I brought my daughter to Southport last week to see my beloved home town. Then it was torn apart by violence

‘Southport will need all our love to make it through this most ghastly chapter in its history.’ Tributes laid for the children killed and injured on 30 July, 2024. Photograph: James Speakman/PA

Growing up in Southport, the feeling that you might have been forgotten by the rest of the world was palpable. As soon as you told someone where you were from, the questions began.

“Southport.”