23 August 2024, 11:27
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Alamy
Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Southport today as they gathered to celebrate the life of Elsie Dot Stancombe who was killed in a horror knife attack.
Devastated members of seven-year-old Elsie’s cheerleading troop joined local residents and members of the emergency services as her funeral carriage adorned with rainbows was led down the streets.
The horse-drawn carriage arrived at St John’s Church in Birkdale, near Southport, on Friday morning for little Elsie’s funeral.
Her family walked behind the carriage in a procession from their home.
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Alamy
People wearing bright and pastel colours and florals, after Elsie’s family asked those attending not to wear black, gathered outside the church, where songs including Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird were performed by singer Wendy Chalke as they waited for the cortege to arrive.
Among the mourners were members of the emergency services and Ibrahim Hussein, imam of Southport mosque – which was damaged in disorder the night after Elsie’s death.
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Handout
The family dog, Bobby, was also outside the church to see the procession arrive.
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Alamy
Members of Elsie’s cheerleading group, Vortex Cheer, formed a guard of honour as the coffin, topped with a blue cuddly toy, was carried into the church, down a pink carpet and through a balloon arch, with bubbles in the air.
Inside, the church was decorated with pastel-coloured flowers, pink ribbons and a screen with an illustration of a dancer which welcomed those attending to “Elsie’s Special Day”.
The Lighthouse Choir performed From Now On, from The Greatest Showman, and Wind Beneath My Wings, which was played on speakers outside the church as people entered.
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Alamy
In a statement released earlier in the day, Elsie’s family said: “Elsie embraced life and it is with positivity, hope and love that we celebrate her life today on ‘Elsie’s Special Day’.
“Elsie spent every day just simply enjoying life with determination, persistence, love and kindness.
“Elsie was an amazing little girl. She had the ability to light up any room that she entered, she was truly unforgettable.”
Elsie, Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Bebe King, six, suffered fatal injuries in the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at a studio on Hart Street on July 29.
Her family said: “She loved to dance and it goes without saying she was a devoted ‘Swiftie’, she was always up for anything and gave every activity a go, we went to them all.”
A new photo, showing Elsie with younger sister Rosie, three, and parents David and Jenni, was released along with the statement, which went on to say: “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.
“Elsie has brought light, love and joy to so many lives and it has been clear to us in the overwhelming response from everybody that knew her and everybody within the community.”
As well as those gathered in the church, others watched the service on screens at the church hall and Liverpool Road Methodist Church.
After the service, a funeral procession will pass the site of floral tributes outside the Atkinson arts centre in Southport, with a tribute as part of the cortege from Royal Mail, where Elsie’s father David works.
The service is the last of the funerals for the victims to be held.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with the murders of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, as well as the attempted murder of 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.