Southport victim 'born to be a star', parents tell BBC

The parents of 1 of the girls killed astatine a Taylor Swift-themed creation people successful Southport past twelvemonth person told the BBC their girl was "born to beryllium a star".

Alice da Silva Aguiar, who was 9 erstwhile she died, began dancing erstwhile she was 16 months aged and her parents are fundraising for a caller playground which volition see a stage.

Looking implicit architect's drawings of the connection during an interrogation with BBC Breakfast, her parent Alex said: "[The stage] would beryllium her favourite part."

In the family's archetypal TV interview, Alice's begetter Sergio said helium would beryllium moving the London Marathon to rise funds for the playground. They program to physique it astatine Churchtown Primary School, wherever Alice was a pupil.

He said his girl loved going determination and enjoyed reading. An outdoor room is portion of the proposals, on with a trim way track, den-building country and the stage.

"The schoolhouse was the spot wherever she spent astir of her clip and she was truly blessed [here]," said Alex.

"She loved it. For america it's truly important to marque this [project] happen. She would beryllium happy, I'm definite she's arrogant of us."

The BBC accompanied the mates arsenic they visited the Southport schoolhouse for the archetypal clip since their daughter's death.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, were besides killed successful the onslaught carried retired by Axel Rudakubana who was last period jailed for a minimum of 52 years for their murders.

Sergio said: "If you inquire the radical who met her, no-one [saw] her successful a mood. No substance what happened, she would ever person a smile."

Alice's favourite teacher feels the aforesaid way.

"That truly was Alice successful a nutshell," said Alan Bowen. "That beaming smile, each the time."

He taught her erstwhile she was successful Year 3 and said it was ever a pleasant astonishment to find retired you were someone's favourite teacher.

"I've been teaching for much than 20 years... sometimes thing clicks," helium told the BBC. "You spot a lightbulb successful immoderate children and you conscionable get them, and I deliberation Alice got maine and I got Alice."

Speaking astir the plans for the signifier successful the caller playground, helium said: "Every azygous infinitesimal of each azygous play clip and interruption time, she'd [have been] connected that stage.

"And she wouldn't conscionable beryllium connected the signifier dancing, she'd beryllium getting radical involved. They'd beryllium doing creation routines; they'd beryllium having songs; they'd person microphones... she'd beryllium connected the signifier directing everything that was going on."

He explained respective of Alice's schoolfriends were besides keen connected singing, dancing and amateur dramatics.

"I would usage that punctuation from A Midsummer Night's Dream," helium said of her. "'Though she beryllium but little, she is fierce.'"

The plans for the playground see a pergoda and a memorial carved into a beam dedicating the installation to Alice and Bebe, who besides antecedently attended the school.

The plans were revealed to the schoolchildren conscionable earlier the half-term vacation and immoderate recorded their reactions connected video, which were shown to Alice's parents.

"I emotion the remembrance station astir our person Alice," 1 kid said. "I similar the [planned] quiescent country due to the fact that I similar to gully and conscionable person immoderate clip connected my own, sometimes. Thank you truthful much, delight marque it happen."

Sergio won't beryllium connected his ain erstwhile helium runs the marathon connected 27 April. Joining him volition beryllium the school's caput teacher Jinnie Payne.

She said the playground would beryllium a awesome of however they observe the lives of the victims.

"I deliberation it is truly important. For the children, it's joy, it's fun, it's positivity," she told the BBC. "It's our guardant motion, our adjacent step."

Though what struck her precocious was however the wider assemblage were going to assistance physique this project, alternatively than being led by an idiosyncratic oregon azygous institution.

"We're each going to assistance to physique this and erstwhile you bash thing unneurotic - that feeling of togetherness, of assemblage - that volition bring the positivity that we need."

She and Sergio are being prepared for their marathon effort by a idiosyncratic trainer whose girl walked to schoolhouse with Alice everyday.

Other parents and unit astatine the schoolhouse volition besides beryllium moving to rise money, whether it beryllium astatine the London Marathon oregon the person Blackpool festival of running. They are aiming to rise £250,000 for the project.

The flowerbeds adjacent the entranceway person been replanted by section volunteers - they incorporate immoderate of the commemorative flowers and plants near extracurricular the schoolhouse pursuing Alice's death.

In the eulogy fixed astatine her ceremonial past August, Alex and Sergio paid tribute to the "wonderful community" who had supported them.

Ms Payne besides spoke to the congregation and told them 1 of the school's teachers had named her babe successful Alice's memory, a infinitesimal that appeared to profoundly determination her mother.

Asked by the BBC what she thought of erstwhile remembering her daughter, Alex said: "Happiness, kindness - everything good."