The father of one of the girls murdered in the Southport knife attack is running the London Marathon to raise money for a new playground at the school the nine-year-old thought of as her ‘second home’.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was brutally stabbed to death along with Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July last year.
Her father Sergio is now planning to help fund a brand new playground by completing the London Marathon on April 27 in memory of his daughter.
This years race is set to be the biggest marathon ever, with more than 56,000 runners set to complete the 26.2 mile circuit.
Sergio will be joined in the road race by Jinnie Payne, the headteacher at Churchtown Primary School which Alice attended.
Other parents and staff at Churchtown Primary School will also be taking part to help reach the £250,000 goal.
The GoFundMe page, which is available here, has already raised more than £215,000 towards the cost of constructing playground.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Sergio said: ‘The community been amazing, when we are going out or going to the gym they come to me and say “well done, you’re doing amazing”.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, was brutally knifed to death along with Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in July last year
Her father Sergio is now training to run the London marathon to help raise funds towards a new £250,000 playground in his daughter’s memory
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Sergio said: ‘People are being so kind, saying the playground is going to be amazing’
‘People are being so kind, saying the playground is going to be amazing.
‘The school was like her second home, she loved school. She had 100% attendance last year. It was quite important to her.’
He added: ‘When people talk to me about the playground, I feel like we are doing something great, thousands of children will enjoy this.’
Sergio also spoke of the pride his daughter would feel about the new playground – and his sadness that she wouldn’t get to play in it.
He said: ‘She would be very proud. I can’t imagine how happy she’d be to see the new playground, I wish she could enjoy it.’
The playground is intended to be a ‘joyful, healing space’ for all the school’s pupils and a memorial to Alice and fellow pupil Bebe, six, who also lost her life in the attack.
The fundraiser, set up by Churchtown Primary School and David Clayton, the CEO of Endeavour Learning Trust, of which the school is a part, describes the space as ‘a place where they can do what children do best – play, explore and grow, and is designed to offer a variety of opportunities for over 700 children so they can each thrive in their own unique way.
It continues: ‘This new playground will be a special space to remember Alice and Bebe, reflecting their characters and the joy they brought to Churchtown Primary.
Alice da Silva Aguiar (pictured), nine, died in hospital of her injuries a day after the rampage
Pictured: Alice’s parents looking over the plans for the new playground in an interview with the BBC
The proposed design also includes a seating area with a tribute to murdered schoolgirls, which reads ‘In memory of Alice and Bebe, forever in our hearts’
The playground is set to include an adventure playground for pupils to ‘play, explore and grow’
The playground, complete with beautiful flower beds, is intended to be a ‘joyful, healing space’ for all the school’s pupils after the trauma of the attack
Alice da Silva Aguiar pictured with her favourite teacher Alan Bowen at primary school
Elsie Dot Stancombe (left) and Bebe King (right) were the two other children killed alongside Alice in the Southport attacks last July
‘Please donate what you can to help us create a playground that will carry their memories for years to come.
‘We aim to raise £250,000, but we don’t want to stop there. Any additional funds raised will be distributed to local charities who are helping those affected by this tragedy.’
The perpetrator of the attack, Axel Rudakubana, now 18, was sentenced to at least 52 years in prison for the horrific Southport attack in January this year.
He stabbed two adults and 11 children – with Elsie Dot, Bebe and Alice all suffering fatal injuries.
When police searched his home in Banks, Lancashire, they found knives and poison, as well as images and documents relating to violence, war and genocide on his devices.
Sources said the material showed an ‘obsession with extreme violence’ but there was no evidence he subscribed to any political or religious ideology or was ‘fighting for a cause’.
Among the items found on two tablet computers belonging to Rudakubana were documents including A Concise History Of Nazi Germany and The Myth Of The Remote Controlled Car Bomb, the PA news agency reported.
Rudakubana, whose parents moved to the UK from Rwanda, also had documents called Rwanda’s Hutu Extremist Insurgency – An Eye Witness Perspective and Death And Survival During The 1994 Genocide In Rwanda.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, who carried out the attacks in Southport last year
Other files included A Place Under Heaven – Amerindian Torture and Cultural Violence; The Mau Mau War: British Counterinsurgency in Colonial Kenya; Clan Cleansing In Somalia, The Ruinous Legacy of 1991; and Examination Of Punishments Dealt To Slave Rebels In Two 18th Century British Plantation Societies.
Also found was a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual.
The discovery of the file led to Rudakubana being charged with possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism, which he later admitted.
Ahead of what would have been his trial, Rudakubana unexpectedly admitted murdering the three girls and attempting to murder eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as well as class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
He further pleaded guilty to possessing a knife on the date of the attack, production of the toxin ricin on or before July 29, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
