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To celebrate its reopening, a solidarity march was held in the street where Spellow Lane Library in Walton, Liverpool was torched during the violence that occurred across towns and cities in England last summer. Approximately 300 adults and schoolchildren marched through the street led by campaigner Alex McCormack, who spearheaded the £250,000 fundraising campaign that attracted nationwide support. The library is mainly a community space that offers support, knowledge and sanctuary to visitors.
The parade consisted of supporters holding lanterns of all shapes and sizes, including children from neighboring schools who helped make some of the lanterns. Meanwhile, the library received support from more than 135 libraries across the country that lit up in solidarity, including the British Library in London and ten libraries in Lancashire. The opening ceremony was marked by a symbolic switch-on after live music performances, with an infinity symbol made of lights shining in the sky above the library to emphasize the importance of libraries as a place of sanctuary, knowledge and community.
Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson stated that the relaunch of Spellow Library was a testament to the spirit of the city and the people across the country and beyond who showed support. It showed “that hate will never win in our communities,” he added. Nicola Booth, headteacher of Gwladys Street Primary School, said that the destruction of the library had a massive impact on the school, which regularly used the facility. A pupil added that the library was essential since it helped them with their spelling, while another stated that reading books has made them cleverer than everyone. The campaign attracted attention from Her Majesty The Queen, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, and children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
The reopening of the library comes after nationwide protests that erupted across England due to unrest following the July Southport knife attack which claimed the lives of three children: Bebe King, six, Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. However, the solidarity march showed that people would firmly stand together to combat such events and rebuild affected communities, thereby allowing the affected communities to heal and thrive once again
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