Community and voluntary groups rally to offer support after Southport attack

An aerial view of Southport, Merseyside, credit: iStock.

Southport’s voluntary and community groups are playing a key role in the response to yesterday’s attack on young people attending a holiday club in the town, which left three young girls dead and a community in shock and mourning. 

Spaces for reflection and support 

The Emergencies Partnership is in touch with partners such as Sefton Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), the British Red Cross, the National Emergencies Trust and the Salvation Army, which opened its doors last night and today for prayer, reflection and to provide a listening ear to anyone who needed to talk about what they’re going through. Other community and faith groups are rallying in similar ways and Sefton Council has set up a web page with links to local Support (sefton.gov.uk). 

Strengthening network connections 

Emergencies Partnership director Robyn Knox says: "Our thoughts today are with the young people who lost their lives and their families, friends and the wider Southport community.  Right now we’re offering support directly to our contacts in Southport, keeping our wider network informed and sharing any other help and experience that’s useful.  We also know recovery, particularly for young people, from the impact of this will be significant, so we will continue to offer support as the community reacts and people’s needs change and become clearer." 

Fundraising 

There are a number of fundraisers live – including one organised by Alder Hey Children’s Charity. The local Community Foundation for Lancashire and Merseyside is monitoring the need to launch an appeal and will make any announcements via its website, in due course. 

Support with future needs 

The Emergencies Partnership hears partners are considering what help they can offer in the coming days, weeks and months, as the local community starts to recover, including the potential for community workshops.  

Learning from the past 

There is much to learn from previous emergencies, particularly those impacting young people. The Emergencies Partnership is compiling and sharing useful resources like the National Emergency Trust’s (NET) The Bee the Difference report, which includes the views and experiences of over 200 young survivors of the Manchester Arena attack, and highlights six ways individuals and institutions can help. While it is important to note this incident is not being described by police as a terror attack, the findings of the report are relevant to those working with the children, families and communities affected.   

Links 

The UK Trauma Council has published a range of relevant resources for those working with children and young people affected by trauma and bereavement on its website. Some of the key pages are:  

https://uktraumacouncil.org/resources  

Critical Incidents in Educational Communities - UK Trauma Council  

Guidance on creating the best environment for recovery - UK Trauma Council  

Traumatic Bereavement for children & young people - UK Trauma Council 

Keep in touch 

If you are a voluntary or community organisation, or an emergency response partner who wants to stay informed on this and other incidents, join the Emergencies Partnership’s Slack channel here. You’ll find updates on this incident on the dedicated North Channel on the left-hand menu.  

Ends 

For more information, or for media enquiries, please email info@vcsep.org.uk