Hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of “dream child” Alice da Silva Aguiar, who was killed in a mass stabbing at a dance class in Southport.
The nine-year-old’s parents, Sergio and Alexandra, were joined by family and friends at the city’s St Patrick’s Catholic Church.
Among those who also paid their respects were Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy and uniformed officers from the police, ambulance service and fire service.
As the funeral procession arrived, crowds lined Marshside Road, along with about 30 uniformed police officers.
Pink ribbons and balloons were tied to lampposts and garden walls.
There was applause as the carriage, drawn by two white horses with orange and white plumes and carrying the young man’s white coffin, approached the entrance to the church.
There were hundreds of people in the church, while even more people listened outside to the service broadcast over loudspeakers.
In a speech given on their behalf by Alice’s parents, they said: “Dearest Alice, you were our perfect dream child, everything was idyllic from the moment you arrived.
“A good girl, with strong values and a kind nature. An animal lover and environmentalist in the making. You have moved our world with your confidence and empathy. Playful, energetic, kind and always so respectful.
“Being with you was a privilege, we cherished every milestone. You made us complete.
“In nine short years, we’ve never needed your time. We’ve never given up our time for anything that didn’t involve you.
“And if we did, we would always do it separately, so that you would always have one of us next to you.”
They continued: “We feel shocked, unimaginable pain, we miss you.
“Every now and then the pin drops. When mom says ‘good night, Sergio, good night Alice’ and then it comes back to all of us. We don’t hear you back.
“Moving forward will be difficult. Some days will be better than others, but none will be perfect.
“Sometimes we’re weak and say wild things. But we made a promise to always be there for each other in moments of desperation, a pinky promise.
“We share a strong bond and we will always be able to rely on each other. We will not be alone.
“We are surrounded by a wonderful community and their full support, family and friends, neighbors, co-workers, the wonderful military who serve the community, your school, your church and all your friends and their parents.
“We have the full support of the country and the privilege of multiplying that by two. We are grateful for that.
“Keep dancing for now, our beloved Angel, Mommy and Daddy will always, always love you.”
Parish priest John Heneghan said Alice was a regular attendee at Mass at St Patrick’s and noted she had a “smile brighter than the sun”.
The young lady’s head teacher at Churchtown Primary School, Jinnie Payne, also named Alice’s smile as one of her ‘seven qualities’.
She said, “Number one, have a big smile. Not smile big, that’s a difference. Alice had a natural smile every day, it wasn’t forced and it wasn’t artificial.
“It was everywhere she went. It was her best friend.
“Number two, polite and respectful. Alice’s manners took her everywhere. She showed politeness, not just ‘thank you’, but always ‘thank you’ with a reason.
“Number three, being interested in others, being genuinely interested and curious. Alice asked a lot of questions and she remembered things about you.
“She remembered your children’s names, she knew where you had been on holiday, so you had to be very careful what you told Alice.
“Number four, equality, I love this one. This has to be my favorite, how a child at such a young age can’t choose one friend over another.
“Friends, she played with them all equally. That’s so hard to do, and she mastered it.
“(Number five), enthusiasm for life. Alice wanted to do everything there was to do and she took those chances and you (her parents) gave them to Alice.
“But in addition to those opportunities, there’s number six. She did provide support and guidance. So if she felt things weren’t up to her standards, she would tell you, and she would help you make it right.
“Finally, the number seven is family. Alice’s words, ‘it doesn’t matter who your family is, as long as they love each other,’ and Alice did that.”
The chief constable told the council: “You (Alice’s parents) have shown great courage in asking me to be here today to deliver a message from you, Alice’s family. You do not want any more violence on the streets of the UK in the name of your daughter.
“I am so ashamed and sorry that you had to consider this at all when planning the funeral of your beautiful daughter Alice.
“And I hope that all those who have taken part in the violent chaos on our streets over the past 13 days feel ashamed of the pain they have caused you, a grieving family.
“I know you have asked for there to be no more violence and for you as a family to be given time to grieve in peace, and for our traumatized community to be given the time to heal, the time that is needed to begin to heal.”
Patrick Hurley, Southport MP, said: “There are no adequate words to express the shock and grief of the town at the atrocity that befell Alice and the other girls two weeks ago.”
On behalf of the Portuguese authorities, Sara Madruga da Costa expressed her gratitude for the efforts of the British authorities in responding to the tragedy.
Earlier this week, Alice’s parents also attended a memorial service for Alice at St. Patrick’s Church. In their home country of Portugal, this is a tradition held one week after a loved one has passed away.
Alice, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were all killed in the attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
Eight other children were injured in the attack, all of whom have since been released from hospital and are recovering at home.