Security firm inundated with requests to protect children's clubs following Southport stabbing

  • ITV Granada Reports journalist Anna Youssef went to meet the dads offering their security services for free

Two dads say their security firm has been inundated after they offered to provide free protection to children's clubs in the wake of the Southport stabbings.

Ben Moss and Tom Doolan say their aim is to provide "peace of mind" and "reassurance" to parents who have "no choice" but to send their children to clubs during the summer holidays.

"People just don't want to send their kids anywhere," Ben said. "But then we were getting contacted by people that have no choice.

"They have got to go to work all day - so they need some sort of reassurance that someone is going to be looking after their kids."

It follows the deaths of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at a Southport holiday club on Monday, 29 July.

It has left worried parents reluctant to send their children to holiday clubs, while other many organisers have cancelled sessions.

Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and six-year-old Bebe King were killed in the attack

The dads, who run Napier Security Services, have already been booked to provide security at nearly 30 different venues - with no shortage of staff willing to volunteer.

Tom says the response has been "unbelievable".

"I had friends texting me saying my mates work the door and he has got his badge and works security he says he’s free these days," he said.

"We’ve had one gentleman who’s taken time off work to come and work across the summer so the outreach has been ridiculous."

"We’ve had a teddy bears picnic birthday party that was going to get cancelled.

"No child shouldn't have a birthday party so again if its that little peace of mind for the parents and families its worked hasn't it?"

Ben said he decided to offer the security services for free to help parents and organisers.

He said: "It was mainly because I was sat with my daughter and I thought if she can't go to things through the summer I wouldn't like it.

"These places that are putting things on cant afford to pay for security so we thought we would try and do our best and get some free stuff out there."

Everything we know about the mass stabbing in Southport
Flowers and tributes outside the Atkinson Art Centre Southport Credit: James Speakman/PA

Ian, a dad-of-five, who lives in Banks the same Lancashire village as the teenager charged with carrying out the attack, is organising a free fun day for local children at the community leisure centre.

Ben and Tom will be there to provide security.

"It's just to make the children and the parents feel safer," he said.

"Don't get me wrong the hub is a safe place, it's very secure inside anyway, but it’s just peace of mind for the parents."

Ian Hellawell is planning a fun day for children and families in the Lancashire village of Banks.

The gesture is one of a number of acts of kindness which have emerged as the people of Southport come together to grieve and to support each other.

Ian added: "We just decided to do it for the children in the village really, trying to put some smiles on the children's faces.

"The village is very very quiet at the minute, it's very strange, I’ve never known it in all the years I’ve lived here, so we just felt we needed to put something on to cheer the children up, and for the village."