire Munday of Tappy Toes, Amanda Frolich of Amanda’s Action Club, Vicci Blakey of Lil Beatz and Melanie Buck of Little Movers, have teamed up to start the GoFundMe fundraiser for the victims’ loved ones, the Halifax Courier reported.
O'Connor told the newspaper: “Dance is supposed to bring joy, and it's heartbreaking to think of what these children and adults endured during their class."
“The devastation left behind for families and friends is unimaginable. We felt compelled to do something to help and this fundraiser is our way of supporting those affected.”
Mighty Radio fundraiser for victims' families
A presenter for a community radio station in Southport said the stabbing which took place in the Merseyside town will stay with the community for “years and years”.
Trevor Ford, 54, who is a radio presenter and a managing director at Mighty Radio, set up a JustGiving page to support the victims of the Southport stabbing, which aims to raise £250,000, and told the PA news agency: “We’re all about bringing the community together and when the news came in to us yesterday morning, as you can imagine, it was just horrific.
“It affected all the staff and we were getting calls and text messages and emails into the station as the news developed throughout the day, and we thought we needed to do something.”
He said he went to pay his respects to the victims of the stabbing and there is a general feeling of “shock and sadness and anger at the moment”.
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