The families of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Aguiar have been thanked for their “continued courage and resilience” on a visit to 10 Downing Street today.
They met Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Deputy leader Angela Rayner as they presented their vision for a new look Town Hall gardens in Southport as their way of remembering the girls.
The Prime Minister told them their plans are “an incredible thing for so many people and for children as they make use of the gardens” as he agreed to provide £5million of Government funding for the £10million scheme.
Sefton Council and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have each provided £2.5million to enable the works to take place.
The aim is to develop the Town Hall gardens into a family-friendly, child-orientated, and safe open-air performance and gathering space.
As he welcomed the families into 10 Downing Street, Keir Starmer told them: “Let me just start by saying thank you so much for coming in, and you’re very welcome.
“I know you’ve got some plans that you want to show us, so we’re very much looking forward to seeing those plans, to honour Bebe, Alice and Elsie.
“I know that the plan is very much developing on the idea of the gardens in a very special way, and so we’re looking forward to seeing that.
“There’s already the prospect of some funding to go towards the gardens to make them exactly as you want them.
“And as a proper honour to the three girls, I’m really pleased to tell you today that the government will make up the rest of the money, so that as from today, you know that this project is secure and will go ahead.
“Thank you for coming to show us the plans. Thank you for your continued courage and resilience.
“As I’ve said to you all a number of times, I think most people in the country would say they wouldn’t know how to deal with the situation, but you’ve shown courage and resilience and come forward with these plans, which will then be a great honour and an incredible thing for so many people and for children as they make use of the gardens, which is a wonderful thing to do. So thank you very much for that.
“And also we sit here as Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, but we sit here as human beings with families of our own. And we sit here on behalf of millions of people who would love to see the plans and to say well done for bringing them forward and getting to this point.
“So through us, the thanks of millions of people in this country. I know there’ll be a sense that all of us alongside you will want to see these plans.
“I think when they understand the concept of what you’re doing here, I think they’ll be really moved and touched by it. So thank you.”
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