Fundraiser for Spellow Library Hub destroyed by rioters surpasses £250,000
A fundraising campaign has raised more than £250,000 to help repair a library and community hub that suffered severe fire damage after being targeted by rioters.
Writer Philip Pullman, children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and chef Nigella Lawson are among those who have donated to the fundraiser, which was set up in aid of Spellow Library Hub in Walton.
The GoFundMe page had an initial target of £500 but has gone on to raise more than £250,000, from more than 11,000 donations.
The appeal was started by manicurist Alex McCormick, 27, who was "heartbroken" to think that children will miss out on reading in a community space which is "meant to be safe."
She said on Tuesday, 20 August, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram made a "generous donation" of £500 which has pushed the total to just over a quarter of a million pounds.
Alex added that the fundraiser has now been paused as the money is transferred over to Liverpool City Council.
Around 300 people were involved in violent disorder on Saturday, 3 August, following the murder of three girls in Southport, Merseyside Police.
Looters targeted local businesses, and bins were used to start fires before the Spellow Hub Library was set alight.
When firefighters arrived at the site on County Road, the rioters attempted to stop them from getting to the fire to put it out.
The library, which was opened in 2023 to provide support for one of the most deprived communities in the country, suffered severe damage to the ground floor.
Queen Camilla expressed her sorrow at the recent violent disorder in the region, particularly the attack on the Spellow Library Hub, and donated a box of nearly 70 books.
Pride and Prejudice, Swallows and Amazons and War Horse were among the novels given to the library by Her Majesty the Queen who has long been a champion of literature.
Shortly after her donation, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “The burning of a library was such a shocking image, symbolising the ignorance of those who seek to divide us.
"With the help of the Queen’s donation, and of everyone else who has given their support, we will ensure that they do not succeed.”
Meanwhile, two brothers who looted the community hub and library after it was set alight have been jailed for their part in the disorder.
Adam Wharton, 28, was sentenced to 20 months in jail and his sibling, Ellis Wharton, 22, was jailed for 11 months.
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