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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Josh Halliday North of England editor

Girls who survived Southport attack meet again: ‘It was like having big sisters’

image of two girls' hands clasped together. They wear bracelets with letters on their wrists, reading 'fearless' and 'together'.
The idea that any of the surviving children would feel able to meet again seemed impossible until recently. Composite: Guardian Design/Getty Images

From the outside, the small gathering of young girls looked like an ordinary playdate. They chatted giddily, practised pilates and twirled around in their new outfits to the music of Harry Styles.

But on the sidelines, some of the parents were in tears. The last time these girls shared a room was on 29 July 2024. That day, they fled in fear as a hooded teenager turned a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport into one of the most horrific attacks on children in modern British history.

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