Liverpool will mark the 32nd anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy this Thursday (15 April).
Acts of remembrance will be held from the afternoon but people have been asked not to gather due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
Flags will be flown at half-mast from civic buildings (St George’s Hall, Cunard Building and the Town Hall) and the bells at Liverpool Town Hall will toll 96 times to remember all those who lost their lives as a result of the events of Saturday 15 April 1989.
As always, the city will also be asked to fall silent and pause for a minute at 3.06pm, the time at which the match was officially stopped, to reflect on the events and all those affected by them.
The Mersey Ferry will sound its horn at 3.06pm to signal the start of the silence and again to mark its end.
Later in the evening civic buildings will also be lit red as an act of remembrance.
Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Anna Rothery will lay a wreath on behalf of the city at the Hillsborough Memorial at Anfield.
Acting Mayor Cllr Wendy Simon said:
“The tragic events of 15 April 1989 changed our city forever. It is a day to stop, reflect and remember all those who lost their lives, their families, and all the others who survived the trauma and continue to suffer. We will never forget the 96 and tomorrow we stand in solidarity as a city.
“I know that many people will want to come together with friends and family, but Covid-19 restrictions are still in place. We are therefore asking that people follow the rule of six and other current guidelines as they pay their respects to the 96 and all the others who were affected by the tragedy.
“Please join me and thousands of others in the one-minute silence where we can still join in a collective act as we remember all our fellow citizens who went to a football match in Sheffield and never returned home.”
