The reopening of a library set alight during riots has shown the power of “kindness in the face of adversity”, the Queen has said.
Spellow Community Hub and Library in Walton, Liverpool, has been closed since August when it was torched as violent disorder broke out on County Road in the wake of the stabbings at a dance class in Southport, Merseyside.
At an official reopening ceremony on Thursday, attended by politicians, poets, schoolchildren and library users, a letter from the Queen was read by Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Mark Blundell.
Camilla, who donated a box of books following the fire, said in her message: “As you gather today to celebrate the reopening of Spellow Lane library, I wanted to express my heartfelt admiration to your whole community for the way in which you have all, residents, businesses, charities, local heroes and lovers of books, pulled together to create the next chapter of this very special place.
“In doing so you have demonstrated to our entire country the power of resilience, solidarity and kindness in the face of adversity.
“You are an inspiration and I do hope that you are enormously proud of yourselves.”
Mr Blundell said the Queen would have liked to attend the reopening but had been “quite unwell”, although she hoped to visit within the next year.
An online fundraiser set up by mother-of-one Alex McCormick raised more than £250,000 to repair and restock the facility.
Ms McCormick, who initially hoped to raise £500, said: “I think it’s important for children to see that even though a bad thing’s happened, if everyone comes together and if you believe in something enough it can be positive. Anyone can be that source of change.”
Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who read a poem at the reopening, said there had been a “battle between good and evil”.
He said: “A library is the repository of truth and those riots were started by lies.
“There’s just something really medieval about burning a library. It’s an assault on knowledge and an assault on truth.”
The reopening ceremony included performances of poems and songs by pupils from Arnot St Mary Primary School and Alsop High School, as well as poet Levi Tafari.
It followed a lantern procession on Wednesday evening which ended at the library, where the lights were switched back on.
Leader of Liverpool City Council Cllr Liam Robinson: “August 3 was probably one of the darkest nights that we’ve had in this community and this city, but after that darkness does come the light.
“Today is the start of a process of that light shining in and I know we’ll all be looking at how we can take that forward and how we can drive that forward for a much more positive future for this centre and how we work with our community into the future.”
