Mourners wearing pink attended the funeral of murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel on Thursday morning.
The mass for the nine-year-old was being at St Margaret Mary's Church in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.
Those attending were asked to wear a “splash of pink”.
Olivia’s headteacher, Rebecca Wilkinson, was among those at the church.
Staff from the funeral company wore dark suits with pink cravats and pink butterfly brooches.
Olivia was shot at her home in Dovecot, Liverpool last month.
People lined the street as Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s coffin arrived at the church in a horse-drawn carriage.
The white coffin, with butterflies on the side, was topped with lilies and unicorn and teddy bear shaped floral tributes were placed alongside it in the white carriage.
A hearse with floral tributes saying “daughter” and “Liv” arrived at the church shortly before the carriage.
Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel carried a pink teddy.
In his homily, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon said: “In St Paul’s words let us comfort one another with words of faith – faith in each other, faith in God and faith in the belief that Olivia’s untimely death will lead to a community here in Liverpool without violence, that it will become a place of peace and justice.”
In a eulogy, Olivia’s mum said her daughter had been born six weeks early and spent nine days in a special baby unit.
She said: “She was so small yet even as a newborn she had her own mind.”
She said Olivia was independent and even as a toddler would choose her own clothes.
She said: “Although she loved sparkle and glitz she would never go overboard and she was very particular, even down to her socks.”
She added: “Olivia was very chatty and bubbly and would talk for England, to the point we thought she had Duracell batteries inside her somewhere.”
Pupils at St Margaret Mary’s Junior School, next to the church, wore pink to remember their classmate.
Headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson said: “We were mindful of the fact that the children had to take some sort of role today, in spite of the fact that they’re not going to the church.
“The wishes of the family in church were that everyone wear a splash of pink so today in school the children are all wearing a splash of pink.
“We have got pink hearts in the windows facing the main road, we have got pink ribbons on the fence.”
Each of the 480 pupils at the school created a flower to form part of a memorial for Olivia, Mrs Wilkinson said.
And school uniform rules were relaxed to allow nail varnish.
Mrs Wilkinson said: “One of the amazing memories that the class teacher and children shared was one day Olivia came to school wearing pink nail varnish and she spent the whole day hiding her hands so that I wouldn’t see the fact she was wearing pink nail varnish!
“So for that reason, as well as a splash of pink, we have said that the children can wear pink nail varnish today if they so wish.”
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed in her home in Dovecot on 22 August 2022.
— Crimestoppers (@CrimestoppersUK) September 14, 2022
The Founder and Chair of our charity, @LordAshcroft, is offering a #reward of up to £50,000 for information that leads to those responsible being jailed.
More information here: https://t.co/NXGVD0ju4y pic.twitter.com/PdjLMphz2q
Police are continuing to hunt or the gunman who chased convicted burglar Joseph Nee into Olivia’s family home at about 10pm on August 22.
Olivia died from a gunshot wound to her chest and her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, was injured.
On Wednesday, founder of charity Crimestoppers Lord Ashcroft offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for her death.
