Port Sunlight Museum & Garden Village

Press release – Hillsborough Memorial Garden vandalism

Port Sunlight Village Trust
Tuesday 9th June 2009

Trustees and staff of Port Sunlight Village Trust were deeply shocked and saddened by the vandalism that took place in Port Sunlight village in the early hours of Sunday 7th June when three youths caused wanton damage to the much-loved Hillsborough Memorial Garden.

Created by Unilever, the memorial garden is a focal point for families and friends to remember the 96 who were tragically killed in the disaster on 15th April 1989. Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused to over 20 metres of sandstone balustrade wall which surrounds the memorial, and dates back to the early days of the village.

The Trust is working with Merseyside Police and local residents to piece together the events of Sunday morning and to identify those responsible for the atrocity. It is hoped that work will begin shortly to repair the damage and restore the memorial to its former glory.

The Trust would like to say a heartfelt thanks to all those who have offered their support and sympathy at this time, from local contractors to Liverpool Football Club, which has been overwhelming.

Lionel Bolland, Chief Executive of the Trust said “the Memorial Garden is a special place for people to spend some time in quiet reflection and our hearts go out to those who will find this base act adding more pain to already deep wounds. There are no words capable of expressing the deep sense of outrage that this deed has fired up among people from all over the country. We will fully restore the garden as soon as we possibly can and we shall also do everything to assist the police in bringing the perpetrators to justice”.

Port Sunlight Village Trust is an independent charitable trust responsible for the preservation and promotion of Port Sunlight village – a 19th century garden village created by William Hesketh Lever for his Sunlight Soap factory workers.

For more information, contact Carol Darlington Marketing Manager on 0151 644 4815 or c.darlington@portsunlightvillage.com