The families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar, and Bebe King are working with Sefton Council to redesign the Town Hall gardens in Southport town centre as “a safe and joyful place, full of energy and creative expression – particularly for Southport’s younger generations”.
Next week, Sefton Council’s Cabinet will meet to officially endorse the scheme, and to commit to delivery of the £10 million project.
It will be funded through a Supplementary Capital Estimate which includes £5 million from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; £2.5 million from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority; and £2.5 million to be funded by Sefton Council.
The scheme also enjoys backing from the Royal Family.
The families of Elsie, Alice and Bebe have worked closed to create “a collective vision for a new town square and gardens that will be a child friendly and family-focused flexible events space in the heart of Southport town centre, that will provide a lasting positive legacy for their girls, and provides opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to the town for the support they have received from their community.”
As they meet at Southport Town Hall next Thursday (19th June 2025), Sefton Council’s Cabinet will ratify their financial contribution to the project and to its role as accountable body for delivery of the project.
Sefton will then carry out a procurement process for a main contractor for the works via a fully compliant process.
In his report to Cabinet, Sefton Council Executive Director (Regeneration, Economy and Assets) Stephen Watson said:
“The Town Hall gardens space has long been an integral part of Southport’s rich history, but in the wake of the unimaginable events of 2024 it took on new meaning as a place of unity, healing, hope and remembrance. Thousands gathered in this space for a community vigil and used it as a place to leave tributes and flowers for the victims of the tragedy, demonstrating the community’s strength in adversity. The families envision the Town Hall gardens space as a safe and joyful place, full of energy and creative expression – particularly for Southport’s younger generations.
“Ahead of the full-scale transformation, temporary improvements have been made to the Town Hall Gardens space to enhance its appearance and atmosphere. Floral planters have been installed to bring colour and vibrancy to the area during the Spring and Summer of 2025, creating a welcoming and uplifting space for visitors and residents, before works commence on the space later this year. These enhancements will serve as a symbol of renewal and positivity, ensuring that the gardens remain a beautiful and inviting part of Southport throughout the transition period. These planters will be relocated upon commencement of the works on the project to other locations within the borough, with trees and plants being central to the vision for the new space as well.
“In direct reflection of the spirit of Elsie, Alice and Bebe, the reimagined Town Hall Gardens will provide a child friendly and safe platform for musicians, dancers, artists, culture lovers and more, ensuring it remains a vibrant hub for generations to come. Beyond its cultural significance, the regeneration project will play a key role in Southport’s ongoing economic recovery and growth. By creating a flexible high-quality public space, the project will attract visitors, support local businesses, and complement other landmark public developments such as the Marine Lake Events Centre and Les Transformations De Southport projects. The project will also be accompanied by an exciting events programme for Southport for the coming years and beyond, helping to make Southport’s town centre as exciting a place to be as possible for children and families. Sefton Council has worked closely with the families to secure local and national funding and provided detailed feedback to ensure the project reflects the aspirations of the community.
“The £10 million project has the full backing of Sefton Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the UK Government and the Royal Family. Southport Town Hall gardens and square will require a full refurbishment to re-landscape and level out the gardens to create an outdoor events space for public use which will include new food and drink offers on the site. Alongside this, an events programme is being created to bring free and paid for events to Southport throughout the year, both new and building on the successful events already held in Southport. Additionally, work will be done to ensure that the surrounding existing facilities in The Atkinson, Cambridge Walks and Southport Town Hall are all complementary to the offer and standards of the new project.
“This project will deliver a fitting legacy for Alice, Bebe, and Elsie, and will transform space with untapped potential at this time. A child-friendly and family-focused square and gardens at the heart of Southport town centre will not only support the families in fulfilling their ambitions to say “thank you” to the town, but will also support togetherness in the community alongside economic and place-based benefits.”
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