Months after a shocking riot led to the community hub being torched, light is shining on County Road once again
After a remarkable public fundraising campaign the library is opening its doors again(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Summer is supposed to be a time of fun, laughter and enjoyment. For communities in Southport, one day turned to utter darkness with the death of three girls supposed to be enjoying their holidays at a dance club.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were killed when they were meant to be having fun at a holiday club on July 29. Such was the reaction to the shocking events in Sefton, violence spilt out into the streets, with scenes akin to those last seen in 2011.
Among the targets for the mindless and wanton vandalism was County Road in Walton. Situated adjacent to Goodison Park, the stretch of road is part of one of the most deprived areas in the country and a community all of its own.
It is with this in mind that what came next in August was all the more galling. People as old as 69 stormed on L4 to torch the Spellow Library and Community Hub, set fire to bins and smash windows.
The damage robbed north Liverpool of one of its vital assets, a little more than a year since it reopened after a £1m renovation. It also inspired a community coming together to represent what Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram described as a “phoenix from the flames.”
The violence presented a problem for the new Labour government, with ministers keen to appear strong on the disorder just weeks into their long-awaited election after 14 years in the wilderness. Among those apprehended for their role in the disorder was 69-year-old William Morgan of Linton Street, who was found at the scene brandishing a club.
He was sentenced to 32 months in prison. Brothers, Adam and Ellis Wharton were also jailed for their part in the riots after they looted Spellow Library after the building had been sent on fire.
The Spellow Hub in Walton was set alright(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Ellis Wharton attempted to steal a computer monitor while his elder brother Adam Wharton meanwhile waited outside the premises and acted as a “lookout”. Adam Wharton, of Selwyn Street in Kirkdale, admitted burglary with intent to steal and was jailed for 20 months. Ellis Wharton pleaded guilty to the same charge and was imprisoned for 11 months.
On a visit to the site, Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said there was a “sense of solidarity around the whole world with everyone in Merseyside” after the horrific deaths of the three girls in Southport.
Mr Reynolds visited the centre with Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of the local authority, as well as city MPs Dan Carden and Kim Johnson. Speaking to the ECHO, the Business Secretary said he was struck by the damage those responsible had done to the facility.
He said: “It’s incredibly distressing because it’s a library, because of the employment support, the classrooms that you can see. Libraries have played a massive part in my life coming from a working class background, so seeing something so important to the community affected in that way is genuinely distressing.
“Talking to the staff and the passion for what they were doing, to hear their resolve, to get that place back up and running as soon as possible and make sure the services are available on an interim basis elsewhere, it’s exactly what I expect from Liverpool but it’s still really powerful to hear it.”
He was among a number of government officials to take in the location, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also visiting during the Labour Party conference in September. Cllr Robinson said there was a “completely resolute” commitment to reopen the site as soon as possible.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper meets with Cllr Liam Robinson and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram at Spellow Library(Image: Liverpool City Council)
Watching the scenes unfold from home was Alex McCormick, who was spurred into action to create a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising £500 towards getting the site back open. What began as a small gesture took on a life of its own, with a quarter of a million pounds being raised and Alex and her mum being invited for tea with the Lord Mayor at the Town Hall.
Looking back, she told the ECHO how proud she was to have been part of the efforts to reinvigorate Spellow. She said: “I think obviously hitting the £500 target was the only goal and as that grew and more money was raised, that was an incredible feeling and it was amazing that many people supported it.
“To see something like this, the council have rallied, the local community have rallied, the kids have been involved, it surpasses any expectations I had and I hope everyone is so proud of what we’ve managed to achieve and this community has managed to achieve.”
The efforts also caught Royal attention with Her Majesty Queen Camilla donating a series of books to the site which have been put on display in a special glass cabinet in the library. In a letter, she confirmed she hopes to visit the site in 2025.
With weeks to go until Christmas and lights going up all around Walton, one more set was getting ready to be switched on. With more than 150 sites across the country joining in with displays of solidarity, including the British Library in London, colours and sounds flooded down Goodison Road to mark the reopening of the community site.
A 300-strong lantern parade swept past Goodison Park, with music and displays before a symbolic light switch on outside the library greeted by crowds of onlookers. A special reading took place inside the hub broadcast live on television.
A lantern parade makes its way to Spellow Community Hub and Library in Walton Wednesday evening(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Braving the cold, with a true Scouse sense of defiance, communities young and old came together in defiance of those who had tried to tear down their space to offer the message best summed up by one sign seen on the parade: Together we are stronger. This was a message echoed by those in attendance at the official opening ceremony less than 24 hours later.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who was among dignitaries to visit the site in September and performed a poem said as he watched the scenes unfold, he thought “Is that who we are, is that who we’ve become? Walton answered no.”
Mr Rotheram was the Labour MP for Liverpool Walton for seven years and said it was more than just a constituency he was elected to serve. He said: “When you are from this place and you work for this place, it’s in your DNA.
“That pride was dented on August 3.” The Metro Mayor said the violent scenes perpetrated by thugs weren’t the area he recognised or the people he associated Walton with.
He described the Spellow rebirth, aptly as the phoenix from the flames. Mr Rotheram said: “Following the summer’s violent disorder, I said we’d stand united and rebuild – and we did. The reopening proves that when communities pull together, anything is possible.”
He added: “It’s the power of community, the power of people coming together, the power of L4.”