Following today’s Hillsborough inquest verdicts, a commemoration event to mark the outcome will take place at 5.45pm tomorrow (Wednesday 27 April) on Liverpool’s St George’s Hall plateau.
Members of the public are invited to gather on the plateau and Lime Street for a special event, led by Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson who will be joined by family members of the 96. It will be a mixture of tributes, music, speeches and moments of reflection looking back at the last 27 years.
To mark today’s verdicts, 96 lanterns are already on display on the steps of St George’s Hall along with a banner which names those who lost their lives on the 15 April 1989 and displays the words ‘Truth’ and ‘Justice’. Flags will be flown at half-mast on all civic buildings, and today bells at Liverpool Town Hall and Municipal Building will be rung 96 times at 3.06pm – the exact time at which the match was stopped. From 4pm this afternoon the M62 digital screens will show the words ‘Never Forgotten’ in a visual tribute to the 96.
And tonight, iconic buildings across the city will be bathed in red light in a show of solidarity for the 96 and their families, including the Town Hall, St George’s Hall, Cunard Building, Municipal Building and the Royal Court.
During tomorrow’s ceremony, the names and ages of those who died in the tragedy will be read out and displayed on large screens at the event. There will also be speeches by civic leaders, and BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips will compere the event.
The proceedings will conclude with Sense of Sound choir performing You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Anyone who would like to leave a tribute, for example flowers or scarves, can do so on the lower steps of St George’s Hall.
Mayor Anderson said:
“Tomorrow’s commemorative event at St George’s Hall is an opportunity for the city to come together with the families and campaigners and show the world the overwhelming spirit of comradeship and solidarity that exists in this city towards them. So many people have been touched by their struggle over nearly three decades. They are an example to everyone who seeks out truth and justice and tomorrow’s event is a chance for the city to say ‘thank you’ to them and to remember the lives of their loved ones.”
The commemoration event has been organised by the city council and supported by representatives of the Hillsborough family groups, Liverpool FC and Everton FC and is expected to finish around 7.30pm.
Motorists are being advised that Lime Street and St John’s Lane will be closed from around 5pm until 8pm. Diversions will be in place but delays are likely. Travel information will be available from www.merseytravel.gov.uk or Traveline on 0151 236 7676.