Hillsborough campaign mum Anne Williams was laid to rest in
a funeral service attended by hundreds of people today.
Crowds lined the streets outside Our Lady's church in Formby
for the service this afternoon.
Along with family and close friends, Liverpool FC manager
Brendan Rodgers, LFC managing director Ian Ayre and MPs including Andy Burnham
attended for what was described as a "celebration" of her life.
Tributes to Anne, who died aged 62 on April 18, were paid at
the service by her brother Danny Gordon and by Stevie Hart, a Liverpool fan who
tried to save her son Kevin on the Sheffield pitch.
Well-wishers, many sporting Liverpool and Everton scarves
and shirts, gathered outside the church and waited to hear the service, which
was relayed to them via speakers.
During the funeral Danny recalled his childhood in Formby
with Anne and the innocence of their youth.
He added: "We were always taught that anyone in
authority should be trusted.
"What happened to our society when a mum can't send her
son to a football match and rely on his safe return?"
Mr Gordon read a poem written by Anne, which ended with the
lines: "We hoped that justice would come one day, and those who caused us
pain would pay."
A candle donated to the church by Anne in 15-year-old
Kevin's memory in 1989 was lit and placed on her coffin throughout the service.
The congregation left the church to the sound of Sarah
Brightman and Andrea Bocelli's recording of Time to Say Goodbye, before family
and close friends went on to Southport crematorium and later Formby Guild Hall.
As the funeral car bearing Anne's coffin, decorated simply
with the word 'Mum' drove away, onlookers burst in to spontaneous applause.
Speaking after the service, Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson
said Anne must never be forgotten.
He added: "We showed our appreciation to a woman who
has been an integral part of the campaign for justice for 24 years.
"When the story is completed on Hillsborough, she won't
see the final chapter written, but she is an integral part of that story."
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