A permanent tribute to the survivors of Hillsborough which was donated in memory of the late Chester campaigner Anne Williams has been unveiled in Liverpool.
The commemorative plaque is sited at Liverpool Central Station where it will be seen by hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Ninety-six Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed in Britain’s worst ever sporting disaster on 15th April 1989 and, while 766 people were also recorded as injured after surviving the lethal crush on the Leppings Lane terrace, thousands more fans suffered physical and mental trauma from what they experienced.
Newtown mum Anne campaigned relentlessly to uncover the truth after her 15-year-old son Kevin was among the 96 victims and always championed the survivors, insisting that without their courageous efforts during the rescue operation many more people would have died.
Following her death from cancer in April 2013, her daughter Sara and brother Danny Gordon carried on her case and both were in attendance at Central Station where they invited Stevie Hart and Tony O’Keefe, two Liverpool supporters who carried Anne’s son Kevin on the pitch at Hillsborough , to unveil the plaque.
Mr Gordon, who commissioned the commemorative bronze piece after discussing the design and details with survivors and families, spoke of the pride he and many families feel in how Liverpool supporters dealt with the ordeal they suffered in 1989, and with the hurtful and damaging slurs they have been forced to endure ever since.
He said: “Whilst there have been many wonderful tributes to our lost loved ones and their families, for which we are very grateful, we the family of the late Anne Williams and many other families would like to pay tribute to those who survived and came home from that very dark day in 1989.
“It was Anne’s wish to pay tribute and to recognise the suffering and the trauma the disaster caused, not only the mental and physical effects of the disaster but then having to put up with the tirade of lies printed by some media outlets.
“At the moment our legal team is working on The Hillsborough Law, hoping to get the bill passed in parliament to make it a criminal offence to tell lies.
“I call upon people especially MPs and anybody with any influence to sign the petition so that families and survivors don’t go through what we have in the future.
“This tribute is not intended to undermine the great help and support many have given our survivors for many years, it is just to say thank you and to recognise the efforts many of you made to save lives, organising yourselves, making the majority of professionals look like amateurs.
“Without your efforts many more lives could have been lost, and we are so thankful to those who gave evidence at the Inquest, reliving that terrible day to help us get the result we did, total vindication of any wrong doing. 14-0.
“We would like to thank everyone who has helped make this happen, in particular the Merseytravel directors, Merseyrail MD Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Commercial Director David O’leary and all the other Merseyrail directors, with a special thank you to Area Station Manager Nikki Murphy; also, our legal team Pete and Elkan and staff from Broudie Jackson Canter, as well as George Harris and sons David and Paul from Merseyside Castings who made the plaque for us.
“We hope this tribute will give the survivors some small comfort knowing they will never be forgotten.”
Stevie Hart, who supported Anne for many years in her campaign for justice after she found him following an appeal in the ECHO in 1994, said: “In all the years I knew Anne, she was steadfast in her belief that if it hadn’t been for the survivors doing what they could, things would have been so much worse.
“Looking around today, it’s great to see so many people here. I think it’s important to everyone who returned that dreadful day to know that this is for you.
“This is what Anne would have wanted and what her family set out to achieve.
“Before you leave here today, step up and touch this plaque, then tell yourself that you did nothing wrong that day and you proved it.
“I know there are still people out there struggling to come to terms with what happened and who still somehow feel a sense of guilt.
“But you need to know that the only thing any of us were ever guilty of was telling the truth.
“This plaque is for all of you and my biggest hope - and that of Anne and her family - is that it helps you all in some way and maybe brings you peace.
“Look after each other always and remember: You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
