Bench recognises survivors’ courage
LIVERPOOL FC is to install a memorial bench at Anfield to recognise the survivors of the Hillsborough disaster.
The Survivors’ Bench will be located on 96 Avenue, opposite the Hillsborough memorial at the stadium.
The club says the bench will serve as a permanent reminder of the survivors’ ‘strength, unity and courage’.
The disaster in April 1989 claimed the lives of 96 Liverpool FC fans, including six with links to Halton.
Runcorn father and son Thomas Howard Senior, 39, and Thomas Howard Junior, 14, died in the disaster while schoolboys Kevin Tyrrell, 15, and Adam Spearritt, 14, were also from the town.
Dad-of-one David Benson, 22, came from Penketh, but was ● working in the timber trade in Widnes at the time while Peter Thompson, 30, lived in Widnes.
The bench will feature a pattern of interlocking lines, based on the scarves that were placed in tribute on the Kop and the pitch at Anfield in the aftermath of the disaster.
The club says it has been working with the families to create a tribute that will acknowledge the survivors and all those who came together to support the cam- paign.
A plaque at the front of the bench will read: “Liverpool Football Club and families of the 96 extend their eternal gratitude to those who endeavoured to save the lives of others at Hillsborough on April 15, 1989, and to all survivors and the wider football family who supported the campaign for truth and justice for so long. “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” On Saturday, April 15, players and staff at the club fell silent at 3.06pm to observe a minute’s silence to mark the 28th anniversary of the disaster.
From this year, at the request of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, the Hillsborough memorial services will no longer take place at Anfield.
Instead, the city’s cathedrals will now take it in turn to host low-key services.