Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, who was killed in a mass stabbing at a dance class in Southport.
Her parents Sergio and Alexandra were joined by family and friends at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in the town.
Among those who also gathered to pay their respects were Serena Kennedy, Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, along with uniformed officers from the police and the ambulance and fire services.
Members of the public lined Marshside Road as the funeral cortege arrived, along with about 30 uniformed police officers.
Pink ribbons and balloons were tied to lampposts and garden walls.
Applause broke out as the carriage - drawn by two white horses sporting orange and white plumes - containing the youngster's white coffin approached the church entrance.
Several hundred people packed into the church while more listened outside as the service was relayed on loudspeakers.
In an address to their daughter given on their behalf, Alice’s father Sergio and mother Alexandra said: “Dear Alice, you were our perfect dream child, everything was idyllic from the moment you arrived.
“A good girl, with strong values and kind nature. A lover of animals and an environmentalist in the making. You moved our world with your confidence and empathy. Playful energetic, friendly, and always so respectful.
“Being around you was a privilege, we cherished every milestone. You completed us.”
They went on: “We feel shocked, unimaginable pain, we miss you.
“From time to time, the pin drops. When mummy says ‘good night, Sergio, good night Alice’ and then it hits us all over again. We don’t hear you back.
“Moving forward will be hard. Some days are better than others, but none will be perfect.”
They spoke of watching Alice grow up “from a princess to a pre-teen”, and seeing her “independence take shape” along with her “dedication to school, to dance and to your faith”.
The grieving family shared a photo of Alice eagerly waiting to get into the Taylor Swift themed dance class where she was fatally stabbed.
It showed Alice smiling beside a life-size cardboard cut-out of the singer in the doorway of the Hart Space studio, in Hart Street, Southport.
The youngster – who is pictured wearing leggings, trainers and a T-shirt with the slogan Vacay Vibes – was just starting her school summer holidays.
At an earlier memorial service, mourners read out a message from the bereaved family which remembered Alice as having a smile that “is extremely contagious and full of joy.”
Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were also killed after a mass stabbing at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space on Monday July 29.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, from Lancashire, is set to stand trial next year after being charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Five other children and two adults were seriously injured in the attack at around 11.45am on July 29.
Around 400 people have since been arrested in riots that spread across the country after the incident.
Around 100 individuals have been charged, according to director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson.
