Southport fell silent for three minutes on Tuesday to mark a year since a deadly attack on a Southport dance class claimed the lives of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.
The girls were taking part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space in Southport on July 29, 2024, when their lives were cut short by 17-year-old Axel Rudakuban.
Eight other girls suffered injuries in the attack, alongside two adults, with many more suffering trauma that will stay with them for life.
On Tuesday, the nation fell silent for three minutes at 3pm to mark a year since the fatal attack rocked Merseyside.
Family members, friends and strangers across the country honoured the memory of the young girls, with Southport residents urged not to lay flowers at Hart Space where the attacks took place.
Instead, locals were encouraged to add flowers handed out by florists in the area to buckets in Southport Town Hall Gardens.
As 3pm came around, the area in front of the Town Hall was blanketed with floral arrangements as a collective silence descended.
The community now says it is focusing on rebuilding, with the families of the victims additionally urging well-wishers to donate to charities set up in the girls' honour.
Instead of a public outpourings of grief, the families confirmed that flags would be lowered across Sefton.
Causes set up by the families of the victims include a legacy garden and a new playground, with families also encouraging donations to local causes.
The families of Bebe, Elsie and Alice confirmed they would pay their own private tributes to the girls ahead of the ‘anniversary’.
In an open letter, the Leader of Sefton Council, Marion Atkinson, said: “As we approach July 29th, 2025, we know people have questions about how to remember everyone directly affected by the events of last summer.
“Your compassion has been a source of comfort to all affected through their darkest days. The shared grief, countless acts of kindness and especially the commitment to honouring the memory of Alice, Bebe, and Elsie have meant more than words can express.
“This period is incredibly hard for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie and all of those children and adults injured or who suffered lifelong psychological impact of witnessing the attack, and we acknowledge the huge impact on their lives too. We must not forget the local people who rushed to support and to our emergency responders. They all remain always in our thoughts.
“It is the solidarity you showed as a community which will again shine bright in the coming weeks, and we want everyone to know there has been an incredible amount of consideration, thought and planning given to how we all mark July 29th, 2025.
“In respect of this deeply personal time, we ask that no floral tributes be laid at either Hart Street or at school settings.
“Instead we are encouraging people to consider donating to local causes such as The Southport Stronger Together Appeal, Elsie’s Story, Bebe’s Hive, Hope’s Help, Alice’s Wonderdance, The Southport Hesketh Round Table and North West Air Ambulance in lieu of floral tributes.
“There will also be a three minutes silence at 3pm on Tuesday 29th July 2025, which will be recognised by the Council and other public bodies and we ask everyone to join with us, wherever you may be.
“We fully understand that many of us still need to grieve and to mark the day. Our colleagues have been working with faith and community leaders to identify local spaces where you can go, within your neighbourhood, to pay tribute, whether this be to say a prayer, light a candle, speak to someone or quietly reflect in a way that feels right for you.
“Flags will also be lowered to half-mast on all public buildings in Sefton and across the Liverpool City Region as neighbouring authorities and partners remember with us.
“As always, support remains available to anyone affected by the events of last July and people will be available at the various local reflective spaces to offer help and guidance to anyone who may need it.
“You can access support by visiting www.sefton.gov.uk/southporttogether
“Let us continue to honour the lives of Alice, Bebe, and Elsie not only through remembrance, but by holding on to the values they embodied – joy, creativity, kindness, and love.
‘Thank you for your understanding.”
Jennifer Sephton was Elsie’s Head Teacher at Farnborough Road Infants School, she told LBC: “I think it's one of those events that you will always remember where you were when you heard the news.
“When you knew that one of your children, because that's how we think of our children, we’re parents during the day, so we're really attached to each and every one of them. We love them like their parents. And so when you hear news like that, it's absolutely devastating, and it's affected all of our staff. It's affected our children and we just want to make sure, it's about getting something good out of the out of a terrible tragedy that's happened in our community.
“What you do find is that out of something really bad and tragic and terrible, kindness shines through. What we've seen consistently over the last year is people being kind to us and doing nice things. So, although it came out of something terrible that none of us ever wanted to happen, we have seen the best of human beings as a consequence, and that's what's largely taken us through.
“Because this event happened in the summer holiday, we didn't have the job of telling children about this terrible tragedy, but we have been part of the job of helping these children recover. Our school has been flexible, and the infant school have been flexible because it's about supporting individual children with individual needs, so you work with families to make sure you try and meet needs as best you can.
“The key thing that Elsie’s mum and dad really want is to keep her name alive. They don't want Elsie's name not to be used, and hence the name of the charity. Elsie’s story. It's so that it's on the tip of our tongues all the time. She's very much remembered. Elsie will never be forgotten.”
Each of the girls live on through the charities set up in their name, and their online pages have been a place for their parents to speak ahead of what will be a tough day.
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A post shared by Elsie's Story (@elsiedotstory)
Posting on Instagram via ‘Elsie’s Story’, Elsie’s mum, Jenny, said: “On a personal note, I truly have no words to express what your support, love, kindness and generosity has meant to us over the past 12 months.
"We set out with an ambition: to continue Elsie’s legacy, to make a positive difference in her name, to bring hope to other children, and to show that we will not live in fear, but with fun and love. We care for one another, look out for each other, and show up when it matters most. No one is alone in this.
"Our girls, our town, will not be remembered for the events of that day, but for everything we are building together. From the incredible work of @bebeshiveuk and @aliceswonderdance, to every single person who has stood by us, our girls will be remembered for everything they were, and still are."
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A post shared by Alice’s WonderDance (@aliceswonderdance)
Alice’s family, posting via ‘Alice’s Wonderdance’, said: “Not a day goes by that we don’t miss her terribly, the weight of pain is getting heavier every day. And so it will be forever. Now we are living with the beautiful memories and thinking about what tomorrow would be like if nothing had happened.”
Bebe King’s mum, Lauren, posted via ‘Bebe’s Hive’, saying: "A truly remarkable little girl who brought so much joy to so many. Our little squidge. It’s time for us to take the space we need. To feel, to breathe, to hold each other close. To just be.
"To be able to create something so purposeful, so needed, has given us a strength we didn’t know we had. A reason. A focus. We love and thank every single person who has helped us carry this.
"I feel her with me every day and that feeling is what keeps us going. Her light, her care, her spark – it lives on, and we’ll continue it for as long as we can.”
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A post shared by Bebe’s Hive 💛🐝 (@bebeshiveuk)
An area has been set aside outside the Town Hall in Southport for people to leave flowers if they choose to, but the family and residents of Hart Street have asked that people respect their wishes and do not leave tributes at the scene.
Paulette Lappin from Sefton Council told LBC: “We all have our own ways of expressing ourselves, there’s no right way or wrong way. We just need to be respectful and considerate of each others’ feelings.”
