Nearly two years after the Southport attack that killed three girls and injured several others, five survivors have met again for the first time. The girls, now aged between nine and 12, gathered for a playdate that included pilates and dancing to Harry Styles, but for their parents, the reunion was an emotional milestone.
The attack on 29 July 2024 saw Axel Rudakubana, then a teenager, enter a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club at the Hart Space in Southport armed with a 20cm knife. Three girls—Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine—were murdered. Eight other children and two adults were stabbed, some critically.
Among the survivors is Daisy, who was seven at the time. She was stabbed 33 times and lost her entire blood volume, spending five days in a coma. Her mother told the Guardian that Daisy shielded other girls during the attack, helping one down the stairs and crouching over another. 'She saved herself,' her mother said, 'but the world has no idea what she's done.'
Another survivor, Bella, then ten, was stabbed three times in the back with enough force to penetrate her chest wall. She was minutes from death when a Midlands air ambulance, returning from an abandoned job, arrived by coincidence. Her mother described the timing as 'divine intervention.' Bethany, then ten, shielded her younger sister Amber, eight, and suffered several wounds. Her mother said, 'She saved her sister's life that day.'
The families, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, spoke to the Guardian about their daughters' heroism. They expressed concern that the bravery of the children—who helped each other escape despite critical injuries—risks being forgotten. The reunion, they said, was a step towards healing, with the girls forming 'a really special bond' after being placed on the same hospital ward.
