A support organisation for survivors of the Hillsborough tragedy says its volunteers will be there for anyone who needs help this weekend.
Liverpool visit Nottingham Forest in the sides’ first FA Cup meeting since the 1989 disaster. Set to be an emotional occasion, the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance urged anyone who felt they needed support to get in touch. The offer is extended to Nottingham Forest supporters.
Liverpool travel to the City Ground for a 6pm meeting on Sunday. While the clubs have met in the league, the fixture will be the first FA Cup tie between the pair since the semi-final on April 15, 1989.
READ MORE: Anne Williams 'embodied everything heroic and noble' in fight for Hillsborough truth
That match was played at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium, where a tragic crush on a terrace allocated to Liverpool supporters unfolded, resulting in the unlawful killing of 97 innocent men, women and children. Ahead of the fixture, the Nottingham Forest Supporters’ Trust laid floral wreaths at the Hillsborough memorial at Anfield on Thursday.
Peter Scarfe, chair of the HSSA, said the recent broadcast of the poignant drama Anne, which portrayed Hillsborough campaigner Anne Williams’ heroic fight for justice for her son Kevin Williams, requests for support from those still dealing with the impact of the tragedy had dramatically increased.
He told the ECHO referrals had also increased since the FA Cup draw pitched Liverpool and Forest together.
Mr Scarfe said: “These events are stirring up unspoken memories and triggers for trauma, anxiety and other mental health issues related to the events of Hillsborough and the aftermath. At the end of the day, regardless of football allegiances, Nottingham Forest supporters were also at Hillsborough. They too witnessed the disaster. Unfortunately, they too will still struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder from what they experienced on the day.
“We are there for Liverpool supporters but we are there for them as well, to say it is not also their tragedy is wrong. The clear message that we at the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance want to get across is that we are here for them.”
The organisation has a designated WhatsApp group for Nottingham Forest supporters, with links having grown substantially over the last year and a separate Nottingham-based support group being established.
For more information, you can contact the organisation on Twitter (@HillsboroughSu1) and online here.
